star interview questions about problem solving

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25 STAR Interview Questions and Best Answers for 2024

star interview questions about problem solving

Are you preparing for a job interview and heard of the STAR interview technique? The STAR interview technique is a powerful tool that can help you give a clear and concise response to behavioral questions. This technique helps you articulate your past experiences and how you dealt with specific scenarios.

The STAR interview technique involves breaking down your response into four key components: Situation, Task, Action, and Result. By following this structure, you can provide a comprehensive answer that showcases your abilities and demonstrates your potential as a candidate.

It’s critical to prepare for a STAR interview as it can be the difference between landing your dream job and missing out on the opportunity. A well-crafted response using the STAR interview technique can leave a positive impression on the interviewer and showcase your capabilities.

In this article, we’ll cover 25 STAR interview questions and provide the best possible answers. By the end, you’ll have a thorough understanding of how to utilize the STAR interview technique and will be better prepared for your next job interview.

Background Information

When it comes to interviewing candidates for a position, hiring managers often use the STAR method to assess their skills and experience. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result, and this method helps to provide a structured approach to interviewing.

Overview of the STAR interview questions and format

The STAR interview format involves asking candidates behavioral questions about specific situations they have been in and how they handled them. The interviewer will ask the candidate to describe a situation, the task they needed to accomplish, the actions they took, and the results they achieved.

For example, a hiring manager might ask a candidate to describe a time when they had to solve a difficult problem at work. The candidate might respond by describing a specific scenario, the steps they took to solve the problem, and the successful outcome that resulted from their efforts.

Differences between STAR interview and other interviews

One of the main differences between the STAR interview and other types of interviews is that it focuses on specific situations rather than hypothetical scenarios. The interviewer is looking for concrete examples of how the candidate has handled challenging situations in the past.

Another difference is that the STAR interview is more structured than other interviews. The interviewer follows a specific format and asks questions in a specific order, which helps to ensure that each candidate is assessed in a consistent and fair manner.

How hiring managers use STAR interviews to assess candidates

Hiring managers use the STAR interview to assess a candidate’s problem-solving skills, communication skills, and ability to work under pressure. By asking candidates to describe specific situations and their response to them, hiring managers can gain a better understanding of how the candidate might handle similar situations in the future.

In addition, the STAR interview helps to provide a clear and concise picture of the candidate’s skills and experience. Each question is designed to reveal specific information about the candidate, which can then be used to make a more informed decision about their suitability for the position.

The STAR interview format is a powerful tool for hiring managers, and understanding how to prepare for and answer STAR interview questions can greatly increase a candidate’s chances of landing their dream job.

Preparation for a STAR Interview

In order to have a successful STAR interview, there are several key preparation steps that you should take. These steps will help you to communicate your experiences and accomplishments effectively, and to stand out as a strong candidate for the job position.

Key Preparation Steps

Review the job description: Review the job description thoroughly in order to understand the key skills and experiences that the interviewer is looking for. Make sure that you are able to speak to those skills and experiences in the STAR interview.

Reflect on your experiences: Reflect on your past experiences and identify examples that demonstrate the skills and experiences listed in the job description. Write down specific examples so that you can easily refer to them during the interview.

Practice: Practice answering STAR interview questions with a friend or family member. This will help you to feel more comfortable during the interview and to deliver your answers with confidence.

Importance of Research

Researching the company and job position is critical for a successful STAR interview. It demonstrates to the interviewer that you are interested and invested in the job and company. Here are some tips for effective research:

Go to the company website: Review the company’s website to understand its mission, values, and culture. Look for any recent news or press releases.

Read reviews: Read reviews on websites like Glassdoor to get an idea of what employees and former employees think of the company.

Research the industry: Research the industry in which the company operates in order to understand the current trends and challenges that the company may be facing.

Effective Communication

Effective communication during a STAR interview is key in order to demonstrate your skills and experiences effectively. Here are some tips for effective communication:

Be concise: Keep your answers concise and to the point. Focus on the key details and don’t get bogged down in unnecessary details.

Be clear: Make sure that your answers are clear and understandable. Use language that is easy to understand and avoid technical jargon.

Be confident: Speak confidently and clearly. Project your voice and maintain eye contact with the interviewer.

By following these preparation steps and communication tips, you can have a successful STAR interview that allows you to showcase your skills and experiences effectively.

STAR Interview Questions and Best Answers

One effective way to prepare for an interview is to familiarize oneself with common interview questions and have a strategy for answering them effectively. In this section, we will discuss common STAR interview questions and how to answer them using the S.T.A.R (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format.

Using the S.T.A.R Format to Answer Interview Questions

When an interviewer asks a behavioral question, such as “Tell me about a time when you had to handle a difficult situation with a customer,” using the S.T.A.R format can be helpful in providing a clear and concise response. This format involves:

S ituation or C ontext (what was the problem, and what was the context?)
T ask or C hallenge (what was your role in the situation?)
A ction (what did you do to address the situation?)
R esult (what was the outcome, and how did you contribute to it?)

By using this format, the interviewee can clearly demonstrate their skills and experience in handling challenges and achieving positive outcomes.

Common STAR Interview Questions and Best Answers

Below are 25 common STAR interview questions and some tips on how to answer them effectively.

Tell me about a time when you had to solve a difficult problem. Use a recent example, explain the problem, your role, and the steps you took to solve it.
Describe a time you had to handle a conflict with a coworker. Show how you maintained professionalism and resolved the issue.
Tell me about a time when you had to lead a team. Give an example of how you motivated and guided the team to reach a goal.
Describe a situation when you had to think on your feet to solve a problem. Explain the emergency or unexpected situation, your role, and the steps you took to solve it.
Tell me about a time when you had to manage a challenging project. Describe the project, your role, and how you managed to complete it successfully.
Describe a situation when you had to adapt to a new situation or unexpected change. Explain the situation, how you adapted to the change, and the outcome.
Tell me about a successful project you delivered on time and within budget. Explain the project, your role, and how you achieved success.
Describe a time when you had to persuade someone to accept your idea. Explain the situation, your idea, and how you convinced the person.
Tell me about a time when you had to learn a new skill or technology. Explain the skill or technology, your motivation to learn it, and how you mastered it.
**Describe a time when you had to resolve a customer complaint.

Skills and Competencies for STAR Interviews

When preparing for a STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) interview, it is important to identify the key soft and hard skills needed for a successful interview.

Soft skills, such as communication, problem-solving, and adaptability, are crucial in demonstrating your ability to work well with others and effectively manage challenging situations. Hard skills, such as technical expertise and industry-specific knowledge, are equally important in showcasing your qualifications for the job.

In addition to identifying these skills, it is important to showcase your technical and non-technical competencies in the interview. This means highlighting your ability to not only perform the required tasks, but also demonstrating how you successfully managed various situations and achieved results.

To effectively showcase your skills and competencies, it is important to answer interview questions in a clear and specific manner. Avoid general and vague responses, as they may not adequately demonstrate your abilities. Instead, use specific examples and quantifiable results to illustrate your accomplishments.

For example, instead of saying that you have “strong communication skills,” give a specific example of a time when you effectively communicated with a difficult coworker, client, or team member. This demonstrated your ability to listen, collaborate, and negotiate effectively.

Being prepared to identify and showcase your key skills and competencies in a STAR interview will help you stand out as a strong candidate for the position.

Handling Difficult STAR Interview Questions

Preparing for a STAR interview is essential, as it helps you put your best foot forward and demonstrate how you’ve used professional and personal experiences to excel in past roles. However, sometimes you may come across difficult questions during your STAR interview.

Preparation strategies for handling challenging STAR interview questions

Preparing for difficult STAR interview questions involves two essential strategies: research and practice.

Before the interview, research the company and position you’re applying for, as well as their core values and goals. This will help you predict potential questions you may face and give you a good idea of how to answer them.

Practicing is another great way to handle difficult STAR interview questions. Research common questions asked during a STAR interview, and practice answering them with a friend or family member. You can also record your answers and observe your body language and tone to identify areas of improvement.

Examples of challenging STAR interview questions and how to approach them

Tell me about a time when there was a conflict with a coworker, and how did you handle it?

This question seeks to know your conflict resolution skills, interpersonal skills, and tactfulness. To approach this question, highlight how you handled the situation calmly and professionally. Use specific examples of how you listened to the other person’s perspective, worked together to find common ground, and resolved the issue respectfully in the end.

What do you do when you face a challenge that you don’t have the skills or experience to handle?

This question seeks to evaluate your adaptability and problem-solving skills. Use this opportunity to demonstrate how you have successfully handled challenges beyond your experience, such as seeking help from mentors or colleagues or engaging in self-education to acquire new skills.

Tell me about a time when you failed to achieve a goal, and how did you overcome it?

This question seeks to know your resilience and tenacity. Be honest about your failure but focus more on how you positively approached the experience. Discuss how you analyzed the failure, learned from your mistakes, and took corrective actions to achieve your goal ultimately.

Importance of maintaining a positive attitude and staying calm during a STAR interview

When answering difficult STAR interview questions, always maintain a positive attitude and stay calm. Ensure you listen to the interviewer’s questions, take a moment to think, and compose yourself before answering. Demonstrate that you can remain calm even when faced with a potentially challenging question.

Remember, employers are looking for the best match for their organization. Maintaining a positive attitude and staying calm during difficult STAR interview questions will give you an edge over other candidates.

Preparing for potentially difficult STAR interview questions through research and practice will help you handle any question with ease. Be confident and maintain a positive attitude, even when faced with challenging interview questions.

Common Mistakes and Pitfalls in STAR Interviews

When it comes to acing a STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) interview, there are a few common mistakes and pitfalls that candidates often fall into. Here are some of the most common ones to watch out for:

Lack of preparation

Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes you can make in a STAR interview is not preparing thoroughly beforehand. Not knowing the job description, company culture, or the specific qualifications of the role you’re applying for can seriously limit your ability to provide strong STAR examples.

Focusing too much on the situation

It’s important to provide context for your STAR examples, but it’s also important not to get bogged down in the details. If you spend too much time describing the situation or task, you risk losing your interviewer’s attention and not being able to fully demonstrate your skills.

Overuse of “we” instead of “I”

While teamwork is important, it’s essential that you can demonstrate your own personal contributions to a successful outcome. Overemphasizing the contributions of the team can make it seem like you were a passive participant and may hurt your chances of being selected for the role.

Poor storytelling skills

The STAR method should be used to create a narrative that shows off your experience, skills, and successes. However, if you are not a good storyteller and have trouble outlining events in a clear and concise way, then the interviewer may struggle to fully understand the points you’re trying to make.

Tips on How to Avoid Common Mistakes and Pitfalls

The good news is that all of these mistakes can be avoided with a little bit of planning and thoughtfulness. Here are some tips to help you avoid these common pitfalls:

Research the company and job description beforehand
Practice your STAR stories ahead of time to ensure they are both concise and engaging
Use “I” instead of “we” when discussing your personal contributions to successful outcomes
Focus on the actions you took and the results you achieved, rather than getting bogged down in the details of the situation

Strategies for Recovering from a Poor Interview Performance

Even with careful preparation, it’s still possible to have difficulty with a STAR interview. If you feel like you didn’t perform your best, don’t panic. Here are some recovery strategies to consider:

Follow up with the interviewer and thank them for their time
Address any concerns you feel came across in your interview in a follow-up email or note
Practice your interview skills and continue to work on your STAR stories to improve for future interviews

By keeping these common mistakes and tips in mind, you can ensure that you’re fully prepared to tackle any STAR interview that comes your way.

After the STAR Interview

Congratulations on completing your STAR interview! Don’t relax just yet; there are still a few critical things you should do to ensure that you make the best impression possible. Below are some essential actions you should take after your STAR interview:

Actions to take post-interview

Reflect on the interview : Take some time to think about the interview questions and your answers. This will help you identify areas that you may want to improve upon or expand upon in future job interviews.

Send a thank-you note : Sending a thank-you note after a STAR interview is not only courteous, but it also helps show your continued interest in the position. Make sure to personalize your message and mention specific things that you discussed during the interview.

Follow up on next steps : If your interviewer provided a timeline for when they will make their decision, follow up after that deadline if you haven’t heard back. This shows your enthusiasm and interest in the position.

How to follow up after a STAR interview

If you haven’t heard back from the interviewer after the timeline provided during the interview, it’s okay to follow up with a polite email . In your email, mention the position and the date of the interview. You can also reiterate your interest in the company and the position.

Answers to frequently asked questions about STAR interviews

Q: Is it okay to use personal stories during a STAR interview?

A: Yes, using personal stories is encouraged as they can make your answers more memorable and engaging. Just make sure that your personal stories are appropriate and relevant to the question asked.

Q: Is it necessary to use the STAR format during the entire interview?

A: No, you don’t have to use the STAR format for every question. It’s best to use it for behavioral questions as it helps you provide a structured and thorough answer.

Q: Can I ask questions during a STAR interview?

A: Absolutely! Asking questions is not only acceptable, but it also shows your interest and enthusiasm for the position. Just make sure to prepare some questions beforehand so that you don’t forget anything important.

Following up after a STAR interview is just as crucial as preparing for the interview. Take the necessary actions after the interview, such as reflecting on the interview, sending a thank-you note, and following up on next steps. Don’t forget to personalize your messages and continue showing interest in the position. Good luck with your job search!

Sample Answers to STAR Interview Questions

In this section, we will provide some sample STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) responses to some common situational interview questions. These examples will help you understand how to structure your answers in a clear and concise manner.

1. Can you tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult customer?

Situation: During my time as a customer service representative at XYZ Company, I had a customer who was extremely unhappy with our services.

Task: My task was to address the customer’s concerns and find a solution that would satisfy both the customer and the company.

Action: I actively listened to the customer’s complaints and empathized with their frustration. I then apologized for any inconvenience the customer experienced and assured them that I would do everything in my power to find a solution. I reviewed the customer’s account and identified the root cause of the problem. I then collaborated with my team to come up with the best solution for the customer.

Result: By taking the time to listen to the customer and providing a solution that addressed their concerns, I was able to satisfy the customer and retain their business. The customer left a positive review and referred other customers to our company.

Explanation

This STAR response is effective because it clearly outlines the situation, task, action, and result. The candidate identifies the customer’s concerns and shows empathy, which is an essential quality of excellent customer service. The candidate also demonstrates problem-solving skills by collaborating with their team to come up with a solution.

2. Can you describe a situation where you had to work under pressure?

Situation: During my time as a project manager, I had a critical project with a tight deadline.

Task: My task was to ensure that the project was completed on time and within the budget.

Action: I immediately created a detailed project plan that broke down the tasks into smaller, manageable sections. I then delegated tasks to my team and monitored their progress to ensure that we were on track to meet our deadline. I also identified potential risks and developed contingency plans to mitigate them.

Result: By taking a proactive approach to project management, I was able to complete the project on time and within budget. The project was well-received by our stakeholders, and we received positive feedback on our team’s performance.

This STAR response is effective because it demonstrates the candidate’s ability to handle high-pressure situations. The candidate showcased their ability to manage projects effectively by breaking down tasks and delegating responsibilities. The candidate also showed excellent problem-solving skills by identifying potential risks and developing contingency plans. Finally, the candidate highlights the positive outcome of the project, which establishes their ability to produce successful results even under pressure.

These sample answers to common situational-based questions using the STAR method showcase the importance of effectively communicating your skills and experiences during an interview.

Tips for Practicing and Mastering STAR Interviews

Are you preparing for a STAR interview? Here are some tips for developing effective responses to STAR interview questions, practicing delivering responses, and building self-confidence:

Strategies for Developing Effective Responses to STAR Interview Questions

Research the company’s values, mission, and culture. This will help you identify the skills and experiences they value in employees.
Review the job description and identify the key responsibilities and qualifications. Think about how your past experiences can demonstrate your ability to meet those criteria.
Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses. Be specific about the situation or task, the actions you took, and the results you achieved. Avoid generalizations.
Use examples from your past experiences that demonstrate your ability to solve problems, work collaboratively, and adapt to change.
Practice active listening during the interview. Repeat the question to make sure you understand it and take a moment to think before responding.

How to Practice Delivering Responses to STAR Interview Questions

Write out your responses to common STAR interview questions. Use the STAR method to structure your responses.
Practice saying your responses out loud. This will help you identify areas where you could improve your delivery or make your responses more concise.
Record yourself using a webcam or audio recorder. This will allow you to review your responses and identify areas where you could improve your delivery, intonation, or body language.
Practice with a friend or mentor. Ask them to give you feedback on your responses and delivery.

Advice on How to Build Self-Confidence for a STAR Interview

Prepare thoroughly. The more prepared you are, the more confident you will feel. Research the company, review the job description and practice your responses to common STAR interview questions.
Use positive self-talk. Remind yourself of your accomplishments and strengths. Tell yourself that you are qualified for the job and that you have valuable experiences to share.
Visualize success. Imagine yourself doing well in the interview, answering questions confidently, and impressing the interviewer.
Practice relaxation techniques. Deep breathing, meditation or visualization can help calm your nerves and boost your confidence. Take deep breaths before the interview, visualize a calm and positive experience or meditate regularly to reduce stress and improve focus.

By following these tips, you can maximize your chances of success in a STAR interview and impress your potential employer with your skills and experience. Good luck!

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30 star interview method questions to prepare for

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Almost every job interview has a set of behavioral questions. They usually start with “Tell me about a time when…” and they can catch job seekers off guard if they’re unprepared.

The good news? There’s a secret recipe that’ll help you prepare for and ace these tricky questions.

Known as the STAR interview method, this technique is a way of concisely answering certain job interview questions using specific, real-life examples.

For example, say your interviewer asks you to describe a time you performed under pressure. Using the STAR technique, you can prove you’re able to perform well under pressure by giving an example from your past experiences.

Let’s explore what the STAR method is, how to prepare for a behavioral question, and how you can use this technique to help you land your next job.

What is the STAR interview method?

The STAR method is a technique used to answer behavioral interview questions in a structured and compelling way. Behavioral questions prompt job candidates to give specific examples of how they’ve handled past situations or challenges.

