Hi, everyone.
Welcome, glad that you're here today.
Today, we're going to be talking about the STAR method
and how it can be used to answer really tough questions.
I've got some specific examples for you
as well, which I think are going to be really helpful.
Now, hang on to the end of this video.
I'm going to share some additional pearls of wisdom
that will help you make some small adjustments to answer
your questions that I really do believe will have a big impact.
So let's get rolling.
What is a behavioral interview?
A behavioral interview is a very popular interview technique
that is simply meant to assess your candidacy based
on past behavior.
So instead of asking a hypothetical question,
like how would you react under pressure at work?
It would sound something more like, tell me about a time
that you were under pressure at work and how did you handle it?
The best way to identify one of these questions
is how it starts.
Tell me about a time when.
Or give me an example of a time when.
The idea behind this is simply for you to map out the reaction
that you had in that situation based
on the result of a particular situation.
Now, some additional example questions
that you could anticipate in this type of environment
would be, give me an example of how you set your goals.
Tell me about a time when you had to be
creative to overcome a problem.
Give me an example of a time that you
had to prioritize certain tasks or projects over another.
Tell me about a time that you disagreed
with a decision that was made.
Tell me about a project that you've worked
on that you're really proud of.
Tell me about a time that you made a mistake
and how did you handle it.
Listen, I know that some of these questions
can feel tricky to answer but the STAR method is
going to be the best way for you to organize your answer.
So STAR stands for a Situation, Task, Action, and Results.
What's great about this is it's going
to allow you to organize your story
in a relevant and succinct way.
But it's going to also allow you to identify your contributions
and your results.
And these are two elements that are really
easy to forget in a high pressure environment.
I've done it myself.
We're only human.
But this is going to allow you to be really organized in a way
that you construct your answer.
Now, the main goal here is to emphasize your strengths
and just in detail.
An interview is not the time to be
modest about your accomplishments.
Now, even if you feel like that's the natural way
that you're being pulled, the best way
to offset any sense of bragging is
to simply back up your reaction with numbers and results.
Those awards, endorsements, and accomplishments,
they don't lie.
So let's take a look at the STAR method.
And I want to kind of go through it in detail with you
so that you feel armed and ready to craft
a detailed and compelling story.
Situation, in explaining the situation,
you're simply telling the interviewer when or where
this event took place.
Example, we were working on a 12 month contract for a high value
client when our agency was merged with another firm.
Task, what was your role?
Example, it was my role to lead the transition for my group
while also communicating with our client
to the project on track.
Action, what were your specific contributions?
Here I would focus on what you personally contributed.
An example would be, I set up weekly check-ins
with the client to update them on the progress of the merger.
This created an important level of trust between us.
I also had a regular one-on-ones with each person on the team
both to assess how they were handling the change
and to make sure we would meet their deadlines.
Results, finally, what did you produce?
An example would be, we ended up completing the project on time
and met all the clients' expectations.
It was challenging at times.
But it was an incredible learning experience
for navigating change and succeeding under pressure.
All right, so I know that was a lot to cover.
If it feels like too much, remember,
just simplify it down to this, provide
context, what you did, how you did it,
and what was the end result. Here's another example,
tell me about a time when you faced a difficult problem
at work.
Situation, I was working as a sales associate
at a bridal boutique and a customer
purchased a dress online and had it delivered to the store.
On the morning she was due to come in for her fitting,
I realized that one of the other associates
accidentally put the dress out on the floor
and another customer purchased it.
Task, I knew I needed to make this right for the customer
to meet my own service level standards
and uphold the reputation of the company.
Action, before calling the customer
to let her know about the mistake,
I located the same dress at another store nearby.
I called the customer to let her know
that there would be a delay and I
had to reschedule her fitting.
I let her know that the dress was being transferred
to my location and that I would be waiving the alteration
fees due to the delay.
And when she arrived, I provided a gift card
to thank her for understanding.
Result, the customer was so thankful.
She even wrote us a five star review on several bridal sites
and sent us a picture of her in the dress from the wedding
that we probably displayed in the store.
