Are you a candidate or job-seeker who is preparing for the next big interview? Today we are going to discuss a simple model to help candidates craft and articulate their skills and experiences. This model will help you to showcase the value that you can bring to your next employer. At Recruiting Experiences we interview roughly 300 candidates per month and the best interviewees have perfected their STAR story-telling abilities, and now you can too!
STAR INTERVIEW MODEL
Situation- this is the PROBLEM that your team or your company was facing.
- The situation sets the stage for your story
- It provides relevant background based on the question asked
Task- this can be one or multiple to-do items that you were responsible for to solve the problem
- What was the mission at hand?
Action- this is the literal execution of the task(s) that you completed to fix the problem
- It is okay to highlight teamwork while emphasizing your specific contributions
Result- this is the OUTCOME of the action that you took, so what happened?
- If possible, you want your result to be quantifiable and/or measurable
What types of questions are the STAR INTERVIEW MODEL used for?
Typically, the star interview method is used for behavioral based interview questions. These are questions asked to determine your future behavior by looking at your past behavior. Most questions will be framed by starting off with, “Can you tell me about a time when…”, “How would you face…”, “Can you give me an example of…” or “Describe a time/situation when…”.
Example of STAR INTERVIEW questions
Interviewer: “Can you tell me about a time where you figured out how to interview better?”
Situation: Certainly! I was on the job market looking for roles when 2 months had gone by with no offers.
Task: Based on my experience, only making it to the screening stage, and receiving feedback from colleagues, I learned that I needed to improve my interviewing skills.
Action: I went online and researched how to develop stories to highlight my skills, and that is where I found the STAR method for job interviews.
Result: After 10 hours of practicing the STAR INTERVIEW method, I have successfully made it through the recruiter’s screenings and am currently meeting with hiring managers for three new job opportunities!”
This response takes about 20 seconds to share and successfully lays out the situation, task, action and results!
Key Points to Remember:
- Keep answers concise, if the interviewer wants to hear more, they will ask follow-up questions
- The purpose of developing STAR INTERVIEW stories is to be prepared to sell your skills and experience
- Incorporate the job description’s skills/qualities/requirements into your story
If you enjoyed this blog, you might like another blog we have about why every company should volunteer and give back: https://www.recruitingexperiences.com/5-reasons-your-company-should-give-back/
