Using the STAR Method

Are you preparing for a job interview and feeling anxious about how to answer those tricky behavioral interview questions? Well, worry no more! In this blog post, we will walk you through the STAR method – Situation, Task, Action, and Result – to help you ace those difficult behavioral interview questions with confidence and ease.

Why Behavioral Interview Questions?

Behavioral interview questions are designed to assess your past experiences and how you handled specific situations in the workplace. Hiring managers use these questions to evaluate your ability to handle challenging scenarios and determine if you are the right fit for the job. Providing specific examples that demonstrate your skills and competencies in real-life situations is crucial.

Understanding the STAR Method

The STAR method is a proven technique for answering behavioral interview questions effectively. Here’s a breakdown of how to use the STAR method:

• Situation: Describe the specific situation or task you were faced with.
• Task: Explain the task that needed to be accomplished.
• Action: Detail the actions you took to address the situation.
• Result: Share the outcomes and results of your actions.

By following the STAR method, you can provide structured and comprehensive responses that showcase your abilities and experiences clearly and effectively.

Top-Scoring Answers to Behavioral Interview Questions

Let’s dive into some top-scoring answers to common behavioral interview questions using the STAR method:

1. Tell me about a time you made a mistake:
   • Situation: Taking a customer’s order over the telephone.
   • Task: Providing excellent customer service and paying attention to the customer’s needs.
   • Action: Failing to listen fully to the customer’s order and dispatching incomplete goods.
   • Result: Apologizing to the customer, sending out the correct items with a discount, and implementing a new process to avoid similar mistakes.
2. Tell me about a time you disagreed with your boss:
   • Situation: Discussing the redesign of the company’s website in a team meeting.
   • Task: Presenting an alternative solution to the boss’s choice of an expensive local contractor.
   • Action: Suggesting a cost-effective online contractor and providing evidence to support the decision.
   • Result: Manager hiring the online contractor at a lower cost and achieving a great website redesign.
3. Tell me about a time you delivered excellent customer service:
   • Situation: Assisting an elderly customer with concerns about security while placing an order.
   • Task: Being patient, reassuring the customer, and guiding them through the payment process.
   • Action: Listening to the customer’s concerns, asking questions, and ensuring their understanding.
   • Result: Customer successfully placing the order and expressing gratitude for the assistance.
4. Tell me about a time you had to work under pressure:
   • Situation: Volunteering to cover a co-worker’s duties during a busy work period.
   • Task: Reassessing workload and prioritizing tasks to meet deadlines.
   • Action: Creating a task list, prioritizing tasks, and working methodically and efficiently.
   • Result: Completing all tasks to the required standard and on time, showcasing effective time management and productivity under pressure.

Conclusion

Mastering behavioral interview questions using the STAR method is the key to impressing hiring managers and demonstrating your capabilities with real-life examples. By following the STAR method and providing structured responses, you can effectively showcase your skills, experiences, and problem-solving abilities. So, prepare yourself with confidence and ace those behavioral interview questions in your next job interview!

Related articles from your friends at Your Career Place.

https://yourcareerplace.com/career-management-tip/four-methods-blind-hiring-can-boost-office-variety/

https://yourcareerplace.com/prepare-for-job-interview/5-task-interview-questions-that-reveal-what-a-prospect-has-truly-completed/

Interview Questions That Will Get You Hired in 2024

In an unfamiliar conference room, you sit opposite from the one who could determine the outcome of your job search. You’re attempting to recall the ideal story you had prepared while questioning whether the air conditioning is always set to “arctic blast.” On the other hand, you may be in the comfort of your own home, staring at your interviewer on a computer screen—all the while crossing your fingers that the camera doesn’t move and expose the stack of empty La Croix cans you neglected to move before the Zoom call began. 

The interview is almost over when the recruiting manager asks the classic closing question: “Do you have any questions for me?”

