In this instructional video, Natalie Fisher explains how to answer the common situational interview question, “Tell me about a time you analyzed a large amount of complex information to come to one recommendation.” She first clarifies why interviewers ask this question—to assess a candidate’s ability to organize and synthesize complex data into a single, well‑justified decision. Natalie then introduces the SARI storytelling framework (Situation, Action, Result, Interesting features) as a flexible structure for crafting a compelling answer, noting its similarity to STAR/SAR formats. She walks through a concrete example: evaluating and selecting a new company phone system, detailing each SARI component—from gathering budget constraints and researching vendors, to creating a pros‑and‑cons spreadsheet, presenting a recommendation, and reflecting on the outcome and lessons learned. The video emphasizes the value of thorough research and thoughtful decision‑making. Finally, Natalie promotes her free “Ultimate Situational Interviewing Guide” and a workbook containing templates, additional examples, and self‑question prompts to help viewers prepare for interviews across various contexts, from professional to personal experiences.
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Hi there, my name is Natalie, and in this video we're going to answer the situational interview question, tell me about a time you analyzed a large amount of complex information in order to come to one recommendation. So in this video, we're going to cover a sneak peek into why they're asking you this question, What to say when you answer, and a concrete example to get you thinking of your own story to tell. So stay tuned. Okay, so what's the point of this question? What's the deal here? So this question is to find out how you organize information in your head and your work through a large amount of complicated information to reach one end goal successfully. So how does your mind go about this type of mental mountain to climb, let's say? And they want to hear a story about it. So stories are great ways to connect with an interviewer, so you want to tell as many of them as you can. And there's a structure for stories that we like to talk about here. It's nice and easy to break down so you can organize your thoughts. So you're going to answer it by telling this a story with the SARI formula. And what SARI stands for is situation, action, result, and interesting features. As I always say, it could, it could be STAR, it could be SAR, so situation or task, action, result. It could just be SAR, whatever you want to call it, it's the same thing and it works great. So you want to tell a powerful story here. It's going to start by painting a picture, it's going to talk about what you did, and then it's going to talk about how it worked out in the end. So let's jump right into an example. Step 1, situation, setting the stage. So for example, you had to make a big decision here about implementing a new company phone system, and you were given the list of criteria that it had to meet, and you had to evaluate all the options to come to a decision. So that's step 1, setting the stage. Step 2, what actions do So for example, you asked for the budget first of all, and then you researched all the options available. You spoke to vendors, you created a spreadsheet with the pros and cons of each product, the prices. You took into account every set of criteria that was given to you, and you, you used this information to come up with 3 front-runners. You were able to recommend one, But you were open to other ideas if the team or your manager saw a different view. So that's the actions that you took. So moving on to the third part, step 3 is the result. So after you and your manager met and you went through the recommendation, the system is the one you decided was the one you went with and everything is functioning very well. Your manager said that the decision was well researched. well thought out, and all in all, you had made the right call due to your hard work, your due diligence, and all of the time you spent researching it beforehand. So that is an excellent result, and that's what we want. So step 4 is the interesting features. So here we talk about what did you learn, what went well. So you can say, I learned that a lot of the research was worthwhile. It takes longer to come up with a decision, but the decision is a better informed decision instead of being a rushed decision. So spending more time on the research is definitely worth it, and it's just a matter of putting in some time to compare and think through what would best suit the company's needs. And there we have it, the full answer to another situational interview question done. Thank you so much for watching. I'm Natalie, and remember, nailing the interview questions is great, but there's so much more to interviewing than just answering those questions. In fact, if all you do is answer the questions, you've already lost. So there's a whole strategy you need to have together, and if you want to nail those job offers, I can help you with that. So my name is Natalie, and if you want to get started with me, you can download my free guide. Just click the link below. You'll receive free instant access to the Ultimate Situational Interviewing Guide, and what you're going to get in this guide is breakdown of the SARI formula and exactly how it works, why it's so powerful, with an example to go along with that. And then you'll get 10 more concrete examples of 10 situational interview questions that are very commonly asked, as well as fill-in-the-blank templates so you can tell your own stories a lot more easily when all you have to do is fill in the blanks. And last but not least, If you're still getting stuck, I've prepared 25 questions that you can ask yourself to get you thinking about your own stories. So you don't have to have had a ton of experience. It could be from the office, is great, or it could have been from, you know, babysitting. It could have been from your college dorm room. It could have been from experiences that you've had that don't necessarily have to be relating to work. It just shows how you think your character and who you are as a person. So you'll get all this in a beautifully designed workbook designed specifically to help you prep for that interview coming up. And by the end of working through it, I think you're gonna be a lot more confident than you were before. So click below to grab that now, and I will see you on the other side. Thanks so much. See you soon. I got nothing. I got nothing. Ah, interview coming up. Ah, what am I gonna do? Ah, I'm so nervous. I'm so nervous. Yes, I know. It's okay. It's okay. It's okay.
