Interviewing at Progressive (2024)

Narrator:

Ask any Progressive employee and they'll tell you that interviewing here can be a bit of a challenge. But there's a reason for that. We want to make sure that you're the right person for us, and we're the right place for you.

Narrator:

We do this through a behavioral interview style, sometimes called Targeted Selection, and we're going to show you how it works so you can do your very best.

Narrator:

First, let's describe a behavioral interview. We ask how you've applied your skills and abilities in past work, internship, or school situations, as well as outcomes you've achieved. This helps us predict how you may perform in the role you're interviewing for. Said another way, your past behaviors may predict your future behaviors.

Narrator:

The best way to answer behavioral interview questions is in the STAR format, which stands for situation, task, action, and result. This formula helps to structure your answer and craft your story with a good beginning, middle, and end. Whether you're doing an in-person, phone, or video interview, or sending in a self-recorded video, be prepared to answer questions in the STAR format.

Narrator:

So, let's see how this works in an actual interview setting. Meet Aaron. He's interviewing at Progressive for a role in Claims with Cynthia, the hiring manager. Aaron will demonstrate a response that's not so great; and one that meets the right criteria.

Cynthia:

Aaron, can you tell me about a time where you were faced with an unexpected change either at school or at work? And how did you adapt to it?

Aaron:

Yeah, so recently, two of our teams merged together in our department. And we went from only having about four people on my team to having about 10. We decided that we should meet and have a weekly calibration meeting and that was gonna help us stay on track and make sure that things were getting done.

Narrator:

This was a missed opportunity for Aaron. We don't know enough about what he put into action or the results he achieved. He also talks about we and us, but not specifically about himself and what he accomplished. Aaron needs to adjust his responses to fit the STAR method.Let's see how he does this time.

Cynthia:

So, tell me about a time where you were faced with an unexpected change either at school or at work, and how did you adapt to it?

Aaron:

Yeah, so recently, our team merged with another team in our department and this was to align with just some of our larger company goals. I went from being on a really small four-person team to being a part of a larger 10-person team. This was a huge change for me, knowing our teams had incredibly different work habits. So, I got the approval from my manager and I began to set up a weekly collaboration session outside of our regular team and project meetings. I tried to leave the agenda open so the meeting could be really whatever we needed and whatever was decided was important at that particular time.

Aaron:

In the beginning, I did have to prompt some of these discussions and really kind of get this kick-started. But once it became routine, my peers began emailing me ahead of time with maybe some concerns or some things that they noted or maybe just some suggested topics. It also really helped us become more efficient because there were two projects in particular that we hadn't quite finished before the merger. And these collaboration meetings allowed us an easy way to talk through some of the things that were causing delays and maybe some pain points. I'm really proud to say that both projects met the deadline and one of them actually delivered a week before the schedule.

Narrator:

Aaron's second response tells a great story and emphasizes his actions and results. This helps give Cynthia good insight into how Aaron's past behavior might be applied in a future situation. Try to take what Aaron learned and apply it to your own interview.

Narrator:

Here are some tips to keep in mind. Be familiar with the job description to better tailor relevant and strong responses. Research behavioral interview questions online and practice your answers. Write down specific, recent examples you plan to use and have them handy during your interview. Use the pronouns I and me. This may not feel natural, but don't leave the interviewer wondering if you achieved something or someone else did. Make sure your responses follow the STAR format. Try not to skip any of these steps. And finally, remember to be yourself.

Narrator:

Behavioral interviewing gives you the opportunity to tell your story. At the end of the day, we're getting to know you just as much as you're getting to know us.

Narrator:

For more information, including tips and examples of interview questions, visit progressive.com/careers.