Take the STAR Technique Up a Notch for Interview Success
You may be familiar with the STAR technique for answering questions in situational behavioral interviews. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This technique lets you showcase your skills and experiences by providing concrete examples.
But by ending your answer with the result in a previous position or experience, you may miss a valuable opportunity to impress your interviewer. That’s why we’ve taken the STAR technique up a notch to make it even more impactful by adding an “S” at the end. What does that last S stand for in STARS?
Sell it back.
Selling it back means you actively connect the dots and explain to the interviewer how the experience you’ve just described can add value to the position and the company you are interviewing with. To do this effectively, you must have already done in-depth research on the company and the specific role you are interviewing for.
Consider an example of a recent graduate interviewing for a marketing coordinator position. During their undergraduate years, they were actively involved in a marketing organization on campus. When asked about a time they demonstrated leadership skills, the candidate used the STARS technique to structure their response.
Situation: "In my junior year, I served as the vice president of the student chapter of the American Marketing Association. We were given the project of organizing a new marketing conference for students and professionals."
Task: "My primary responsibility was to secure keynote speakers and coordinate the event's logistics."
Action: "I contacted industry professionals and alumni, pitching the benefits of speaking at our conference. I also collaborated with the university administration to secure the venue and manage the event's $5,000 budget. And I worked closely with a group of 10 other student AMA members by assigning specific tasks for the conference and training them to ensure everything went smoothly."
Result: "Through my outreach efforts, we secured three high-profile speakers and attracted over 200 attendees. The conference went smoothly and received positive feedback from both students and professionals, and it has since become an annual event."
Sell it back: “As a Marketing Coordinator for ABC Company, I would utilize my project management skills to develop comprehensive marketing plans, work collaboratively with other team members, and monitor progress throughout the campaign or event lifecycle. I would facilitate effective communication among all stakeholders, troubleshoot any issues that arise, and adapt strategies as needed to keep the project on track.”
Using the STARS technique, you not only demonstrate your leadership abilities, communication skills, and problem-solving prowess in a real-world context but also help the interviewer understand how your experiences align with the position requirements.
In other words, you help them “see” you in the job.
3 Ways to Practice Your STARS Answers
Practicing your STARS answers before an interview will help you become more comfortable and adept at concisely sharing your accomplishments. Here are 4 ways to practice:
1. Career Services. Make an appointment with a career counselor at your university Career Services Center. Ask to have a practice interview to get feedback on your answers. Even if you’ve already graduated, most career services centers will still help alumni. So don’t hesitate to reach out!
2. Use AI. There are many AI applications for practicing STAR techniques for your interviews, including starmethod.coach. Make sure you add the final S for STARS (“Sell it Back”) when you create your answers to situational interview questions!
3. Ask a friend or family member in a similar field for help. Role-play with them as the interviewer. You can ask ChatGPT for common behavioral situational interview questions for your target occupational role. As for their feedback about how effective your answers are.