The Star method and how to use it effectively to share accomplishments? The Star method is there to help create well-thought-out answers.
The Star method is used to plan answers, show your skills and experiences in your cover letter, application forms and interviews. Using the Star method can help back up any statements with facts that you feel are appropriate in your cover letter.
This technique is beneficial for competency and behavioural questions in application forms and interviews. Behavioural and competency questions are about how you have behaved in past experiences and how you handled situations.
It’s a good structure to give examples to questions, particularly to highlight skills and qualities the employer is looking for. Examples can be taken from past work, volunteering and personal experiences.
The Star method
Situation – the situation you had to deal with, set the scene
Task – the task you were given to do, describe the responsibility
Action – the action took, explain the steps taken to address it
Result – share the results of the actions taken and what was learnt from the situation overall
The Situation:
Lay out the situation, this doesn’t need to be in too much detail. It is tempting to include lots of information, but too much detail can lead to explaining unnecessary details. The employer only needs to know the details that will relate to the rest of your answer. Share a specific event or situation, keeping the focus on what is relevant to the story and the question in hand.
The Task:
This is when it’s important to explain the core involvement you had. This piece of information is only dedicated to giving specifics of what your responsibilities were in the scenario and the objective that was set for you before you dive into the action taken. The employer wants to know what you were assigned to do.
The Action:
Describe the action that you took and focus on what you did. Explain your role and the steps taken to reach the goal or solve the problem etc. Use this opportunity to showcase the contribution that you had. Don’t talk about what you might or should do, this part of your answer should give enough information about what you actually did.
The Result:
Close the story by stating the positive outcome of your actions and how you made a difference. This is where you share the results of your actions, what you learned and your accomplishments.
Using the Star method to prepare for an interview:
It is useful to prepare several scenarios as you won’t know the interview questions before hand. Use the job description to find useful information. Create a list of the required and/or preferred skills and qualities for the job you’re applying for. Use this to consider specific situations where you displayed those skills and qualities. Ensuring that the experiences are closely related to the job you’re interviewing for.
Follow the Star method to explain the experiences you have chosen, it is worth making notes of important facts to take into the interview or to review before the interview.
Conclusion
The star method is a good tool to answer interview questions, also it can be used for job applications and cover letters. Following the Star method when applying for a job will ensure you haven’t missed anything important when describing your experiences. Furthermore, using the Star method when answering interview questions will show the employer that you have prepared for the interview.
With thanks to:
https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/careers-advice/interview-advice/the-star-method
https://www.themuse.com/advice/star-interview-method
https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/star-technique