These are questions like:

Tell me about a time you had to pivot part of the way through a project.
How do you handle collaborative workstreams?

It can be challenging to share a cohesive example on the spot. But with the right preparation and a STAR interview structure, you can have some answers ready to go.

The acronym STAR stands for –– situation , task , action , result :

Situation : Set the scene by briefly describing the situation, challenge, or event you faced.
Task : Explain what your responsibilities were in that situation. What role did you play?
Action : Describe what steps you took to overcome the challenge or address the situation
Result : Share what you achieved through your actions.

Each pillar helps you tell an in-depth yet short story with a beginning, middle, and end.

25 examples of STAR interview questions

But how do you know when it’s the right time to use the STAR format during an interview?

It’s simple: be on the lookout for behavioral questions. They usually start with prompts like these:

Tell me about a time …
Share an example of a time…
Describe a time when…
Have you ever…
Do you usually…

Here are a few specific examples of behavioral interview questions to answer with the STAR method:

Have you ever had to develop a new skill on the job? Tell me about your approach to the learning process.
Describe a time when you had a tight deadline to meet. How did you get things done?
Have you ever had a direct disagreement with your manager ? How did you handle that situation?
Tell me about one of your proudest professional accomplishments.
Describe a time you motivated your team to achieve results. What was your approach?
How do you go about setting team goals ?
Give me an example of a time when you failed to hit your goals. How did you respond and what did you do?
Have you ever had to push back on a key stakeholder? What did that interaction look like?
Describe the projects you typically enjoy most.
Share an example of a time when you had to shift priorities quickly. How did you handle that situation?
Have you ever managed an employee who wasn’t hitting the mark ? How did you handle the situation?
Share an example of a time when you went above and beyond what is expected of your role.
Share an example of a project you needed buy-in from various stakeholders to complete.
Explain a situation where you overcame a challenge at work.
Tell me about a time when you had to navigate changes at work.
Describe a time when you had to motivate your peers. How did you do it and what was the outcome?
Tell me about the last project you owned and were really proud of.
Share a time when things did not go your way. How did you respond and what did you learn?
Share an example of a time when you were under immense pressure at work. How did you handle the situation?
Tell me about a time when you surprised yourself.
Have you ever spent too much time on a project? How did you recover?
Describe a time when you helped a coworker achieve their goals.
Give me an example of a time when you performed well under pressure.
Tell me about a time when you had to make a tough decision.
Tell me about a time when you made the wrong decision.

These questions can be challenging if you’re caught unprepared. The STAR interview method helps you prepare and deliver a compelling story that will satisfy the interviewer’s questions and demonstrate why you’re the right person for the role.

How to use the STAR method in an interview

Let’s learn how to use each pillar of the STAR technique to deliver a compelling and structured response to any behavioral or situational interview question .

1. Situation: Set the stage

Begin answering the question by giving your interviewer context around the specific situation or challenge you faced.

Try to limit this part to only a few sentences to set the scene. The bulk of your answer should focus on your actions and results.

Make sure the situation you’ve chosen clearly demonstrates the skill or capability you’re being asked about and is complex enough for the role you’re interviewing for.

For example, if it’s a more senior role, choose a situation that involves high stakes and demonstrates your expertise.

2. Task: Explain where you fit in

Describe the task you had to complete and what your involvement was.

Similar to the situation portion of your answer, this part should also be brief and to the point. For example, it can be a simple sentence like this one:

“As the customer experience manager, it was my responsibility to resolve the client’s concern at the first point of contact.”

3. Action: Describe each step

This is the most important part of your answer because it’s your opportunity to showcase your capabilities. The hiring manager doesn’t just want to hear what you’ve accomplished but how you’ve accomplished it.

Explain what steps you took to overcome the challenge or reach your goal. Be as specific as possible, describe each step in detail, and avoid vague statements like “I worked really hard.”

Keep the focus on yourself when answering the question. Use “I” statements and talk about what you specifically did, not what was accomplished as a team.

4. Results: Impress with your achievements

This is the time to share the results of your actions with your potential employer. What positive impact were you able to achieve? How did you resolve the situation?

Make sure the outcome is always a positive one. For example, even if you’re asked to describe a time you made a mistake, you should focus on what you learned from the experience.

Employers love to see measurable results, so don’t forget to quantify your results when you can or back them up with concrete examples.

young-woman-in-online-meeting-star-interview-questions

5 example STAR interview questions and answers

Here are some examples of STAR interview questions and answers to help you ace your next opportunity.

1. Give me an example of a goal you’ve set and how you achieved it.

The scope of this behavioral question is to determine how you set goals and what steps you take to make sure you meet your objectives.

Situation: When I first transitioned into a sales role at company X, I was a bit shy of meeting my first-quarter sales target.

Task: This motivated me to not only meet my sales target during my second quarter but exceed it.

Action: I broke my goal down into smaller weekly goals and changed my sales strategy. I leveraged social selling to find new customers and develop relationships with them. I also asked my sales manager to coach me on my closing techniques and objection handling.

Result: With this new strategy, I exceeded my sales target by 10%.

2. Tell me about a time you failed. How did you handle it?

Being honest about a time you failed shows you have integrity. Just remember to focus on what you learned from the experience.

Situation: Shortly after I was promoted to senior project manager, I was in charge of leading a project for a major client. This project would typically take about a month to complete, but the client was in a rush and asked if I could have it ready in three weeks.

Task: Excited that it was my first project, I agreed. Shortly after, I realized I'd need a bit more time to finish it and deliver quality work.

Action: I reached out to the client right away and apologized. I also asked for a three-day extension, and they were generous enough to extend the deadline.

Result: I managed to finish the project and deliver it before the extended deadline. However, I learned to manage my time better and never overpromise on something I can’t deliver.

3. Can you describe a time people didn’t see things your way?

Behavioral questions worded this way are tricky. Author Mak Murphy explains that these questions don’t give away the “correct answer” to see if you reveal your true attitude.

In this case, what the question is trying to ask is, “Describe a time you successfully persuaded someone to see things your way.”

Situation: I recently led a brainstorming session . The purpose of this session was to create a brand awareness campaign for a product my company was launching.

Task: One of my teammates and I disagreed on what direction we should take for the campaign. I wanted to focus more on maximizing social media presence, and he wanted to go the brand partnership route.

Action: I asked my colleague to have a one-on-one meeting with me. I asked him to share his ideas and perspective. After listening and offering constructive criticism and feedback , I shared my ideas.

Result: The conversation helped me see blind spots in my strategy and improve it. I also persuaded my coworker to get on board with my strategy by explaining its rationale. As a result, I merged our ideas and created a successful brand awareness campaign. Our social media engagement and website traffic both saw an increase of over 40%.

4. Tell me about a time when you worked well with a team.

Teamwork skills, particularly remote teamwork skills, are one of the top competencies that employers are looking for .

Situation: In my previous job as an event coordinator, I worked with a team of five to plan and execute company events and conferences. Last year, we collaborated on the company’s annual holiday party for over 500 employees.

Task: There were so many moving pieces. Everyone on our team had different responsibilities, but we all had to work as one unit to bring the party to life.

Action: Even though I was the most junior person on the team, I organized a project management system that would allow us to check in with each other daily. They’d never done this before, but everyone loved the virtual task-tracking features.

Result: Thanks to the new system, our team meetings were far more productive and we ended up ahead of schedule. Ultimately, our team’s collaboration led to what our CEO called the best holiday party he had ever attended.

5. Can you share a time when you’ve had to juggle multiple priorities at work?

Situation: While working as a client success manager at a tech company, one of my colleagues left the company for a new opportunity. My manager asked me to take on some of her responsibilities.

Task: I had to reprioritize my own clients and projects to make room for her most important ones. It was overwhelming at first, with so many tasks to juggle and my unfamiliarity with my colleague’s book of business.

Action: I worked through my responsibilities and reprioritized them based on the company’s goals, my availability, and other factors (with a bit of input from my manager). I also came up with ways to automate certain tasks to free up more of my time.

Result: Thanks to new automation efforts and successful prioritizing, none of our clients realized that there had been an internal shift at the company. Our team’s high quality of service was maintained — and I became more efficient in the process .

Why should I use the STAR method?

It’s easy to get overwhelmed during an interview and forget everything you’ve prepared. The STAR framework is a simple way to provide a good answer, even when you’re feeling nervous.

But the reasons for using the STAR interview technique go further than that. For one, today’s job market is stronger than ever . A quick search through LinkedIn will show you that there are endless opportunities available for candidates.

But that doesn't mean it’s easy to land your dream job. In fact, recent research has shown that remote and hybrid jobs are receiving seven times the applicants as in-person positions .

Standing out during the interview process is key to landing a more flexible, higher-paying, or otherwise better-fitting job. The STAR method is here to help you build your communication skills , tell your authentic story, and ace your next interview .

woman-being-interviewed-star-interview-method

How do I prepare for STAR interview questions?

Acing STAR interview questions is all about preparation and practice. The more you prepare, the better equipped you’ll be to use this technique to your advantage.

Here’s what you need to do before each interview .

1. Highlight the skills and experience required for the role

Take time to look over the job description and highlight the transferable skills and experience you need to succeed in the role. Recruiters will tailor their behavioral questions to find out if you have the right skills for the job.

If the role you’re interviewing for requires problem-solving skills , for example, you may be asked something like, “Tell me about a time you faced an unexpected challenge at work. How did you overcome it?”

2. Reflect on previous achievements and wins

Using the STAR method, write down specific examples of situations where you demonstrated the competencies relevant to the role you’re interviewing for.

Your answers should provide concrete and verifiable evidence that shows how you dealt with challenges in the past. Avoid vague statements and walk the interviewer through the specific steps you took to achieve your desired result.

3. Practice your answers

Simulating a real interview will help you feel more prepared and confident. Plus, practicing with a friend can offer you a fresh perspective and tell you what’s working and what isn’t.

Even if you’re practicing on your own, answer the questions out loud. The more comfortable you get vocalizing your answers, the more natural you’ll sound during the interview.

4. Get ready for common behavioral questions

Review common behavioral interview questions and use the STAR technique to answer them. Common STAR interview method questions focus on soft skills like communication, collaboration , leadership behaviors , or problem-solving.

For instance, you may be asked to describe a time you disagreed with a team member or talk about a time you resolved a work-related conflict . Both questions assess your communication, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills.

More tips to ace your STAR interview

Ready to put the STAR interview technique into practice? Here are some key takeaways to keep in mind:

Use the STAR method to answer behavioral questions, like “Can you share a time when…”
STAR stands for situation, task, action, and result and is meant to help you structure your answers to those questions.
The benefit of the STAR method is that it should help you provide clear and concise answers — be specific, but don’t get caught up in the details.
You can prepare to use the STAR method by reflecting on past accomplishments that are relevant to the role you’re interviewing for.
Don’t forget to practice your answers ahead of time!

Mastering the STAR interview method

This simple yet powerful method will help you ace your next interview by delivering compelling answers that show employers you’re the right person for the job.

If you’re planning your next career move, BetterUp can help. Our world-class coaches offer guidance and support to help you during this transition.

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Chris Helvajian

Chris Helvajian is a talent acquisition leader with more than a decade of experience in talent acquisition. He's passionate about creating scalable solutions to resolve recruiting problems at their root. His golden thread is "connecting people to opportunity." Chris is currently a recruiter at BetterUp and received his MBA at Chapman University.

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The STAR Method Interview Questions + Answers and Examples (2024 Guide)

The STAR Method Answers to Competency Interview Questions

Understand Competency Based Interview Questions and learn how to use the STAR Method to answer any Competency and Behaviour question like a pro!

Have you been asked STAR interview questions at a competency or behaviour style interview and failed to answer successfully?

Don’t worry you are not alone.

We have been coaching clients to success in job interviews for the past 18 years and we see so many candidates who struggle to give top scoring answers to these tough interview questions.

As we will see below there is a range of reasons for this however the most important fault is lack of structure. In this guide we will show you some tough competency STAR interview questions and we teach you all about the STAR method, a powerful and well recognised technique for answering not just competency but any interview question like an expert.

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Why do so Many People Struggle When Answering STAR Interview Questions?

What is the star method for answering interview questions.

How to Use the STAR Method to Make Your Answers Really Stand Out
2 Key Factors That Make a Good Answer Great
Tips on Choosing Examples for Your STAR Answer
Sample STAR Answer to Inspire Your Interview Success

STAR Method Example for Problem Solving Competency

Remember: You Must Include the Correct Behaviours in Your STAR Answer

7 Key Strategies to Keep in Mind When Answering STAR Interview Questions

How to Answer Any STAR Interview Question With 100% Confidence

The STAR Method is a simple way to structure answers to competency and behavioural interview questions. It stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result and is a widely accepted format to present your examples and stories when being interviewed. We go into this in more detail below.

You may come across the phrase STAR interview questions however in practice these are the same as competency based or behaviour questions and are phrased in the same way. They simply ask you to provide details of a past action, task or performance and your interviewing panel will listen for phrases and keywords to demonstrate what they call ‘positive behaviours’.

Here is a selection of some difficult STAR interview questions taken from the InterviewGold online training system. Take a few moments and see how you would answer, what examples would you use?

1. Describe a time when your leadership skills made a difference. (Leadership Get Answer )

2. Tell us about a change you made which resulted in an improved customer experience. (Changing and Improving Get Answer )

3. Talk me through a time when you had to communicate to a large group. Tell me how did you get your message across effectively? (Communication Get Answer )

4. Give me an example of a time when you showed initiative at work. (Achieving Results Get Answer )

5. Describe a time when you had to make rapid changes to your plans so as to complete an important task on time. (Planning and Organising Get Answer )

6. Tell me about a time you used your political know how and expertise to initiate a difficult project. (Delivering at Pace Get Answer )

7. Talk me through a situation which shows your ability to make optimum use of the resources available to you while delivering top quality service to your clients. (Managing a Quality Service Get Answer )

8. Tell me about a coaching or mentoring strategy you designed and introduced. What part did you play and what was the outcome? (Leadership Get Answer )

9. Describe a time when you successfully challenged someone whose views you knew were incorrect. Tell me what happened and how you convinced them to accept your opinion. (Accountability and Professionalism Get Answer )

These STAR interview questions explore whether you bring the correct positive behaviours to the role, whether you have demonstrated them before or if not if you have taken steps to acquire them.

You may typically be asked follow up questions such as ‘ What have you learned from this experience? ’ or ‘ What would you do differently next time ?’

In terms of answers to STAR interview questions, you must use the STAR method and below you will learn more about it and how this powerful formula can bring professional structure to your interview answers.

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A competency or behaviour is a skill or ability that is required in order to carry out the role and forms the Person Specification, which will accompany the Job Description. Many will be the same across various levels within an organisation but the depth of experience required and complexity within each will increase the higher the role. There are a limited number of these although they may be called different names by different organisations.

For example, in the Civil Service Success Profiles framework you will come across a behaviour / competency called Making Effective Decisions. This may be referred to as simply Decision Making by other organisations however it is the same thing.

Other common competencies are Leadership, Communicating, Collaborating and Partnering (Team Work), Managing a Quality Service, Managing Successful Relationships, Delivering at Pace, Changing and Improving.

Employers Love STAR Competency Interview Questions – Why is that?

Put simply they remove the risk of bias.

In the past managers would often hire based on gut-feeling . They might give the job to someone based on how they looked or dressed or how they spoke. While there still remains a risk of human bias Competency Interviewing reduces this dramatically.

In addition, past behaviour is taken as an indicator of future performance . In other words, if you have successfully done it once, you can do it again. Employers believe that they get more qualified candidates who will perform better in the role.

There is so much advice out there now both online and offline; videos, blogs, books etc.

And yet why do so many people get answering these questions wrong?

We constantly see clients who come to us for interview coaching and who have had poor experiences in a competency interview.

Quite often a client will have had feedback saying that their answers were not detailed enough . They are surprised by this because they will have talked and talked in the interview so how can they not have given enough detail?

Other will have prepared and yet are stumped because the questions they prepared for don’t come up exactly as they planned. They get asked the question in a different format and just go blank.

However the top problem we see is poor structure and this is where the STAR method comes into play.

Put simply the STAR technique is a way to structure your answer. It is recommended for use by most organisations including Government, Civil Service, banks and the NHS.

S.T.A.R. stands for Situation + Task + Action + Result

Start by describing the SITUATION you were involved in. You can use an example from your current or previous job, education, personal experience or any relevant event. Always choose the most appropriate and business orientated example you have and one that best fits the role for which you are being interviewed. Choose an example that allows you to demonstrate the significance of your experience, the most difficult, complex, largest and successful problem, situation or task that you then successfully resolved. Give enough detail for the interviewer to understand what was involved but no more than a few sentences. Include your role, the organisation and when the example took place.

Briefly describe what you were tasked with, your responsibilities and assignments for the situation, the objectives and desired outcomes. Once again a sentence or two is sufficient.

This will be the section that the interviewer is most interested in and you should detail the actions you took to resolve the problem, situation or task. Describe all of the actions, detailing each stage and in the correct, logical order showing your thought processes, how you reached your conclusions and the steps you completed.

This is the most important part of your answer, because it allows you to highlight in detail what your response was and to clearly show your skills in a real-life scenario.

Remember they want to know about the actions you took , so if you are discussing a group project or task, describe what you did rather than the achievements of the team.

You may feel as if you are being overly descriptive but this is necessary in order to demonstrate that you have the experience of the action you are describing; do not assume that the interviewer will guess or infer what you did merely from your describing the context.

The Result is the second most important part of your answer as a successful outcome proves that your actions were effective. Refer back to the Task, making sure that the intended outcomes match the actual Result. Talk about what you accomplished, what you delivered in terms of benefit, what you learnt and if appropriate, what you would do differently next time.

Give evidence to prove success and this can be in the form of figures or numbers, anything that will show just what a winning outcome you delivered. Third party feedback is another great token of evidence so mention positive feedback you received from your manager, team or others.

Finally, talk about what you learned and how this learning will help you in the job being recruited for.

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How to use the star method to make your interview answers really stand out.

