Be an Interview S.T.A.R.
Introduction
Be prepared to answer behavioral interview questions by sharing evidence from your experience. Prioritize examples from work and academic situations, as many employers believe that a predictor of a prospective employee’s future performance is based on past performance in a similar situation.
Behavioral interview questions ask for you to tell about something that happened, what you were assigned to do, what you did, and what you learned from the experience. This is also an opportunity to address what might be seen as a weakness and show how you’ve grown professionally based on what you took away from the situation.
S.T.A.R. Interview Method
S – Situation (2–3 sentences): Set up a specific situation; provide your interviewer with context for the experience you’re describing.
T – Task (1–2 sentences): Help your interviewer understand the goal you were working to accomplish. Include here any known challenges or skills you were bringing to the experience.
A – Action (2–3 sentences): Describe the actions you took and what you achieved. Tell the story of what happened focused on your actions.
R – Results (2–3 sentences): Describe the outcome of the situation and the results of your actions. Reflect on what you learned, whether the outcome was positive or negative, and explain what you would do differently in the future. This is the most important part of your S.T.A.R. response and often the part interviewees race through.
Success Stories
Be ready for your interview by prepping success stories from your experience. Tell these in the S.T.A.R. format with a clear beginning, middle, end, and take-away. Many of these five examples will fit into the types of behavioral questions interviewers often ask and showcase career-ready skills including communication, adaptability, professionalism, and a willingness to learn.
- An accomplishment you’re proud of
- A time you went above and beyond
- A conflict that was resolved successfully
- A challenge that you overcame
- A mistake that you learned from
Practice
S.
T.
A.
R.
Behavioral Interview Questions: Examples
Communication
- Describe a time when you had to assist someone who was angry—a customer, a client, a supervisor, a co-worker, or a teammate.
- Tell about a time when you mis-communicated something important and how you handled it.
Conflict Management
- Tell about a time when you experienced conflict with a coworker or teammate. What strategies did you use to resolve the situation?
Decision Making
- Describe a time when you made a bad decision. What were the results of your decision and how did you, if you were able to, rectify the results? What did you learn from the situation?
- Explain what happened when you had to make a split-second decision.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
- Describe a time when you noticed someone was not respecting diversity, equity, and inclusion. How did you respond?
Education-related Skills
- Describe a research project or other fact-finding mission, the skills you used, and the results of your project.
- Discuss an important written document you were required to complete.
- Describe a situation in which you were able to use presentation skills to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
Ethics and Integrity
- Have you witnessed a friend or a colleague make a poor choice? How did you respond?
Goals - Please share a specific example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet, achieve, or exceed your goal.
- Describe a time when you were unable to accomplish a goal or otherwise failed.
Leadership
- What strategies have you used to encourage individuals to work well together to achieve a common goal?
- Describe a time when you had to make an unpopular decision.
Stress Management
- Describe a time you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrates your coping skills.
- Please share how you manage when you have too many things to do. Include specific examples of how you prioritize or otherwise handle a busy workload.
Teamwork
- When working within a team, what role do you typically take on? Please provide an example.