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The STAR method for interviews, with examples
Situation, Task, Action, Result. Four parts that turn a rambling story into evidence. Here is how to use it, what graduates get wrong, and a place to practise on your own example.
The four parts, worked through one example
The question: Tell me about a time you turned something around. The percentages are a rule of thumb for how much of your time each part should take.
Situation · About 10%In my second year I ran the fundraising team for a student charity ball.
Task · About 10%Three weeks out we had sold 40% of the tickets, and I had to reach 300 or we would lose the deposit.
Action · About 60%I looked at who had bought so far, saw that it was mostly one faculty, and asked three societies to sell tables to their members in exchange for a discount.
Result · About 20%We sold 312 tickets and raised £4,100. Next time I would start the society deals a month earlier.
Four mistakes that lose marks
- All situation, no action. If most of your answer is background, you have told a story and shown very little of yourself.
- "We" all the way through. The interviewer cannot hire the team. Say what you did, even when the work was shared.
- No result. Stopping at what you did leaves them guessing. Say how it ended, even if it ended badly, and what you took from it.
- A rehearsed script. Know your examples, not the exact words. If you sound as if you are reciting, follow-up questions will throw you.
Build a bank of five examples
You do not need a different story for every question. Five good examples can cover most of them: a team that struggled, a mistake, a hard deadline, someone you persuaded, and something you learned fast. Write each one down in four lines, then practise saying it.
Paste your rough version into the box and ask Pip to mark it. It will tell you which part is thin and ask for what is missing.
Questions about STAR
What does STAR stand for?
Situation, Task, Action, Result. It is a way of telling a work or study example so an interviewer can follow it and hear what you did.
How long should a STAR answer be?
Aim for about two minutes out loud, or roughly 300 words. Spend most of that on Action.
What if I have no work experience?
Use university projects, societies, volunteering, sport, a part-time job or something you organised. Interviewers want to see how you behave, and these examples show that.
Is STAR the same in Australia?
Yes. Australian employers often call these behavioural questions, and STAR works the same way. Public-sector selection criteria use it too.
Pip can get things wrong. Check anything that matters with the employer. Leave your name and phone number out of what you paste. How Pip works · Privacy