The STAR Method: The Secret to Acing Your Next Job Interview

Do you ever wonder if you actually answered the question being asked to you? I know I do sometimes, especially in those high-stress and high-anxiety situations such as interviews. Often, our answer is not terribly off, but it could be better. So how can we give ourselves the best possible framework to help us answer questions well? The STAR method is how. In this article, I explain what it is and how to use it so you can ace your next job interview!

The S.T.A.R. method is a technique for responding to behavioral interview questions, think the regular “tell me about a time when you…” type of question.

Now, S.T.A.R. is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result. By structuring your responses within these parameters, you can feel confident that you are not only answering a question fully but also concisely.

The S.T.A.R. method aims to help candidates answer interview questions in a way that is most helpful for interviewers to understand you and your experiences.

What Is The S.T.A.R. Method?

No, it’s not a literal star-shaped method. It’s much more than that.

S is the situation or the who, what, when, where, of the situation. Think of it as your setting for your answer. You are outlining the “situation” within the story explaining relevant people, atmosphere, and environment around the example you are giving.

You want to give a clear and thorough explanation here because this is the foundation upon which your answer is built. However, you don’t want to spend too much time focusing on detailing the situation.

Your answer should be between 30-60 seconds.

So, the more time you talk here the less time you have for the other sections.

T is the task or the challenge/problem you were faced with. This is where you talk about the obstacle that arose. Essentially, the task is where you set the problem and the stakes.

A is the action. Answer, “what did you do?” and give a clear explanation. Simple as that. Clearly explain what you did to solve or mitigate the problem. A major pitfall for interviewees is to speak in the “we” form here if the problem was a team problem.

It’s okay to say the “we” aspect but you need to explicitly explain what you did as well by stating “I did” such and such.

Remember you are being interviewed, so keep the focus on yourself and what you bring to the table.

R is the result. What was the outcome? If possible, quantity where you can. Here is where you drive home the impact of your actions. Were you able to fix the presentation issues when no one else could? Did you show initiative and create the talking points for the next meeting early? Did you save a kitten from a tree? Whatever it is, hammer home how your actions had a positive impact on the situation. Hammer it home.

What Does The S.T.A.R. Method Mean?

Let’s say you are in an interview and get asked one of the most common behavioral questions.

“Please describe an experience where you showed leadership.”

Let’s answer this using the STAR method:

Situation

During my sophomore year of college, I was elected Vice President of Professional Activities for my student organization. The duties of the position included securing speakers for our meetings, advertising the programs to the campus community, introducing speakers, and evaluating each program.

Task

Event attendance had decreased substantially because students wanted to learn about more applicable things that would help them land jobs and internships. So, I created the goal of implementing a holistic professional development series to help students ace their interviews.

Action

I connected with my university’s career development department and created a four-part professional series. Each event touched on some aspect of interview prep, ranging from proper dress to a full-scale mock interview.

Result

As a result of the salience of the development series, we were able to increase the attendance of those events by 45% and maintain a large turnout from that point on for the rest of the year.

Putting It All Together

“Please describe an experience where you showed leadership.”

“During my sophomore year of college, I was elected Vice President of Professional Activities for my student organization. The duties of the position included securing speakers for our meetings, advertising the programs to the campus community, introducing speakers, and evaluating each program.

In previous years, event attendance had decreased substantially because students wanted to learn about more applicable things that would help them land jobs and internships.

So, I created the goal of implementing a holistic professional development series to help students ace their interviews. I connected with my university’s career development department and created a four-part professional series. Each event touched on some aspect of interview prep, ranging from proper dress to a full-scale mock interview.

As a result of the salience of the development series, we were able to increase the attendance of those events by 45% and maintain a large turnout from that point on for the rest of the year. “

Seeing it all together, you can see how I am giving the background, the issue, what I did, and the impact that came about. Structuring my answers through this framework helps ensure that you don’t ramble on and of course, answer the question.

Review and Practice

The STAR method is definitely a tool to have in your interviewing arsenal. You can use it to help you answer almost any question more clearly and succinctly.

With that in mind, I have created a FREE worksheet for you to use as you practice. Just fill out the form at the end of the post!

Perfecting your use of the S.T.A.R. method takes practice and takes time. However, putting in the work well before your interview gives you the best shot at making the best impression.

If you are able to, this is the perfect topic to go over with your career consultant. So make an appointment with them and get the practice going! Before long you will be able to walk into any interview and own it!

---

Thanks for reading! If you saw any value in this article, please share it with others. Adulting Starts Here is all about increasing access to the information necessary for us to make the most of these transition years into adulthood. So share the information – help increase access!