Regardless of how much sway you believe employers have, a job interview is more than the hiring manager to ask you questions; it’s also a chance for you to discover if the role is a good fit for you. That is why it is critical that you inquire further. Which aspects of the position are of interest to you? The business? Which division? The squad? The interviewer, who has the potential to become your boss, colleague, or perhaps a coffee companion in the middle of the afternoon?

We have compiled a list of the most effective interview questions to help spark your imagination. Some of this will come up as you talk, and you’ll have questions tailored to your individual profession or workplace, so there’s no need to ask them all at once. 

You shouldn’t take this list as gospel, but rather as a starting point.

Best practices for posing interview questions to potential employers

Here are some things to remember before we get to the list:

• Refrain from claiming to have no inquiries. No matter how comfortable or anxious you are, how confident you feel about your abilities or how horribly you think you messed up the conversation, the worst thing you can say is, “No, I’m good.”
• Keep an open mind. Writing down some questions to ask before an interview is perfectly acceptable and even encouraged. However, if you find that any of your questions have already been addressed or if your conversation leads to more questions you would like answered, feel free to stray from the list. Also, it would be awkward to come across as someone who is just reading the questions from a list online instead of engaging in a natural conversation.
• Make sure to ask some targeted inquiries. Asking questions tailored to the job and organization will demonstrate your interest and attentiveness during the interview, while also serving as a gentle reminder of the skills and expertise you may provide.
• Please refrain from asking questions only at the end. Interviews are most effective when they take the form of a conversation; so, you should not hesitate to ask questions as they arise naturally.
• Inquire about things you are genuinely interested in learning about. When interviewing, don’t just ask questions you think will make a good impression. 

Asking questions about things you’re truly interested in can help you decide if you want the job, with a few caveats that we’ll go over. A project that piqued your interest in the job posting may have gone unmentioned throughout the interview process. Maybe you’re interested in learning more about the work duties and want to know what an average day is like.

The most effective way to inquire about a job

Be sure you understand the current and future nature of the work by carefully reviewing the job description. By reading this, you will be better able to choose a choice. 

Can you describe a typical day or week on the job? (Or the other option here.)

• Which projects require attention the most right now?
• What kind of projects will I be working on? Could you provide me some examples?
• When you think of an ideal candidate, what qualities and experiences do you like to see?
• For someone to truly excel in this role, what qualities are necessary?
• What are the specific skill sets that the team is lacking and that you are hoping to acquire with a new employee?
• What are the most significant difficulties that an individual holding this role would encounter?
• Could you tell me what kind of budget I would have to work with?
• Will I be assuming the responsibilities of an employee who is departing, or is this a brand-new position?
• In what ways does this role benefit the organization as a whole?
• Will the primary duties of this role likely evolve throughout the next six months to a year?

Important inquiries concerning education and career advancement

Instead of viewing each new chance as a mere job, try to see it as a stepping stone on the road to professional greatness. Is this role going to propel you forward?

• Could you describe your onboarding procedure?
• Are your staff offered any chances for learning and professional development?
• Will there be chances for challenging assignments that allow me to gain and apply new skills?
• Is there a chance to progress in the company?
• Is it possible for me to represent the company at conferences for my field?
• What are the next steps for employees who have been successful in this role?

A list of questions regarding the evaluation criteria

You can learn a lot about a manager’s management style and the priorities of their team or firm by asking them how they plan to evaluate your performance.

• In your opinion, what are the key objectives that an employee should have during their first 30, 60, and 90 days on the job?
• During the initial twelve months of this role, what are the anticipated performance standards?
• How does this place’s performance review procedure work? What is the frequency of my formal evaluation?
• How is my performance assess?

Smart interview questions to ask regarding the interviewer

Showing genuine interest in the interviewer as an individual through the use of these questions is an excellent method to establish rapport with someone you may work with in the future.

