How would you answer the following questions?
1. Tell me about yourself?
2. What are your weaknesses?
3. Why is there a gap in your employment history?
4. Why should we hire you?
5. What do you know about our company?
6. Tell me about a difficult situation you handled in the past?
7. What is your greatest accomplishment as a leader?
These are familiar styled questions that are common during job interviews. These are not the style of questions most people manage on a day-to-day basis. Answering this sort of question can be awkward. I find a familiar, well-practiced structure makes it easier to manage these sorts of questions.
In the video link below, I summarize this approach of Past-Present-Future at the 14-minute mark. The video was recorded during a presentation to the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Alumni Association. I completed a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1993, and then a Masters in Business Administration in 2013, both at UNB. I’m proud to be an alumnus of UNB.
The video is available here
If you’d like to support the UNB Alumni association with me, please visit https://www.unb.ca/alumni/
Familiar Structures
Familiar structures and routines can help us manage difficult speaking situations, and leadership encounters. Stephen Covey popularized the concept of “Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.” Hersey and Blanchard provided the Situational Leadership model to shape how leaders interact with developing employees.
I don’t recall how I discovered the Past-Present-Future model, but I continue to find it exceptionally useful. I can quickly draft a speech using this model, or answer a question for which I’m unprepared.
An Example of Past-Present-Future
For example, if asked “what are your weaknesses,” one approach could be;
1. Early in my career I was reluctant to request assistance
2. I’ve learned it’s fine to ask for help for new tasks, or to simply confirm my planned approach for a new task
3. I believe I have more opportunity to assist people in their development simply by helping them understand this, and I feel I could do more to mentor others in this aspect.
An approach like past-present-future gives the respondent comfort and confidence, and the listener hears structure, and hears organization.
Simple, familiar structures provide comfort when used.
