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19+ STAR Interview Questions – Complete List
We can all agree that job interview questions can be stressful. Some more than others.
If we were to rank them by level of difficulty, behavioral questions would probably be # 1 for most people.
If this is the case for you, you will love the STAR method. A not-so-secret formula for correctly answering behavioral questions (or STAR interview questions) every time.
And in this guide, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about it!
Here’s what we’re going to cover:
- What is the STAR Method?
- Real-Life STAR Method Answer Example
- Full List of STAR Interview Questions
- Behavioral Interview Question and Answer ExamplesSo, let’s not waste time and start with this:
What’s the STAR Method?
Let’s first discuss the behavioral questions.
These questions question situations and problems encountered at work and help the interviewer understand how you dealt with them.
Behavioral questions always require you to tell a story about how you encountered a particular situation at work and how you dealt with it.
Questions like:
- So tell me about a time you handled disputes well.
- What is your biggest achievement?
If you’ve been faced with these types of interview questions at work, you’ll probably agree with us – finding an answer is far from easy, especially in the heat of the moment.
This is where the STAR method comes into play!
STAR is an acronym that stands for Status, Mission, Action and Outcome.
This is the structure you should follow to find a clear and concise answer to behavioral questions like the ones we mentioned above.
Let’s break it down a little bit more:
- State – This is where you define the situation and provide context to the interviewer.
- Mission – What was your role in this situation? Describe what your tasks were and what is expected of you at the time
- Action – How did you perform your tasks / duties? Have you gone out of your way to fulfill your tasks or have you done more than you originally had to do?
- Conclusion – This is the result of your answer and story. Explain what consequences your actions have and whether the situation was resolved successfully. The use of numbers and data is a bonus.
STAR Method Answer Example
Now that we have fully clarified the theory, let’s practice and show how the STAR method really works.
- Take one of the most common behavioral interview questions as an example:
- “What is your biggest achievement?”
- A good answer should look like this:
Situation – “Hmm… yes, after graduation I worked as an assistant to the marketing director of Company Y for a year. One time we had a meeting with a potential client and I had to meet my boss instead of the direct meeting. He called me on the way there and said that he went to the hospital because one of his family had an accident. ”
Task – “He asked if I could continue the presentation alone, or I could cancel the meeting. I helped my boss present, but I wasn’t ready to present. I just had to help set up the place and move the documents. ”
Action – “Still, I like a challenge and I was sure I could do it, so I agreed to hold the meeting.”
Conclusion – “The presentation didn’t just go well, but the client hired our company. My boss was very happy. He gave me a raise and eventually became a mentor rather than the boss.
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Pro Tip:
- If you want a fully detailed guide with tips and examples on the STAR method, check out this article.
19+ STAR Method Interview Questions
Behavioral questions that need to be answered using the STAR method can be easily identified.
They ask you to tell a story about a job situation, explain how you react to it, and help the interviewer anticipate how you might react to similar situations in the future.
The most common questions are:
- Tell me about a time when you faced a difficult situation. How did you solve this?
- Do you usually set goals at work? If yes, can you give an example of a goal you have and how you achieved it?
- Give me an example of when you went wrong at work.
- Have you ever had a conflict with a colleague? How did you resolve the situation?
- Tell me about a time when you handled the pressure well.
- Was there a time when you had to be very strategic to achieve a goal?
- Give an example of a situation where you show initiative and take responsibility for a situation.
- Talk about a time when you went beyond your duties for a job or task.
- Have you had to correct one of your superiors when they were wrong? How did you approach this situation?
- Have you ever had to work to a tight deadline?
- How do you deal with co-workers who don’t cooperate or don’t contribute enough?
- Tell me about a time when a customer wanted the impossible. How did you explain and convey this to them?
- Give me an example of a time you didn’t meet a customer’s expectations. How did you deal with the situation?
- Is there a situation you think you can handle better or differently?
- How do you adapt to sudden changes in the workplace? Can you give me an example?
- What was the first job you had? Do you remember how you adapted and learned the threads?
