About Behavioral Interviewing and the STAR Method

Behavioral Interviewing is a style of interviewing that is becoming more and more popular with organizations in their hiring process. The idea is that the most accurate predictor of future performance is understanding past performance in a similar situation. It focuses on experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities that are job related.

The STAR method provides an effective approach to answering questions by describing one of your past successes in response to the question.

For example:  Instead of telling someone that you go above and beyond at your job, use the STAR methodology to tell them a relevant story that leads them to that conclusion.

What is STAR

STAR = Situation or Task – Action – Results

Situation or Task
Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. from a previous job, volunteer experience or any relevant event. Make sure you describe a specific event or situation, not a general description of what you have done in the past. Give enough detail for the interviewer to understand.

Example:  I was a receptionist and received a call from a large customer that they had to receive their order by tomorrow.  I understood that the last UPS pickup would be arriving soon, and if the customer’s order wasn’t ready before final pickup, they wouldn’t receive it in time.

Action you took
Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you are discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did — not the efforts of the team. Don’t tell what you might do, tell what you did.

Example:  So I notified the shipping manager, transferred the main phone to my cell phone, and ran back to shipping to help gather and prepare the order.

Results you achieved
What happened? What was the outcome? What did you learn? Discuss how the task was successful as a result of your action.

Example:  We were able to get the order ready just before UPS arrived.  The customer received their order the next day.

The STAR Methodology for answering interview questions is also very useful in video resumes where telling your story is key!