STAR Interview Basics

(Photo credit @bogomi)

Let’s dive a bit deeper into how to prepare to answer behavioral questions using the STAR method. 

The STAR Method is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, Result.

  • Situation: Describe the situation you were in.

  • Task: Tell me about the task or goal you were working to accomplish.

  • Action: Detail the specific actions/steps YOU took in this scenario.

  • Result: Tell me about the results you achieved from this scenario.

It’s really important to remember this structure and to consider how to craft your answers so they contain all of these parts. 

For many candidates I work with, I can easily tell when they did not prepare. They ramble for a bit in telling me the Situation & Task, make a face when they realize halfway through that they are rambling, and then rush through their Action and Results - which are often the most critical parts to share with an interviewer! Does this sound familiar? 

Let me help you prepare for Level 1 of interview questions. Once you master answering these questions, you’ll be ready to move to the next step. 

I’ve put together a great worksheet that you can use to prepare: Level 1: STAR Interview Worksheet

  • Tab 1 gives you tips on what to include in your answers and provides general timing goals so you know how long your answers should be

  • Tab 2 is a fillable worksheet with the top behavioral questions across the top, and spaces for you to fill in 2 versions of an answer to each question. It’s always a good idea to have more than one story prepared to answer each question to give yourself options during an interview. 

Click here to access the Level 1: STAR Interview Worksheet.