• What is the duration of your tenure with the organization?
• Is your role different now that you’re here?
• What were your previous activities?
• Which company brought you here?
• Which aspect of working here do you like the most?
• On a daily or infrequent basis, what is one problem that you encounter in your job?
• Looking ahead to the next few months, whatever aspect of your employment are you most looking forward to?
• Is there anything specific about any forthcoming projects or initiatives that piques your interest?

Top inquiries regarding the firm

Why not find out more about potential places of employment? Your job entails more than simply checking items off a list. Working for a company whose goals align with yours and whose values you embrace is more likely to make you happy.

• Could you provide me with more information about [another noteworthy development at the company]? I’ve read about the company’s founding.
• In the coming years, where do you envision this company going?
• Could you please fill me up on your new product lineup or expansion strategies?
• What are the present objectives of the organization, and how does this group contribute to achieving those objectives?
• What aspect of the company’s future excites you the most?
• Which values hold the most significance for the organization? (Reminder: Don’t make this easily searchable!)
• How does the organization make sure it is staying true to its principles?

Insightful inquiries regarding the group

The individuals you interact with on a daily basis at work have the power to greatly impact your experience at work. Find out if it’s the correct team for you by asking them some questions.

• Do you have any information regarding the team I’ll be collaborating with?
• Who will be my closest collaborator?
• Who exactly am I supposed to report to?
• Would you be able to discuss my direct reports with me?
• What are the most significant advantages and disadvantages of the team?
• Are you planning to increase the number of employees in this division within the next half-year?
• In what ways does this department collaborate with the others?

Fresh perspectives on cultural norms

For example, if you like to work in a team rather than an isolated cubicle, or if you have a young family and can’t spend every waking moment at the office drinking, you might want to reconsider applying to that company. So, when it comes to the company’s culture, be sure to inquire about your priorities.

• Is the work usually more of a team or an individual effort? How would you characterize the work environment here?
• How is the team able to establish and keep solid relationships?
• Could you please describe the most recent corporate event that the two of you attended?
• Which office custom is your favorite?
• How often does the crew have lunch?
• Is there someone on this team or at the organization who goes out of their way to hang out?
• Are there any instances where you collaborate with other companies or departments?
• In comparison to your previous jobs, how does working here differ?
• Does the company look different now that you’re a part of it?
• In what ways has the company managed to overcome obstacles associated with remote work?
• The question is: how does the business guarantee that its remote and hybrid workers receive the same treatment and respect as their in-office counterparts?

Top inquiries regarding the upcoming stage

Prior to departing, ensure that the interviewer is well-informed and that you understand the next steps. (But please don’t make this your initial inquiry when they pass it to you!)

• Could you please tell me what happens next during the interview?
• Would anything else that I could give you be of use to you?
• Would you like me to respond to any last-minute inquiries?

Do not ask these questions during your employment interview

Get all the information you need before accepting a job, but don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions after you’ve begun working, received an offer, or never even applied.

• Exactly what is the function of [Company]? (Or anything else that reveals a lack of research.)
• When will my paid time off begin to be effective?
• During football season, is it possible for me to take off every Monday?
• What is the exact amount of the daycare allowance each month?
• What level of “sensitivity” does the staff here exhibit? Are they amenable to humor?
• “When am I to begin?” (Or anything that gives the impression of being arrogant or jaded.)

You can’t just employ clever individuals as well as hope for the most effective. These inquiries can help you absolutely no in on motivated, entrepreneurial-minded team gamers.

From 2000 to 2008, I dealt with the human resources group that built Netflix’s much-lauded society, and given that after that I’ve put together powerful groups from square one at a variety of various other companies. Nowadays, I’m in cost of individuals and culture at a Canadian technology company that’s been called among the country’s top little as well as mid-size companies for 3 years running. In my experience, there’s a whole lot that enters into building a strong work society, however, everything begins at the hiring phase.

So with that in mind, right here are a couple of interview inquiries I ask work candidates in order to work with group members who’ll aid construct a supportive, healthy, high-performing culture.

