STAR

TECHNIQUE
Effective formula for structuring your
behavioral interview

@freeway_monk
WHY BEHAVIORAL
INTERVIEW?
 THE PURPOSE OF
BEHAVIORAL
INTERVIEWING IS
TO OBJECTIVELY
MEASURE A
POTENTIAL
EMPLOYEE’S PAST
BEHAVIORS AS A
PREDICTOR OF
FUTURE RESULTS.
How Does The STAR Method help ?
The STAR method helps you create an easy-to-follow
story with a clear conflict and resolution. Here is what
each part of the technique means.

Situation
Set the stage for the story by sharing context around the
situation or challenge you faced. Share any relevant
details.

For example, “In my last role as lead designer, my team

was short-staffed and facing a significant backlog of
work. The account managers were setting tough
deadlines, which was causing stress for my team and
affecting morale.”

Task
Describe your responsibility or role in the situation or
challenge.

For example, “As a team leader, it was my role not only

to ensure my team met our deadlines but also to
communicate bandwidth to other departments and
keep my team motivated.”
Action
Explain how you handled the situation or overcame the
challenge. If the action was carried out by a team, focus
on your efforts.

For example, “I set up a formal creative request process

including project timeline estimates to set better
expectations. I scheduled weekly meetings with account
managers to discuss my team’s bandwidth and share
progress updates.”

Result
What was the outcome you reached through your
actions? If possible, quantify your success or provide
concrete examples of the effects of your efforts.

For example, “By providing more transparency into my

team’s processes and setting better expectations with
the account managers, we were able to re-prioritise the
design team’s to-do list and complete everything in our
backlog. The following quarter, we shortened our
average project timeline by two days.”
Situation (20%), explain the situation so that your
interviewer understands the context of your example,
they do not need to know every detail!
Task (10%), talk about the task that you took
responsibility for completing or the goal of your
efforts.
Action (60%), describe the actions that you
personally took to complete the task or reach the end
goal. Highlight skills or character traits addressed in
the question.
Result (10%), explain the positive outcomes or results
generated by your actions or efforts. Here, it is
important to highlight quantifiable results. You may
also want to emphasize what you learned from the
experience or your key takeaways.
 3 example STAR interview questions and answers

1. Give me an example of a goal you’ve set and how you

achieved it.

The scope of this behavioral question is to determine how

you set goals and what steps you take to make sure you
meet your objectives.

Situation: When I first transitioned into a sales role at

company X, I was a bit shy of meeting my first-
quarter sales target.
Task: This motivated me to not only meet my sales
target during my second quarter but exceed it.
Action: I broke my goal down into smaller weekly
goals and changed my sales strategy. I leveraged
social selling to find new customers and develop
relationships with them. I also asked my sales
manager to coach me on my closing techniques and
objection handling.
Result: With this new strategy, I exceeded my sales
target by 10%.
2. Tell me about a time you failed. How did you handle
it?

Being honest about a time you failed shows you have

integrity. Just remember to focus on what you learned
from the experience

Situation: Shortly after I was promoted to senior

project manager, I was in charge of leading a project
for a major client. This project would typically take
about a month to complete, but the client was in a
rush and asked if I could have it ready in three weeks.
Task: Excited that it was my first project, I agreed.
Shortly after, I realized I'd need a bit more time to
finish it and deliver quality work.
Action: I reached out to the client right away and
apologized. I also asked for a three-day extension,
and they were generous enough to extend the
deadline.
Result: I managed to finish the project and deliver it
before the extended deadline. However, I learned to
manage my time better and never overpromise on
something I can’t deliver.
3. Tell me about a time when you worked well with a
team

Teamwork skills, particularly remote teamwork skills, are

one of the top competencies that employers are looking
for

Situation: In my previous job as an event coordinator,

I worked with a team of five to plan and execute
company events and conferences. Last year, we
collaborated on the company’s annual holiday party
for over 500 employees.
Task: There were so many moving pieces. Everyone
on our team had different responsibilities, but we all
had to work as one unit to bring the party to life.
Action: Even though I was the most junior person on
the team, I organized a project management system
that would allow us to check in with each other daily.
They’d never done this before, but everyone loved the
virtual task-tracking features.
Result: Thanks to the new system, our team meetings
were far more productive and we ended up ahead of
schedule. Ultimately, our team’s collaboration led to
what our CEO called the best holiday party he had
ever attended.
.
Sample Questions
1 Have you ever worked with a team before?

2 Name three improvements you made in your most recent position.

3 Tell me about a time when you were consulted for a problem.

4 How do you approach problems? What’s your process?

5 What’s the best idea you’ve come up with on a team-based project?

6 Describe a time when you faced a block at work and how you solved it.

7 Tell me about a time when you used creativity to overcome a dilemma.

8 Tell me a time when you had to work unexpectedly on your own.

9 Tell about a conflict at your job.

10 Tell me about a time when you disagreed with a supervisor.

11 Have you ever been lied about? How did you handle that situation?

12 How do you handle unexpected changes or challenges?

13 What is the most difficult/ challenging situation you’ve ever had to resolved in the workplace?

14 Tell me about a time when you worked well under pressure.

15 Have you ever had to counsel a difficult team member? Tell me about that time.

16 How do you juggle multiple projects?

17 Give me an example of when you delegated work across an entire team.

18 Describe how you used your problem-solving skills to benefit a team or company.

19 Tell me of a time when you postponed making a decision.

20 Describe a time when you were able to motivate unmotivated team members.

21 Give me an example of when you set a goal and how you achieved it.

22 Have you ever had to set goals for a team?

23 Give me an example of when you had to assume leadership for a team.

24 Tell me about a decision that you’ve regretted and how you overcame it.

25 Tell me about a time when you tried something risky and failed.

26 Are you someone who learns from failures?

27 What is your biggest regret at work?

28 Tell me of a time when you didn’t meet your goals.

29 Explain a time when you took the initiative on a project.

30 Tell me about a big mistake you’ve made on the job and how you handled it.

31 Have you ever made a mistake?

32 Tell me about a time when you failed.

33 Tell me about a time when you failed in a team project, and how you overcame it.

34 Describe a time when you disagreed with a team member. How did you resolve the problem?

35 What do you do if you disagree if another team member?

36 Have you worked on different types of teams? What was your favorite?

37 What role do you assume when you work within a team?

38 Give me an example of when you worked well with a team.

39 Are you better at working with a team or working on your own?

40 Give me an example of when you used logic to solve a problem

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