The STARR method will help you show off your amazing abilities to employers. Use this step by step guide to ace your interviews.
Many jobs list “problem solving skills” as a desired attribute for candidates. We all encounter problems in work and life sometimes, but what matters most is how we approach solving them. Building great problem solving skills will help you on your way to career success.
When you’re interviewing for a job, it is your opportunity to show off your skills and abilities. The prospective employer wants to know why you are the best candidate for the job.
One way to demonstrate problem solving skills is by using something called the STARR Method when you’re answering interview questions. Read on to learn all about STARR and how it can help you.
What is STARR?
STARR is an acronym that stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result, and Reflection.
In job interviews, you will often be asked to give examples of times when you have used various skills. The STARR approach is a simple way to ensure that you give a complete answer to these questions.
When you follow STARR, your answer will come across as logical and structured. It allows you to take the interviewer through the experience with you, showing them the problem you encountered, how you overcame it, and what you learned as a result.
We’ve broken the STARR process down step by step to help you. Read on to learn how to make it work for you.
Situation or Task
Begin by explaining the situation you encountered or the task you needed to complete. Be thorough but concise. This means ensuring you include all the relevant information without rambling.
If in doubt, remember to mention:
- WHAT happened.
- WHERE it happened (e.g. at work or school).
- WHO was involved (your answer should be focused on what you did, but if others—such as colleagues, your manager, or other members of a working group—were involved, that is important contextual information).
- WHY the problem occurred or the task was necessary.
Here’s a tip: if you are struggling to come up with an example, think outside the box. Your examples do not always have to be related to work. They can also come from voluntary activities, hobbies, or education. This all counts as valuable experience in the eyes of a potential employer.
Action
This phase of the STARR process is all about the things you did. Tell the interviewer about how you approached the problem, what steps you took, and the process you followed. Give as much detail as possible at this stage, but steer clear of highly technical language or jargon unless it is absolutely necessary.
If it’s relevant, it is also a good idea to include some information about why you chose a particular course of action. This gives the interviewer an insight into the way your problem-solving mind works and shows that you are capable of thinking things through critically and from multiple angles.
You might also want to briefly mention any solutions you tried that didn’t work. This shows your ability to try out different solutions and adapt if something does not have the intended effect.
Result
This is the part of the process where you explain what happened as a result of the actions you described in the previous step. Since the goal is to demonstrate your problem-solving skills, this section should ideally explain how the issue was resolved in a positive way.
Tell the interviewer about what you accomplished and be as specific as possible. For example, if the end result of your action was that you drove an increase in product sales for your employer, you might say “we saw a 15% increase in sales that month as a result”.
Reflection
The reflection aspect of STARR is the piece that is most often missed when people explain how they solved a problem. But it can tell an interviewer a lot about you and about how you learn from the problems you face, so you should make sure you include it in your answers.
At this point, you should explain what you learned from solving the problem in your example, and how you will apply that knowledge in the future. Will you approach similar problems in a different way or take more preventative steps to ensure a similar problem does not happen again? Did the experience teach you something valuable about yourself or your role?
Problems are how we grow, and the reflection stage of the STARR process is your opportunity to demonstrate that growth.
Activity: Give STARR a Go
Now you understand how the STARR system works, think about a problem you’ve faced at work, school, or in life, and apply the STARR method to it. Start by writing each letter of the acronym down one side of a page, and then fill in the details for each point.
As a bonus activity, try explaining the situation to somebody else following the STARR method, just as you would in a job interview. Ask them to give you feedback on whether you hit every letter of the acronym, whether you provided enough information, and whether your explanation effectively shows off your problem-solving skills.