Questions About Motivation (Minus Pay).

Like a lot of firms, we’re interested in prospects who are enthusiastic regarding our objective as well as deal with the interview process as a two-way road– they’re interviewing us as long as we’re interviewing them. While of the training course we offer competitive compensation, I attempt to develop meetings to penetrate for prospects’ much deeper inspirations. (And if pay is a primary discussion subject throughout the first meeting rounds, it’s a bright red flag for us.) Right here are a few:

Questions About Entrepreneurial Thinking.

The most effective job societies urge– as well as even call for– business way of thinkings of every staff member, not just those in elderly placements. We’re not below to inform employees exactly how to spend their time; micromanagement is a culture killer. Instead, we expect to see effort at every level, consisting of the beginning, and also do our best to establish these assumptions during the interview process. The goal is to reveal candidates our culture of opportunity and also creative expedition.

Still, individuals tend to take campaign in various ways; some staff members are overt regarding sharing their concepts in large teams, while others favor to detail their ideas and collaborate in smaller settings or on Slack. Either style works terrific as long as they cause fresh perspectives. These are a pair of interview concerns we ask to see if a candidate is most likely to take campaign, regardless of just how they could choose to do so:.

You have a fantastic concept for exactly how to enhance our product, yet you’re fretted about tipping on somebody else’s toes. What do you do?

It’s your first day on the work and you have a couple of hrs to eliminate prior to alignment. What would you perform with that time?

Theoretical solutions are fine– that’s the entire point. The candidates who show entrepreneurial reasoning and also confidence when addressing these questions usually make it to the following round and, when employed, end up being casual leaders on their groups.

Concerns About Teamwork.

Hiring star factors who can not work together just isn’t worth it. As advertising and marketing master Tara Nicholle-Nelson has actually composed, “A-players do not always make great team gamers.”

Through the meeting process, our goal is to comprehend exactly how prospects manage problem: Do they blame others if something goes incorrect as opposed to search for means to enhance the situation? Or are they so solutions-oriented that they come across as calm or uninformed just how their coworkers might perceive their assertions? Right here are a couple of interview inquiries to assist weed out candidates that, while great, may not be the ideal collaborators:

Tell me concerning an argument you’ve had with a coworker from an additional functional location. What was the nature of the argument, and also how did both of you interact to resolve it?

We’ve all gotten responses concerning where we can boost. What sorts of responses have you heard regularly throughout your job?

Inform me regarding one of your most trusted advisors. What have you gained from them that’s notified the method you collaborate with others?

The solutions to these questions will lose light on just how the candidate may match your organization, especially throughout moments of high stress. Something I’ve learned in my years of assembling teams that contribute to wonderful job societies is not to compromise on your organization’s core values. Working with one of the most brilliant stars that’ll consider down your culture just isn’t worth it.

Like a lot of companies, we’re interested in candidates that are passionate concerning our function and also treat the meeting procedure as a two-way road– they’re interviewing us as a lot as we’re interviewing them. While of training course we provide affordable compensation, I attempt to design meetings to penetrate for prospects’ much deeper motivations. These are a pair of meeting questions we ask to see if a candidate is most likely to take initiative, no issue just how they might choose to do so:

Via the interview procedure, our goal is to comprehend how candidates deal with dispute: Do they condemn others if something goes wrong rather than look for methods to boost the situation? Right here are a couple of interview inquiries to aid weed out candidates who, while great, may not be the ideal partners.

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In today’s competitive landscape, hiring executives must sharpen their recruiting skills to find that rare gem — a candidate who’s smart, creative, and a good fit in the workplace. That means there’s a lot of pressure during interviews — both on the candidate and on the hiring manager. Questions that hit the mark or uncover a blind spot can be valuable tools.

