Great news, you found the perfect job! You’ve submitted your resume online and received the call back. Now comes the tough part – the interview. Of course interviewing is not a new concept for you, but a quick refresher is always helpful. However, many of the interview tips you keep finding offer simple information such as, “Dress to impress,” or, “Make sure you research the company,” but this is basic information you already know.
As you research answering job interview questions, you realize the methodology behind answering the interview questions is just as important as the answers themselves. This is where the S.T.A.R. methodology for answering behavioral-based interview questions is helpful to know. Behavioral-based questions are very common in the interview process and often begin with phrases such as, “Tell me about a time when you….” or, “Describe a situation where you…”. The S.T.A.R. technique addresses these questions by telling the interviewer the Situation, Task, Action, and Result.
Situation – Succinctly describe the situation to provide context. Remember that while you have all of the details of a particular scenario because you were there, the interviewer was not.
Task – Briefly detail what you needed to do and why was it important. Be sure to only include tasks that were vital to the outcome.
Action – Describe the action you personally took to fix the problem or address the situation. Teamwork is great, but the interviewer wants to know what YOU did.
Result – Finally, summarize what happened in the end. Did you save time or money? Did you increase efficiency? Quantifying a result is always helpful!
Following this methodology allows you to remain focused and concise while offering the flexibility you need to answer the question in its entirety. So start today and become a job interviewing S.T.A.R.
To view our current job openings, please visit the Career Portal.
For more interviewing tips, follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Google+.