Why and how? «Blog of inspiration from the internships

Do you think the interview went perfectly – visual contact, constant voice, precipitous smile – but in some way you have not obtained the job. You mentioned any relevant work experience you have acquired, but your possibilities may have been disappointed not using the «star» technique.

What is «star»? Stands for Situation, activity, approach and result And it is a method to answer the interview questions that most interviewers now listen. It is a useful way to organize responses to behavioral or skills based Questions, that is, questions about the tasks you have done and on the skills you used.

Why? ‘Star’ is useful for both the interviewer and for the interviewee. Having this simple and easy to remember frame can focus your anxious mind and make your answers more concise. This means that the interviewer can easily find the test you have The skills they are looking forRather than trying to identify it in the middle of a long and bewildered story.

Here is an example. Suppose that the interviewer asked you to «talk about it once you had to complete a task in a close deadline». You would order your answer in this way:

Situation: was it the context?

Here, you should briefly describe the events that lead to receiving the task. Provide details, such as the name of the company, the period of time and the title of work.

For example, when I was working as a copywriter for X Magazine, a story broke on a scandal of Hollywood sexual abuse. That night, the individual had to participate in Y Award Show. My publisher wanted an article written on the story in Z Hours, before the show was transmitted. «

Activities: What was asked of you?

«Activities» and «situation» are easily confused. The main difference is that here you should declare the work envisaged by you Why of the situation.

For example «I was chosen to write the piece, so I needed to search, write and modify an article on the individual in Z».

Approach – also known as activity or action.

This should constitute most of your answer, while the skills required on the description of the work can be demonstrated and demonstrate that you are able to apply them in a professional and real environment.

For example, I eliminated the distractions by going to the library. I divided my time between research, writing and editing to ensure that the article was accurate and of high quality, despite the need to hurry. I used Google to find similar articles on popular platforms. I kept productivity using the Tomato techniqueThen read the article aloud to check the errors. «

Result: how did you correctly manage the activity? What happened later?

First speeches on the success of the task that was given – in this case, the fact that you did it before the deadline – but also tries to suggest how this benefits the company as a whole.

For example, the article was published in time for the prize. I therefore shared it Social media and Google Analytics showed that this attracted 1,000 readers and greater activity on the website. »

Some interviewers may help you using the «star» method alone, pushing you with questions above. But it is useful to integrate the technique into Your preparation of the interview So that you can recognize the types of «star» questions for which it is perfect.

The appetizers of phrases such as «Talk to me of a moment in which» or «you can give an example of» are good clues that the interviewer is looking for a structured «star» response.

But if you are asked «Why should we take on?‘O’What is your biggest weakness?‘, Don’t be afraid to give more general answers that reveal your character.

Many best companies are completely moving away from behavioral interviews and opting ‘Forces -based interviews’. These focus on emotions and preferences, in which you could be asked «which article is always remaining until the last in your list of things to do?» Or «What makes you bed from the bed in the morning?»

Don’t worry too much about strictly attacking the structure; It is mainly there to help you concentrate and organize your interview so you can quickly get the key points.