Be a STAR: Using the STAR Method to Be Awesome at Job Interviews
Posted on Thursday, July 20th, 2017
Job interviews are a huge part of the job/placement hunting process. It’s where employers get a chance to meet you and find out what it is that makes you the best candidate. They’ll ask a lot of questions about your experience. It’s likely that a lot of those questions are behavioural.
A behavioural interview question is used to figure out how you react to certain workplace situations. The question usually starts with something like, “Tell me about a time you…”.
The interviewer is usually looking for one thing: a specific example of how you acted in that situation. They want to identify your skills and how you used them.
These kinds of questions can be stressful if you haven’t dealt with them before. Lucky for you, there’s a really simple formula to use when giving your answer: the STAR Method.
What is the STAR Method?
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. It’s a way of laying out your response so that the interviewer gets the most complete and useful answer possible.
This method also gives you the chance to show the employer exactly how your actions and abilities had a positive impact.
Let’s say that the interviewer asks you:
“Tell me about a time that you had to work with someone who didn’t do their fair share of the work.”
Below, we look at each step to answer that question.
S – Situation
Your first step is to set the scene for the interviewer. You want to explain the context, without getting into workplace politics or drama (this is especially important for negative questions like this).
Basically, tell the employer what the deal was. For example:
“During my job at ABC Catering, we were tasked with preparing a lunch for 100 people, and one of my co-workers was not contributing to the preparations.”
Clear, simple, and no drama—this is what this part is about.
T – Task
Now, you need to show the employer what your specific role in the situation was. Remember—this is about you and your skills.
Even if you didn’t have a supervisory role, you want to show your initiative in the example you chose. What responsibility did you take in this particular moment?
For this particular case, you could say something like:
“I decided to approach my co-worker to address the issue and ensure that we stayed on schedule for the event.”
This is good, because you demonstrate your leadership skills and initiative.
A – Action
Now, what did you actually do? This is where you really want to shine and show employers what it is that makes you such a great candidate.
Remember—this isn’t the time to dish on your old colleagues, bosses, customers, or anyone. Their behaviour doesn’t matter (and trash talking someone in an interview is one of the biggest faux pas you could make).
Instead, you want to brag (professionally) about what you did. Show how professionally and expertly you handled the situation.
So, your answer could look something like:
“During a lull in the preparations, I took my co-worker aside to talk. I told them that they were a valued member of our team and that we needed them to help with these preparations.”
You rock star, you.
R – Result
Now, to wrap it all up. How did the situation end? What positive impact (and you should only use examples with a positive end) did you have?
Even if the situation was negative, you can spin it positively by including what you learned from the situation and showing why that experience makes you a stronger employee now.
In our example question, you could end like this:
“It turned out my co-worker was going through some rough personal stuff, and that it was affecting their work. They made more of an effort the rest of the day. I was glad I had pulled them aside instead of getting angry in the moment, and it helped me learn how to have difficult conversations.”
When you put all those bits together, you get an answer that demonstrates your communication, delegation, leadership, teamwork, and respect skills. It’s specific and concise, and shows employers exactly why your experience matters.
Practice Makes Perfect
The STAR Method is a constructive, easy way to answer interview questions. It gives you the steps to ensure that you fully answer the interviewer’s questions. But it really only works when you practice, first.
A quick google will give you lists upon lists of possible behavioural interview questions. Spend some time thinking of real-world incidents that you can build into STAR responses. That way, you’ll be ready when the interviewer asks you one.
And, as always, attend mock interviews with the Algonquin College Co-op Department! Your consultant can help you prepare so your answers are good and strong.
If you would like to learn more about the Algonquin College co-op program, please visit our website at https://www.algonquincollege.com/coop/, connect with us at coop@algonquincollege.com or call us at 613-727-4723 Ext.7623. You can also follow us on Twitter @AlgonquinCoop.
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