Be an Interview STAR and Think Like a Politician
- Jackie Vermeulen
- May 31, 2016
- 2 min read
Presidential candidates are notorious for flipping questions during debates to give the answer they want to give, whether or not it pertains to what was asked. While politicians aren’t always the best role models, take note on this one.
Of course you prep for your interview, but you certainly can’t anticipate every situation question you’ll be asked. Because many situations overlap with different questions, the best you can do is prepare the answers that show your skills first and deal with the question-part second. That way you have a little bit of control over the interview and you’ll nail your answers.
First things first: prepare your answers. Make it easy for the interviewer to follow your story by having a clear beginning, middle, and end. Many people call this this the STAR method, here’s why:
Situation or Task: What was going on?
We had to…
I was tasked with…
It was my responsibility to…
Actions: What did you do?
So I…
We decided to…
The process entailed…
Results: How did it end?
In the end…
The results were…
I learned...
Take a look at some typical interview questions to get some inspiration, then come up with six or seven scenarios that exemplify your work ethic and strengths. Refer back to those original questions and see where your examples overlap.
If you’re taking notes from the political stars, there’s going to be the question of lying or making up stories. The answer? You’re not practicing your answers to be deceitful, so don’t turn it into that. Sure, you (likely) don’t have fact-checkers writing public articles about incorrect information you provided in your interview, but you’re not setting yourself up for success if you provide false scenarios.
However, you don’t need to go into all the details of a time you disagreed with a coworker; leave out the parts that aren’t critical to the moral of the story and keep the parts that represent you as a person and employee.
Of course be prepared to answer questions on-the-fly. Not every question will be able to be answered by something you rehearse. Besides, being comfortable thinking quickly is a good skill to have.
So to set yourself up for the most success in your interview, create your answers first then worry about the questions. With some rehearsal focusing on the STAR method, you’re on your way to a job offer. And hey, that’s worth a celebration even if it’s not on the scale of winning the presidential race. #Victory
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Jackie Vermeulen is the founder of The Career Mint. She works closely with mentors and some off-site experts to address the hard-hitting career topics in articles like the one you’re reading now.
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