How The STAR Interview Technique Will Help You Ace Your Next Interview

By Joan Igamba

Do you struggle with rambling on and on while answering common interview questions?

Then it is probable that the interviewer is struggling to follow what you are trying to put across as well.

If you are unsure on how to share your accomplishments during an interview then the STAR interview technique can help you.

Use this method of answering interview questions as it will allow you to provide clear examples or proof that you possess the experience and skills for the job at hand.

What Is the STAR Interview Response Technique?

This is a structured manner of responding to questions asked in interviews that allows you to discuss the answer you give following the STAR format. Star stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result.

Using this interview response strategy will help you back up whatever claims you make.

For example if you are asked, “what are your strengths?” You cannot just say you are a quick learner and leave it at that. You have to backup that answer. This is where the STAR technique comes in.

The best way to approach answering questions using this format is as follows:

• Situation: Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. You must describe a specific event or situation, not something generalized that you have done in the past. This situation can be from a previous job, or any relevant event.
• Task: What goal were you working toward? Or what did you need to accomplish in the situation you found yourself in?
• Action: Describe the actions you took to address the situation with a good amount of detail and keep the focus on YOURSELF. What specific steps did you take and what was your particular contribution? Be careful that you don’t describe what the team or group did when talking about a project, but what you actually did.
• Result: Describe the outcome of your actions and don’t be shy about taking credit for your successes. What did you accomplish? What did you learn?

A Sample STAR Response:

Let us answer the question, “What is your biggest strength?” For the sake of this example.

You could say that you have excellent customer service skills but you need to know how to back up the answers to interview questions in order to convince the employer.

Use the below format to do exactly that.

• Situation: “A customer called our offices complaining that they’d waited more than two weeks for a reply from our sales team regarding a product that they wanted to buy.”
• Task (T): “I needed to address the client’s concerns and find out what went wrong in the sales process.”
• Activity (A): “I apologised, got their details and passed them on to our head salesperson, who contacted the client within 15 minutes. I investigated why their inqueries hadn’t been answered. I discovered that it was a combination of a wrong mobile number and a generic email address that wasn’t being checked. I let the client know and we offered a discount on her next order.”
• Result (R): “The client not only continued to order from us but posted a positive customer service tweet.”

Finally,

Used at its best, the STAR structure is hardly noticeable to the interviewer and will just seem like you are a well prepared candidate. However, you need the practice, Ms Lucy Karwigi, an interview coach at Corporate Staffing Services, can help you through a mock interview process to help you stand a better chance.

All the best in your future interviews!