Here’s a secret – it’s all in the Story!

Would you read a book that was boring? No, probably not and you would not recommend it to your friends.

And how many pages would you read before you concluded it was boring? Some might persevere to the end, but most would give up after maybe 20 or 30 pages.

The point I am trying to make is that your answer, your story must be gripping and it must grab the attention of the Interviewers in the first few sentences.

2 Key Factors That Make a Good Interview Answer Great

Almost all Competency Based and Behavioural Interview Questions ask you to provide an example that details a situation you have taken part in.

As straightforward a request as this is, not being prepared with a solid example may cause you to ramble, which could result in a poor score.

The best and most effective way to deliver a high scoring competency interview answer depends on:

Choosing the right structure
Choosing the right example

As regards the right structure we have looked at using the STAR method above. In the InterviewGold online training system we teach two other formulas, the IPAR and CARL methods, both of which are powerful techniques which you an use an an alternative to STAR.

Tips on Choosing Examples for Your STAR Interview Answer

Choosing the right example is vital. It must be relevant and real and here are our top tips:

Relevant: Make sure that the example is relevant to the role for which you are being interviewed and clearly relates to the competency being explored. For example, if talking about Making Effective Decisions you should make specific reference to what the decision was, what data you gathered and used, what process you followed and how you met the objectives successfully while dealing with obstacles.

Complex: The task or project must be sufficiently complex for the role. It should also have been long enough in duration and complex enough in terms of actions completed to adequately demonstrate the skills required at this level. Choose one where you had to use other competencies at the same time. In addition make sure that you can talk about problems or obstacles overcome.

Impact: Choose an example with impact in terms of scale, reach, growth, results delivered or improvement made.

Not sure what examples to talk about in your STAR interview answers? InterviewGold gives you detailed lessons with lots of ideas of examples to choose.

Sample STAR Interview Answer to Inspire Your Interview Success

So let’s look at how to use the STAR method in a practical example. We will choose the Problem Solving competency however the method can be used for any competency or skill. Use this example to inspire your own interview answers; think about your own situation and the role you are being interview for and search for relevant and real examples you can use.

How would you answer the question? Can you think of any examples of when you used these skills successfully?

Keep in mind that your answer should be told in a story format to keep the interviewer’s interest. Here is an example situation forming part of an answer using the STAR method.

Competency Question: Tell me about a time when you used your initiative to resolve a complex problem. What was involved and what actions did you take?

Last year while working as Customer Focus Manager with ABC Products Ltd in London, I successfully implemented a new process which reduced the time taken to process customer refunds from 14 days to 2 days, saving over £100,000 annually in agent time and gaining a 50% uplift in customer approval ratings.

In that single opening they are hooked, they know what your story is about, they know you have done something great and they want to hear more.

The next part of the answer is the Task and this should be summarised in no more than 1 or 2 sentences.

Our customer refund process was taking 14 days and was using up an excessive amount of agent time and resources. I was tasked with reducing this to 2 days with the added benefit of saving time and resources.

That’s all they need to know – no more.

I initiated the project by firstly clearly defining the objectives and the procedures.

I completed a walk-through of the existing system and identified where problems were occurring.

I interviewed the agents involved to gather their input into both the current system and their ideas of what they thought would work well. I believed this to be vital as I knew I needed to get them on my side in order to implement the new process.

With all that knowledge, I designed a new process and created a brief that both analysed the problem and outlined the potential benefits of the new process. I then forwarded this to four software companies who specialise in the system we needed.

I considered their alternative approaches and compared each in terms of cost and ease of functionality, discussing with the agents. After having a demonstration and on hands testing, I selected our preferred supplier.

After presentation and consultation with my management team I organised a project team tasked with implementing this new system.

I set up a process for internal and external feedback and communication, ensuring that everyone involved was on board and up to speed.

Throughout, I successfully managed the team members, updated and revised project milestones as necessary and in the end delivered a system that performed superbly.

We always like to see some numbers which demonstrate the scale of the project. So you can simply repeat the outcome that you used in your Introduction as this emphasis the great success you had.

I was very pleased with the outcome. I reduced the time taken to process customer refunds from 14 days to 2 days, saving over £100,000 annually in agent time. It was also a great result from the customers point of view and we gained a 50% uplift in customer approval ratings for the team. Even more pleasing was the fact that the Board of Directors awarded me a prize for top performing team leader as a result of this project.

As you can see this answer is punchy, exciting and demonstrates more clearly the actions completed in a step by step way.

Get Your STAR Examples

With InterviewGold’s advanced Answer Builder, you get detailed STAR interview examples tailored to you and your target job.

Remember: You Must Include the Correct Behaviours in Your STAR Interview Answer

When creating interview answers using the STAR method keep in mind that the other key feature of Competency Based Interviews is that your answers will be scored against pre–determined results. These are called Behaviours and can be positive and negative. For example, looking at Communication skills, the positive behaviours the interviewer will look for may include:

Develops messages using structure and logical order
Tailors content of messages to meet the needs and interests of the audience
Conveys messages in a clear and concise manner in language appropriate to the receiver
Checks understanding of the audience and adapts messages and tone accordingly
Uses most effective channels as appropriate to the situation

STAR method behaviours for Leadership for example will require you to show an ability to be a role model, to engage with your team effectively and to promote inclusivity and diversity. Ultimately you will need to show that you have inspired and motivated those around you to achieve goals both within your department and outside.

1. Use Real Examples

When considering how to answer, I strongly recommend using authentic examples from your past experiences, as opposed to giving a fabricated or made up account.

2. Avoid Stock Answers

It is tempting to use a competency answer from a book or online and pass it off as your own. I strongly recommend against this. Instead, use the methods and advice outlined here to develop your own personal answers. This will help you avoid a potentially awkward situation during your interview, should you be asked to elaborate on a particular point.

3. Keep it Relevant

You should also take great care to ensure that your answers are relevant to the question being asked. They need to contain a sufficient amount of detail. Show a strong command of the core competency and clearly demonstrate that you are skilled at using it.

4. Check the Job Description and Person Specification

Study the job description and person specification thoroughly so that you completely grasp exactly what core competencies are essential to the position. Use this information to develop and rehearse relevant examples of past situations where you applied these skills.

5. It’s all about I

Always make liberal use of ‘I’. In fact, every one of your answers should be in the first person; always choose ‘I’ over ‘we,’ even in cases where you are discussing a past team collaboration.

6. Review your CV

Carefully examine your resume / curriculum vitae to fully prepare your responses, and devise competency interview answers which correspond to your highlights and achievements. Doing this will provide you with plenty of useful information that you can then use effectively no matter what type of competency question you are asked.

7. Get Jotting

Even making a bulleted list in advance as opposed to devising full answers can be helpful. This will ensure your examples will be fresh and at the forefront of your thoughts during the interview.

Answer Any STAR Competency Interview Question With 100% Confidence

Are you struggling with competency or behavioural interviews? Unsure what to say in your STAR interview answers? Getting tongue tied, going blank and unsure how to answer correctly?

It’s time to stop worrying. With InterviewGold’s powerful ANSWER BUILDER you will have perfectly structured STAR interview answers written for you with just a few clicks.

Just enter your target job and a few details about your task and in minutes you will have a perfect answer for your application or interview.

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20 STAR interview questions and answers for hiring expert talent

Complement star interviews with testgorilla's pre-employment tests.

The STAR method is a popular interview technique that allows candidates to answer questions in greater detail. It requires them to share work experiences by structuring responses into four parts: the situation, task, action, and results achieved.

Answers containing these four components have a stronger narrative that helps you better understand the candidate’s level of expertise.

Many recruiters incorporate the STAR method into behavioral questions, to prompt candidates to provide an example and detailed reason in their answers. And before you conduct these interviews, you can send candidates a Critical Thinking test to evaluate their thought processes in more depth.

But if you’re at the stage where you need to prepare for candidate interviews, keep reading this guide to discover 20 STAR method interview questions and answers. We have provided sample answers that follow the STAR format for each question.

1. tell me about a time when you faced a challenge. how did you solve it, 2. how do you usually resolve conflict at work, 3. talk me through the process of meeting a tight deadline. , 4. how do you deal with team members who aren’t contributing to a project, 5. how do you overcome sudden changes in the workplace, 6. tell me about a time your team wasn’t listening to your ideas. , 7. what is your process for fixing mistakes at work, 8. what is your process for fixing mistakes at work, 9. how do you use communication skills to lead a group presentation, 10. describe a time when you had to make quick changes to a project. how did you manage it, 11. how do you set long-term career goals, 12. have you ever had to develop new skills in a job, 13. tell me how you would resolve a disagreement with your boss., 14. describe a time you failed to meet your goals. how did you handle it, 15. how would you manage multiple priorities when other team members can’t, 16. how do you handle pressure during a large project, 17. tell me about a time when you had to share bad news with team members., 18. how would you collaborate with other departments, 19. how do you motivate others on the team, 20. talk me through the steps needed to start a project., at which stage of the hiring process should you use star interview questions, hire top talent using star method interview questions and skills assessments .

This question deliberately sets up an answer that follows the STAR method . Candidates should think of challenges they faced in previous jobs and what they did to overcome them. When responding, candidates should focus on tasks and actions that demonstrate their best skills.

Situation: A challenge could involve tight deadlines on a team project.

Task: Focusing on time management and organization ensures your candidates prioritize the right deadlines for the company.

Action: Listed top-priority deadlines and focus on completing those before doing smaller tasks that require less time.

Result: The team completed all projects without missing a day. This result made the client extremely satisfied.

Your applicant should emphasize their problem-solving and communication skills when answering this question. They can explain the conflict and provide examples that illustrate how they resolved it with other team members.

Consider sending candidates a Problem-Solving test before the interview. This assessment enables you to evaluate their responses to complex situations in the workplace.

Situation : A team member disagreed with an idea for the project and started expressing negative emotions.

Task : Talk to the team member and negotiate potential ideas that suit everyone.

Action : Arranged a 10-minute meeting to discuss the conflict. The team member listened and shared their thoughts on the project. Both parties made a plan that turned all ideas into one final proposition.

Result: The team felt more comfortable now that the conflict was over, meaning everyone could get started on the project.

Candidates will have unique responses depending on their thought processes and work style. Starting the question with “talk me through” ensures the candidate states each step clearly in their answer. When providing an answer, they should describe how they dealt with a pressing deadline in a previous job.

Using the Time Management test to evaluate your candidates’ organizational skills and ability to execute tasks efficiently is worthwhile if you require extra data for candidate assessment.

Situation : A long-term client suddenly brings a project deadline forward.

Task : To meet the tight deadline, team members must split duties evenly and prioritize the project above other tasks.

Action : Each team member used company resources and group meetings to speed up project development and meet the new deadline.

Result: The company delivered a high-quality project to the client without delays.

In response to this question, interviewees should be honest about their thoughts and attitudes toward other team members who aren’t putting in the effort. They might focus on how communication skills helped them express their opinions without being negative.

Send them a Communication Skills test before the interview for more insight into the candidate’s abilities. With data-driven results, you can assess their written and verbal communication.

Situation : One team member on the marketing team isn’t doing much research for the project.

Task : Arrange a meeting with the team member to discuss their tasks and ask if they need support.

Action : Talked to the team member about their lack of contribution and whether they require guidance from a manager. They also had an opportunity to express any concerns regarding the project.

Result: Once the team completed more tasks to the highest standard, all team members were more motivated and productive.

A candidate who can adapt to change is more likely to succeed during company or industry developments. For example, transitioning to another software program can be challenging for some, but adaptable workers quickly learn how to use the new technology. Research also suggests that recruiters are 24% more likely to employ candidates with adaptability skills.

Ask this question to determine whether candidates can adapt to new processes in a work environment.

Situation: The company implemented a new payroll system that HR professionals had to learn quickly.

Task: Watch training videos on the new system and attend meetings to learn about payroll technology.

Action: Employees used practical examples and conversed with technical professionals on how to use basic features. They also attended instructor-led classes to test more advanced components of the software.

Result: Team members in HR could efficiently administer payroll through the new software program.

Candidates who feel confident voicing their ideas will contribute more to a project. They may want to share their creativity with others and bring something new to the table. Even if some candidates don’t have experience dealing with distant team members, they can still provide an example of what they would do in that situation.

Send your candidates a Verbal Reasoning test to determine how they express their ideas to other team members. This assessment is suitable for candidates with strong communication skills.

Situation: Team members weren’t taking ideas on board when negotiating concepts during project planning.

Task: Arrange a meeting with the team members to ensure everyone gets heard.

Action: Explained the reasoning behind specific ideas and created a plan that allowed all team members to contribute.

Result: Every team member voiced their opinion, which produced better results in the final project.

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To be able to improve, need to learn how to fix mistakes in every job. They should have a clear and consistent thought process that helps them to resolve human errors and prevent them from reoccurring.

The best responses will provide clear examples and explain successful outcomes from the action.

Situation: A written project included the wrong spelling of a brand.

Task: Go through the project and resolve these mistakes. Once the brand name is correct, let another team member check it.

Action: Corrected the mistakes in the written project and enhanced the article quality to ensure the client was satisfied. The company also provided more grammar-related software programs to prevent this mistake from reoccurring.

Result: The client was happy with the outcome, and the company didn’t experience similar mistakes again.

By creating strategic plans, individuals are more likely to achieve their goals. With a plan prepared, candidates have a clear idea of how to accomplish the company’s objectives.

You could send each candidate a 16 Types Personality test to understand their personal work style and how they create strategies to achieve goals.

Situation: One short-term goal is to meet 60,000 words a month for a project.

Task: Focus on setting small daily goals and practice time management to boost the word count.

Action: Completed 3,000 words a day while taking regular breaks. This approach eliminated bad habits like zoning out and procrastinating during work hours.

Result: Completed 60,000 words in the month and finished the project a few days before the deadline.

Candidates need strong communication skills to succeed in a team-based role. They should know about several communication types regarding efficient collaboration in the workplace. Their answer will be unique depending on how they lead presentations and interact with the entire team.

Studies prove that nearly half of employees feel less productive due to ineffective communication . Therefore, candidates with good workplace communication skills are a big advantage.

Situation: The presentation is about new project ideas. Every team member needs to express their thoughts to the managerial department.

Task: Arrange meetings with the team members beforehand to determine who leads the presentation and how they want to communicate ideas.

Action: Took the lead on the main content to ensure the presentation was cohesive and coherent. Other team members maintained the same tone of voice throughout the project pitch.

Result: In response to the presentation, the manager accepted the team’s new ideas.

Candidates should expect sudden changes in a job. Industries are constantly changing and many organizations introduce new technology in line with the latest trends. If they already have experience with similar developments, it’s worth questioning applicants further.

You could ask how they adapted to sudden changes and what skills they used to complete the project efficiently.

Situation: A client requested a word-count increase for their latest project.

Task: Figure out how many words to write each day to meet the word count. Talk with other team members about their ideas.

Action: Prioritized the project above anything else and dedicated a few hours daily to increasing the word count. The entire team contributed some words to ensure the project met the highest standard.

Result: The client was pleased with the new content and extended their contract with the company.

Personal development goals enable candidates to improve their workplace and interpersonal skills. With their goals established, individuals can think about what they wish to achieve and how they will reach specific objectives.

In response to this question, some candidates might talk you through their process of setting career objectives, while others may provide examples of common or regular goals they like to set.

Situation: One goal is to gain leadership experience for future jobs.

Task: Find volunteer work in local communities or organize mentoring sessions with current team members to test leadership skills.

Action: Volunteered in community development to help guide new principles. Everyone listened to a range of intriguing ideas that could improve local neighborhoods.

Result: Gained leadership experience and felt more comfortable seeking leader-based positions in the company.

Self-improvement means the candidate is eager to constantly learn new skills and gain relevant experience. Since developing new skills makes projects easier, gauge whether candidates have considered how they can improve.

Whether they take training courses or request advice from senior team members, there are many methods your interviewee may discuss. Candidates’ answers should provide real examples of how they learn new skills to support efficient task completion.

If you’re doing skills-based hiring , this is an important question. You can search for specific competencies among candidates.

Situation: New software programs in the company require team members to have strong technical skills.

Task: Join on-the-job training or take online courses to gain technical knowledge.

Action: Completed training sessions with the manager and read online materials on how to use the latest software.

Result: All team members can efficiently use the software with their new technical skills.

Disagreements are bound to happen at work, but candidates should always know how to resolve them without causing unnecessary conflict. Their answers should include a realistic scenario and a step-by-step solution showing how they overcame conflict professionally.

New research has revealed that over 36% of employees and managers have to deal with conflict often, so it’s important to hire a candidate who takes an active approach to preventing and resolving these disagreements.

Send candidates a Negotiation test to see how they resolve disagreements. This skill is vital for settling differences in the workplace.

Situation: The manager disagreed on how to help a customer with their product.

Task: Arrange a meeting with the manager in private to discuss alternative options and put forward new ideas.

Action: In a private meeting, the manager agreed with alternative solutions for supporting customers. They maintained honest communication while negotiating other potential solutions.

Result: Both the customer and manager were satisfied. There was no conflict or further disagreement on the subject.

When responding to this question, candidates should be honest about what goals they have failed to achieve and how they learned from failure to maintain self-improvement. Evaluating their thought processes and determination to continuously strive for more is important because it helps you determine whether they will be productive team members.

Situation: The team failed to reach the monthly word count for specific projects.

Task: Each team member writes the goal down again for the next month and finds ways to manage their time better.

Action: Prioritized projects with higher word counts and set more daily goals to ensure everyone produced work efficiently.

Result: Every team member contributed to a higher overall word count the next month. The learning process helped employees increase their productivity levels.

Workers who can take on more tasks in a role may often show leadership traits. They are confident and ready to complete necessary duties for individual projects. The ideal candidate will talk you through their process and explain how they would handle a heavy workload.

Use a Leadership and People Management test to locate potential leaders. You can determine whether candidates can complete more tasks in the vacancy.

Situation: Two team members who have fast-approaching deadlines are off sick.

Task: Get familiar with their projects and study what they’ve done so far to ensure no team members make unnecessary mistakes before the deadline.

