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How to Answer STAR Interview Questions

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Learn how to answer STAR interview questions by using the STAR method鈥擲ituation, Task, Action, Result鈥攖o ace your next interview and stand out from other candidates.

[Featured Image]: A professional applies her knowledge of how to answer STAR interview questions as she speaks with a hiring manager.

The STAR acronym refers to a method of answering behavioural questions in a job interview. STAR stands for situation, task, action, and result. Structuring answers in this order helps you tell compelling stories about how you鈥檝e handled specific workplace situations. STAR answers provide employers with clues about your experience, values, personality, and how you鈥檒l perform in the position you鈥檙e applying for.听

Behavioural questions can be challenging to prepare for and answer, requiring you to recall details of your professional history and deliver stories on command. With practice, you can master the STAR method, discover new ways to describe your qualifications, and convince employers to see you as a valuable asset.听

How to answer behavioural questions using the STAR method听

You can recognise behavioural questions when they come up during an interview by listening for phrases like, 鈥淭ell me about a time when,鈥 or 鈥淗ow have you handled,鈥 followed by the scenario that your interviewer wants to know more about.听

The following are three career-specific examples of behavioural interview questions:听

Data analyst: 鈥淗ow have you handled getting project results that surprised you?鈥澨

User-experience designer:Tell me about a time when a UX project did not succeed.鈥澨

Social media marketer: 鈥淭ell me about a time that you launched a social media campaign that exceeded the expectations of your team.鈥

When this type of question comes up in an interview, remember to use the four components of the STAR method to structure your answers.听

Situation

Begin your answer by describing a specific workplace situation relevant to the interviewer's question. Include details about when the situation occurred and the company you were working for at the time.听

Task

Describe your role in the situation, including what was expected of you and any tasks or projects you needed to complete.听

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Next, describe the actions you took to resolve the situation, complete tasks or projects, and fulfil your responsibilities.

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Finally, describe the result of your actions. Was the situation resolved? What was the measurable impact on others on your team, the company at large, or customers? What did you take away from the experience that helped you improve?

STAR method interview questions and answers

To better prepare for your next interview, research common behavioural questions in your career field, including tougher ones such as 鈥淐an you describe a time you failed?鈥 or 鈥淗ow have you handled negative feedback in the past?鈥 Prior to the interview, use the STAR method to prepare potential answers.听

Provided below are three examples of behavioural questions and STAR answers from which you can draw.听

Behavioural question: 鈥淲hat do you do when you disagree with someone at work?鈥

STAR answer:

  • Situation: 鈥淎t company X, my managers decided to consolidate our three products into one, whilst still trying to sell to three target customer segments. Because I knew the needs of our three segments well, I believed that we needed to keep three separate products to meet customers鈥 needs, but the managers did not follow my recommendation.鈥澨

  • Task: 鈥淚 was responsible for gathering insights into our customer segments and redesigning the marketing of the one product to generate more leads and drive sales.鈥

  • Action: 鈥Whilst marketing the generic product to specific customer segments was a challenge, I spent extra time on market research and enlisted the help of other teams within the company to gather fresh insights. I then split-tested ad campaigns to find the most effective versions of the ads.鈥

  • Result: 鈥淪ales initially suffered after the product change, then rose whilst the ad campaigns took effect. Then, sales levelled off for several months, and the managers decided to reinstate the three separate products and even add new, unique features that were better than the original. Within three months, sales quadrupled, as a result of better customer segmentation and product placement.鈥澨

Behavioural question: 鈥淒escribe a time when the requirements of a project changed in the middle of it. How did you handle this situation?鈥

STAR answer:听

  • Situation: 鈥淲hilst working for company Y, my team was responsible for deploying a new software program for our customers鈥 users. Halfway through, the customer requested very specific changes that would extend the deployment by two months.鈥

  • Task: 鈥My role was to monitor the deployment to our test servers and keep the customer abreast of those results leading up to the live deployment with the goal of accommodating their mid-point requests and beating the extended two-month deadline.鈥

  • Action: 鈥淏uilding from prior deployments, I implemented a method of communicating weekly updates to the customer and requesting their feedback using a Google form.鈥

  • Result: 鈥淲e experienced minimal interruptions during the live deployment and beat our extended deadline by two weeks. The customer was very happy and contracted our team for another project.鈥澨

Behavioural question: 鈥淭ell me about a time when you handled a high-pressure situation.鈥

STAR answer:听

  • Situation: 鈥淎t company Z, I was given a large media assignment and a short turnaround period to complete it. This was for a big initiative by the public relations team to improve company Z鈥檚 image after a big controversy.鈥

  • Task: 鈥淢y role was to reach out to media contacts to secure favourable coverage. This was a challenge as the controversy escalated.鈥

  • Action: 鈥淎s the deadline loomed, I asked for an extension and increased my efforts to find unbiased media channels. I reached out to dozens of media outlets, sent personalised messages, and set up meetings over the course of three weeks.鈥

  • Result: 鈥淭he result was that several top media outlets published favourable stories about company Z and we were able to retain a large percentage of our loyal customers.鈥澨

Next steps

The STAR method provides a framework for answering behavioural interview questions in a way that highlights your actions. This allows you to present your experience as a narrative that's easy to follow and illustrates you in action.

Improve your storytelling skills for multiple workplace purposes, including crafting STAR answers to behavioural questions, with Storytelling and Influencing: Communicating With Impact from Macquarie University, available on 糖心vlog官网观看. The course covers several topics, including understanding the audience, crafting a compelling story, and connecting with people.

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