How To Successfully Use STAR Method Technique for Interview Questions

Most job interviews include a section for competence or behavioural questions. Hiring managers use these questions to analyse an applicant's experience and attributes.

These sorts of questions are intended to elicit a story response from the candidates. Successful candidates understand and apply the STAR approach, a tried-and-true way for answering challenging situational situations methodically while providing all necessary facts.

This guide will show you how to apply this method for your next competency-based job interview successfully.

Key Points at A Glance:

What Is the STAR Technique?
How Does the STAR Technique Work?
Which Questions Need a Star Technique Response?
What Are Behavioural Interview Questions?
What Are Some Examples of STAR Interview Questions
How Do You Prepare for A Behavioural Interview
Examples Of the STAR Method In Action
7 Essential Techniques for Handling STAR Interview Questions
Key Takeaways

What Is the STAR Technique?

The STAR technique is a method of answering questions that is comprised of four steps:

Situation: Describe the situation and when it occurred.
Task: Explain the task and the goal.
Action: Provide specifics about the steps you took to achieve this goal.
Result: Explain the outcome or result of your action.

The STAR interview method is also known as the CAR method, which stands for Context/Challenge, Action, and Result. They're essentially the same method, with the Context of the CAR technique being identical to the Situation and Task of the STAR technique. It is also synonymous with the PAR technique, which stands for Problem, Action, and Result.

How Does the STAR Technique Work

The STAR approach allows you to write a basic and straightforward story that highlights a difficult situation and how it was resolved. Here's a summary of what each of the technique's four parts means:

Situation

Set the scene of the story by providing context and background information. If you're asked about teamwork, your response should include project details, who you were working with, when you started the project, and where you were at the time.

Task

Describe your specific role or responsibility in the situation. Make certain that the hiring manager understands what you were specifically assigned to do, as opposed to what everyone else did.

Action

The most crucial step is probably this one. Here, you describe how you dealt with the challenging circumstance or solved the issue. Indicate whether you completed it on your own or in a group. Your evaluation of the circumstance, your approach to the issue, and how you enlisted the team's help are what you're attempting to convey. Give the interviewer as many details as you can so they can follow you. Avoid using acronyms and business-specific jargon as you do this.

Result

Finish the story by stating the positive outcome of your actions and the lessons you learned. If possible, quantify the outcomes and demonstrate the impact of your actions. Examples may include a 20% increase in sales, getting repeat business or saving your team five hours of work in a week.

Which Questions Need a Star Technique Response

While the STAR method can be used to answer ANY interview question, it is most useful when answering behavioural interview questions.

So, what exactly are behavioural interview questions?

In short, they're similar to any other interview question, but their primary focus is on real-world work situations.

What Are Behavioural Interview Questions?

Behavioural interview questions are about specific circumstances in your previous job experience and how you managed or behaved in them. That is the essence of the STAR interviewing process.

In this strategy, the recruiter evaluates your response to see if you are capable of taking appropriate initiative and action in the event of a comparable situation.

One of the most common sources of frustration for interviewers is behavioural interview questions. The recruiter is hoping for a semi-detailed story rather than a basic answer, such as "yes/no."

Furthermore, even if you have no prior work experience, behavioural questions and answers might be related to other scenarios, such as academic projects or volunteer obligations.

Behaviour-based interview questions frequently begin in the same way, such as:

"Can you tell me about a time when..."
"Can you give me an example of..."
"Have you ever..."
"Tell me about a time when you had to..."

What Are Some Examples of STAR Interview Questions

Here are some examples of behavioural questions the hiring manager may ask you:

Describe a time when you were faced with a difficult situation at work. How did you resolve the issue?
Tell me about a time when you were under a lot of pressure at work. How did you deal with it?
Tell us about a workplace blunder you made. What action did you take?
Describe a scenario in which you used data or logic to make a recommendation.
Tell me about a difficult work decision you made. What exactly did you do?
Describe a time when you and your boss disagreed. How did you handle it?
Tell me about a time when you had to make an instant decision. How did you manage it?
Describe a time when you had to deliver bad news. How did you manage it?
Tell me about a time when you collaborated with another department on a project. What exactly did you do?
Tell me about a time when you set a goal and achieved it.
Tell me about a time when you messed up. What lessons did you take away

How Do You Prepare for A Behavioural Interview

Here are some steps you can take to ready yourself for the interview portion of the hiring process:

Recall recent situations in which you demonstrated positive behaviours or decisive actions, particularly those involving work experience, team effort, leadership, initiative, and service delivery.
Make brief descriptions for each situation and be ready to share specifics if asked.
Ascertain that the story has a beginning, middle, and end. Prepare to explain the situation, the task at hand, the action you took, and the outcome.
Be direct in your responses. Any important parts of the story should not be embellished or omitted. The interviewer has most likely conducted enough behavioural interviews to recognise when someone is being truthful.
Even if the outcome is unfavourable, make sure that it reflects well on you.
Avoid generalisations by being specific about events and providing a detailed account of what occurred.
Provide a variety of examples and avoid repeating the same situation in multiple questions.

Examples Of the STAR Method in Action

Here are some examples of STAR interview questions and answers to help you ace your next opportunity.

Give me an example of a goal you set for yourself and how you met it.

The purpose of this behavioural question is to find out how you set goals and what steps you take to ensure you meet them.