Action: Completed the two team members’ projects in time for the deadline by limiting outside distractions and prioritizing them above anything else.

Result: Team members delivered two high-quality projects on time. The client was happy with the outcome and praised the company for their hard work.

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Dealing with and preventing stress is essential in a job, and resilient team members will retain composure under pressure. Candidates may have multiple methods to handle the pressure of significant projects.

For example, they might complete tasks in their own time by sitting in a quiet room and excluding distractions from team members. Their answer should give a detailed example of how they approach pressure in the workplace.

Situation: Demanding performance expectations that make team members feel pressured.

Task: Arrange a meeting with the manager to discuss employee performance. Use this time to ask questions about how to improve current work processes.

Action: Communicated concerns with the manager about how the performance expectations were too high. This professional meeting helped the manager to lower workplace pressure and provide more internal support.

Result: All team members had better mental health and could perform their duties without stress.

This question focuses on communication and empathy. Candidates who can communicate bad news and reassure other team members may encourage them to achieve their goals despite setbacks. When reviewing responses, consider if your candidates know how to communicate negative news clearly and compassionately.

Situation: A long-term client ended the contract after a failed project.

Task: Schedule a private meeting with team members to break the news and explain more about the situation.

Action: Completed a successful meeting with the team. They understood why the client left and discussed ideas for improving future projects. Everyone felt disappointed, but they were determined to carry on.

Result: All team members felt more confident to improve.

Effective collaboration ensures all departments can contribute to a project. Candidates must understand how to interact with different teams and use consistent communication. Over 35% of employees report a lack of teamwork in the workplace, but you have an opportunity to change that by hiring collaborative candidates.

You could send candidates a personality test like Big 5 to determine their openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability. This test indicates how each candidate would approach new situations and people.

Situation: A product launch requires all departments to participate and work together.

Task: Become acquainted with the other departments and create a plan that enables all teams to utilize their strengths during product development.

Action: Collaborated with several other departments to make a final product. Everyone was friendly and knew what to do through big team meetings and group presentations.

Result: Every department feels comfortable working on projects together and conversing with new people. This result also improves overall company culture, which boosts employee morale.

Supporting others on the team can raise productivity levels, increase morale, and boost client satisfaction as teams complete projects efficiently. The ideal candidate should have the motivation to guide others and become a mentor. Even if they lack some experience, they can still discuss the steps they would take to reinforce positivity.

Check out the Motivation test for screening your candidates on this quality. Candidates will answer questions about their personality and job expectations.

Situation: Some team members are feeling low because of a challenging project.

Task : Arrange a social event to boost their happiness and encourage them to be more productive when overcoming challenges.

Action: The entire team was able to de-stress after the social event and discuss any problems. Certain team members also requested additional support to ensure they met deadlines.

Result: Employee morale was high and the team picked up their pace to complete the complex project.

This final question allows candidates to explore more of their thought processes. You can take a deeper look into their cognitive ability and evaluate their ability to think fast in the workplace. Candidates should take the time to think about their responses, especially if they plan on going through each step in more detail.

Situation: The entire team has to start and finish a significant project in one week.

Task: Schedule team meetings, make a to-do list, prioritize important tasks, and converse with the client about guidelines.

Action: All team members completed their studies for the project by holding regular meetings and communicating problems in advance. A to-do list also stopped smaller tasks from getting lost.

Result: The team delivered a high-quality project that didn’t require an extension.

You should use STAR method interview questions after sending candidates applicable skill assessments. This approach means that instead of searching through a pile of resumes, you can use our data-driven tests to identify top talent , avoid mis-hiring, and remove unsuitable candidates who don’t have relevant experience.

For example, hiring a sales assistant means you can use a Customer Service test. Just send it to several candidates to evaluate their communication and problem-solving skills. Each role may require a different skill assessment comprised of different tests.

If you’re hiring a software engineer, for instance, you may require a QA Skills assessment that contains general knowledge and execution methods.

Once you have narrowed down your list of candidates, you can use these STAR interview questions and answers to hire suitable talent.

Before interviewing your candidates, make sure you search for suitable skill tests in TestGorilla’s extensive test library . You can search for personality, language, situational judgment, programming, software, and cognitive ability tests that will help you eliminate unsuitable job applicants.

Once you have studied the results and chosen a group of candidates, prepare for the interviews using these STAR method interview questions and answers. The ideal candidate will spark an engaging conversation that makes them stand out.

Sign up for your free-forever plan with TestGorilla, or book a free live demo with a member of our team who can show you the benefits of skills testing.

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STAR Method Interview Questions and Techniques

The STAR method helps you form specific answers about your job experiences so you can prove you’re a top applicant. Keep reading to learn how to make STAR answers that’ll impress your interviewers.

As featured in *

The STAR method is a way for you to respond to interview questions like a pro. STAR forces you to think about four different aspects of an interview question, and ultimately helps you professionally answer that interview question.

We provide examples of STAR interview questions and teach you how to build outstanding STAR answers so you can land a new job.

What is the STAR method interview technique?

The S T A R method interview technique (also known as the STAR strategy or the STAR approach) is a framework for responding to questions during an interview. This framework helps you break your response into four parts: Situation , Task , Action , and Result .

The STAR method is effective when answering behavioral interview questions (also called competency-based interview questions) because employers want to know how you’d behave or react in a specific situation. Applying the STAR technique during a behavioral interview gives employers more context about the:

Situation or problem you faced
Task you were involved in
Action you took to complete the task
Result or positive outcome from your actions

Using the STAR framework to answer each behavioral question also:

conveys to the hiring manager you’re well-prepared for your interview
demonstrates how you’ve made positive contributions at your previous jobs
explains how you have the relevant experience and qualifications to excel in your target role

You can also write a STAR method resume with descriptive resume bullet points to show employers you’d be a good fit for their team and have the work history, skills, and accomplishments to prove it.

Two STAR interview method examples

Here are two examples of behavioral interview questions, plus our applicant’s STAR answers. These examples should help you get an idea of what the STAR interview method looks like in action:

1. A STAR example addressing communication skills

Employers want to know you have several soft skills and can relate well to others, so this applicant’s STAR answer demonstrates how their communication skills helped solve an issue:

An example of the STAR method interview technique being broken down into four answers to represent how an applicant deals with conflict

2. A STAR example describing time management skills

Other critical soft skills employers seek are time management skills and reacting well during stressful situations.

Here’s how a candidate answers a behavioral question using the STAR format:

An example of the STAR method interview technique being broken down into four answers to represent how an applicant deals with pressure at work

20 examples of STAR interview questions

Wondering what questions hiring managers like to ask during behavioral interviews?

We’ve compiled a list of the 20 most common behavioral questions from four categories so you can understand what transferable skills employers look for in their candidates and successfully prepare for future interviews:

Give me an example of a goal you set and how you achieved it.
What’s your leadership style and can you provide some examples?
Describe a time when your leadership skills made a positive difference.
Tell me about something that challenged you as a leader and how it changed your way of thinking.
How would you respond if a team member came to you with a new idea.
Describe a time when you solved a problem at work that wasn’t part of your job description.
Tell me about a situation where you had to make a difficult decision at work and what the outcome was.
Can you talk about a time when you adapted to a new change at work? What did you learn from it?
Tell me your thought process when you’re trying to solve an important issue.
Tell me about a time when you did everything you could to improve a situation but still failed. What happened and why were you unsuccessful?
Have you ever had difficulty working with a manager or team member?
What role have you played in team situations?
Describe what you’d do if a colleague wasn’t doing their fair share of the work.
Tell me about the best experience you’ve had while working with a manager.
Talk about a time when you had to motivate your coworkers.
Tell me about a time when you made a mistake at work.
Describe a time when you had to meet a strict deadline.
How do you respond to constructive criticism?
What do you do when you’re overwhelmed and stressed at work? How do you handle it?

How to use the STAR format during an interview

Ready to create STAR statements and make a positive impression on your interviewers?

Here’s a great example of how to do so:

@resumegenius “Tell me about a time you worked well under pressure.” Behavioral interview question using the STAR method #starmethod #interviewtips #jobinterviewtips #careertips #gettingajob #behavioralinterview ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys – Kevin MacLeod & Kevin The Monkey

To break it down, here are five steps for producing memorable STAR answers during a behavioral interview:

1. Prepare your STAR examples before the interview

First, think of several STAR questions and answers a hiring manager might ask you during an interview. Consider writing a big list of STAR questions and answers a hiring manager might ask so you’ll be better prepared for any questions that come your way.

This method is especially helpful if this is your first job interview and you’re unsure of how to frame your answers.

Preparing your STAR answers in advance is helpful because you can:

reflect on your previous career highlights and accomplishments
think of personalized examples that communicate your top qualities and meet your target job’s requirements
refine each example by removing unnecessary details
show confidence in your answers

Remember to relate your STAR answer back to the role you’re interviewing for. For instance, make people skills the main focus of your STAR statement if an interviewer asks you to describe how you get along with others.

Here’s an example of the first sentence of a STAR introduction that directly addresses the interviewer’s question:

Tell me a time when you resolved a conflict with a colleague.

I liked working with my colleagues at D-link Technologies but sometimes we ran into minor issues because we weren’t communicating clearly.

And because you’re answering questions in a job interview setting, employers might prefer you to provide examples from your previous work experiences.

past internships
volunteer experience
relevant coursework
hobbies and interests
extracurricular activities

Read your target company’s job description carefully and review their official website and social platforms to understand their values and work culture. After noting the qualifications and personality traits the company requires, include examples of them in your STAR statements.

2. Begin with the situation or problem you encountered

Introducing your STAR statement clearly is essential. You’re giving the interviewer relevant background information about your personal experience(s), and must guide them to think you’re a good fit for their company.

Provide 1–3 sentences in each statement so the interviewer can accurately visualize the situation you’re describing. Remember to be concise , and only include the most important details. Help the interviewer quickly understand the context, and they’ll soon see you’re a good communicator.

Try answering these questions when setting up your STAR statement:

What was my role at the time?
What situation was I a part of?
What was the problem or challenge?
Who were the people involved?
When did this situation take place?

For instance, here’s a young applicant’s short but clear description about a time they worked on a team:

Situation : I enjoy working on a team. For example, I recently completed a Marketing group project with three classmates focusing on Consumer Behavior during my last year of college.

3. Describe the task you worked on

Employers want to learn about your responsibilities from previous jobs, and understand if those responsibilities qualify you for the position you’re applying for. So explain your main task (or responsibility) to the interviewer by answering these questions:

What were my tasks in this role?
What goals did I need to achieve?
Who did I report to?

Below, our applicant uses one concise sentence to describe their task:

Task : I wanted to ensure my classmates and I put in the same effort and contributed equally to the project so we could all have a say in the project’s quality, and ultimately our English professor would give us a higher score.

4. Explain the actions you took to complete the task

Because job interviews are competitive, communicating to employers how you’re a proactive individual who takes initiative highlights your leadership skills and increases your chances of moving forward in the hiring process.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you describe the actions you took to finish your task:

What steps did I take to complete my goal?
How did I solve the problem or challenge that I was facing?
Did I work alone or with others to complete the task?

Our candidate below directly states what they did to complete their task in three short but action-packed statements:

Action : I asked my group members for their phone numbers and set up our first meeting. I made a Whatsapp group chat so we could discuss our project more efficiently. I also offered to start a Google Doc so we could all easily collaborate with each other.

5. End with a positive outcome or result

Finally, complete your STAR story by describing your action’s positive outcomes or results. For instance, talk about a lesson you learned or an accomplishment you fulfilled.

Using numbers and specific details such as percentages, money earned, or time saved is a great way to explain how you made a positive contribution to the situation.

Ask yourself these questions so you can provide an impactful, results-oriented statement:

What was the outcome of my actions?
Did I accomplish my task or goal?
What did I learn from this experience?

Here’s how our candidate ends their STAR answer on a positive note:

Result : Because I took the initiative to get everyone in touch with each other through the group chat and Google Doc, it was easy for us to communicate and start brainstorming. We split our roles equally and met in person and online to work on our presentation. Our final project came together in the form of a Prezi slideshow and two interactive games. My classmates and I worked hard, and received a 98% score on our project!

Other interview resources

How to answer “what motivates you?”
How to explain why you left your last job
“Tell me about a time you failed” sample answers
How to approach “walk me through your resume.”
Sample answers to “why are you leaving your current job?”
How to introduce yourself in an interview
Answering “what makes you unique?”

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How to Ace Interviews with the STAR Method [9+ Examples]

Behavioral job interview questions are hard.

Everything is going seemingly well, until the interviewer drops the “Can you tell me about a time when you…” question.

Shoot, what now?

You try to think of a coherent answer, but you just can’t think of anything on the spot.

So, you blurt out something awkward (which you instantly regret) and pray that the interviewer will just let this one slide.

...But it didn’t have to go this way. There IS a way to give a good answer to every single behavioral job interview question:

The STAR Method.

In this guide, we’re going to teach you what, exactly, that is, and how to use it to ace your upcoming job interview!

What the STAR method is and when to use it
4 tips to keep in mind when answering with the STAR method
9 sample job interview answers that follow the STAR method

Sounds good?

Let’s begin!

What is the STAR Method and When You Should Use?

So, first things first - what is the STAR method, exactly ?

In short, the STAR method is a structured answer that can be used to answer most behavioral interview questions.

Here’s what it stands for:

(S) Situation - What’s the context? Describe the situation or the background first.
(T) Task - Talk about your responsibilities or the tasks you had to complete (i.e. what was the challenge for the specific task?)
(A) Action - How did you fix the situation? Describe your process and the steps you took.
(R) Results - Describe the results of your actions. If possible, use numbers or hard data (e.g. by what % did you increase the overall sales? What changed?).

While you can use the STAR method for ANY interview question, it’s most useful for answering behavioral interview questions .

So, what ARE behavioral interview questions, exactly ?

In short, they’re just like any interview question, but their main focus is on real-life work situations.

What’s your #1 strength?
Give us an example of how you used your #1 strength at work, and what kind of results did it drive?

Makes sense, right?

Now, here are a few examples of what those questions might look like:

Can you give me an example of when you had to take charge in your previous position? What happened and how did you react?
Tell me about a time when you were faced with a tight deadline. Did you still manage to complete your tasks? How?
Have you ever set specific goals for yourself at work? How did you make sure you would meet your objectives?

Now that you know what behavioral interview questions are, let’s take a look at a sample answer that follows the STAR method:

Behavioral Interview Question:

“Give me an example of when you had to be very strategic in your tasks to meet all of your responsibilities under a specific deadline.”

Sample Answer:

Situation - “I typically like to plan out my work weeks in advance if possible. But in my previous sales manager role at Company X, I had to suddenly move the team to a new customer relationship management (CRM) software. The software we were using before unexpectedly changed their pricing model, which made it too expensive for us.”

Task - ”I had to find new software that met our requirement, by the end of Q3 (when the price increase hit), while making sure my own sales numbers did not decrease. The new tool also had to be intuitive and easy for our employees to adapt to.”

Action - “In order to do that, I had to be very careful with how I managed my time. The first thing I did was ask our sales associates what the number one problem was with our current CRM, so I knew what to look for in a new one aside from the price factor. After that, I dedicated 1-2 hours each day to research, and once I found the new software, migrating our data. I made sure to delete any old contacts, update the missing information on our current leads, and caught the team up on how to use the new software. All the while, I was still handling my daily responsibilities as usual, without any decrease in performance.”

Results - “Finally, we managed to complete the transfer 1 week behind the deadline. I finished the quarter 12% ahead of my sales goals, and the team was satisfied with the new CRM. By planning ahead and with proper time allocation, everything worked out well.”

This is pretty much a perfect answer that follows the STAR method .

It gives the right amount of background , clearly shows the challenge without getting too detailed, presents the process when approaching the problem, and ends on a high note using data and numbers to show their results.

By using the above formula, it’s much easier to structure your answer so that the HR manager doesn’t get lost following your story.

Now, if you really want to nail your answer, here’s what you need to keep in mind when following the STAR structure:

4 Tips on Getting the Most Out of the STAR Method

Knowing what the acronym stands for is only the first step.

Here’s how to really get the most out of the method:

1) Keep It Relevant

Sounds obvious, right?

But here’s the thing:

Even if you’re following the STAR formula down to the T, it won’t amount to much if your answer is not relevant .

Think about this: what are you trying to communicate with your answer?

Ideally, it should be related to your position and show that you come equipped with skills that will be helpful in the job you’re seeking.

For example: if you’re applying for a job in graphic design , you wouldn’t start talking about your greatest accomplishment in accounting , right?

If your answer is not relevant for the job, it basically doesn’t even count.

2) Have a Few Examples Ready

There’s no way for you to know in advance what type of behavioral interview question the interviewer will ask.

But it’s still a good idea to have a few examples ready that follow the STAR method.

This way, you can tweak and adapt your answer on the go depending on the question.

Keep in mind, though, that your answers shouldn’t be a word-for-word memorized script.

You’ll want to sound natural when answering.

And if you’re having a hard time coming up with an answer during the interview, don’t be afraid to ask for a minute to come up with an example.

It’s ok to take a few seconds and structure your answer in your head first. If anything, the HR manager might appreciate that you’re not rushing in your answers.

While you’ll never know what questions they’ll ask during the interview, you can still prepare for the most common ones. Check out our complete list of most common interview questions and answers here !

3) Give Proper Context

Imagine you’re telling a story about how you saved a client’s project at the last minute.

You swooped in, took charge, and made sure everyone knew what to do.

That’s awesome! That’s what the interviewer wants to know about.

However, you don’t have to :

Go in-depth about how you found the client in the first place.
Describe your whole working relationship with them from the beginning till the end.
Give their whole backstory and explain why you’re such good friends with the client.

As we mentioned before, your answer should be relevant and straight to the point .

So, when talking about the situation , try to only summarize the buildup to your story in only 1-2 sentences.

4) Show Your Work

Finally, it’s your time to brag a bit.

