How To Use The STAR Method For Your Next Interview?

What is the STAR method?

The STAR method is an interview technique that allows you to create a simple-to-follow story by outlining the situation, task, action, and result.

Situation - Offer context and give details of your example. Share a few important details regarding relevant work, volunteering, or academic projects.

This part of your answer should take up the least time because hiring managers are more interested in the results you achieve through your actions.

Make sure you describe a very clear picture so the interviewer can easily pay attention to the rest of your story.

Task - Explain your role and responsibilities in that context.

Here is where you discuss the target or task that has been appointed to you.

As in the previous point, make sure you are concise and point out one or a maximum of two crucial responsibilities.

Action - Explain how you handled the situation and detail the exact steps. Describe in detail the steps you took that impacted the outcome of the process the most and brought success.

This success may have been achieved as a team, but you may want to avoid using the term “we”; instead, use “I” to shine a light on your specific contributions.

Avoid using vague phrases, such as” I have worked so much on this” or “I also did some research”.

This part of the STAR method is the one you should focus on the most since it’s how you demonstrate your fitness for the role.

Result - Describe what you achieved in the process and quantify your actions.

In the last part, you don’t just talk about the results, such as numbers or percentages, but you also explain what you learned, how the challenge made you a better employee, and why that experience created the room for you to thrive.

You should discuss the results nearly as much as you discuss your actions.

How long should the responses be?

• Situation(20%): 1-2 sentences.
• Task(10%): 1-2 sentences.
• Action(60%): 3-4 sentences.
• Result(10%): 2-3 sentences.

How to prepare for STAR interview questions?

Preparation is key if you want to ace the STAR method, so let’s see how you can become the master of these questions.

Focus on the skills and experience required for the role

• Go over the job description again and try to acknowledge with the skills and experiences the recruiter is looking for.
• Pinpoint the transferable skills and experiences required for the role.
• Don’t forget that hiring managers will ask questions to determine if you have the right skills for the vacant job.

Think about your previous achievements

• Using the STAR technique, take a pen and paper and write down examples of you handling challenges and how those cases improved you.
• Don’t forget to include evidence that can be easily verified, and avoid using vague statements.

Rehearse your answers

• Simulate an interview so you can prepare adequately and gain confidence. It’s great to vocalize your speech to make it sound very natural.
• Think about what obstacles you may face during the interview.
• Ask a friend to help you and give you feedback as an interviewer.

Be prepared for common behavioral questions

• Go over typical examples of behavioral interview questions and use the STAR method to organize your responses.

• Typically, STAR questions aim to showcase soft skills such as communication, problem-solving, and leadership. For instance, you might be asked to describe a situation where you resolved a conflict between team members.

Write down questions for the interviewer

• Prepare some questions regarding the recruiting company as a whole, its values, the role you apply for, and the hiring manager’s expectations. It shows genuine interest in the position.

Why should you use the STAR method?

Depending on a lot of factors, such as how long you have been out of work, the nature of the job, or the interviewer, any interview can become overwhelming, and you may freeze at times. The STAR technique helps you remain calm and structure your responses. It’s the best way to stand out from the crowd since the job market is very strong by providing simple answers.

With the STAR framework, you can enhance your communication skills easily, tell your authentic story, and be the chosen candidate in the next interview.

20 common STAR questions that can come up in an interview

You may be asking yourself when you should use the STAR method during an interview. Well, wait for cues like:

• Tell me about a time
• Share an example of a time
• Have you ever
• Describe a time when
• Do you usually

Below, you can find a few specific examples of behavioral interview questions that can be answered with the STAR method:

1. Describe a time when you had a short deadline to meet. How did you manage?
2. Describe a time when you were under a lot of pressure at work. How did you react?
3. Have you ever had a disagreement with your direct manager? How did you deal with this issue?
4. Have you ever had to develop a new skill on the job? Describe your approach to the learning process.
5. Share an example of a time you had to make a difficult decision. How did you handle it?
6. Tell me about a time when you made the wrong decision.
7. Share an example of a situation when you failed. What did you learn from the experience?
8. Describe a situation where you overcame a challenge at work.
9. Tell me about one of your biggest professional accomplishments.
10. How do you approach setting team goals?
11. Describe the type of project you typically enjoy most.
12. Share an example of a time when you performed well under pressure.
13. Tell me about a time when you had to persuade a team member/manager to do something.
14. Share an example of a time when you exceeded your responsibilities and what was expected of you.
15. Describe a time when you had to motivate your team. How did you do it?
16. Tell me about a time you worked with other departments to complete a project.
17. Describe a time when you had to deliver bad news within the team. How did you handle it?
18. Share an example of a time when you had to switch priorities quickly. How did you do it?
19. Tell me about a time when you had to steer changes at work.
20. Share an example of a time when you helped a coworker achieve their goals.