Situation: When I first started working in sales at company X, I fell just short of meeting my first-quarter sales target.
Task: This motivated me to not only meet but also exceed my sales target for the second quarter.
I changed my sales strategy and broke down my goal into smaller weekly goals. I used social selling to attract new customers and build relationships with them. In addition, I requested that my sales manager coach me on closing techniques and objection handling.
As a result of this new strategy, I exceeded my sales goal by 20%.

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

Being open about a time when you failed demonstrates your integrity. Just keep in mind what you learned from the experience.

Situation: I was in charge of leading a project for a major client shortly after being promoted to senior project manager. This project would normally take a month to complete, but the client was in a hurry and asked if I could finish it in three weeks.
Task: I agreed, excited that it was my first project. I quickly realised I'd need a little more time to finish it and deliver quality work.
Action: I immediately contacted the client and apologised. I also requested a three-day extension, and they were gracious enough to grant it.
Result: As a result, I completed the project and delivered it ahead of the extended deadline. However, I learned to better manage my time and never overpromise on something I cannot deliver on.

Can you tell me about a time when people didn't see things your way?

Behavioural questions phrased in this manner are tricky. These questions do not reveal the correct answer, but they do reveal your true attitude.

The question here is essentially just asking you to describe a time you successfully persuaded someone to see things your way.

Situation: A recent group discussion was led by me. To develop a brand awareness campaign for a product my company was launching was the goal of this session.
Task: I and one of my teammates couldn't agree on the best course of action for the campaign. He preferred to pursue brand partnerships, whereas I preferred to concentrate more on maximising social media presence.
Action: I made a request for a private meeting with my co-worker. I asked him to express his thoughts and viewpoint. I shared my thoughts after hearing what others had to say and receiving their helpful criticism.
Result: I was able to identify weaknesses in my strategy as a result of the conversation. I also convinced my co-worker to support my plan by outlining its justification. I combined our ideas as a result, and the result was a fruitful brand awareness campaign. Our website traffic and social media engagement both went up by more than 60%.

Tell me about a time when you worked well in a group.

Teamwork skills, particularly remote teamwork skills, are among the top competencies sought by employers.

Situation: In my previous job as a project director, I was part of a six team that planned and executed company events and conferences. We worked together on the company's annual holiday party for over 1000 employees last year.
Task: There were so many moving parts. Everyone on our team had different responsibilities, but we all needed to work together to make the party a success.
Action: Even though I was the team's most junior member, I organised a project management system that would allow us to check in with each other on a daily basis. They'd never done anything like this before, but the virtual task-tracking features were a hit with everyone.
Result: Our team meetings were much more productive as a result of the new system, and we finished ahead of schedule. Finally, our team's collaboration resulted in the most successful event.

Can you tell me about a time when you had to balance multiple responsibilities at work?

Situation: One of my colleagues left the company while I was working as a sports coach at a college for a new opportunity. My manager asked me to assist with some of his athletes' training sessions.
Task: I had to rearrange my own athletes' gym sessions to make room for the most important ones. With so many tasks to complete and my unfamiliarity with my colleague's athletes, it was difficult at first.
Action: I reviewed my tasks and adjusted to suit them in light of the athletes' goals and my availability.
Result: As a result of my picking up the sessions, the athletes' routines were not disrupted, and they were able to continue training for their competition as usual.

7 Essential Techniques for Handling STAR Interview Questions

Use Real-Life Examples: When deciding how to respond, use genuine examples from your past experiences rather than a contrived or made-up story.
Avoid Using Stock or Perfect Answers: It's easy to steal a great response from a book or the internet and pass it off as your own. I strongly advise against it. Instead, use the techniques and suggestions provided here to construct your own unique responses. This will assist you avoid an embarrassing situation during your interview if you are requested to elaborate on a certain subject.
Maintain relevance without going overboard: You should take great care to ensure that your answers are relevant to the question being asked. They must contain sufficient detail. Demonstrate a strong command of the core competency and your ability to use it
Examine the Job Description: Examine the job description carefully so that you understand exactly what core competencies are required for the position. Use this information to create and practise relevant examples of past situations in which you used these skills
Use ‘I’ frequently: Always begin your response with a proper introduction and use the word 'I' frequently. In fact, all of your responses should be in the first person; always choose 'I' over 'we,' even when discussing a previous team collaboration.
Scrutinise your CV: Examine your CV thoroughly to fully prepare your responses and develop competency responses that correspond to your highlights and achievements. This will provide you with a wealth of useful information that you can then apply effectively regardless of the type of competency question you are asked.
Prepare your answers: Creating a bulleted list ahead of time, rather than full answers, can be beneficial. This ensures that your examples are authentic and at the forefront of your mind during the interview.

Key Takeaways

Yes, interviews can be nerve-racking. You'll have a much better chance of passing them if you use the STAR method! Let's go over everything we've learned so far:

When answering behavioural job interview questions, use real-life examples and stories.
To correctly answer it, use the STAR method.
The acronym stands for: S - Situation, T - Task, A - Action, R - Results.
The format is quite simple to follow. Simply make sure your answers are relevant, provide proper context, describe your thought process, and include actual facts and figures
For sample answers, you can always use the examples above for some inspiration.

This simple but effective method will help you ace your next interview by providing compelling answers that demonstrate to employers that you are the right person for the job. Use the STAR method to plan your answers to interview questions and to show your skills and experience on a CV or application form.

Follow our career blog & careers service to stay up to date with the latest career advice!