Don’t be afraid to go all out and show how you made a difference. Make sure to mention the following:

What kind of impact did your actions have on your department/company?
What were the EXACT results? use numbers and data to back it up.
What did you learn from the experience?

No interviewer will be satisfied with a lackluster ending like “Yeah so, and then, we finished the project in time, and everyone lived happily ever after”

See how boring that sounds?

Even if the ending of your story isn’t all that amazing, you can at least say what you learned .

Star Interview Questions and Answers (+9 Examples)

Your answer following the STAR method will depend on the specific behavioral interview question being asked.

So, to help you prepare, we’re going to give you 9 more common behavioral interview questions (with their corresponding sample answers)!

The questions we’re going to cover include:

What’s your greatest achievement?
How do you set and accomplish personal goals when under pressure?
Have you ever faced conflict or disagreement with a coworker? What Happened and how did you resolve it?
How do you handle unexpected challenges? Give me an example
Have you ever been in a situation when the client was wrong, and you had to correct them? Give me an example.
Tell me about a time you failed. What happened and what did you learn?
How do you handle irate customers? Give me an example.
Can you tell me about a time when you went above and beyond to deliver excellent customer experience?
Can you give me an example of a goal you set, but couldn’t meet? How did you handle it?

Now, let’s dig right in!

1) What is your greatest achievement?

S - “When I was a manager at Cafe X, we would always get a lot more customers than usual during the summer. It would almost always be packed, and sometimes, there were not enough servers to handle the work. And if someone got sick or unexpectedly could not show up - things were only worse.”

T - “So, I had to come up with a system so that we would not get overwhelmed during those 3+ months.”

A - “To make sure we were prepared, I realized we needed a better schedule. For the next summer, I had a very strict shift schedule ready, and a reward system in case someone couldn’t show up for their shift. If someone called in sick, whoever filled in for them would be rewarded with extra pay. And if there was absolutely no one else available, I would personally fill in for them instead.”

R - “Overall, the summer went pretty smoothly with minimal accidents. We didn’t get ANY negative reviews on TripAdvisor for the summer (whereas for the summer before that, we had several for slow service).”

2) How do you set and accomplish personal goals when under pressure? Give me an example.

S - “Sure! To give you some context, during university, I had very limited financial aid, and my parents couldn’t help co-pay the rest of the tuition. So, while studying, I also had to work to pay for the university. At the same time, I also took up a lot of extracurricular activities (and internships when possible) to get as much professional work experience as possible before graduating.”

T - “To keep up with the workload, I realized I had to manage my time very efficiently. So, I set up Google Calendar and got a personal notepad for my daily tasks and responsibilities.”

A - “Through hard work and dedication, I managed to balance studying, a part-time job, and all extracurricular activities. Sure, it was pretty tiring at times, but by the end of each day I would always go over and edit my calendar for the rest of the week. This way, I knew pretty much everything I had to get done daily, and never missed an assignment or a deadline either!”

R - “In the end, I graduated with a 3.7 GPA, no student loans, and a personal design portfolio which landed me my first real job at Company X within a month of graduating.

3) Have you ever faced conflict or disagreement with a coworker? What happened and how did you resolve it?

S - “Yep! During my internship at Company X, my team and I were supposed to work together and brainstorm new talent sourcing ideas for a client. The client was a large supermarket chain located in a very rural area, so they were struggling to source new talent. ”

T - “Basically our task was to meet on a daily basis, brainstorm and finally settle on 3 great ideas. After a couple of meetings, we did have SOME ideas, but none of them were too exceptional. The management wanted something that they could confidently present to the client (that would, for sure, drive results for them).

Some of my teammates wanted to just give up, say “well, here’s our ideas, we don’t have anything else!” and be done with it. Me and another teammate, however, wanted to work on it a bit more and come up with something that WOULD work.

There was a LOT of back and forth from there, the tensions were high, and the team kept shutting down all the ideas we were proposing. The deadline was super close, and had to figure out a way to move forward.”

A - “So, I gave it some thought, and realized that we’d forever be in a deadlock if we continued like this. They wouldn’t agree with our approach, and we wouldn’t agree with theirs. So, we decided to bring in an unbiased third party who didn't have any emotional investment here.

We then conducted a longer meeting without any time restraints (so we’d get everything done ASAP in a single meeting), where we went through each idea one by one, and the third party acted as a sort of mediator. When someone pitched something, they also had to back it up with as many facts as possible, otherwise it wouldn’t count.”

R - “This really helped bring in something new to the table. The “mediator” helped sort through all the bad ideas, as well as infusing the team with some new energy.

We eventually DID end up coming up with completely original ideas, which were also something we all agree upon. We finished the meeting in approx. 2 hours, and the management had 3 awesome ideas they could pitch to the client. The client DID implement one of the ideas, which eventually resulted in 3 new hires.”

4) How do you handle unexpected challenges? Give me an example

S - “One time, while preparing for a presentation at a conference for Company X, one of our guest speakers had to unexpectedly cancel due to an emergency. We found out only a few hours before the event, and there was now a 1-hour gap in our schedule we had to fix.”

T - “So, we didn’t have a lot of time, and had to somehow fill up the time slot to keep the event going.”

A - “As one of the main event organizers and community managers at the company, I decided to take initiative. Instead of the guest speaker, I wanted to present our CEO as the speaker instead - which was definitely a possibility because he was working behind the scenes as well. I personally spent an hour working with him one-on-one, trying to get him to transform his decade’s worth of experience into a presentation. With 30 minutes to spare, everything was ready to go and all that was left was to present.”

R - “From the one 1 hour gap, the speech lasted about 45 minutes, and for the rest of the 15 minutes we took some questions from the audience. After that, everything continued on track, and most of the audience members loved the presentation.”

5) Have you ever been in a situation when the client was wrong, and you had to correct them? Give me an example.

S - “Yes, that happens every so often.

I can think of one example which happened during my first job as a recruiter. I had sent out a candidate over to a client and the hiring manager had rejected him based on CV alone. They said that the candidate was too junior of a profile for the position, no experience with X, Y and Z.”

T - “I went through the resume and my notes several times, and I was 100% sure that this had to have been a mistake on the client’s part - the candidate was an exact match for the job ad they gave me.

So I had to somehow let them know about it without seeming to be telling them how to do their job.”

A - “I contacted my candidate, I got exact and thorough information on his experience with X, Y and Z, wrote it all out in an email and obviously with a very calm and professional tone explained to our client’s hiring manager that my candidate did in fact have experience in all areas pointed out, proven by this and that project, etc. And I kindly asked him to review his application.”

R - “He responded, agreed that the candidate did in fact have the required experience and admitted that it was an error on their end. So, they DID invite the candidate for an interview. Given, he wasn’t chosen for the role, but oh well, at least we gave him a chance.”

6) Tell me about a time you failed. What happened and what did you learn?

S - “During my last job, I was managing the web dev team in charge of setting up an online e-commerce store for one of our clients. In hindsight, I was too ambitious with the project, and over-promised the turnaround rate for the website. I told them we’d be done within 2 months, as it seemed like a very cookie cutter project at the time. However, around 2 weeks into the project, we realized we were off by at least a month, as we would have to hand-code a bunch of stuff that we thought was open source or sold as packaged plugins.”

T - “So, I had to inform them about the issue, give an updated deadline for our team, and fix my mistake.”

A - “After the meeting, they were understanding, but not very happy. I then assembled our web developers and started working hard on the project the very next day. We focused 100% of our time on fixing the issue, outsourced some of the small tasks to save time, and ended up fixing everything before the new deadline.”

R - “In the end, their site was a success and I learned a valuable lesson on managing expectations. I realized that sometimes it’s better to under-promise and over-deliver, and learned how to better set and manage deadlines for my team.”

7) How do you handle angry customers? Give me an example.

S - “I always try to be calm and collected. Recently, when I was serving a customer behind the checkout, I had a customer shout at me for not being eligible for a refund. The customer was getting louder and there was a large line starting to form behind him.”

T - “I had to remain calm, move the conflict somewhere else, and make sure the other customers could go about their purchases.”

A - “I realized the best thing to do was to move the situation away from the cash register. I asked my colleague to take over for me so that I could talk to the customer one-on-one and better explain the situation. I explained that I could understand his frustration, but I made it clear that sales items were non-refundable, even though he had a receipt.”

R - “In the end, he began to calm down and accepted my explanation. While he still wasn’t happy about it, I managed to dissolve the situation before he made any more of a scene. I believe that by being calm and empathetic, it’s possible to dissolve most (if not all) such situations.”

8) Can you tell me about a time when you went above and beyond to deliver excellent customer experience?

S - “When I was working at Company X, we were preparing for a video presentation for a client when I learned that someone on their team was deaf. The presentation was due the next day in the morning and I was the only one left in the office after 5PM.”

T - “I realized there was only one solution and that was for me to stay behind in the evening and add the captions myself.”

A - “It took a few hours, and around 8PM, I was done. Then, I let our team know about the update.”

R - “In the end, the client enjoyed the presentation. They were very impressed (and surprised) by our attention to detail, and we ended up closing them soon after.”

9) Can you give me an example of a goal you set, but couldn’t meet? How did you handle it?

S - “In my previous job, one month, we decided to focus most of our marketing efforts on growing our blog. I was charged by the CMO to take over the blog and create content. The issue was, I had ZERO experience with content, but we didn’t have anyone else to own the channel.”

T - “I had to write 5 total articles in that month, create the social media posts for them, and work on promoting them.”

A - “Halfway through the month, I realized I couldn’t write. At all. It just wasn’t my thing, and I had NOTHING to show for the month’s work. So, here’s what I did: I explained the situation to the CMO, and we came up with an alternative solution. We’d find outsourced content writers on UpWork, and I’d manage them as a content strategist.”

R - “Overall, we ended up hiring a content writer, who managed to pump out the 4 articles before the deadline. I worked hand-in-hand with them to ensure that their writing was on-brand, and I also created the social posts for them and promoted them. Overall, the articles performed pretty well, even landing us a handful of new leads.”

Key Takeaways

Yes, interviews can be quite scary.

With the STAR method, though, you’ll stand a much better chance at acing them!

Now, let’s recap everything we’ve learned:

To answer behavioral job interview questions, you need to give real-life examples and stories. To answer it right, you need to follow the STAR method.
As a reminder, the acronym stands for: S - Situation, T - Task, A - Action, R - Results.
The format is quite straightforward to follow. Just make sure your answers are relevant, give proper context , describe your thought process , and finally, include real facts and figures .
And for sample answers, you can always consult with the examples above for some inspiration.

Are you looking for more ways to prepare for and to ace the job interview? Then you should look no further than the Novorésumé career blog for the latest career advice and other actionable guides!

STAR Method Finally Explained (The Only Guide You Need)

If you’ve ever found yourself in a job interview, wracking your brain to deliver concise yet compelling responses, then this guide is for you.

We’re about to dive deep into the STAR Method – a tried and tested technique that’s your secret weapon to ace any interview.

The STAR method is a structured technique used to answer behavioral interview questions. It stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This approach allows the interviewee to provide clear, concise, and thoughtful answers based on real-life examples from their own experiences.

Let’s dive in and discover how this powerful technique can transform your interviewing skills.

Understanding the STAR Method: The Basics

The STAR method is not just an interview response strategy; it’s a structured approach that helps you present your experiences and skills in a way that leaves a lasting impression on your potential employer.

Here are some key aspects of the STAR method that further illuminate its importance:

Specificity : The STAR method encourages you to focus on specific situations rather than generalities. This allows interviewers to see exactly how you apply your skills in real-world scenarios.
Structure : By following the Situation, Task, Action, Result framework, you ensure your responses are organized and coherent. It also ensures you don’t miss out on any critical details.
Relevance : With STAR, you can tailor your answers to demonstrate how your past experiences directly align with the job requirements.
Evidence-Based : Rather than simply stating that you have certain skills, the STAR method enables you to provide concrete examples where these skills have been put into action.

However, while the STAR method is an excellent tool for answering behavioral interview questions effectively, it’s not always applicable.

For instance:

Not all interview questions require a detailed story or example. Some may simply need direct answers.
In some instances, there might be more emphasis on future actions (e.g., “How would you handle…?”) rather than past situations.

Historical Origins: The Genesis Of The STAR Method

The STAR technique, a renowned method for answering behavioral interview questions, didn’t just appear out of the blue.

Its roots can be traced back to the 1980s when it was developed by psychologists as part of the structured behavioral interview methodology.

The goal was to create an approach that would allow employers to objectively assess a candidate’s potential based on their past experiences and behaviors.

In its early days, the STAR concept was primarily used within large corporations with dedicated human resources departments. These organizations saw value in a standardized approach that could help them sift through numerous applicants while minimizing bias.

Over time, however, the technique gained wider acceptance beyond corporate walls. It started being adopted by small businesses, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and even individuals preparing for job interviews. Today, it’s considered a gold standard in behavioral interviewing across industries worldwide.

While it has evolved over time with variations like STAR-L (where L stands for Learning), at its core remains the same principle: using past behavior as the best predictor of future performance .

This focus on concrete examples rather than hypothetical scenarios sets it apart from other interviewing techniques and contributes significantly to its ongoing popularity among hiring professionals around the globe.

Breaking Down The STAR Method (A Step-By-Step Guide)

At its core, the STAR method is about storytelling.

It allows you to weave together narratives from your past experiences that not only answer an interviewer’s question but also highlight relevant skills and competencies.

Let’s break down the components:

Situation : Set the scene
Task : Define your responsibilities
Action : Describe what steps you took
Result : Highlight the outcomes

This four-step framework helps ensure that every example you give during an interview is easy to follow and highlights your abilities effectively.

It’s important to note that while the STAR method may seem straightforward on paper, its real-world application requires practice and finesse.

The aim isn’t just to structure responses but also to deliver them in a compelling manner that resonates with interviewers.

Situation: Defining And Setting The Scene

Diving straight into the first element of the STAR method, let’s explore ‘ Situation ‘.

This is where you set the stage for your story. But don’t just think of it as a simple backdrop; this is your chance to draw your interviewer – into your narrative.

Start by providing context .

What was the environment like? Was it a high-pressure sales team chasing ambitious targets, or an under-resourced non-profit struggling to meet community needs?

Perhaps it was a start-up on the verge of significant expansion, or a well-established corporation navigating a challenging market downturn?

Next, identify any key players involved.

Were there colleagues who played pivotal roles? Or maybe external stakeholders like clients, suppliers, or regulatory bodies that influenced the situation?

Remember, details are crucial here but be careful not to get lost in them.

Your goal is to provide enough information so that anyone listening can understand what you were up against without getting bogged down in unnecessary specifics.

This isn’t just about painting a picture of your past work environment. You’re laying out the particular circumstances surrounding the challenge you faced. So clearly define what made this situation unique or difficult.

For example, instead of saying, “I was working as a project manager at a software company”, add more context : “I was overseeing a critical software development project at XYZ Corp., one of our biggest clients had requested an advanced feature within an extremely tight deadline.”

This gives depth and adds complexity to your situation – showing you weren’t just performing routine tasks but dealing with demanding situations.

Task: Detailing Your Specific Responsibilities

In the STAR method, the ‘Task’ component is where you’ll outline your specific responsibilities in a given situation.

When detailing your task, clarity is crucial. You want the interviewer to understand exactly what was expected of you.

Start by describing any objectives or goals that were set for you at the outset. Were there targets or KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) that you had to meet? Did you have a deadline?

These details help paint a picture of the pressure or challenges involved in your task.

Next, consider any constraints or limitations that might have been present. For instance, did you have limited resources, such as time, budget, or manpower? Were there any particular rules or regulations that needed to be adhered to?

Mentioning these elements can highlight how demanding your task was and set up a compelling narrative for how you overcame these obstacles.

Also crucial in this section is demonstrating an understanding of who benefited from your tasks – whether it was clients, colleagues, stakeholders, or even broader society.

By doing this, not only are you showing awareness of your role within a larger context but also emphasizing its significance.

Avoid being too generic or vague. Instead of saying “I managed a team,” say something like “I was responsible for leading a five-person team tasked with developing a comprehensive marketing strategy within two weeks.” The latter gives more depth and provides a clearer picture of what exactly your task entailed.

Don’t shy away from using industry-specific jargon if it helps illustrate your point better. However, ensure it doesn’t cloud comprehension for those outside your field – balance technical language with layman terms when necessary.

Action: Describing The Steps You Took

Taking action is the critical core of the STAR Method.

It’s where you get to demonstrate your problem-solving skills, initiative, and ability to adapt in real-time situations.

Here’s how you can effectively describe the steps you took:

Be Specific: Avoid vague descriptions. Instead, delve into the exact steps you undertook to address the situation or task at hand. Did you organize a team meeting? Implement a new software system? Develop a marketing strategy? The more specific, the better.
Showcase Your Skills: This is your chance to highlight your unique abilities and strengths. Focus on actions that underline key competencies such as leadership, teamwork, creativity, resilience, or strategic thinking.
Use Active Language: Frame your actions with dynamic verbs like ‘spearheaded’, ‘negotiated’, ‘engineered’, or ‘orchestrated’. This makes your actions more impactful and engaging for the reader.
Sequence Your Actions: Detailing your actions in chronological order helps provide clarity and paints a vivid picture of how events unfolded.
Quantify Where Possible: If you can attach numbers or percentages to illustrate your action’s impact – do it! For example: “I led a team of five members,” “We increased sales by 20%,” or “I reduced project delivery time by two weeks.”
Highlight Challenges Overcome: If any obstacles arose during this phase and you successfully navigated them, be sure to include these details too—it adds depth and demonstrates resilience.
Include Collaborative Efforts: If your action involved others (e.g., colleagues, stakeholders), mention their involvement to show your ability to work effectively within a team.

Result: Highlighting The Outcomes Of Your Actions

In the STAR method, the Result is your shining moment, your chance to highlight the outcomes of your actions.

The key here is to quantify your success whenever possible. Numbers speak volumes in an interview setting.

Did you increase sales by 20%? Reduce customer complaints by 50%? Or perhaps you streamlined a process that saved 10 hours of work each week? These are powerful statements that can establish you as a problem-solver who gets results.

