Employers want to know what you will do to benefit their company.  The best method to convey your accomplishments and potential for adding value to the prospective employer is to tell a 3-part story that illustrates:

1.  A problem, challenge, or situation that needed to be resolved.  It might be a need to identify and rectify a conflict with employees; a project budget and deadline issue; a customer satisfaction problem based on poor quality or late delivery of products; a decline in sales; or an underperforming staff resistant to change.

2.  Actions taken to resolve the problem, challenge, or situation.  Explain, step-by-step, how you approached the problem through to resolution. Remember, you are describing and marketing your problem-solving ability.  

3.  Results of your efforts, quantifying your accomplishments whenever possible by using numbers and percentages.  How did you increase productivity; reduce costs; improve accuracy, efficiency, and accountability; maximize uptime; capture new and expand existing sales; decrease staffing needs; boost morale and staff retention; and / or ensure profits. 

If your cover letter and resume include PAR / CAR / SAR stories and you can expound on them, you will interview well.  From your statements, some of your core competencies will become very clear.

Practice telling your PAR / CAR / SAR stories to someone you trust before you interview.  Role-playing is a great way to become comfortable with the 3-step process. 

Make sure that everything you say is true.  Never lie or embellish on your cover letter, resume, or at your interview.

If you tell your stories clearly, concisely, and enthusiastically, in writing and verbally, you may find that you are offered an interview and a job.