Become a STARR in job interviews with the STARRS method

STARRS stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result, Reflection, and Strengthen. This 6-step STARRS method will make you better at interviews forever!

Youth Ambassador Alexa-Jane Moore says:

When I was back at university, I wanted to do a summer internship to make myself more employable. I had done lots of things at university that these employers were keen to hear about, in telephone interviews and then assessment centres… but I needed a way to put these experiences across!

I had always used the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, and Result). It wasn’t enough, so I expanded this to my own STARRS method as employers always asked me, ‘how would you do X better next time?’

STARRS provides you with the opportunity to ‘Reflect‘ on your experience and ‘Strengthen‘ it by thinking how you would do things better, next time.

The STARRS method

Situation

  • Explain the situation you were in.
  • Aim to answer the questions ‘what/where/when’, for example, “In the third year of my business studies degree” or “when I was working as a retail assistant in a shop last summer”.

Task

  • What did you do, and what did the task or role involve?
  • Explain your tasks and responsibilities briefly.

Action

  • What did YOU do to meet the objective of/complete the task?
  • You might want to cover what you did and how you did it, including what skills you used.

Result

  • What was the outcome?
  • Did you make a difference?
  • Can you quantify this?

Reflection

  • What did you do well?
  • What didn’t go as well as you’d hoped?

Strengthen

  • After reflection, what would you have done differently?
  • What could have been improved to achieve an even greater success?

The STARRS method is a neat formula that you can adapt to any situation. It’s easy to follow and remember when you’re in a stressful situation like a job interview. It covers all the points that employers are looking for and helped me secure numerous offers for summer internships.

About the author

Alexa Jane Moore

Alexa-Jane Moore was a Youth Ambassador with Youth Employment UK and winner of the ‘Youth Ambassador of the Year’ award. She has a keen interest in issues affecting young people. These include: unemployment, careers guidance, mental health and voting. She has written about these issues for The Guardian and Targetjobs.

Tagged in:

Discover Youth Friendly Employers

Pret Apprenticeships & Careers When you apply for a Pret Apprenticeship or junior role, you’ll belong to a community of achievers. Get support on your own unique career journey! EXPLORE Essex Youth Service Aged 13-25 and live in Essex? Get involved in fun activities, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award and online Plan B Traineeships. EXPLORE Careers in Eyecare From healthcare lab to high street fashion - you don't need a degree to open your eyes to eyecare careers EXPLORE Royal Air Force There’s nothing like a career in the RAF, it’s not just a job but a way of living. EXPLORE Working in local government Local government touches everyone's lives every day EXPLORE Severn Trent Careers Discover opportunities for apprentices, graduates and undergraduates in the office and beyond! EXPLORE Generation: Free Skills Training Get FREE skills and careers training today! Generation gives you skills and connects you with employers to find a job fast. EXPLORE VHR Technical Recruitment The VHR talent academy can help you get into a successful technical recruitment career - with NO experience! EXPLORE The British Library Work experience, internships and apprenticeships with The British Library open up a WORLD of possibilities. EXPLORE Surrey County Council Careers Thinking about rewarding apprenticeships and early careers in a diverse environment? Fire up your career with SCC! EXPLORE Coca-Cola EuroPacific Want to work for one of the most well-known brands in the world? They work hard to develop their young people! EXPLORE Catch22 Youth Services Want to overcome barriers in life, whatever your background? Want employers to give you a chance? We can help. EXPLORE Prezzo Restaurant Careers Prezzo offers so many early careers, from cooking great food and giving great customer service to managing like a boss! EXPLORE Careers in Racing Horse racing is a great career choice! British Racing is the 2nd largest spectator sport after football. EXPLORE Get Into Teaching You can get a teaching degree for FREE with apprenticeships! EXPLORE McDonald's Early Careers You probably knew you can get McDonald's Apprenticeships. Did you know you can also study for a FREE Management Degree? EXPLORE ABP Foods Apprenticeships, graduate schemes and an AMAZING early careers academy in the world of sustainable food EXPLORE Aspiration Training Traineeships & Apprenticeships in childcare, dental nursing, teaching, health/social care, and business admin EXPLORE Coach Core Apprenticeships See how Coach Core Apprenticeships get you into sport careers EXPLORE Environment Agency Careers Our work helps to protect and improve the environment to make it a better place for people and wildlife. Join us! EXPLORE Haven Joining Haven is more than just a job. Our early careers are a breath of fresh air! EXPLORE Historic England Discover early careers in heritage for all backgrounds, skills and interests. EXPLORE IHG Early Careers Discover how you can grow your career in hospitality! EXPLORE Martin Brower Careers Break into business, admin and supply careers with Martin Brower. Don't settle for the status quo. EXPLORE NCFE Vocational Qualifications Young people get amazing perks when they work for the NCFE, with apprenticeships and more. The training is great, too. EXPLORE
NCFE
Essex Youth Service

Email us at info@youthemployment.org.uk or call 01536 513388.

Build Skills + Confidence

Want a big boost in your life and work skills? Sign up to our free online Young Professional programme today!

Young Professional Programme

Get FREE skills training when you sign up. Get support with your personal confidence, positive attitude and coping with change!

Self Belief | Communication | Teamwork | Problem Solving | Self Management

FREE Online Courses

Boost your skills and careers confidence with FREE online courses. Complete them your own pace and get a certificate for your CV! Sign in as a Young Professional to get automatically enrolled.

Get Jobs + Experience

Find Opportunities

Looking for jobs and opportunities near you? Sign in as a Young Professional to see the latest jobs, apprenticeships, grad schemes, CV workshops, career events and early career opportunities in your area!

Latest Careers Help

Be Yourself

Mental Health

Stay Curious

Overcoming Barriers

For Students

Student Guides

For Teachers

Teacher Resources

Teachers - see how to use the Young Professional programme in your school or college, with lots of free teaching resources at your fingertips.