The STAR Technique

Introduction

The STAR technique is a structured way of responding to behavioral questions in an interview. If you explain each experience with this technique, you will be able to communicate your skills in a fully fleshed out way that will help the interviewer learn about you.

Situation. Describe a specific situation. You need to give enough information that the interviewer will be able to understand the circumstances.

Task. What were you asked or expected to do and why? What was driving you (and/or your team) to complete this project or solve this problem? What were your responsibilities in that situation?

Action. Describe the actions taken. You should prioritize what you did, what your contribution was, and how those things were impactful. Focus on “I," not “we”.

Result. Describe the outcome. DO NOT undercut your role in the situation, this is not the time to be modest. When talking about the result, make sure you go over what happened, how the event ended, what was accomplished, and what you learned. Be positive. Even if the outcome was unsatisfactory, it is important that something positive came from it. Remember, even when things are negative (or not what you had hoped) good things can still come from them. Oftentimes, individuals have to be prompted in this section of their answer; stand out by including this part on your own.

📝 Note: It is important to remember that you are describing work situations that your interviewer could probably imagine. Don’t include irrelevant details; if you do, you may lose the interest of your interviewer.

Sample STAR Response

Sample Star Response: “Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback. How did you handle it?”

S: There was a team member in a project I was managing whose pace was lagging behind the others.

T: We were in the hyper-growth phase of a company project, so each member had to do research and produce a certain amount of content per week. The goal was to create 50 internet articles per month in order to bring more traffic to the platform.

A: We got together to address the issue. I explained that although he was falling behind, he could still improve by making a few adjustments to his strategy. I also encouraged him to collaborate with other members if he was struggling with something.

R: His productivity increased and he felt more confident in his work which led to the team meeting the monthly quota, and to him producing some great ideas.

Remember: If you answer and the interviewer asks about another detail, please don’t panic. That is a good sign. You want the interviewer to clarify, it means that they’re listening and the example was relevant.

Get some hands-on experience answering questions in the STAR format in the next lesson!