DRAW FAQs – What is the STAR Technique?

The STAR Technique is a tool used across all parts of the recruitment process, from asking and answering interview questions to crafting your CV. This post will give an overview of exactly what STAR is, why it is used, and how to integrate it into your own applications.

What is STAR?

STAR stands for

• Situation
• Task
• Action
• Result

The STAR technique is using this framework to provide concrete examples of your competencies, focusing on exactly what you actually did.

The most obvious use of STAR for candidates is as a structure for interview answers, and framing your experience on your CV. It’s a brilliant method of tailoring your CV to a job description. Pick out the core competencies required, and make sure your CV highlights examples, according to the STAR format. You can also prepare for interviews by thinking through your experience and working out STAR examples for the competencies you are likely to be asked about. This is particularly helpful for those competencies that do not have quantifiable hard skills related to them – good examples are team work, communication, problem solving. It’s always good to be specific and focused on your own actions and the competency or attribute you are seeking to demonstrate. Take the following example related to problem solving:

Situation

This is outlining the exact scenario that you found yourself in. Whether verbal or written, don’t go into too much detail – keep it brief and informative to set the scene.

Details were getting lost between the point of sale at art fairs and organising remittance to the artist, given the part time nature of the team.

Task

What needed to be done to resolve the situation. Again, be as specific as you can.

A system needed to be found to track all steps of the process that the gallery owner could meaningfully engage with.

Action

What did YOU do? Be as specific as you can here, and have a laser focus on what you, as an individual, did, what YOUR contribution was. This isn’t arrogance – this is your chance to truly demonstrate that you have the competency and attribute being asked for.

I knew that the Gallery Owner likes pen and paper, and so I made a series of sheets to be attached to all paperwork where she could record details clearly for the team, that could then be translated to our operational spreadsheets and ArtLogic, as well as communicated to the artists. They also made it clear exactly which steps of our sales and remittance processes had been carried out, and by whom, for when the team’s part time schedules did not coincide.

Result

What was the exact result of your action? Was the situation satisfactorily resolved, or at least your part of it? Explain exactly how your contribution brought this about.

This system noticeably reduced time spent clarifying the remittance process with our artists by reducing confusion and saving a great deal of time where there were questions, as well reducing overlapping or missed steps in our sales and remittance processes, allowing the team to operate more efficiently and cohesively.

Why use STAR?

STAR is useful both to candidates and hiring managers.

For hiring managers, STAR provides a consistent an impartial way to assess candidates by reducing the chance of unconscious bias creeping in – if all candidates are asked the same set of questions, and marked according to the same STAR matrix, then they can be ranked according to their actual competencies. It also allows competencies that are not easily quantifiable to be assessed, especially when the cohort being interviewed have disparate experience, or come from out of sector. In general, there is a move towards skills based hiring, with employers using skills and competency based interviewing to help them diversify their workforce, and take steps toward eliminating bias from their recruitment procedures.

For candidates, even if you are not specifically asked for answers in an interview in the STAR format, it is still a useful way to structure your answers and demonstrate YOUR abilities. Focusing on clearly highlighting your own contributions to resolving a situation will help focus your interviewer on how you specifically  can contribute to their team. Similarly, if you don’t have a great deal of experience in the particular areas or industry you are applying for, you can use STAR to highlight transferable skills. As an exercise, it can be a great confidence booster to remind yourself of what your truly capable of, and your concrete accomplishments that demonstrate a wide range of competencies and attributes.