Use this On Your Next Interview - Top Interviewing Tip for Women in Business
"What is your best tip for interviews?" We hear this question all the time in our community for social media managers!
We all know that a resume can get you places, but the interview is the real deciding factor in the application process. This is where you can really get into your skills and let your personality shine beyond those resume bullet points!
Have you ever walked out of an interview, and thought to yourself, "I should've answered that better," or "I should've told that story as an example"? Don't worry, we've all been there at some point! But, what if we told you, there's a formula you can use for answering your questions so you aren't left to overthink your answer? When it comes to behavioral interview questions, use this method to form a structured answer that demonstrates your experience.
STAR Interview Method
Resumes go over those skills that we have, but we have to prove that we can implement those skills beyond putting them on paper! The STAR method allows us to showcase to the interviewer how we have put these skills into action in the past. STAR, or Situation, Task, Action, and Result, is a structure you can use to answer interview questions, in order to provide specific examples of how you demonstrate the necessary skills in question. Let's break down what STAR means -
S: Situation
This is where you set the scene. Just like any story you're telling, provide some background that will help the interviewer to understand the context.
T: Task
Explain what you were tasked with in this situation. Pro Tip: Do not use "we" language in this interview. They aren't hiring your team, they are hiring YOU! Describe what your role was.
A: Action
This is where you go in-depth about the actions you took in this situation to solve the challenge you were faced with.
R: Result
What good came out of your action? How was this beneficial to the {team, project, situation, crisis, company}?
Example of using the STAR method:
Question: Tell me about a time you had to pivot during a project.
Answer:
S: When I was the Marketing Coordinator for The Taylor Swift Company, we were preparing for an upcoming album launch. The launch had to follow the traditional marketing strategies we've previously used with easter eggs, but have several creative twists to still make it interesting and different.
T: My role was to strategize the easter eggs specifically, and delegate the tasks within the project.
A: I mapped out the Easter Eggs and how they connected, on our Asana project board and then broke them down into steps. From there, I assigned a team member for each based on their unique skill sets.
R: This campaign led to over 10k link clicks, as well as hitting our additional goals and KPIs expected.
Interview Question Examples:
Questions that start with the following are typically great examples of where you can use the STAR method in the interview. Watch out for these keywords so you can accurately describe your impact through the STAR method.
Tell me about a time when you X
Can you provide an example of when you X
Have you ever X
How do you handle a situation where X
Describe a time when X
Ultimately, the key is to confidently present your skills through real scenarios you've experienced. Practice is key! Make sure to have some good examples in mind going into any interview that demonstrate a variety of your skills, and don't be afraid to practice this with a friend before the interview to prepare.