- Tell me about a time when you had to think on your feet to deal with a situation.
- Sometimes employers put too much on their employees’ plate. Was there a time when you got overwhelmed? How did you handle this situation?
- Tell me about a time when you had the freedom to be creative with your work. Was it exciting or difficult for you?
- Give an example of a time when you and your team had opposing views on a topic. How did you persuade them to follow your decision?
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3 STAR Method Sample Questions & Answers
#1. Have you ever faced conflict with a coworker? How did you resolve the situation?
Q – “I’m usually a very well-adjusted employee and get along well with most of my colleagues. Still, it was once when I worked for Company Y. They bought new software for the company at that time.”
T – “Ever since my previous experiences I have been responsible for introducing this to my colleagues. However, the CEO brought in one of the software companies to help with the transition. We should have cooperated on this task and well… the guy wasn’t too excited about this idea. Whenever I explained something, he often interrupted me and sometimes he didn’t even invite me to some of the trainings we needed to organize together. ”
A – “I decided to approach him and suggested that we share responsibilities. I will cover the theoretical part of the training (introduction to how it works) and explain practical issues (such as how we can apply the software for our work example). ”
R – “He agreed, and the transition has been smooth ever since. It took us about a week and a half to get the entire team to be productive with the new tool.”
#2. Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond your duties for a job or task.
Q – “During my tenure as a real estate agent at Y Company, we got one of the biggest listings the company had. A newly built, $ 5 million home ready to hit the market. ”
T – “All agents are allowed to work on the sale of the property as we only have a 3-month period for the owner.”
A – “I decided to add something new to the home’s website marketing: a virtual tour. I felt that photos alone were not enough for this property. I rented a 360 degree camera, kept watching the tutorials, and taught myself how to create the tour.” How do I prepare for a Star interview?,#What are the 10 most common interview questions and answers?,#What are some star interview questions?,#What are the top 20 interview questions?,#What are some unique interview questions?,#What are the top 5 questions to ask an interviewer?,#What is the star method of answering questions?,#What is your weakness best answer?,#What is the Star format?,#What is your biggest weakness?,#What are my strengths?,#How can you describe yourself?,#Why do employers use the STAR method?,#What questions I should ask the interviewer?,#How do you answer why should we hire you?,#What are 3 words to describe yourself?,#What are 5 words to describe yourself?,#How would you describe yourself in 5 sentences?,#What are a list of weaknesses?,#What are weaknesses examples?,#What are your weaknesses question?
R – “They were very excited when I presented it to management. They put the tour on their website and also asked the agents to post it on their client list. The person who bought the house was in Europe at the time and had not even come to see the house in Vancouver before buying. He made the manager. He said that his client felt already at home due to the tour and had no doubts about the purchase. ”
#3. Tell me about a time when you made a mistake at work
Q – “The store where I work was going to open a new location soon and they offered me a manager position there.”
T – “This meant that I was also responsible for monitoring the work until the store opened. I ordered clothing shipments, trained new employees and organized the opening event. An hour before the event, the last box shipment had not yet arrived. The clothes the mannequins were supposed to wear were in those boxes.”
A – “I called the delivery company and they said the boxes were already sent … to the other side of the store, across town. I gave them the wrong address. There was absolutely no time for these boxes to arrive in the store on time. ”
R – “The mannequins were wearing other clothes, none of them belonged to the new collection. I explained the situation to my superiors. Of course, they weren’t very happy about it, but they admitted that it was a human error and could happen to anyone. ”
Key Takeaways
Clean?
Good!
Let’s go over the basics one more time:
- Behavioral interview questions ask you to provide an example of how you handle a particular situation at work. They help the interviewer anticipate how you will react to similar scenarios in the future.
- The STAR method is a structure you can follow to answer behavioral questions succinctly.
- The STAR abbreviation means: Status, Task, Action, Outcome.
We hope this article helped answer these difficult questions that are not so difficult.
Now, all that remains is to be successful in the next interview!
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