Finding the right balance is tricky. A study conducted by Glassdoor Economic Research in 2015 showed that more challenging job interviews are linked to higher employee satisfaction across the six countries that were studied in Europe and North America. But the study also found that a hiring process that is too difficult can backfire by discouraging candidates. The optimal interview difficulty level is an interview experience that is difficult but not overwhelming.

With that in mind, we asked experienced executives around the world to give us an example of a go-to question that they pose to finance candidates either because it is essential or because it can reveal a good match.

I work in the cruise line industry. When I interview candidates for a finance-related position who have never been on a ship before, I like asking one simple question to gauge their analytical skills, something that they are not likely to know beforehand. Something like: “How much does a ship cost?” Or, alternatively: “How many people do you think we carry on the megaships?” I’m able to see many things here. There are those candidates that shoot from the hip and quickly answer “about 2 million”. Then there are those that justify not knowing because they have never been on a ship before. Others will take forever figuring out thousands of variables and get lost in the question, and then there are those that say something along the lines of: “If the ship has 12 decks and you have 150 rooms per deck with an average occupancy of 2.5 people per room, you carry about 4,500 guests.” Hired! It is very difficult to figure out if a person has analytical skills. I have found that asking simple questions such as the ones above has helped me to quickly see how people think and also how they react under pressure.

Kate Grangard, CPA, CGMA, the CFO and COO, Gehring Group & BenTek (US)

Favourite Interview Question / Answer:

My favourite interview question is: “What would I find on your nightstand or coffee table?” It might seem unusual, but the response provides great insight into the discipline, interest, and mindset of the respondent, and it almost always leads to a great discussion. My goal through this question is to gain insight into the type of person I am interviewing, how they use their free time, and what they choose to represent them. Answers have varied from industry periodicals (which are especially important for finance and IT candidates), newspapers (of course, I ask which one), Kindles, magazines, puzzles, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, candy, alarm clocks, and, of course, my favourite answer — leadership books.

Christopher Garner Smith, FCMA, CGMA, executive director, EMEA/APAC SSC, The Walt Disney Company (UK)

My goal in an interview is to assess where the candidates fit. Where will they help me? What specific skill will they add to the team? Is this a career to them? And where do I see them growing with us? Most candidates we bring in to interview already have the technical skills; I want to assess if they will be a good fit for the needs of our growing organisation, a collaborative member of the team, a partner for management in contributing ideas, and a fit for the position in question. I also like to ask candidates to give me an example of a work-related problem they had and how they worked towards resolving it. Are they collaborative? Did they pick up the phone? Did they avoid conflict? Did they take the blame, give the blame, or share the blame in the scenario? Did they offer a solution, mediate a solution, support a solution, or have others solve the problem?

I have just returned to the UK after working for Disney in China. For my team in the Accounting Shared Service Centre in Shanghai — where there are around 100 talented accountants working at the regional centre responsible for US GAAP reporting for media, studios, consumer products, and retail — we developed the “10 C’s”, highlighting values such as communication, collaboration, career, culture, continuous improvement, and commitment. Throughout the recruiting process, these C-values are always on the checklist for fit, as we consider these qualities essential to success in the fast-growing environment of the centre. It is a rapidly expanding place, and the top talent are highly engaged, which leads to a dynamic and high-performing team.

The “team charter” including the 10 C’s is posted outside my office, and so whenever internal candidates in Disney’s Asia-Pacific region were interviewing for promotion, I would ask them to give examples of how they matched the specific culture: in other words, to tell me how they were “C-engaged”. This question was very revealing on several fronts. It told me whether the candidate was alert, familiar with the centre, and had done the research legwork before the interview. It also told me about their engagement and whether they were a good fit with the fast-paced culture of the centre.

Ludovic Bessière, business director, France & Belgium, for Accountancy & Finance Division, Hays (France)

Today we seek to identify the candidate’s entrepreneurial and “financial future telling” capacities. So we choose descriptive questions, like role-playing, and ask them to tell us how the candidate is going to “change our world” or how we are going to take up a slice of the market together. Or we could ask the candidate to explain the business model of their business or latest employer, and ask the candidate to place themselves in the role of the business owner or boss, to explain to us what he would have done differently. This kind of role-play plunges the conversation directly into an operational aspect.

