On Dec. 15, Tawna Agee-Hanslick and Spencer Gohre presented "Building an Interview Toolkit" during an interactive workshop sponsored by Go! Network St. Louis. Because space was limited, I asked Spencer to share her wisdom here, so that the rest of us would know what to do.

"The whole idea is to be prepared," Spencer explained. "The more prepared you are, the more confident and comfortable you will be."

I confessed to Spencer, and now to you, that I had a job interview, so I was taking her advice to heart.

"Do you know who is going to interview you? Have you researched the job and the company?" she asked.

I did and I had.

Followers of this column know that I am forever preaching the importance of networking, and my interview was the direct result of a network recommendation. In fact, at the start of the interview I was told, "You are sitting here today because someone we have great respect for recommended you."

Of course, the job was mine to win, or lose, on how well I interviewed. To Spencer's point, I had to be prepared. Knowing this, I had asked my friend to provide me with details about the job, the company and the people who would be interviewing me. Then, armed with this basic information, I conducted my own research by talking to people in the community who were familiar with the company's product and by studying the company's website. I also made a list of everything I needed to get ready for the interview and, heeding Spencer's advice, I did not wait until the last minute.

"As soon as you have an interview scheduled you need to get ready," she said. She suggested making a list because "putting it on paper helps to focus and organize your thoughts."

She was right. Plus, it felt wonderfully empowering to check items off my interview "to do" list.

…š Buy a new interview suit.

…š Purchase resume paper and print out multiple copies of my resume.

…š Compile a sample portfolio.

…š Make a list of 10 questions I want to have answered. (Spencer suggested typing them on a single piece of paper and taking them with me to the interview.)

…š Calculate the best route to the interview. Decide if a practice run is necessary. Plan drive time accordingly.

Being organized certainly boosted my confidence, so did a little practice.

"Definitely practice what you want to say," Spencer advised. She suggested preparing answers or 'skills stories" for at least three behavioral interview questions.

Typically, behavioral interview questions are used to define content skills, functional or transferable skills, or adaptive or self-management skills. Most are open-ended, such as, "Tell me about a time when you had to juggle a number of work priorities and see them through to timely completion."

To answer questions such as these, Spencer suggested using the STAR method. "STAR stands for situation, task, action, result," she explained.

Here's how to prepare your skills stories using the STAR method.

1. Describe a specific situation you were in or a task you needed to accomplish. Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand exactly the problem or challenge you faced.

2. Explain the goal you were working toward (a.k.a. the task at hand).

3. Describe the actions you took to address the situation. Provide an appropriate amount of detail without rambling and remember to keep the focus on you. What specific steps did you take? What was your particular contribution? Be careful that you don't take credit for what the team or group did; focus on what you did.

4. Describe the result or outcome of your actions and don't be shy about taking credit for your behavior. What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you learn? Make sure your answer contains multiple positive results.

Again Spencer was right. Before the interview I did some serious thinking about my accomplishments. Then I discussed them with both my husband and the friend who recommended me for the job. The goal was to determine which accomplishments should be highlighted as skills stories during my interview. Once I had three accomplishments selected I practiced sharing them concisely using the STAR method.

On the day of the interview, I followed Spencer's advice and selected a conservative sweater to go with my new black suit. Also on her advice, I selecting modest jewelry.

Spencer said job seekers should remove any jewelry that highlights non-conventional piercings, such as eyebrow piercings, tongue piercings and even earrings for men. She also suggested taking a cautious approach when it comes to scents.

"A little cologne is fine, but the scent should definitely be light, and candidates should never smoke before their interviews," she said. "For many people smoke is an irritant that can color perception."

During the interview, I listened carefully to what I was being told and asked. I also tried not to ramble or get too comfortable. At the end of the interview, my interviewers and I agreed on a follow-up procedure, which I respected although I wanted to call immediately and say, "Pick me!"

After the interview, as Spencer suggested, I took myself through a debriefing process to analyze what went right and what went wrong.

"Do this while the interview is still fresh in your mind," she advised. "Ask yourself what you think you could have done better and what you think went exceptionally well." She also suggested discussing the interview with someone I respected, especially if I had concerns.

Finally, following Spencer's last piece of advice, I sent a thank you note.

"This should be done quickly, always within 24-36 hours," Spencer said. "If you interview with more than one person, be sure to send a thank you note to each person. Email is fine, but handwritten is better."

Spencer pointed out that, in addition to courtesy, the thank you note can provide a chance to clarify something you felt was weak in the interview.

So perhaps you are wondering what happened with that interview I went on in late December. I'm happy to say I have accepted the position of managing editor of West Newsmagazine. My last day at the Post-Dispatch is Jan. 13, which means this is my second-to-last The Work Place column. Then I will leave you with some very good friends. A host of local experts have agreed to step forward and share their tips on job searching and careers. I know you will benefit from their advice.