How to Prepare for a STAR Interview: The Star Method Interview Worksheet
You’ve received a list of hundreds of potential questions you might be asked in an interview. It’s overwhelming, right? How do you know what will be asked? Where do you even start?
In this article, I’m going to share with you how to prepare for a STAR interview; a well-known method used to ace high-level interviews. Treat this article as your very own STAR method interview worksheet, which even includes interview questions when using the STAR method.
But before you start diving into memorising answers and questions for the STAR method, I first recommend a little bit of reflection so that you can work on your stories.
Using the STAR Method with Real Stories
Reflect on your professional journey so far and choose about 6-8 stories. And when I say ‘stories’, I’m referring to significant moments in your career, such as obstacles you’ve overcome, key achievements, failures, and personal development milestones.
Knowing these stories inside out can help you answer a wide array of behavioural questions, whether they’re about conflict, failure, collaboration, risk, strategy, and so on.
Now, before I share the magic behind my STAR & Stories approach, lets first take a closer look at the STAR method.
Why use the STAR method at an interview?
The STAR method is a simple yet effective method to structure these stories. It ensures you cover all the essential details concisely and engagingly. Here is a breakdown:
S : Situation
Set the scene. Where and when did it happen? Example: At my previous job at XYZ Corp, our team faced a significant drop in website traffic after a major website redesign.â€
T: Task
Your role in that situation. What were you responsible for? Example: As the lead web analyst, my task was to identify the cause of the traffic drop and propose solutions.
A : Action
The steps you took to address the challenge. Example: I collaborated with the web development and SEO teams. We conducted a thorough audit, identifying broken links and SEO issues. I then prioritized the fixes based on their potential impact.
R : Result
The outcome of your actions. What was achieved? Example: Within a month, we recovered 90% of the lost traffic. Additionally, by addressing the SEO issues, we saw a 15% increase in organic search traffic compared to pre-redesign levels
How to Prepare for a STAR Interview: 10 Interview Questions for Star Method
Now that you have your interview stories and a good understanding of STAR, it is time for the STAR questions.
Presented below are ten commonly asked interview questions for the STAR Method. Your structured approach, focusing on Situation, Task, Action, and Result, provides a comprehensive framework for crafting compelling responses to the below requests.
These questions cover various scenarios, enabling you to effectively showcase your skills and experiences during behavioural interviews.
- Tell me about a time when you faced a challenging situation at work.
- Share an example of a project where you had to work collaboratively with a team.
- Describe a situation where you had to meet a tight deadline.
- Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a conflict within your team.
- Share an experience where you successfully implemented a new idea or process.
- Describe a time when you had to overcome a major obstacle to achieve a goal.
- Tell me about a project where you had to take a calculated risk.
- Share a situation where you had to adapt to unexpected changes.
- Describe a time when you had to give constructive feedback to a colleague.
- Tell me about a situation where you had to prioritize tasks to meet multiple deadlines.
4 Tips on How to Prepare for a STAR Interview
STAR Method Tip #1 Know Your Stories Inside Out
Understanding your professional stories thoroughly is not just a suggestion; it’s a crucial strategy. Being familiar with these narratives helps you answer behavioural questions more smoothly. Instead of just repeating facts, it lets you genuinely link your experiences to the current question.
This understanding allows you to draw on lessons learned, demonstrating your adaptability and resilience. Whether the interviewer asks about handling conflicts, dealing with failures, teamwork, risk-taking, or strategic thinking, your well-practised stories provide a solid foundation for creating convincing and authentic responses.
STAR Method Tip #2 Adapt Stories for Flexibility
The STAR method is powerful because it’s versatile. Your chosen stories should be flexible enough to highlight various aspects of your professional skills. Each story can be adjusted to showcase different abilities, making them valuable assets during interviews.
While getting ready, think about how these stories can be adjusted to match the specific skills and qualities the employer is looking for. This approach not only shows your capability to handle different challenges but also reflects your understanding of the company’s needs.
Essentially, the STAR method turns your professional experiences into a versatile tool, helping you confidently and precisely handle the complexities of behavioural interviews.
STAR Method Tip #3 Add a Takeaway (START Method)
There is also the START model, which adds a ‘takeaway‘ at the end. This can be about scaling the solution, a second iteration, or personal learning. It is the ‘and then what?’of your story.
STAR Method Tip #4 Practice Storytelling!
Telling a story using the STAR format makes it easier for the listener to follow along. It provides clear signposts, so they know where you are in the narrative. Plus, you don’t want to end up sounding robotic with ‘the situation was’, ‘my role was’, but instead, create flow. You can achieve this by writing it down and practising. This will help you enhance your storytelling skills, making your experiences more relatable, especially if the interviewer isn’t familiar with your industry or role.
Want to Secure Your Dream Job?
Remember, while the STAR technique is a fantastic starting point, it’s just that, a starting point, there are more steps to take if you wish to secure that dream role, and I’d love to help. I’ve helped my clients to ace their interviews with Google, Facebook, Amazon, Apple and many more.
If you’d like my help with mastering the art of storytelling and preparing yourself fully for the best interview of your life, then book your 1-1 interview coaching session with me.
Looking for a career change? Then, take a look at my latest book recommendations for career development.
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Further Reading: Beyond the STAR Model