For a long time in France we referred to finance as “business partners”, but today we just refer to business, full stop. Finance within a corporate structure is no longer an advisory or support function; it has much more exposure today to the operation and management of the whole. So among all other questions that may be asked during an interview, we always circle back around to the business, either the business model or the strategy to capture a share of the market.

One day I interviewed a candidate who was a management controller for a high-profile luxury leather goods brand, and to my question, he answered that he had put in place an IT process to connect the arrival of large air contingents arriving from Asia and stock in key retail outlets and manufacturing centres. Their revenue had increased 25% in those key outlets as they were able to automatically adjust stock levels to the demand from large groups of tourists. This is an example of why I like this question and why my clients also love this question — because it reveals if the candidate can think out of the box.

Andrew Pullman, managing director, People Risk Solutions (UK)

I am looking at the recruiting process from a human resources perspective, as I run an HR consultancy specialised in helping firms in the financial and professional services sectors. A question that I like to ask is a classic, but it’s always a revealing open question: “OK, so you’ve come to interview for this job, where do you see yourself in about five years’ time?” What I’m also asking is, “What are your aspirations?” What this tends to draw out from people, more than their specific career plan, is an understanding of what their expectations are in terms of the type of work that they’ll be asked to do. Do they want to become a manager, run a bigger team, work overseas? It really starts to give you an idea of what direction the person is going in. If they have a very limited answer to that, or haven’t really thought about it, you also get to find out that the individual hasn’t really got a plan. They may be jumping from job to job. It tells you something else about the candidate, where their head is, how ambitious are they, so it’s quite revealing.

I’ve had people that we were considering for management roles, and then they answered that they didn’t enjoy leading people, that they would rather enjoy becoming a specialist. I also had people who had unrealistic expectations, saying they’d like to be a director of the firm in a five-year time frame. That wasn’t going to happen at the level they were coming in. At the senior level, the question also gives you an idea of whether they want to take on a bigger role and become head of a division, or CFO, whatever the case may be. It’s a really useful question at every level and can save time and aggravation for all involved.

David Wu, CPA (Canada), founder and CEO at GMPTALENT International, a member of IMD International Search Group (China)

As an executive recruiter, I often ask this question during my interviews with finance executive candidates: “What do you know about our client’s business, their competitive advantage, and the industry they are in as a whole?”

Asking candidates to describe our client’s company and show industry knowledge will give me an indication of how much homework they have done prior to coming in for the interview. It is often a reflection of their degree of motivation and of how serious the candidates are about this particular job opportunity. Candidates who blank or mumble their response to this question may be either unfamiliar with our client’s business and the industry as a whole, or they may have applied for the role on a whim. Also, we carefully track the candidate’s body language and reactions to the questions we present, always reading between the lines, as these nonverbal cues are also effective indicators. After all, you want a candidate who is truly passionate about the opportunity, and not just browsing around to “test their value” in the market.

Andy Mensah, FCMA, CGMA, human resources partner, IBM Ghana & Central Africa (Ghana)

When we recruit for finance department roles, at some point in the interview process I will ask: “To what extent would you go in order to close a deal?” I tend to ask this question because of the particular environment we operate in, where perceptions of corruption and kickbacks are high in the marketplace. As an organisation we are looking for individuals with a very finely tuned moral compass and a high level of honesty. The response to this question helps gauge the candidate’s likelihood of going against business conduct guidelines.

We sincerely hope that you have enjoyed reading our analysis of the best interview questions at Your Career Place. To determine how much preparation a job prospect has put into the interview, ask candidates to describe a client’s business and show their sector experience. It frequently gives insight into the candidate’s degree of motivation and commitment to the position.

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