This post focuses on an important technique for job interview preparation. We use the star technique when coaching candidates, to help them when preparing for a job interview. It’s really simple and using the acronym, “STAR”, makes it is easy to remember.
At interview, the person interviewing is looking for evidence of your experience and skills. Use the star technique to help you prepare for your job interview by structuring your answers with examples.
The person interviewing you, is not just looking for you to say that you have skills and experience at interview. They want to see applied examples of those skills and your experience in practice.
Using STAR, consider:
- Situation: What was the situation?
- Task: and why was it difficult to handle?
- Action: What did you do to address the situation?
- Result: and what was the outcome?
- If you had acted differently, what could the outcome have been?
When considering examples, choose one that is relevant and describes the skill that the interviewer is asking you about. Ensure the example you choose, demonstrates action and is something you actually did, as opposed to what you learned, or what you might do in a hypothetical situation. It must be real. Personalise the example by stating what you did, as opposed to saying what other people did. Choose examples that have a positive outcome and are appropriate. The interviewer wants to learn about how your skills and behaviours have had a positive impact and show how you would apply them in the workplace. In the interview, choose examples that give you something you can talk about comfortably and that you can discuss in detail, if further questions are asked. Finally, be specific.
Further Reading on Job Interview Preparation
In addition to this blog post “Job Interview Preparation”, you may find the following blog posts useful by The Eventus Recruitment Group:
Use LinkedIn
Write Great CVs
Career Networking
Job Interviews
Careers Interview
About Eventus Legal
Eventus Legal is part of The Eventus Recruitment Group and recruits talented legal professionals for Private Practice and In-House organisations throughout the UK and in particular, across the North West, Yorkshire, North East, Derbyshire and East Midlands regions on both a permanent and contract basis. Flexible working opportunities are also available.Eventus Legal are currently recruiting for a large number of legal roles across the UK on both a permanent and temporary basis, including flexible working. Please consult our job page for listings.
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