But what if your result wasn’t quantifiable or didn’t end in absolute success? That’s okay too! What matters is that you show progress, learning, and growth.

Perhaps your action led to improved team morale or better communication within the department. Maybe it paved the way for future improvements or sparked new ideas for innovation.

Remember, not all results have to be earth-shattering successes. Sometimes, they’re stepping stones towards bigger victories down the line.

Another point worth noting is that results should ideally tie back to the company’s goals or values. This shows alignment with their mission and demonstrates how you could contribute if hired.

For instance, if applying for a role in a company known for its customer service excellence, highlighting a result where you resolved a complex client issue and retained their business would resonate well with interviewers.

Lastly, ensure your result answers this question: “What was different because of what I did?” This keeps you focused on showcasing the impact of your actions rather than just listing tasks completed.

Benefits Of Using The STAR Method

The STAR method stands out for a myriad of reasons, offering a multitude of benefits that make it an indispensable tool in your interview arsenal.

Structured Responses : The STAR method offers a clear framework for detailing your experiences. By organizing your answer into the four key components – Situation, Task, Action, and Result – you give comprehensive insights into your past roles. This not only paints a full picture for the interviewer but also underscores your thorough understanding of your experiences.
Showcase Soft Skills : Instead of merely narrating events, the STAR method emphasizes how you navigated those events. It lets you highlight vital skills such as problem-solving, leadership, initiative, and creativity—attributes employers are eager to see in potential candidates.
Promote Specificity : With the STAR method, generic responses won’t cut it. This approach nudges you to share specific instances where you’ve demonstrated pivotal skills or achieved noteworthy results. Detailed answers are not only more memorable but also evidence your capacity to yield real-world results.
Versatility : Its adaptability is one of the STAR method’s strongest suits. It’s effective in various interview styles, be it behavioral, competency-based, or panel interviews. Whether discussing teamwork, conflict resolution, or project management, the STAR method ensures your answers are always rooted in real-life experiences.
Enhances Self-Awareness : Regularly using the STAR method encourages introspection. Reflecting on past events—both triumphs and missteps—helps foster a culture of continuous learning and personal growth.

By utilizing the STAR method—you’re not just recounting events; you’re showcasing problem-solving abilities under pressure (Situation), organizational skills (Task), initiative & resourcefulness (Action), and the ability to achieve desired outcomes (Result).

Tips To Craft Your STAR Responses

Crafting your own STAR responses can feel like a daunting task, but with the right strategies and practice, it’s a skill you can master.

Here are some tips and tricks to help you along the way:

Start with Specifics : The more specific you can be about the situation or task, the better. Vague or generalized descriptions can make it harder for interviewers to understand what you did and why it mattered.
Action is Key : This is where you get to shine! Detail every step of your action plan – from conception to execution. Show how your actions directly contributed to resolving the situation or completing the task at hand.
Quantify Your Results : Whenever possible, try to quantify your results. Did you increase sales by 20%? Improve efficiency by 35%? Cut down project delivery time by half? Numbers provide concrete evidence of your achievements.
Keep It Relevant : Make sure that your STAR response aligns with the job role you’re applying for. If you’re interviewing for a leadership position, highlight situations where you led a team or made crucial decisions.
Practice Out Loud : This might seem awkward at first, but saying your responses out loud will help them sound more natural during an actual interview.
Be Honest : Never exaggerate or fabricate elements of your story – honesty is always best in interview scenarios.
Use Varied Examples : Don’t rely on one experience for all questions; diversify your examples from different areas of work life – projects, teamwork, leadership instances etc.
Review Job Description : Align examples with key skills/attributes mentioned in job description for maximum impact.
Think About Lessons Learned : Every experience comes with lessons learned – reflecting on these shows growth mindset and continuous learning attitude which employers value highly.
Stay Calm & Composed : Interview situations can be stressful, but maintaining a calm and composed demeanor will help you articulate your responses better.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls When Using the STAR Method

For a compelling STAR response, avoid these common mistakes:

Being too vague : When describing the Situation or Task, many individuals fail to provide enough detail. This leaves interviewers wondering about the context or importance of your actions and results. Avoid this by being specific about what was happening and why it mattered.
Skipping steps : Each element of STAR is vital for painting a complete picture. Don’t rush through or skip any part of the process—especially Action and Result—as this can leave gaps in your story.
Focusing on group achievements : While teamwork is important, remember that the goal here is to highlight your skills and contributions. Make sure you’re focusing on what you did, not just your team.
Neglecting the Result : Some people concentrate so much on the Situation, Task, and Action that they forget to adequately address the Result. Remember, outcomes matter! Be clear about what changed as a result of your actions.
Over-rehearsing : While practice is important, sounding too rehearsed can come off as insincere or robotic. Keep it natural; let your passion for what you’ve achieved shine through.
Not aligning with job requirements : Always keep in mind what competencies or qualities the interviewer is looking for and tailor your response accordingly.
Ignoring non-verbal cues : Body language matters! Maintain eye contact, use open body language, and show enthusiasm through your tone of voice and facial expressions.
Not learning from past experiences : Use feedback from previous interviews to refine your responses continually.

To avoid these pitfalls:

Practice crafting detailed yet concise responses.
Ensure you cover all elements of STAR without neglecting any.
Highlight personal contributions and achievements.
Align your responses with the job requirements.
Pay attention to non-verbal cues.
Use feedback to improve.

Real-World Examples: STAR Method In Action

Theory is one thing, but practical application is another.

Let’s delve into some real-world examples that illustrate how the STAR method can be employed effectively.

Example 1: A Project Manager Role

Consider a scenario where you’re interviewing for a project manager role and you’re asked, “Can you describe a time when you had to manage a particularly challenging project?”

Situation : You could start by setting the scene – “At my previous job, I was given the responsibility of managing a project that involved implementing a new software system across all departments.”
Task : Then, detail your specific responsibilities – “As the Project Manager, it was my duty to ensure smooth coordination between all departments and complete implementation within six months.”
Action : Next, describe your actions – “I started by conducting meetings with each department head to understand their unique needs. I then created an implementation schedule and assigned tasks to team members based on their expertise. Regular progress meetings were scheduled to address any issues promptly.”
Result : Finally, highlight the outcomes – “The new software system was successfully implemented across all departments within five months – one month ahead of schedule.”

Example 2: A Customer Service Role

Now imagine you’re interviewing for a customer service position and are asked, “Tell me about a time when you turned around an unhappy customer.”

Situation : Start by painting the picture – “In my previous role as Customer Service Representative at XYZ Company, I received a call from an irate customer who had received an incorrect product.”
Task : Detail your responsibilities – “My task was not only to resolve this issue but also to regain the customer’s trust in our company.”
Action : Describe what steps you took – “I apologized sincerely for our mistake and assured her that we would rectify it immediately. I arranged for express shipping of the correct product along with return postage for the incorrect item. Additionally, I provided a discount code for her next purchase as a gesture of goodwill.”
Result : Highlight the outcomes – “The customer was appreciative of how we handled the situation and continued to be a loyal customer.”

Adapting STAR For Different Interview Types

The beauty of the STAR technique lies in its universal applicability.

Whether you’re facing a panel, competency-based, behavioral, or even a stress interview, STAR can be your guiding light.

Panel Interviews : With multiple eyes and ears on you, clarity is crucial. Using the STAR method, structure your answers so that every interviewer grasps your role and its impact. Address each element of your experience, ensuring you resonate with everyone on the panel.
Competency-Based Interviews : Here, interviewers are seeking proof of specific skills. Lean into the ‘Task’ and ‘Action’ components of STAR. For instance, when discussing leadership, detail a time you led a team, the responsibilities you shouldered, actions you took, and the team’s achievements.
Behavioral Interviews : These look to past scenarios as indicators of future behavior. Lay out the situation, your role, your actions, and the outcomes using STAR. This structured approach offers a tangible glimpse into your problem-solving and decision-making processes.
Stress Interviews : While these are designed to see how you fare under pressure, the ‘Action’ component of STAR lets you highlight your adeptness at navigating challenges.

Variations To STAR: STAR-L (With Learning) And Beyond

As you become more comfortable with the STAR method, you may find yourself seeking ways to add depth and nuance to your responses.

One such variation is the STAR-L method, where ‘L’ stands for ‘Learning.’ This model carries you one step further by asking you to reflect on what you learned from the situation.

In this framework, after describing the Situation, Task, Action, and Result (STAR), you elaborate on what Lessons were gleaned from that experience.

This additional step showcases your ability to engage in self-reflection and continuous learning – two assets highly valued in today’s rapidly evolving work environment.

For instance, if your original STAR response was about a project where you led a team through a challenging deadline crunch and achieved success, in the STAR-L method, you might add that the experience taught you about the importance of clear communication or how better planning could have prevented such a tight deadline.

Beyond STAR-L are other variations like STAR-AR (Action-Result) or even SAR (Situation-Action-Result).

These versions are often used when interviewers want more emphasis on actions taken and their direct outcomes rather than focusing too much on context or task details.

The choice between these methods largely depends on the nature of your role and industry.

For example, roles requiring strategic decision-making might benefit more from using STAR-L to highlight learnings from past experiences. In contrast, positions focused on immediate results might prefer SAR or STAR-AR.

Comparing STAR: Differences From PAR (Problem, Action, Result) & CAR (Challenge, Action, Result) Techniques

The STAR method stands distinct from its counterparts – PAR (Problem, Action, Result) and CAR (Challenge, Action, Result).

While they all share a common thread of structuring responses in a clear and concise manner, there are subtle differences that set them apart.

The STAR method provides a complete narrative by including situational context.
The PAR method focuses primarily on problem-solving abilities.
The CAR technique emphasizes resilience in overcoming challenges.

The STAR method is comprehensive in nature as it not only focuses on the problem at hand but also delves into the context or situation that led to it. This enables you to provide a detailed background before explaining your specific role or task. You then proceed to explain your actions and finally emphasize the results achieved.

On the other hand, the PAR technique zeroes in on identifying a Problem first. The focus here is more on problem-solving skills rather than situational context. After identifying a problem, you describe your action taken to resolve it and end with discussing the result. While this approach is direct-to-the-point, it may lack depth without setting up an initial context.

Similarly, the CAR technique begins by outlining a Challenge faced. The emphasis is on overcoming adversity or challenge rather than focusing solely on problem-solving. After describing how you tackled the challenge (Action), you discuss the result achieved.

Incorporating Emotion: The Role Of Feelings In STAR Responses

Incorporating emotion into your STAR responses can be a game-changer.

Emotion, when appropriately expressed, adds a layer of authenticity and relatability that can make your narrative more compelling.

It’s not just about what you did but how you felt while doing it.

Remember that interviews are not just an evaluation of your technical skills or experiences; they’re also about understanding who you are as a person.

Your emotions can indicate passion, dedication, resilience, and empathy – qualities that often define great employees.

When setting the scene in the ‘Situation’ step of STAR, don’t shy away from expressing how the situation made you feel. Were you daunted by the challenge? Excited at the prospect? This helps paint a vivid picture and draws your interviewer into the story.

During the ‘Task’ phase, sharing your emotional state can help showcase your motivation levels and commitment to tackling challenges head-on. Did the task fill you with dread or did it spark determination?

As you move on to ‘Action’, feelings play an integral role in demonstrating your work ethic and character. Were you frustrated when things didn’t go as planned? How did overcoming obstacles make you feel? These details provide depth to your response and highlight personal growth.

Finally, in discussing ‘Results’, emotions can emphasize the significance of your achievements. Was there a sense of relief or accomplishment? Did it boost your confidence or reaffirm your abilities?

However, there’s a delicate balance to strike here. Over-emphasizing emotions might make you come across as overly dramatic or unprofessional.

Keep it genuine and relevant; every emotional reference should serve to enhance understanding of your actions and results.

Pay attention to positive emotions – they leave interviewers with an optimistic impression of both past experiences and potential future performance. Negative emotions aren’t off-limits but frame them as part of learning curves or stepping stones towards success.

Role Of Non-Verbal Cues: Enhancing STAR Responses With Body Language

Non-verbal cues are the unspoken elements of communication that can significantly influence how your STAR responses are perceived.

Here’s how you can harness them effectively:

Eye Contact : This is a primary indicator of confidence and honesty. As you detail the Situation or Task, direct eye contact shows you’re genuinely recounting your experiences and engaging with the interviewer.
Posture : Your posture speaks volumes. Sit upright to show attentiveness. As you delve into the Action phase of your STAR response, a slight forward lean can subtly indicate your enthusiasm and engagement.
Hand Gestures : These can breathe life into your narratives. Used rightly, gestures can make your Actions and Results more tangible. However, moderation is key—ensure your movements are purposeful and not distracting.
Facial Expressions : They mirror your inner emotions. A genuine, relaxed smile or a thoughtful expression during the Result phase can underscore the positive outcomes of your story.
Tone of Voice : Though not strictly ‘body language’, it is a pivotal non-verbal cue. Introduce variations in pitch to keep the interviewer engaged.

Remember, consistency between what you say (your STAR responses) and how you say it (your non-verbal cues) is key for effective communication during interviews.

Feedback Mechanisms: How To Refine Your STAR Responses

Feedback is crucial when mastering the STAR method for interviews.

By incorporating diverse feedback mechanisms, you can refine your answers for maximum impact.

Here’s how:

Self-Evaluation : After practicing, pause and assess. Did you address the Situation, Task, Action, and Result effectively? Were there moments you lost focus? Recognizing your own strengths and pitfalls is the first step to improvement.
Peer Review : Invite a friend or mentor to listen to your answers. Their external viewpoint can pinpoint areas that need refinement. Ask for feedback on both content and delivery, such as maintaining eye contact and speaking confidently.
Record and Review : Film yourself during mock interviews. Observing yourself offers insights into non-verbal cues like body language and facial expressions, helping you make necessary adjustments.
Seek Professional Guidance : A career coach or interview expert can offer seasoned insights, enhancing the depth and delivery of your responses.
Embrace AI Feedback Tools : Several online platforms now provide AI-driven feedback on aspects like speech clarity, emotional tone, and response coherence. They can be a unique and modern tool in your preparation arsenal.

Refinement doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a gradual process that involves constant practice and willingness to learn from feedback received.

Practice Makes Perfect: Tips For Rehearsing STAR Answers

Naturally, the best way to master the STAR method is through practice.

Here are some strategic tips to guide you in rehearsing your STAR answers.

Identify Potential Questions: Begin by identifying common interview questions related to your field or role. These questions will serve as a basis for your STAR responses. Look for those that ask about specific situations, tasks, actions, and results.
Draft Your Responses: Once you’ve identified potential questions, draft your answers using the STAR format. Be specific and detailed in each section—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to paint a clear picture of your experience.
Use Real-Life Experiences: Make sure to use real-life examples from your past experiences—whether they’re from previous jobs, volunteer work, or even academic projects. This not only makes it easier for you to remember details but also adds authenticity to your response.
Rehearse Out Loud: Practicing out loud allows you to hear how your responses sound and gives you an opportunity to refine them further. Try practicing in front of a mirror or record yourself for playback; this can help identify any areas of awkwardness or confusion in your delivery.
Get Feedback: Ask someone—a mentor, colleague or friend—to listen to your responses and provide feedback. They can point out any inconsistencies or gaps in your story that you may have missed.
Time Yourself: While it’s important to be thorough with your responses, keep in mind that recruiters don’t want overly long answers either. Aim for two minutes per response—a stopwatch can help keep track!
Adapt and Refine: Based on the feedback received and self-assessment done during rehearsal sessions, adapt and refine your responses until they’re polished and succinct.
Keep It Fresh: Don’t memorize word-for-word as this can make you sound robotic during interviews; instead understand the key points you want to convey.

Evaluating Success: How Interviewers Assess STAR Responses

Interviewers are adept at assessing STAR responses, and they look for several key elements to gauge the success of your answer.

Understanding these criteria can help you tailor your responses more effectively.

Relevance: First and foremost, interviewers assess whether the Situation, Task, Action, and Result you present align with the question asked or the competency being evaluated. Your response must be directly relevant to demonstrate that you understand what’s being asked of you.
Specificity: Vague answers can leave interviewers guessing about your abilities. They prefer specific scenarios that showcase concrete actions taken and tangible results achieved. The more detailed your answer without rambling, the better.
Action Orientation: Interviewers want to see that you’re a doer. They will evaluate how much of your story focuses on the actions you took versus background details or other people’s contributions.
Result Impact: Your result should not just be a successful outcome; it should have had a significant impact on your team, project, or organization. Interviewers look for this to gauge how effective and influential you are in your role.
Consistency: Consistency between what you say and what is known about you from other sources (like references or LinkedIn) adds credibility to your STAR response.
Behavioral Indicators: Interviewers often use behavioral indicators to understand how likely it is that past behavior will predict future performance in similar situations.
Non-verbal Cues: Your body language, tone of voice, facial expressions – all these non-verbal cues play a role in how well your STAR response is received.
Learning Reflections: Some interviewers also appreciate when candidates reflect on their experiences and articulate what they learned from them or how they would improve their approach in future similar scenarios.

In conclusion, mastering the STAR method is not just about acing job interviews.

It’s a powerful tool that enhances your communication skills , helping you to present yourself in the best possible light.

Remember, like any skill, perfecting the STAR method requires practice and patience. Don’t be discouraged by initial challenges; instead, consider them as opportunities for learning and growth.

Use feedback constructively to refine your responses until they truly shine.

And don’t forget the power of non-verbal cues – a confident posture and genuine smile can add a whole new dimension to your story!

The STAR method is more than a technique; it’s a strategy for success. So go ahead – embrace it, and let your star shine bright!

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The Editorial Team at InterviewGuy.com is composed of certified interview coaches, seasoned HR professionals, and industry insiders. With decades of collective expertise and access to an unparalleled database of interview questions, we are dedicated to empowering job seekers. Our content meets real-time industry demands, ensuring readers receive timely, accurate, and actionable advice. We value our readers' insights and encourage feedback, corrections, and questions to maintain the highest level of accuracy and relevance.