Examples of STAR interview questions and answers

In order to better exemplify the STAR methodology, find below are key examples of behaviour interview questions and how to answer them using the STAR method in order to master your next recruitment process.

Tell me about a time you failed. How did you handle it?

Don’t avoid this question, but make sure you highlight what you learned from the experience.

Situation: Immediately after I completed my certificate as a senior legal advisor, I was in charge of handling a complicated case with implications overseas. No other member of my team was qualified to work on this case, but I thought I could do it by myself and have their help just in administrative matters.

Task: I was supposed to solve the case in one week, which involved a lot of research and drafting the proposal for solving the case.

Action: In no more than 2 days, I realized I could not get it done in one week since I had no real help from my team. I spoke to the CEO, who understood the situation and offered me the budget to hire an external legal counsel just that one time.

Result: I managed to send the proposal for the case in one week, and I learned not to overpromise and to be more realistic about my capabilities when working alone.

Describe a time when you were under a lot of pressure at work. How did you react?

Working under pressure is a requirement in today’s market for basically any job, so make sure you ace this response.

Situation: Soon after taking the job as a sales agent, one of the most senior co-workers quit, and I was handed all his 10 clients.

Task: Many of these clients wanted to leave the company, along with my colleague, so I was in charge of keeping them happy so they could bring more money into the company.

Action: I reevaluated both my list of clients and the one I received extra and found the priorities. I also stayed up late some nights, and this allowed me to not lose any clients.

Result: My manager was so happy with me that he increased my salary by 3%.

Tell me about a time when you worked well with a team

Along with communication skills, teamwork skills are something interviewers want to test in an interview.

Situation: When working as an event coordinator, I was part of a team of 4 people, and we had to plan and execute conferences and events for big companies. The biggest party we had to organize was for a company with 300 employees.

Task: Every member of the team had very specific responsibilities, but we needed to find a way to put all the ideas together for the event to be a success.

Action: I designed a project management solution that would permit us to check in with each other on a daily basis, not only through meetings but also through short messages with basic updates from everyone.

Result: Thanks to this system, we were very productive and finished the project ahead of time.

Share an example of a goal you’ve set and how you achieved it

The purpose of this behavioral question is to get a glimpse of how you set goals and which steps you take in order to achieve the desired goal.

Situation: When I started working as a sales agent at my previous employer, I thought of myself as being shy and feared I wouldn’t meet my first monthly sales target.

Task: I started to motivate myself not only to meet, but exceed the target.

Action: I designed a sales strategy per week and asked a senior colleague to mentor me, with my manager’s permission. I started to look for old clients that the company forgot about, and that was of great help.

Result: With these combined strategies, I exceed my first month's target by 5%.

Tell me about a time when you’ve had to juggle multiple priorities at work

Being able to prioritize and delegate tasks are two very needed skills in today’s market.

Situation: While working as a legal advisor at a tech company, one of my colleagues quit, and my manager asked me to take over her portfolio, which contained 10 clients.

Task: I had to rethink my workload and reprioritize my clients to be able to work for her most important ones.

Action: I started reprioritizing the clients based on the longest they have been with the company, on the company’s goals, and on my availability. I also managed to automate some administrative tasks that allowed for more important work to take place.

Result: Thanks to my successful prioritization and the automation of some small tasks, I managed to handle both portfolios and none of the clients suffered any damage.

More tips on how to ace your STAR interview

STAR stands for situation, task, action, and result, and it’s intended to help you respond to behavioral questions like “Can you share an example of…”.

Using the STAR method should help you create and offer clear and precise answers, so don’t dwell on the details.

Start practicing before the interview: reflect on past achievements that are relevant for the job you are interviewing and try to create STAR responses.

After the interview is over, take some time to reflect. Did you do everything as planned? What went well, and what could have gone better?

Last but not least, take the time to send a professional email to the interviewer thanking them for their time. You can also reiterate your interest in the company and the role.