University of South Carolina :: Darla Moore School of Business   the Competitive Edge




Pitch Yourself with Strengths-Based Introductions and Interviews  
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with Jennifer Doyle Vancil

  • You can communicate your top five (5) strengths in an interview through your introduction of yourself and in the interview answers you provide.
  • The delivery of your answers could be in a story-based format and should be clear and concise. It should be relatable.
  • Using the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format, you can clearly demonstrate the unique value you bring and strengthens your personal brand.
    • Example 1: Strength – Strong Communication
      • Situation – Fear of a layoff
      • Task – Keep people engaged even if there is fear of a layoff.
      • Action – Regular communication
      • Result – People stayed engaged and high level of trust.
    • Example 2: Strength – Analytical
      • Situation – Losing sales
      • Task - Figure out where and why the company was losing sales.
      • Action- Used existing data and excel skills to analyze understand what’s going on. There was a decision to move the sales to the area where sales are high.
      • Result – Resolved the problem and increased revenue for the company.
  • The examples presented showcases your strengths and reinforces your personal brand.

Expert BIO
with Jennifer Doyle Vancil

Jennifer Doyle Vancil is a Gallup Certified Strengths Coach and career coach whose mission in life is to help people create strengths-based careers. She works with clients in career transition through her consulting firm Communicating Strengths LLC, she serves as a career coach to MBA students at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, and she is a career counselor and MBA Career Management faculty at Colorado State University. She trains and mentors other career coaches and higher education advisors on integrating CliftonStrengths into academic advising and career counseling and actively shares advice in LinkedIn.