Interview Prep: The STAR Method
It’s interview season! Even if you haven’t been selected for an interview yet, it’s not too soon to start preparing. Are you wondering how you can take your interview to the next level? Try using the STAR method — it stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. The STAR method is a framework for answering interview questions that will help you tell the full story of your experiences. It also helps ensure that your answers are clear, focused, and easy to follow.
Situation: set the scene and provide any relevant details for your example
Task: describe the task or challenge you faced; include what your responsibility was in the situation
Action: explain what steps you took to address the situation
Result: share the outcome your actions achieved
Here’s an example of how a prospective student might use the STAR method to answer the question, “Can you tell us about a situation when you faced a personal setback or failure?”
Situation: During college, I encountered a challenging personal setback that tested my resilience and commitment to becoming a PA.
Task: I was juggling a heavy course load, and I was also working part-time as a barista to support myself. Unfortunately, I underestimated how much time I’d need to study in order to do well in my classes, and before I knew it my grades were slipping.
Action: I reached out to my classmates for help and started going to office hours. I also reevaluated my time management skills and made some adjustments to prioritize my academic responsibilities.
Result: Since I was on the quarter system, by the time I was able to course correct it was too late to earn the grades I was initially aiming for in those classes. However, I learned the importance of effective time management and seeking support when I need it. My grades that quarter aren’t indicative of my abilities, but they showed me an area where I needed to improve. As a result, I was able to adjust to the fast-paced nature of the quarter system, and I rebounded with much better grades in my subsequent classes.
The STAR method isn’t applicable for every interview question, but you can often turn to it to help organize your thoughts and remember everything you want to include in your answer. Responding to interview questions with specific examples and drawing on real-life experiences is more meaningful and memorable than making generalized statements. Practice using the STAR method and notice how structuring your answers this way is usually much more compelling.