Chapter 1 of 67 min
STAR stories
Behavioural interviews ask what you did, not what you would do. The STAR structure, situation, task, action and result, turns experience into clear, credible evidence.
Key ideas
- Spend most of the answer on your actions.
- Results should be specific and, where possible, measurable.
- Say 'I', not 'we', when describing your part.
Step by step
- 1
Situation: set the scene in one or two sentences.
- 2
Task: state what you were responsible for.
- 3
Action: describe the steps you took and why.
- 4
Result: give the outcome and what you learned.
Example
'Our clinic's waiting times had doubled (S). I was asked to cut them within a quarter (T). I mapped the patient flow and moved triage forward (A). Waits fell by 40 per cent in ten weeks (R).'
Your drill
Write six STAR stories covering leadership, conflict, failure, initiative, teamwork and a result you are proud of.
Common mistakes
- Spending most of the time on the situation.
- Ending without a result.
Check yourself
Which part of a STAR answer deserves the most time?
Show the answer
The actions you personally took.
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