
2/35

Agenda BEFORE the interview WHAT is STAR?

WHEN do I use it?

WHY should I use it?

HOW do I use it?

Activity

Wrap-up

Questions



3/35

BEFORE the interview

Know your brand!

What are you selling? 3 specific descriptors of you as a professional

Establish your brand through your positioning statement, cover letter,

resume, and THE INTERVIEW



4/35

BEFORE the interview

What is an open job? An unmet need. Look at it from the companys point of view. What can you do for them?

Research the job

What are the qualifications? What are the day to day functions? Where does it fit within the organization? Try to tailor your answers to the position.

Research the company

Whats going on with the company? Financially? Strategically? Whats important to them?

PRACTICE!!!



5/35

WHAT is the STAR Method?The STAR Method is a structured approach to answering

behavioral interview questions in which the candidate

describes a previous experience that demonstrates a

specific competency.SITUATION

TASK

ACTIONRESULT



6/35

WHEN do I use it?What is a behavioral interview?

Behavioral interviewing asserts that "the most accurate predictor of future

performance is past performance in a similar situation.

The interviewer will be asking himself/herself: Has this person done this type of work before?

Can this person hit the ground running?

Could I put this person in front of a client?

Will they congratulate me on this hiring decision 3 years from now?

The interviewer wants to know specifics, not generalities

Tell me about a time when



7/35

WHY should I use it?

Demonstrate competency in specific areas

Leadership, Teamwork, etc.

Past actions should predict future behavior

Demonstrate your ability to clearly articulate the competency and

contributions you have made to an organization

Keep response brief and concise while addressing the key points

that illustrate the competency.

WHY do I use it?


8/35

HOW do I use it?Telling Your Story

S / T = Situation / Task (20%) Situation provides the context and gets the interviewer engaged

Task describes the high level strategy to address the problem

A = Action (60%) Your specific action linked to the strategy. Opportunity here to

describe your actions vs. the task requested

R = Result (20%)

Specific outcomes/solution resulting from actions Be as specific as possible

Unique, Compelling and Credible



9/35

Provide necessary background information and context to lay the

foundation for your answer

Ask yourself:

What was the situation you found yourself in? What was the problem the organization / project faced?

Ex: A brand was losing market share rapidly

What was the question the organization was trying to answer?

Ex: How do we enter into marketplace strategically?

Introduce the complication or problem that needed to be addressed

and/or you had to resolve


Step 1: Situation


10/35


11/35

Outline the specific tactics taken that link to the high level strategyoutlined in the Task

Ask yourself: What actions did you take to accomplish your task?

How did you create the solution and what did you do?

What process did you take? How did you approach solving the problem? How did you collect and filter data?

Ex: Created spreadsheets to filter current financials based on XYZ variablesAudited files Conducted interviews, focus groups, etc

How did you approach analysis? Ex: Created decision-making model

How did you ensure buy-in / success? Ex: Maintained frequent contact with Sr. Management to ensure agreement and

buy-in


Step 3: Action


12/35

Be as specific as possible, providing precise metrics and outcomes

delivered (quantifiable if possible) that resolved the complication

set forth in the Situation

Ask yourself: What was the result of your action? What happened?

What was the outcome of your work?

What were the metrics?

Did it address the problem / objective the organization was trying toaddress?

What did you learn?


Step 4: Result


13/35



14/35

Story bucketsBe prepared for specific competencies and have stories

for each:

TeamworkLearning

from

failure

Conflict

resolutionInitiative



15/35

Story bucketsEach story can also demonstrate more than one

competency.

Story #1 Story #2 Story #3 Story #4



16/35

ap

i t !

Competency

or SkillStory S T A R

Leadership

through

difficult time

Story #1.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Story #2.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Dealing with

ambiguity

Story #1.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Story #3 .

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

StoryCompetency

or SkillS T A R

Story #1

Analytical

Ability

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Teamwork.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Story #2

Learning from

Failure

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Executive

Communication

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Method #1:

Competencies-to-Stories

Method #2:

Stories-to-Competencies


Map it!


17/35

Do NOT actually use the words of S.T.A.R.

E.g., "The situation wasThe task was My actions were The result was

Remember you are telling a story, not just reading bullet points

Show personality and comfort with the material. Be believable.

After the results, smoothly summarize or close the answer

Tie the main points of your answer back to the original purpose of the

question (this should be no more than 1-2 sentences)


Structured but Authentic


18/35

Avoid COMMON MISTAKES Too long

Too generic (ex: too much MBA jargon)

Not specific enough Not memorable

Not real enough too perfect

Did not follow a logical format (Ex: STAR)



19/35

REMEMBER:LISTEN TO THE QUESTION!

The story/example you provide is an llustr t on

of the answer to the question.

Make sure you are answering the question!



20/35

ALLOW US TO

DEMONSTRATE



21/35

YOUR TURN!



22/35


2

MINUTEMAXIMUM!


23/35

Question 1:

Describe a situation where you needed to develop

a strong relationship with someone. How did youaccomplish this?

S.T.A.R. Practice



24/35

Question 2:

Tell me about the last problem you faced that you

solved in a creative or highly imaginative way.

S.T.A.R. Practice



25/35

Question 3:

Give me an example of a time when you had to

persuade someone to accept an idea.

S.T.A.R. Practice



26/35

Use examples from varied experiences

Professional School Community Personal

Take ownership Use I not We

Succinct is ALWAYS better than long-winded

No generalizations or vague statements

Watch out for filler! umuhyou knowoklike

Close the sale Give clear and concrete examples for why YOU are

the best person for THIS job.

PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!

Preparation differentiates!



27/35

Wait a beat (take a breath!) before you respond.

Mirror the interviewers demeanor and body language.

Listen for key words in the question, and use the same words in your

response.

Describe a situation where you needed to develop a strong relationship with someone. How

did you accomplish this?

Tell me about the last problem you faced that you solved in a creative or highly imaginative

way.

Give me an example of a time when you had to persuade someone to accept an idea.

Its a good idea to begin (introduction) or end (bring it home) with a

summarizing statement.

S.T.A.R.Summary

Tips & tricks



28/35

Top 5 Interview MistakesFailed to show

nthusi sm

Failed to demonstrate a fit for the position Unable to communicate the relevance of education or experience to the job

Unable to understand what the company is looking for with regard to theposition

Failed to present an effective resume Did not have a strong storyline

Failed to articulate value of work experience or skills

Rambled

Did not seem well versed about the company, industry, job,interviewer

Unable to demonstrate a fit for the culture



29/35

WHAT NEXT?Did we mention?

PRACTICE



30/35

STAR Practice SessionsMondaysWednesday every week

Monday/Wednesday sessions: 5:30pm to 6:30pm

10 spaces in each session with one facilitator

Tuesday sessions: 6:30pm to 8:00pm 15 spaces available in each session

Broken into groups of 5 when possible

Staff or alumni facilitators

Recommend at least 3 sessionsNo more than 1 session per week

RSVP REQUIRED



31/35

STAR Practice Sessions



32/35




33/35


34/35




35/35

Questions?


? ?

Documents

2011 Intro to STAR Method.pdf