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The STAR Framework

THE STAR FRAMEWORK

Helping you to stand out when it matters

The STAR framework is an excellent way of structuring evidence or examples of behaviour. It can be used in many situations including job applications and interviews.

SITUATION

Brief Background
Context of Setting (1 sentence)

TASK

What did you need to achieve?
With who and why? (1 sentence)

ACTION

What did you do?
What steps did you take? (3-4 sentences)

RESULT

What did you achieve?
Always a successful outcome! (1 sentence)
Find some useful examples to help you below!

'Describe a time when you dealt with a situation involving a diversity issue'.

SITUATION: Whilst working as a lifeguard, an Asian family entered the swimming pool fully clothed.

TASK: I needed to address the danger caused by people not wearing suitable clothing.

Action: I asked the family to get out of the water so that they were out of danger, and asked why they were fully clothed. They explained that their religion (Islam) does not allow them to wear swimwear that would reveal the female body shape or expose areas of the body to strangers. I explained that although I understood their reasons, the pools health and safety guidelines meant that they could not swim in their clothes. I suggested possible solutions e.g. a full length body suit with a t-shirt over the top, and arranged for them to speak to the pools manager.

Result: The family, although disappointed, appreciated my concerns and left the pool amicably.

'Give an example of a time when you worked as part of a team.'

Situation: In my last job, I was asked to work on a team project that was really running behind schedule.

Task: I needed to work out what was causing the delay, and identify how the team could remedy it.

Action: The first thing I did was to organise a project meeting to discuss the problem, what was happening and why. This allowed us to come up with some new ways of approaching the project and schedule. I then set up a system so that each person could track their own progress through data entry and frequent meetings.

Result: This made a big difference as each person felt they were making a contribution to a bigger project and within 2 weeks the project was back on schedule.

Can you identify STAR in the following examples?

'Give an example of an occasion when you had to use effective communication skills with a group or a person.'

Whilst an University I volunteered to deliver a 30 minute presentation to a group of 45 sixth form students as part of a 'taster day' at University. I had to ensure that I marketed my course and the University in a way which was appropriate to the age group. To ensure that it would be fun I wrote and used an interactive quiz, and an informal question and answer session in addition to a PowerPoint presentation. The session was rated as excellent by over 90% of the students, and I was employed to repeat it at future events with continued success.

'Tell me about a time when you needed to solve a problem; what was it and what was the outcome?'

A customer rang up complaining that they had waited more than two weeks for a reply from our sales team regarding a product query. I needed to address the clients immediate query and find out what went wrong in the normal process. I apologised, got the details and passed them on to our head salesperson, who contacted the client within the hour. I investigated why the query hadn't been answered. I discovered that it was a combination of the wrong mobile phone number, and a generic email address that wasn't being checked. I let the client know, and we offered a goodwill discount on her next order. The client not only continued to order from us, but also posted a positive customer service tweet.

PREPARE IN ADVANCE

An application form or interview will typically concentrate on the following skills and qualities:

Initiative: Ability to see opportunities and to set and achieve goals.

Team Work: Being a constructive team member, contributing practically to the success of the team.

Leadership: Being able to motivate and encourage others, whilst taking the lead.

Communication: Ability to communicate orally, in writing or via electronic means in a manner appropriate to the audience.

Interpersonal Skills: Ability to relate well to others and to establish good working relationships.

Self-awareness: Knowing your strengths and skills and having the confidence to put these across.

Commitment/Motivation: Having energy and enthusiasm in pursuing projects.

Problem Solving: Thinking things through in a logical way in order to determine key issues. Creative thinking is also useful.

Flexibility/Adaptability: Ability to handle change and adapt to new situations.

By thinking of scenarios when you have demonstrated these skills, and in preparing examples for each of them, you can save yourself a lot of hard work when it comes to filling in application forms or preparing for an interview.
Created By
Kelly Rigg
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Created with an image by pixel2013 - "book star open book"