Frequently used in behavioural interviews, the STAR interview response technique is a structured method for candidates to provide clear and concise answers to interview questions. Situation, Task, Action, and Result make up STAR. The technique is intended to assist candidates in describing a specific problem or challenge they have encountered, the actions they took to address it, and the results they achieved.
The Situation section is used to provide context and background information regarding the problem or challenge at hand. The Task section describes the candidate’s specific responsibilities or objectives in this situation. The Action section describes the candidate’s specific actions taken to complete the task or overcome the challenge. The final section, Result, explains the outcomes or results generated by the actions taken.
A candidate may use the STAR technique to respond to the question, “Tell me about a time when you had to lead a team to complete a difficult project.”
Situation: “I was overseeing a team of developers in the creation of a new software application for our company”
Task: “Our objective was to deliver the software on time, within budget, and with a high level of quality”
Action: “I held regular team meetings to discuss progress, identified and resolved any issues that arose, and implemented a rigorous testing and quality assurance procedure.”
Result: “We delivered the software on time, within budget, and with high customer satisfaction.”
By answering interview questions in this way, the candidate can show their skills, abilities, and accomplishments in a clear and concise way. It also provides the interviewer with a clear picture of the candidate’s problem-solving and leadership skills.
