Are interviews still scary for you? Or do you stop on yourself, thinking that you cannot give the necessary answer? If you think that talking about your achievements without creating a negative perception during the interview will put pressure on you, I can say that the “STAR technique” is just for you!
This technique, which will help you, has emerged by combining both the initials and meanings of the words "Situation, Task, Action, Result" respectively. It is appropriate to answer interview questions using this method, to give the human resources expert what they want. Since you will draw the route of what you are going to tell in your mind, it will greatly reduce your chances of saying "I wish I said that too!" right after the interview.
STAR technique, which is mostly used to answer competency-oriented questions; generally provides a concrete expression of time, place, event, and result. In your career life, how you deal with events, what consequences you face, and how you deal with them every minute until you take the interview chair will matter.
You can use this method perhaps 3-4 times for the questions directed to you that you answer by telling a story, rather than spreading it throughout the interview. Although this depends on the length of the interview, first make sure that you will attract the attention of the interviewer, no matter how many times you use it.
Perhaps the characteristics required in every job description may be problem-solving skills, analytical ability, facing success and failure, presentation and communication skills, or teamwork. If you still don't know how to use the STAR technique, you can start from here:
- Talk about a process that you have to complete in a limited amount of time and that makes a difference for you.
- What tasks did you take for yourself during this mission and what did you feel responsible for?
- What route did you decide to take to solve this process or problem? Do you think you could follow this route?
- What did you find in the end?
Although some experts ask all of their questions according to the STAR technique, some partially resort to this technique. The technique consists of 4 main concepts, as we mentioned in the initials.
Concepts of the STAR Technique
Situation: Describe the context in which you are doing a job or have difficulties at work. For example, problems you had run into while carrying out a project in a group. This situation may arise from a work experience, a volunteer position, or any related incident. Be as specific as possible without worrying about how dominant the other person should be.
Task: Then explain your responsibility in this situation. Maybe you needed to help your group complete a project with a tight deadline, resolve a conflict with a colleague, or reach a sales goal.
Action: Next is how you complete the task. Do not hesitate to focus on yourself at this point where you will talk about the exact action taken. Focus on what you were doing rather than what your team, boss, or colleague was doing. As a clue, you can focus on the "I" language rather than the "we" language.
Result: Finally, describe the results of the action that took place or what it taught you. It will be very useful to give specific examples, as in explaining the event.
You now have a way to make these conversations that are one of the most difficult moments of not being able to explain yourself as much as you want easier. You can easily experience this technique on your own, as you will start to feel the benefits as soon as you leave the interview!