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How to answer interview questions with the STAR method

In the pressure cooker atmosphere of an interview, it is all too easy to fall back on empty claims without any justification. If you use the STAR interview method, this won’t happen

“I work well under pressure” might sound impressive and you may even say it with some conviction, but unless you offer an example of when you lived this skill, these empty words will not register with an interviewer who is expecting a convincing sales pitch.

Showing initiative, dealing with stress, reacting to a mistake, influencing other people and resolving a conflict are just a few other behaviors that you will likely need to demonstrate in detail rather than mention in passing.

The STAR interview method is the textbook technique to answer a behavioral interview question. It is a method that you can rely on whenever you need to demonstrate any behavioral competency.

In this blog we explore the most impactful technique in your interview toolkit:

What is the STAR method?

How to use the STAR interview technique

Why do interviewers ask behavioral questions.

Four behavioral questions with STAR response examples

If you use the STAR method, your responses will be clear, concise and powerful, leaving the interviewer with no choice but to tick the mental box and move on to the next question. It is factual, evidence-based and avoids any semblance of arrogance.

What is the difference between behavioral and situational interview questions? The STAR interview method is used to answer behavioral questions – when the interviewer wants to learn about how you handled an event in the past. Situational questions are theoretical explorations of how you might act in a situation in the future. “Tell me about a time when….” Is a typical start of a behavioral question that you might answer with the STAR interview method. “How would you act if….” is the start of a situational question.

While an employer may think of icebreaker questions as a friendly way to start the interview, job seekers might wonder whether there are ulterior motives involved. Luckily, we’re here to help get it sorted out with the most common ice breakers and the best ways to answer them.

What is the STAR interview method?

It is normal for your heartbeat to quicken when you are asked to give a specific behavioral example from your past career. Once you have chosen an example, how do you pick out the best bits without rambling? The STAR interview method might seem simplistic and mechanical, but it is the best way of communicating everything that an interviewer wants to hear in the shortest possible time frame. The STAR technique is a methodical approach with four parts:

Situation : Share the nature of the event, project or challenge.

Task : Describe your specific responsibility in the process.

Action : Steps undertaken to move towards an outcome

Result : End results of your individual involvement.

This structure is easy to follow, simple to remember and offers a potted response that should satisfy all but the most curious of interviewers. After all, if they want to ask a follow up question to clarify any aspects of your story, that is always an option.

Let’s get into the details of how to use this STAR method in the context of an interview.

How do you select the right examples for a STAR method response? You might well have a long list of achievements that you wish to share, but you need to consider whether they are genuinely relevant for the role in question. Think about the typical behavioral questions from the hiring manager’s point of view. What kind of STAR method interview answer would they want to hear?

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When the questions begin with the following opening gambits, you know that a behavioral question is on the way:

Tell me about a time when….
Have you ever….
Give me an example of….
Describe when you….
When do you do when….

The interviewer wants to understand your specific role in the situation and how you made a difference to the result. They are asking about a specific event in your past, not some imaginary event.

Think about a time when it was your action that made a difference rather than the efforts of those around you. Here is a more detailed exploration of how the STAR method can help you to do that.

The following sections will break down an example of how to use the STAR method to answer this behavioral question:

Tell me about a time when you introduced a new service into the marketplace?

Describe an occasion when this specific behavior helped to make a difference. Ideally it should be a situation in the sort of work context that you will come across in your future role. Relevance is essential in as much of your career story as possible if you are to get the job.

Offer an insight into the complexities, but don’t spend too long setting the scene. One or two concise sentences will be fine. The impact of your contribution is more important.

“My company was launching a new HR consultancy service, mainly targeting our current B2B client base, but also looking to leverage it for new business development.”

Before you get into exactly what you did, it is important to outline the responsibilities and objectives that were set for your part in the task. Most achievements at work also involve the efforts of others, so highlight the expectations and targets for your personal input.

Ideally share the goal of the task - why it was important for you and the employer. Context makes a difference and allows your future boss to compare it to any challenges that they may have for you. Again, keep it brief, and choose a task that others may struggle to do well.

“As the marketing manager , my role was to ensure 80% awareness among current clients and to increase our total client base by 25%. We had a social spend budget of $20k, so much of the marketing activity needed to be organic.”

Now is the time to shine. If you are sharing a relevant situation and task from your industry, your interviewer will likely understand what it takes to complete, so offer some unique specifics about how you went about surpassing expectations.

What steps did you take and how did your actions contribute to those around you? Try to share the sorts of things that few of your fellow candidates (competitors) will be able to boast. Consider using an action verb to elevate the accomplishment to a different level.

“I signed up 5% of the current client base on favorable terms and created a marketing campaign that followed their consultancy journeys in real time. We created a hashtag campaign on social media and involved every client to help spread the word, tying in the social engagement with future discounts on services.”

The final part of the STAR technique is to share the result of your actions. At this point it is vital to use financial numbers, percentage improvements and industry context wherever possible.

Only pick examples where the result is genuinely impressive – you need to end the STAR method story with a wow moment. Have a long think about the realities of your future employer and the sorts of things that will impress them. Include what you learned from the challenge and how you developed from the experience.

“We retained 90% of the original clients, ensured 95% client awareness of the service, and signed up half of the other existing clients. The social campaign reached over 5m people, and we doubled our client base. 35% of the new clients said that they would consider another service with us.”

Are there other similar approaches to the STAR method? The CAR method stands for context / action / result. It is the same as the STAR method, but the context part takes into account both the situation and task, and it can be harder to remember than STAR.

PAR is sometimes also used – problem / action / result. With all these methods, it goes without saying that you do not need to mention each part specifically when you are telling your story. Starting each behavioral story with: “This is the situation” is not a compelling storytelling technique. Ensure that your career tales are as natural as possible.

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Interviewers are there to make a tough decision. To find out whether you are a leader or a lemon, they need to ascertain concrete and relevant facts about the nature of your previous achievements and the behaviors that led to your success.

Saying “I secured a $1.2m cost saving” is impressive, but not enough. What specific role did you play in the achievement? Were you overdelivering against the task that was set? What would this result translate to in the context of your new role?

Translating your previous behaviors into what they might mean for your future employer lies at the very heart of any interview process. Behavioral questions and STAR method answers will play a significant part in every successful interview. It is like a recruitment dance of discovery. How impressively can you tell your story of success?

Make your behavioral STAR responses all about you. There is no place for modesty in the STAR method. Talk about yourself using the first-person pronoun “I” as much as you like. There is a time and a place in an interview to mention the contribution of the team around you, but when it comes to a behavioral question, your future employer wants to understand your input and yours only.

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Four behavioral interview questions with STAR response examples

There is a long list of behavioral questions that might be good candidates to explore, but the most revealing (and therefore difficult to answer) revolve around when you turned a situation from a negative to a positive place.

Anyone can “perform” in the good times. It is when things start to go wrong that talented employees come to the rescue with a solution. Here are a few STAR method examples:

1. Tell me about a time when you made a mistake and learned from it.

Situation : “I took over the order tracking process to cover a colleague’s maternity leave, during which time we experienced a 140% uplift in demand for a series of products.”

Task : “I need to ensure a 98.5% OTIF rate and make sure that our top 10 customers were consistently at 100% stock levels.”

Action : “I did not understand that the order process was different with our biggest customer (I didn’t think to check), and five delivery slots were missed, resulting in a 3% stock discrepancy. I took responsibility and created a new communication process for those taking maternity leave so that business continuity wouldn’t be harmed as it was in my case.”

Result : “My new process was commended by senior management, and it has been replicated across our global network of offices. Handovers are the last thing you are thinking about when you go on maternity leave, so they need to be efficient and thorough.”

2. Describe a time when you were under a lot of pressure at work?

Situation : “I was promoted two times over the space of three years - the first time due to merit and the second time due to a hiring freeze when my boss left. I went from managing a team of three to managing an extended team of forty.”

Task : “I had to manage two underperforming team leaders out of the business and create a slimmed down organizational structure, promoting some of the younger talent to their own managerial positions.”

Action : “I organized redundancy packages for the affected staff and created a new (and flatter) management structure for my new team. We went on weekend management training for six months and worked out a strategy to take the business forward.”

Result : “A year later, our team was working at a record net profitability of 7.8% and enjoyed staff retention numbers of 95% as opposed to the previous 58%. I then worked with those very same team leaders for another three successful and enjoyable years.”

3. Give me an example of when you showed initiative on the job.

Situation : “I met a provider of innovative recruitment software at an HR show and although my role does not cover recruitment, I felt that they could add value to our company.”

Task : “Our recruitment department was old fashioned and had not changed their technology base for a decade, so my job was to persuade them to investigate.”

Action : “We arranged a meeting, I helped the potential new supplier to draw up a business plan that focused on our needs and (after 9 months of persistence), we made the change.”

Result : “The recruitment team not only enjoyed 25% more productivity, their time to hire was reduced by 10 days. Other departments across the business took note and a company-wide technology strategy group was set up to understand the impact of other changes.”

4. Have you ever disagreed and resolved a conflict with your boss?

Situation : “My boss joined from another company and decided that we needed to change the way we organized our customer promotional schedule.”

Task : “I knew that our customer bases were vastly different and that the proposed changes would result in significant overstocks and missed sales opportunities. Much as they wanted to make changes, I had to persuade my new boss to stay with our original plans.”

Action : “I sat down with them and agreed that there were three main priorities for positive change, but that promotions were not amongst them. I presented some customer research that they had not yet read and collated the thoughts of a few colleagues on the matter.”

Result : “Our promotions sales participation continued to grow by healthy double digits, because we focused on the marketing support around the offer rather than changing the promotional schedule itself.”

These examples might seem like a lot of text, but it is usually the case that you will get the chance to tell your story in full before the interviewer comments and in fact this will only take up around a minute of your interview time. This is the sort of interview content that hiring managers love to hear.

Don’t forget to use the STAR interview method in your cover letter. The STAR interview method is perfect for the more story-oriented prose of your cover letter. Resumes are more factual and bullet-point oriented, but a cover letter allows you to take your future hiring manager on more of a journey. Start influencing them from the first word. Describe the situation, tell them that task that you faced, what action you took, and which results you achieved.

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Key Takeaways

The STAR interview method can help reduce stress in an interview situation and give the employer the answers they are looking for.
The STAR method will allow any candidate to structure how they tell their story and interviewers will be able to follow the flow of their achievements.
Rushed and ill-thought through responses just create confusion and require further questions.
The STAR method can be a great technique to incorporate on your cover letter .

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Mastering the STAR Interview Method – How-to and Q&A Examples

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What is the STAR interview method?

What is a behavioral interview, what does star stand for, preparing for your interview with the star method, how to use the star interview method.

STAR question and answer examples
Focus on success

The STAR interview method is a way to respond to common interview questions. It’s important that you understand how to use the STAR method so you can clearly and confidently answer any type of behavioral interview question an employer may ask you. This article explains how to use the STAR answer method to answer popular interview questions so you can impress your interviewer.

The STAR method is an interview response technique that allows you to take control of a job interview (especially a behavioral-style interview) by assessing a prospective employer’s requirements and preparing answers to likely questions ahead of time. STAR is an acronym that refers to Situation, Task, Action and Result.

In a behavioral or competency-based interview, the interviewer has a particular set of needs or goals in mind and wants to know how you will fulfill them.

Common behavioral interview questions include:

Tell me how you set goals.
Describe an incident where you were faced with an unexpected problem on a tight deadline.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
How did you handle working with someone you disliked?

The STAR technique allows you to explain and illustrate how you will meet the needs of your future employer by using examples of how you’ve dealt with related challenges in the past.

The acronym STAR stands for:

The situation is the challenge, project or other event you faced. When you’re preparing for potential interview questions, think about situations that might be relevant to the job you’re interviewing for. Consider the way you’d describe the problem you faced. This could be something directly related to your current or previous job, such as ‘I had to give an important presentation with only two days to prepare’ or ‘My team needed to develop a social media strategy before a product’s launch date.’

It could also be something more general. For example, if you’re asked ‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’ you might mention the position you wish to have, an academic or professional achievement and perhaps your ideal location. Think about who is involved, what is happening, where it’s happening and when it’s happening.

The task is what your responsibilities and duties were in that situation. In the situation you described, narrow down the task or target you were directly responsible for. Be concise. You need to convey the specifics to your interviewer as briefly and clearly as you can. Be sure to highlight any particularly challenging aspects of the task. Mention constraints and obstacles you faced.

The action is the steps you took or the procedure you followed to complete the project or resolve the difficulty. Describe the actions you took to complete your task or achieve your target. Think about the steps you personally took to ensure that the task was completed or the target met. Focus specifically on your own actions rather than those of others. Be sure to highlight the good qualities you showed in taking those specific actions.

This is a great opportunity to demonstrate your best traits to the interviewer. Make sure you take full advantage of it. If your actions showed good leadership, expert communication skills or great dedication, convey this to your interviewer.

The result portion of the STAR method is where you demonstrate your accomplishments. Describe the outcome of the actions you took. Let the interviewer know how well that important presentation was received or how successful that social media strategy proved to be. If the question relates to something that hasn’t happened yet, such as your future plans and ambitions, you can share the results you’ve achieved so far on your road to fulfilling those goals.

Well before your interview, consider the requirements of the job you’re interviewing for and how you might apply the STAR method. Read the job description for your prospective role and try to get as much detail about your future responsibilities as you can.

It will also be helpful to learn about the corporate culture and overall mission. This will put you in the best position to answer any questions the interviewer might ask you.

The types of interview questions and topics that could be answered by the STAR method include:

Working as part of a team
Planning and problem-solving
Leadership and initiative
Interpersonal skills, communication and conflict resolution
Performing under pressure

You do not need to anticipate every question the interviewer might ask, but you should have a good general idea of what the interview will involve. By thinking ahead and coming up with STAR responses that are relevant to each of these categories, you will be well-prepared.

Follow these steps to use the STAR interview method to answer a behavioral or competency-based question:

1. First, start with the specific situation that you want to discuss

When answering a behavioral question, start by explaining the specific situation that you were in.

As if you were telling a story, use plenty of details when describing your situation. When you’re speaking, try to address some of these storytelling principles:

Who : Who was involved, including the job titles of the people you are talking about
What : What was the situation, such as the exact project you were working on
Where : Where this situation occurred, e.g. the company you worked for
How : How you addressed and/or overcame the situation

‘In 2018, I was working as a Junior Project Manager at Bee Construction Company. We were six months into a new shopping complex buildout and our clients were growing increasingly angry because we were running behind and they hadn’t received an updated timeline. On top of that, the Senior Project Manager in charge of the project had to leave early for maternity leave, leaving our group with no one in charge.’

2. Secondly, describe your specific tasks or responsibilities in your role

The next step is to describe your specific tasks or responsibilities.

‘I had been training with the Senior Project Manager for a few months and was responsible for updating our project status on MS Project, as well as taking meeting minutes and following up on action items.’

3. Thirdly, describe what you did to respond or react

After describing your specific tasks, it is time to describe the subsequent actions you took.

‘When stress was rising in the group after the Senior PM had to leave, I decided it was time to take charge. The first step was to schedule a meeting with the construction team leads to prioritize deliverables, delegate tasks, and to create a new, realistic timeline. After updating the project status in MS Project, I set a meeting with the client to give them the update on where the project stands.’

4. Finally, share the impact or results that you achieved

To finish the STAR interview response technique, explain the results you achieved from your actions. These results should show the positive outcome of the way you handled a situation.

‘Although the client was upset things were being pushed back, they were very happy to have a new timeline that they could work with. For the next three months, I lead the construction project and was able to keep everyone on task with daily and weekly meetings. In the end, we ended up finishing the buildout a few weeks earlier than planned.’

STAR method question and answer examples

Question 1: tell me about a time when you had to work under pressure..

Example answer:

‘Last year I was a server at a sports bar during Super Bowl Sunday. The restaurant was slammed and one of the servers called in sick last minute. The pressure was high because it was our biggest day of the year and we had multiple parties of 10 or more people that were paying a lot of money to be there.

I already had eight tables when one of our large parties walked in. We soon realized that the server they requested was the one that had called in sick. Hating to see customers disappointed, I asked our FOH manager if I could take them.

I always believe transparency is the best, so I informed the eight tables I already had of the situation we were in. I offered to get them refills on their drinks ahead of time because I needed to be away for a while getting the large party settled in.

I left that night with the biggest tips I had ever received, and my customers thanked me for being proactive and transparent.’

Question 2: What do you do if you disagree with a team member?

‘It’s impossible to always agree with team members, so I have created a useful strategy for disagreements – listen, evaluate and make a decision. This happened in my last role as a software engineer.

Our team was creating a new website front-end for an e-commerce client and a team member and I didn’t agree on how to tie the shopping cart functionality in. Instead of getting worked up, I took time to sit down with my team member and to listen to his opinion. After he felt heard, I gave him my opinion.

Giving each other space to voice our opinions, we evaluated the pros and cons of our respective strategies. In the end, we decided to move forward with my strategy because it would create more ease for our client.’

Question 3: Give me an example of a time you had to work with a team.

‘Teamwork is crucial, no matter what type of position you are in. Most recently, I was working on a business class project with three other students. I have a type-A personality, and am usually the one to take the lead, but I noticed someone else in the group that wanted to take charge.

Instead of taking over, I asked my classmate if she wanted to delegate tasks. She was extremely excited about the opportunity and ended up doing an excellent job. It was a valuable learning process for me to let someone else manage.

In the end, I learned much more than I would have taking the lead, since I already know how to do that.’

Question 4: What do you do when you are overwhelmed at work?

‘I feel like I work better under stress. When there are a million things to do, I like to take a deep breath and prioritize the tasks at hand. Just yesterday, while bartending at Craft Cocktail Bar, we welcomed a party of 25 people just as our shipment of inventory came in.

Instead of panicking, I prioritized the tasks at hand. Customers came first, because handling them is more urgent. Restocking the bar would come second. After signing for the shipment, I asked the delivery guy to store everything in the liquor closet for the time being. I took a deep breath and started taking three or four orders at a time, making drinks as fast as I could, while providing friendly, cheerful service.

