How to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions (Like a PRO!)

We’re going to use the STAR method for answering behavioral interview questions. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Results. You can keep this acronym in your mind as you’re answering these questions during an interview so that you don’t get lost.

Situation is setting the scene for your story. So who was involved? What was going on? Your answer is not going to work unless you tell the right story about the right situation. So make sure that you really do understand the question before you kind of dig into your story.

Task is where you state your responsibility in the situation. Maybe it was a task that you were given or a project that you took on. Often, you can combine the situation and the task in one or two sentences. Short, sweet, and to the point.

Action is the meat of your story. This is where you discuss what actions you took, your thought process as you dealt with the task or challenge in front of you, and where you get the rich context for your story

Results is where you tie it up with a bow. You want to wrap up your story on a positive note, even if the question is about a negative topic, like making a mistake. Make sure that you finish with positivity and that you really put a fine point on the lessons learned, the improvements you made, and the results you generated in that situation!