Now, if you are newer to the workforce,
and you can't necessarily think of a specific example
that you can share.
What I invite you to do is to maybe draw
upon past internships, volunteer work
that you've been a part of, or maybe even
group projects in school.
Absolutely acceptable to use these examples.
And they work really well.
The STAR method will work well for anyone,
whether you are in a professional setting
or you are drafting upon your collegiate or internship
experience.
So here's a hypothetical example,
if you worked in let's say, a high school newspaper
and you wanted to use the STAR method to answer this question.
Tell me about a time you found a creative solution to a problem.
Situation, readership was down for my high school newspaper,
The Daily Tribune.
Task, as a senior and a new member of the social media
team, my goal was to generate social content that
would result in a 30% increase in traffic.
Action, I partnered with student organizations
at my school with a large social media
followings on Facebook and on Twitter
to share links out to articles that would
be relevant to their members.
Result, as a result, I increased monthly traffic site visits
by 35% and created a directory for the point of contact
for all sponsored student organizations on campus
that the social media team was then
able to use to promote future stories.
This answer is absolutely effective
because it provides context to the problem,
describes the individual actions taken,
and it defines the impact of those actions.
You can't go wrong with it.
When it comes to using the STAR method,
research and practice are going to be your keys to success.
So here are some best practices that I
want you to keep in mind.
Review the job description in great detail.
So pay attention to what's required
but also pay attention to what obstacles
you may need to overcome.
A great trick here is to come to the table
with a story about an entire situation versus preparing
for a singular question.
It's nearly impossible to predict which interviewer
is going to ask which question.
But oftentimes they're very similar.
So a great example of this would be,
if one interviewer asked you, tell me
about a time that you were under pressure.
And then another one asked you, well, tell me about a time
that you handled stress.
Technically, they're trying to get at the same thing.
So if you just prepare a story that
discusses how you've dealt with a tense situation,
it's going to cover your ground beautifully.
Now, if you are interested in anecdotes
on where to draft some inspiration to create
these stories, consider these.
Think about a time you showcased leadership or ownership.
Think about a time you've overcome a technical problem,
maybe a time that you would have done something differently,
sometime that you've overcome a personal conflict, when
you've learned something new.
Or maybe you've owned a project outside of work.
And I want you to practice these answers out loud.
So this is going to help you prepare
so that when you are sitting in that interview,
you're going to feel more confident and composed when
you're delivering your answers.
And two to three minutes per story is great.
And I want you to use I statements.
So I know that this can sometimes feel
a little bit uncomfortable.
But in this situation, it's completely appropriate,
I promise.
Detail your impact.
Speak positively and confidently.
Filler words like um, uh, like, they plague all of us.
But there's a way for you to mitigate that.
So slow down.
And if you're talking about a project that you're proud of,
convey your pride with joy.
Tone of voice and non-verbal communication
is always really powerful.
And be specific, if you can't think of a specific example
that you want to use or that you want to elaborate on,
it's OK to talk about how you would potentially
handle a situation.
So if you're at a complete loss for words, and hey,
I've been there.
It totally happens.
The best thing that you can do is just practice saying,
that's a great question.
Let me give that some thought for a minute.
It's a therapeutic pause.
It's a powerful way to stay in control
and let yourself construct a very composed answer.
All right, there you have it.
So to quickly recap, my top tips for using the STAR method
to answer these behavioral interview questions
include, stick to the format, so situation, task, action,
and results.
I want you to prepare to address situations
through stories not just preparing
for specific questions.
I want you to speak positively and confidently using
those I statements.
I want you to practice answering those questions in about two
or three minutes, and then practice makes perfect.
So dedicate at least a half hour to performing
those mock interview questions, and you should be golden.
Thank you so much for watching.
I really hope that you found this information helpful
and that you're able to apply it to your interview preparation.
If you're interested in seeing more examples of how
to use the STAR method or how to answer
these behavioral-based questions, click on this link
up here.
It will bring you back to our career
guide which is our main repository for all
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But outside of that, thank you for allowing me to be
a part of your journey today.
I'm wishing you the best of luck in your interviews.
And I'll see you next time.