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Do you find interviews challenging? Have a habit of forgetting your answer? Trouble explaining your accomplishments? Guess what? There is a secret recipe that will help you be more prepared for your interview and provide better responses. Whether it's a university, internship, or summer school interview, it's easy to become overwhelmed and stressed, and as a result, you fail to showcase your best qualities. The STAR method is one of the most effective interview techniques you can use.

What is the STAR method?

The STAR method stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. The STAR method does more than just assist you in effectively describing your skills to the interviewer. It helps the interviewer understand how you used your skills to accomplish the desired result. To deliver the best STAR interview answers, follow this step-by-step strategy.

• (S) Situation: Begin by explaining the problem, challenge, or event that you had to cope with. Give the interviewer two to three pieces of the necessary information to provide a clear context for the specific scenario rather than a generalised summary of what you have done in the past. You may, for example, specify a project you worked on, the location where it took place, and the size of your team. This scenario could be based on work experience, a volunteer role, academic endeavors, or any other relevant event. Consider examples from internships, volunteer work, or group projects you undertook for school if you're new to the workforce and don't have a long professional background to draw from.
• (T) Task: Next, explain what your role was in that event. Give a few additional details. What was your role? What were your responsibilities? Consider only one or two primary elements that best demonstrate the task at hand.
• (A) Action: Describe the particular steps you took to deal with the problem or solve the challenge. Highlight any skills or characteristics that are related to the application. What steps did you take? What was your specific contribution? How did you resolve the situation? Remember to concentrate on what you accomplished rather than what the team accomplished. To do so, avoid using the word "we" in your response and instead, use the word "I" when discussing actions. This section is the most important to the interviewer because it indicates whether or not you are a good fit for the role.
• (R) Result: Last but not least, explain the positive outcomes of your actions. What occurred? How did the event conclude? What did you achieve? What did you discover? Concentrate on two or three major outcomes of your activities and outline what you learned, how you developed, and why you're a better employee as a result of the experience. Make certain that the conclusion or result reflects well on you, even if the event itself was not favorable. Don’t forget to include facts, numbers, and statistics that quantify your success.

When do I use the STAR method?

It is frequently employed for behavioral and situational interview questions, but it is not limited to other types such as CVs, Cover letters, and Application forms. Behavioral questions are questions regarding your prior behavior. Employers use this strategy to learn about how you handled specific job situations in the past, which can be a solid predictor of future performance. They ask these questions to discover whether candidates have the necessary abilities and experience to succeed in the position. They usually have noticeable openings, for instance:

1. Tell me about a time when…
2. Have you ever…
3. Share an example of a time…
4. What do you do when…
5. Do you usually…
6. Give me an example of…
7. Describe a situation…..

It is essential to recognise when you are able to use the STAR method and when not.

You cannot apply this method to basic interview questions such as “What is your greatest strength?” However, when it comes to behavioral interview questions like “Give me an example of how you used your greatest strength.”, this is the time to use STAR.

Examples of STAR method answers

Q: Tell me about a time when you had a problem with your colleague. How did you handle it?

• (S) As a head of content writer at my school newspaper club, I had a junior content writer who consistently finished her tasks overdue and rarely attended any of our meetings.
• (T) I decided to set up a one-on-one meeting with her to explore the problems that had contributed to her poor work performance.
(A) As a result of that conversation, I understood she needed additional mentorship and allocated the work to other content writers more effectively. I apologized and transferred some of her responsibilities to another team member. I also provided mentorship for her and several other new club members so that they could understand their responsibilities better. (R) Her mood improved, and she came on time for meetings since she wasn't overburdened with work and had a better knowledge of her position. The experience taught me the value of listening to others.

Q: Share an example of a time when you demonstrated your leadership skills.

• (S) In my previous volunteer role as a marketing officer at Organization X, the organization wanted to get more people to attend an offline workshop, which would be held in a month.
• (T)The goal was to get 1,000 local high school students to attend our workshop.
• (A) I organized a meeting with the marketing teams as well as other important divisions involved to come up with a creative idea and strategy to achieve our target. I led the social media campaign to engage more people and reach a wider audience about our event.
• (R) As a result, our organization received around 1500 registrations for the workshop, 1200 of them attended the workshop, and our social media campaign reached more than 3000 people

How to prepare for an interview using the STAR method

Having outstanding interview outcomes is dependent on how well you perform in the interview, which is determined by how well prepared you are. Here are some suggestions to help you prepare for an interview using the STAR method.

• Make a list of the job qualifications. Make a list of the job requirements. First and foremost, create a list of the skills required for the position you are looking for. This allows you to match your qualifications to those specified in the job offer. For example, if the goal role entails supervision of people or teamwork, you may be asked to provide examples of times when you displayed leadership qualities or teamwork. Consider what kinds of challenges or obstacles you would face in the available position. Behavioural-based interview questions frequently inquire about overcoming obstacles and problems, so attempt to identify the abilities you may utilise in those scenarios. But don't limit yourself to just one skill. Because we frequently employ multiple skills to overcome problems, it is acceptable to highlight a few in your response.
• Make a list of times in which you addressed a challenge Most applications might require particular skills like negotiating or leaderships, or basic skills like communication and teamwork. Having examples will allow the interviewer visualize those skills in practice. Prepare each case utilizing the STAR method and make it as relevant to the position you're interviewing for as feasible.
• Practise your response. Keep in mind that your responses should not be a memorized script. When answering, try to sound natural. Practicing will make you more confident and natural when answering questions in an interview. You will also be aware of any points you missed during practise and will be able to deliver them more effectively during the interview.
• Prepare a few samples. Although you don't know what type of questions will be asked during the interview, it's a good idea to have a few samples prepared that use the STAR method. By doing so, you can change or modify your answer as needed based on the question.

When you arrive unprepared for an interview, it can be stressful. Preparing thoughtfully in advance and adopting the best strategy during the interview will lead to an offer letter. It is important to demonstrate your greatest abilities, but remember to be truthful in all of your responses. Still have doubts about how to ace your interview? Check out these 12 tips that will aid you along the path!