Changing jobs
Prepare three stories for interviews
A worksheet for walking into interviews with your best work already remembered
Write three short stories about moments in your work: the situation, what you did, and what happened because of it.
- 45 minutes
- Just you
- Before interviews
- Worksheet
Why this can work
Most interview questions are really asking for evidence, and evidence is easiest to give as a story you already know. Three well-chosen stories can be shaped to fit most questions about results, working with people and setbacks. Preparing them ahead turns remembering into telling.
Read moreHow to prepare stories for behavioral interviews
You’ll come away with three stories you can tell in about two minutes each.
- Pick three moments.
One where you got a real result, one where you worked through a problem or a disagreement with other people, and one where something went wrong and you learned from it.
Tip: Recent and relevant to the role usually beats impressive and old.
- Write the situation in two sentences.
Just enough for a stranger to follow: where you were, what was at stake, and what needed doing.
- Write what you did.
This is the heart of it, and it should be the longest part. Say I, not we, for your share of it, and include the choices you made and why you made them.
- Write what happened because of it.
The outcome, with a number if you honestly have one, and who was better off. For the setback, add what you'd do differently and what you've done since.
- Tell each one out loud in about two minutes.
Time yourself. Trim the situation first; it's almost always too long. Then write two or three likely questions next to each story, so you can find the right one in the moment.
Good times to repeat it: before your first interview for a rolerefreshed for each new role you apply toafter a project you're proud of, while it's fresh
Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
Reread the posting and ask what they'll most want evidence of. A story about calming an upset client lands differently for a customer role than for an engineering one.
What might make this harder
Impressive isn't the bar; clear is. Small, real moments told well work: a process you fixed, a customer you kept, a teammate you helped through something.
Questions people ask
What is the STAR method for interviews?
A common way to structure answers to behavioral questions: the situation, the task, the action you took, and the result. It keeps an answer focused on what you did and what happened.
How many stories should I prepare for an interview?
Three strong, flexible stories cover a lot of ground, since each can answer several kinds of question. Add more as you learn what a particular role cares about.
How long should an interview answer be?
Around two minutes is a good default for a story. Keep the setup short and spend most of the time on what you did and what happened.
How do I answer tell me about a time you failed?
Pick a real setback, say briefly what happened, own your part, and spend most of the answer on what you learned and what you've done differently since.
Why this works, and where it comes from
A lot of interview questions start with tell me about a time. They aren't trivia. The interviewer is looking for evidence that you've already done the kind of thing the job needs. The trouble is that under pressure, most people's memories go thin. You know you've handled a difficult client, but the details won't come, so you reach for something general, and general is hard to believe.
The usual way to shape these answers is the STAR method: the situation, the task, the action you took, and the result. It's used so widely that many interviewers will recognize the shape. Truest's version folds the task into the situation and asks you to spend most of your words on what you did, because that's the part people rush. It also asks who was better off at the end, which is often the detail that makes a story land.
Three is a deliberate number. It's few enough to prepare properly and remember under pressure, and enough to cover the common kinds of question: a result, working with others, and a setback. A good story isn't tied to one question; it bends to several. The same project can show how you prioritize, how you lead or how you handle pressure, depending on which part you lean on.
There's a side effect worth knowing about. Writing down what you actually did, in detail, tends to remind you that you're more capable than you felt going in. It isn't a trick. It's what happens when you look closely at your own work, and it tends to show in how you walk into the room.
Other simple things to consider
What to do next
More in Changing jobs
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated September 25, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.