All of us have to sit for interviews at some point. We all have witnessed anxiety, adrenalin rush, and nervousness just before the interviewer starts asking the questions. How to tackle interview anxiety? How to pass the unbearable stress we get one night before the interview? Honestly, we cannot entirely get away with the nervousness but do something to reduce it. Excellent knowledge of your field is one way of tackling the situation. And the other way is knowing about the method interviewees use to select candidates. All the interviewers use the STAR method to select candidates. Let's decode this STAR method!
What Is the STAR Method?
Employers use the STAR interview method to do the behavioral analysis of your profile. The interviewer asks you questions in a structured way, mentioning a random task, action, situation you were in, and how you went forward with it. Your answers help the interviewer understand how you handled situations at your previous job. Here is the full form of STAR interview method -
- Situation
- Task
- Action
- Result
Other names for the STAR method are the CAR (Challenge, Action, and Result) method and PAR (Problem, Action, Result) method. You can see that the approach is the same in all these methods.
Sample STAR Response
Any behavioral interview question can be answered using the STAR method. Here is a sample for your better understanding -
Q1 - What was the most challenging problem you faced at work in the last 6 month? How did you tackle it?
|
Situation |
Our website traffic was stagnant for 3 months and started to fall from the 4th month onwards. |
|
Task |
My goal was to think of ideas to get it back on track first and then increase it further by 15% in the next 3 months. |
|
Action |
I researched how other websites were attracting users on their website. Based on my research, I made a list of new categories we were missing out on. We took these categories live and created SEO-rich content on related topics. |
|
Result |
In the first month, we recovered the loss we made the previous month. Followed by a 30% month-on-month increase in the website visitors. |
How to Prepare for STAR Interview Questions?
Follow these steps to use the STAR interview method correctly in your next interview session -
Step 1 - Recall all recent citations highlighting accomplishments like leadership, teamwork, initiative, planning, and customer service.
Step 2 - Keep a description ready for each situation. The interviewer can ask anything.
Step 3 - Your story should have a beginning, middle and end. The interviewer is looking for details. Hence, they would want a thorough explanation of your situation. Mention the task at hand, your action, and the outcome or result.
Step 4 - As the interviewer judges your personality, ensure that the result of the situation favors you.
Sample STAR Method Interview Question
These questions can be answered using the STAR method -
- Describe a situation when you convinced your manager to follow your approach.
- There must be some stressful times in your professional life. How did you pass through it?
- Have you ever used logical reasoning to solve a problem? Explain with an example.
- Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion.
- Was there a time when your strategy didn't work?
- Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty to get a job done.
- If your teammate is having a tough time meeting their targets. What would you do?
- Share an instance in which you showed extreme ownership at work?
- Give me an example of when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem.
- Tell me about a recent situation where you dealt with a distraught customer or coworker.
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Use the STAR method in your next job interview and tell us how it helped you. Do you know what else can increase your chances of getting hired? The right skills to do the job and professional certification. Simplilearn offers a wide range of courses for all working professionals. You can visit our website and check the 'All Courses' tab. Read the course description and sign-up for a well-suited program. We also offer free online courses at Skill Up that help you learn in-demand skills.
