The STAR method is a structured way of responding to behavioural interview questions. It helps you answer questions about past behaviours by providing a specific, clear, and concise story.
What does STAR stand for
- Situation – the situation you had to deal with
- Task – the task you were given to do
- Action – the action you took
- Result – what happened as a result of your action, and what you learned from the experience
When to use STAR
You can use the STAR method in your:
- CV
- cover letter
- application form – usually in a further information section
- interview
How to use STAR
You can use the STAR method to structure the examples you give to questions, especially in interviews.
A job description lists the skills and qualities the employer is looking for. You can use the STAR method to show how you meet these.
It can help to look at common interview questions when preparing.
When using STAR, remember to:
- Use examples that work for you – these could be from work, home or volunteering
- Keep examples short and to the point
- Try to get your points across in a conversational way so as not to appear too rehearsed
- Be prepared to answer follow-up questions about the examples you give
Example 1 – leadership skills
Tell me about a time when you showed leadership skills.
Situation – in my previous digital marketing job, the company wanted to increase the number of people signing up for a newsletter that was not receiving much attention.
Task – my job was to find a way of getting more people to sign up.
Action – I organised a meeting with other members of the marketing team to come up with creative ideas, and I led the social media campaign to generate interest in the revamped newsletter.
Result – over 3 months, there was a 25% increase in sign-ups to the newsletter and the approach I took was used by the management team in other departments.
Example 2 – teamwork
Tell me about a time you have worked as part of a team.
Situation – when I was at school, I was part of the netball team. We needed to raise funds to buy more equipment for the team.
Task – my job was to work with the rest of the team to set up a bake sale to raise money.
Action – I took the lead and found out who wanted to help with the bake sale. I then held a meeting so we could work out dates and what tasks each person would do. I made sure that we were all clear what our role was, and everyone who wanted to, got a chance to get involved.
Result – the bake sale was a success due to the team all pulling together. We raised £200 and were able to buy new equipment for the netball team.
Example 3 – problem solving
Give me an example of when you faced a problem at work. How did you handle it?
Situation – I was working in a florist shop with the manager, and we were arranging an order of flowers for 2 weddings. The manager, who had taken the order, had mixed up the customers’ addresses, and the flowers were delivered to the wrong venues.
Task – I had to get the flowers to the right place and apologise to the customers.
Action – I told my boss that I would deal with the mistake, leaving her to take care of the shop. I spoke to both customers on the telephone to explain and reassured them that we would put things right straight away. I drove to both venues, swapped the flowers in time and apologised in person. I gave both customers a voucher for a bouquet as compensation.
Result – the customers were grateful that we had acted quickly. Later on, they both came back to the shop to spend their vouchers and have since recommended us to their friends.