What's the STAR method for answering job interview questions, and how can it help me?

The STAR method can help you to give clear and effective answers to competency-based interview questions – read our quick guide to what the STAR method is and when to use it.

Competency-based interview questions

Competency-based interview questions are ones that ask you to give examples of how you've used certain skills or demonstrated certain behaviours in the past. They often start with a phrase like 'Tell me about a time...' or 'Give me an example of when...'

They're sometimes known as structured, behavioural or situational interview questions. But whatever you call them, these questions are designed to draw out examples from your experience as a way of assessing your potential future performance. By asking each candidate the same competency-based questions, the interview can compare the answers across the candidates and evaluate each candidate's fit for the role.

Here are some examples of competency-based interview questions:

1. Tell me about a time when you've shown good teamwork skills.

2. Give me an example of when you had to solve a problem at work. How did you get it sorted?

3. Can you tell me about a time when you’ve had to juggle multiple priorities?

Each of these questions focuses on a specific skill – the first one is about teamwork, the second is about problem-solving, and the last one is about multi-tasking.

Using the STAR method

You can use the STAR method to structure your answers to competency-based interview questions. Here's what the STAR acronym means:

Situation: the situation you had to deal with

Task: the task you were given to do

Action: the action you took

Result: what happened as a result of your action and what you learnt

You can use the following exercise to help prepare for your next interview:

1. Write down the kind of skills you're likely to be asked about (check the job description to remind yourself what they're looking for).

2. Decide which examples you'd use to illustrate each skill.

3. Use the STAR structure to write notes on each example.

Tips for success with the STAR method

• Each of your STAR examples needs to give enough information to illustrate the skill, but still stay succinct and to the point.

  
  

• Don't over-rehearse your STAR examples. The aim here is to have the examples fresh in your mind and ready for you to call on if needed, but it shouldn't sound like you've learnt them as a script – the interview should still feel conversational.

Want to learn more about this topic? Check out our Using the STAR method to answer interview questions short course.