In the end, the bar cleared out within an hour. The customers were very happy and I was able to get back to restocking and taking inventory.’

Question 5: Tell me a goal you have set for yourself and how you achieved it.

‘I like to set goals on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Having both short and long-term goals helps me stay motivated while also keeping an eye on the bigger picture.

My goals for today are always written in the form of a to-do list. On my list for today is coming to this interview, sending you a nice follow-up email, finishing my online portfolio and washing my car. For the week, my goals are to have three interviews, apply to 10 positions and add 30 new connections on LinkedIn. My long-term goal is to find a company that I can call home within the next month.

Breaking down goals incrementally makes each task attainable, rather than just having a bunch of goals that are harder to achieve.’

Question 6: Why do you think you would make a good cashier?

‘I will make a good cashier because I have a lot of experience with customer service. Being a cashier isn’t just about ringing people up. It’s about ensuring that customers have an enjoyable experience while they shop. For the past six months, I have been volunteering in the kitchen of a local homeless shelter.

In addition to serving food, it is my job to interact with our guests and to see if there is anything we can help them with. Much like cashiers, I make sure to approach each person with a friendly demeanor and a big smile. I take time to listen to their needs and to ask questions about their desires.

Because of my personality, I have guests that come back to the shelter to chat with me time and time again. Although the environment is different, I feel my experience with providing exceptional customer service would make me a great cashier.’

Question 7: Describe a time when it was important for you to make a good impression with a client. What did you do?

‘As an account executive at Regent Staffing, it is extremely important for me to make good impressions. Most recently, I set a huge meeting with the VP of HR at Ace Corporation.

Needing to make a good impression, I did extensive research into her role and the company. I soon found out that they were going through massive re-orgs, which means she was putting in lots of hours. Knowing she didn’t have much time to take a break, instead of doing the usual lunch, I offered to take her to get her nails done over the lunch break. The meeting was a huge success.

She told me how tired she had been and that having some time to take care of herself was much appreciated. Because of that meeting, we landed a huge contract and she is now one of my favorite clients.’

Focus on success when using STAR

When considering which examples you use for your STAR answers, choose an episode from your career that resulted in success. You can model your best qualities and accomplishments for your interviewer. Think about how the outcome of the episode reflects on you, both in your work role and as an individual.

The STAR method is a very powerful technique with many applications beyond the interview setting. You can use the STAR method as a tool in many different situations, both in and out of the workplace.

By Mike Simpson

When candidates prepare for interviews, they usually focus on highlighting their leadership, communication, teamwork, and similar crucial soft skills . However, not everyone gets ready for problem-solving interview questions. And that can be a big mistake.

Problem-solving is relevant to nearly any job on the planet. Yes, it’s more prevalent in certain industries, but it’s helpful almost everywhere.

Regardless of the role you want to land, you may be asked to provide problem-solving examples or describe how you would deal with specific situations. That’s why being ready to showcase your problem-solving skills is so vital.

If you aren’t sure who to tackle problem-solving questions, don’t worry, we have your back. Come with us as we explore this exciting part of the interview process, as well as some problem-solving interview questions and example answers.

What Is Problem-Solving?

When you’re trying to land a position, there’s a good chance you’ll face some problem-solving interview questions. But what exactly is problem-solving? And why is it so important to hiring managers?

Well, the good folks at Merriam-Webster define problem-solving as “the process or act of finding a solution to a problem.” While that may seem like common sense, there’s a critical part to that definition that should catch your eye.

What part is that? The word “process.”

In the end, problem-solving is an activity. It’s your ability to take appropriate steps to find answers, determine how to proceed, or otherwise overcome the challenge.

Being great at it usually means having a range of helpful problem-solving skills and traits. Research, diligence, patience, attention-to-detail , collaboration… they can all play a role. So can analytical thinking , creativity, and open-mindedness.

But why do hiring managers worry about your problem-solving skills? Well, mainly, because every job comes with its fair share of problems.

While problem-solving is relevant to scientific, technical, legal, medical, and a whole slew of other careers. It helps you overcome challenges and deal with the unexpected. It plays a role in troubleshooting and innovation. That’s why it matters to hiring managers.

How to Answer Problem-Solving Interview Questions

Okay, before we get to our examples, let’s take a quick second to talk about strategy. Knowing how to answer problem-solving interview questions is crucial. Why? Because the hiring manager might ask you something that you don’t anticipate.

Problem-solving interview questions are all about seeing how you think. As a result, they can be a bit… unconventional.

These aren’t your run-of-the-mill job interview questions . Instead, they are tricky behavioral interview questions . After all, the goal is to find out how you approach problem-solving, so most are going to feature scenarios, brainteasers, or something similar.

So, having a great strategy means knowing how to deal with behavioral questions. Luckily, there are a couple of tools that can help.

First, when it comes to the classic approach to behavioral interview questions, look no further than the STAR Method . With the STAR method, you learn how to turn your answers into captivating stories. This makes your responses tons more engaging, ensuring you keep the hiring manager’s attention from beginning to end.

Now, should you stop with the STAR Method? Of course not. If you want to take your answers to the next level, spend some time with the Tailoring Method , too.

With the Tailoring Method, it’s all about relevance. So, if you get a chance to choose an example that demonstrates your problem-solving skills, this is really the way to go.

We also wanted to let you know that we created an amazing free cheat sheet that will give you word-for-word answers for some of the toughest interview questions you are going to face in your upcoming interview. After all, hiring managers will often ask you more generalized interview questions!

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1. Can you tell me about a time when you had to solve a challenging problem?

In the land of problem-solving questions, this one might be your best-case scenario. It lets you choose your own problem-solving examples to highlight, putting you in complete control.

When you choose an example, go with one that is relevant to what you’ll face in the role. The closer the match, the better the answer is in the eyes of the hiring manager.

EXAMPLE ANSWER:

“While working as a mobile telecom support specialist for a large organization, we had to transition our MDM service from one vendor to another within 45 days. This personally physically handling 500 devices within the agency. Devices had to be gathered from the headquarters and satellite offices, which were located all across the state, something that was challenging even without the tight deadline. I approached the situation by identifying the location assignment of all personnel within the organization, enabling me to estimate transit times for receiving the devices. Next, I timed out how many devices I could personally update in a day. Together, this allowed me to create a general timeline. After that, I coordinated with each location, both expressing the urgency of adhering to deadlines and scheduling bulk shipping options. While there were occasional bouts of resistance, I worked with location leaders to calm concerns and facilitate action. While performing all of the updates was daunting, my approach to organizing the event made it a success. Ultimately, the entire transition was finished five days before the deadline, exceeding the expectations of many.”

2. Describe a time where you made a mistake. What did you do to fix it?

While this might not look like it’s based on problem-solving on the surface, it actually is. When you make a mistake, it creates a challenge, one you have to work your way through. At a minimum, it’s an opportunity to highlight problem-solving skills, even if you don’t address the topic directly.

When you choose an example, you want to go with a situation where the end was positive. However, the issue still has to be significant, causing something negative to happen in the moment that you, ideally, overcame.

“When I first began in a supervisory role, I had trouble setting down my individual contributor hat. I tried to keep up with my past duties while also taking on the responsibilities of my new role. As a result, I began rushing and introduced an error into the code of the software my team was updating. The error led to a memory leak. We became aware of the issue when the performance was hindered, though we didn’t immediately know the cause. I dove back into the code, reviewing recent changes, and, ultimately, determined the issue was a mistake on my end. When I made that discovery, I took several steps. First, I let my team know that the error was mine and let them know its nature. Second, I worked with my team to correct the issue, resolving the memory leak. Finally, I took this as a lesson about delegation. I began assigning work to my team more effectively, a move that allowed me to excel as a manager and help them thrive as contributors. It was a crucial learning moment, one that I have valued every day since.”

3. If you identify a potential risk in a project, what steps do you take to prevent it?

Yes, this is also a problem-solving question. The difference is, with this one, it’s not about fixing an issue; it’s about stopping it from happening. Still, you use problem-solving skills along the way, so it falls in this question category.

If you can, use an example of a moment when you mitigated risk in the past. If you haven’t had that opportunity, approach it theoretically, discussing the steps you would take to prevent an issue from developing.

“If I identify a potential risk in a project, my first step is to assess the various factors that could lead to a poor outcome. Prevention requires analysis. Ensuring I fully understand what can trigger the undesired event creates the right foundation, allowing me to figure out how to reduce the likelihood of those events occurring. Once I have the right level of understanding, I come up with a mitigation plan. Exactly what this includes varies depending on the nature of the issue, though it usually involves various steps and checks designed to monitor the project as it progresses to spot paths that may make the problem more likely to happen. I find this approach effective as it combines knowledge and ongoing vigilance. That way, if the project begins to head into risky territory, I can correct its trajectory.”

17 More Problem-Solving-Based Interview Questions

In the world of problem-solving questions, some apply to a wide range of jobs, while others are more niche. For example, customer service reps and IT helpdesk professionals both encounter challenges, but not usually the same kind.

As a result, some of the questions in this list may be more relevant to certain careers than others. However, they all give you insights into what this kind of question looks like, making them worth reviewing.

Here are 17 more problem-solving interview questions you might face off against during your job search:

How would you describe your problem-solving skills?
Can you tell me about a time when you had to use creativity to deal with an obstacle?
Describe a time when you discovered an unmet customer need while assisting a customer and found a way to meet it.
If you were faced with an upset customer, how would you diffuse the situation?
Tell me about a time when you had to troubleshoot a complex issue.
Imagine you were overseeing a project and needed a particular item. You have two choices of vendors: one that can deliver on time but would be over budget, and one that’s under budget but would deliver one week later than you need it. How do you figure out which approach to use?
Your manager wants to upgrade a tool you regularly use for your job and wants your recommendation. How do you formulate one?
A supplier has said that an item you need for a project isn’t going to be delivered as scheduled, something that would cause your project to fall behind schedule. What do you do to try and keep the timeline on target?
Can you share an example of a moment where you encountered a unique problem you and your colleagues had never seen before? How did you figure out what to do?
Imagine you were scheduled to give a presentation with a colleague, and your colleague called in sick right before it was set to begin. What would you do?
If you are given two urgent tasks from different members of the leadership team, both with the same tight deadline, how do you choose which to tackle first?
Tell me about a time you and a colleague didn’t see eye-to-eye. How did you decide what to do?
Describe your troubleshooting process.
Tell me about a time where there was a problem that you weren’t able to solve. What happened?
In your opening, what skills or traits make a person an exceptional problem-solver?
When you face a problem that requires action, do you usually jump in or take a moment to carefully assess the situation?
When you encounter a new problem you’ve never seen before, what is the first step that you take?

Putting It All Together

At this point, you should have a solid idea of how to approach problem-solving interview questions. Use the tips above to your advantage. That way, you can thrive during your next interview.

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Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com.

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Co-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com. His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes , Entrepreneur , CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan , Penn State , Northeastern and others. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page .

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1. Tell Me About a Time When You Demonstrated Leadership Skills

Most employers are looking for people who can lead. Remember, leadership is pretty different from being a boss since wheres one inspires, the other rules. Using the STAR technique, clearly mention whatever happened, what you did, and the outcome.

Sample Answer

We were once tasked with executing a project. We did not have a good grasp of the subject but decided to do it anyway, making a few mistakes in the end. Our company’s management was not impressed with the results. I decided to take the onus on our performance, admitted that we tried our best but could improve if given another chance. The management was pleased that we owned up and gave us another chance which we aced.

2. Tell Us About a Conflict You Had with a Coworker. How Did You Solve It?

It would be best if you were careful when handling such behavioral questions. Take into consideration that this particular one has two parts. Your answer should, therefore, correctly highlight the conflict and also show how you resolved it. Like we mentioned in the first question, make sure that you clearly mention the outcome.

A team member once felt that my way of tackling a project was wrong. He came off a bit harsh. Instead of getting mad, I politely asked him if he had a better suggestion. He tabled what he thought, and we had a conversation as a team. We settled for his idea and recorded better results.

3. Tell Me About a Time When You Disagreed with Your Supervisor

Disagreements are common, especially in team settings. You may be opposed to someone’s approach to things or their management style. However, that does not mean that there must be bad blood between you. Mention an experience where you disagreed with your supervisor by highlighting what happened, how you tackled it and the end results.

My supervisor once asked me to do something that went against the job policies. I declined, citing that I was not allowed and would lose my job if I got caught. He kept on pressing me and issuing threats, which I did not like. I reported to the overall supervisor, who took the necessary action. He never came back with such requests again.

4. How Do You Normally Approach Problems? Walk Us Through Your Process

What do you usually do when faced with problems? This behavioral question assesses your problem handling process. It would help if you convinced the interviewer that you could handle challenges without panicking and offer solutions to the problems you will face in the workplace. Make sure that your answer is a process, just like the question demands.

I am a good problem solver. Whenever I come across problems, I take time to reflect on them and think. I then brainstorm some possible solutions and aven involve my former workmates if necessary. After listing all the solutions, I settle on the easiest to execute and that which will give me the best results.

5. Tell Us About a Time When You Had to Say No

It comes a time when you have to be assertive and say no in the workplace, be it to a fellow employee or your supervisor. This question is therefore testing your assertiveness, ability to draw boundaries, and communication skills . Walk the interviewer through your experience, and do not forget to include the outcome for your answer to be complete.

In my former workplace, an employee who had been given several warnings on being late asked me to cover up for him after the last one. Being a person of high integrity, I refused, and he was later dismissed. Even though I felt terrible for some time, knowing that I had done the right thing helped me overcome the guilt.

6. Tell Us About a Time When You Had to Build a Rapport With a Client Despite Having Different Personalities

This is a pretty standard behavioral interview. Can you go above and beyond to create good relationships with clients? Remember, companies or organizations depend on conversions to make profits. Therefore, you must be ready to go out of your way to bring clients to the organization.

I am a quiet, reserved person. However, in my last job, we finally had the chance to get through to a client we had eyed for a long time. He was a pretty lively person who was the life at the party. I had to go out of my way and discover a game he loved playing. I then hung around the golfing course, had a few conversations, and finally built rapport before convincing him to join our company. This was the most significant conversion we ever made.

7 . Share With Us an Experience Where You Motivated a Fellow Worker

The interviewer is testing your ability to work with others in team settings. Can you motivate and bring the best out of your fellow workmates? Your ability to influence other people around you will ensure that you fit well in any team setting. Remember to mention the outcome after your motivation.

One of my fellow workmates once shared that she was tired and thinking of quitting her job when we were in the middle of a project. When I asked her why she told me that she felt demotivated. I urged her to think about some of the successes she had experienced in her career and even invited her to one of my motivational talks. She managed to pull through and give her best till we completed the project, after which she happily resigned to pursue other ventures.

8. Tell Us About a Time When You Managed to Handle a Difficult Situation

The interviewer wants to know how you usually handle challenges whenever they come up in your job. Think about when you dealt with a problem and overcame a challenge. Remember, you can also give an experience that taught you a few things about your craft and helped you improve your work.

One of my team members quit when we were in the middle of a project. We were only three, and the remaining two of us already had a lot on our plate. However, I sat down with the other member and agreed to equally divide the remaining work and work overtime until we completed the project. We managed to finish right in time.

9. Have You Ever Made a Mistake? How Did You Solve It?

Mistakes are common, especially since we learn from them. The interviewer is also human and therefore understands that we all make mistakes. Your worth as an employee lies in how you handle errors and the lessons you learn from them. Show that you are accountable and can obtain valuable insights from your mistakes.

I once forgot to check up on one of my clients, as was the norm after therapy. She later relapsed and almost harmed herself were it not for the sister who caught her in the nick of time. I apologized to the family and offered to give her free additional sessions. I monitored her till she was mentally stable. (Remember, your experience will depend on whatever you are interviewing for)

10. How Do You Work Under Pressure?

Can you handle the pressure that comes with the particular position? The interviewers want to know some of your strategies whenever you have a lot on your plate. This is particularly common if your job involves lots of stress. We advise you to give a specific answer highlighting an experience where you managed to work well under pressure, but first confirm that you can indeed work in such situations.

I can work exceptionally well under pressure. I once undertook a project whose deadline was in guilty days. However, the client later changed the deadline to 20 days which threw me off a bit. I eliminated some of the dispensable activities that I had planned and even worked overtime to ensure that I completed the project in time. I managed to do it in 19 days and even left a day for thorough revision.

11. Tell Us About a Time You Made an Unpopular Decision and Implemented It

One of the downsides of being a manager or leader is making decisions that may not be popular with everyone. Your answer should tell the interviewer that even though you decided to press on with the decision, you took great care to communicate with the other employees and even increase your support.

I once took over management of a small restaurant where the employees were allowed to step in for one another without prior communication with the management. It brought about lots of uncertainty, and therefore, I decided to develop a policy requiring that any change be communicated with the management first. As you can expect, it did not please the employees, but I managed to make them see the problems of the other approach.

12. Has Your Workday Ever Ended Before You Did Everything that You Planned To? Give Us an Experience

The interviewer wants to know about your commitment to the job, work ethic, communication skills, and prioritizing ability. There are times you may not be able to handle everything that you planned to at the beginning of the day. Therefore, give an experience where you either worked overtime, took some work home, or came in early the next day to finish up.

I once planned to finish a product design that I was doing for a client by the end of the day. However, I had an emergency and couldn’t finish by the anticipated time. I had to work overnight and delivered it the next day by the agreed time.

13. How Do You Normally Stay Motivated In Repetitive Jobs?

Repetitive jobs can get boring and therefore demotivating. You must have a way of going about such positions to help you constantly push yourself and give your best. Here the interviewer is testing your motivation and passion for the job. Please do not give them a reason to doubt you.

First of all, I love repetitive jobs. However, whenever I start feeling bored, I look for new possible challenges within the assignments, solve them, and keep my motivation up.

14. Tell Us When When You Had to Work With a Rule that You Disagreed With

Every job has its rule and policies, some of which you may not agree with. However, you are expected to follow them and conform to whatever the job needs as long as you are still an employee in the particular workplace. This is a chance to show the interviewer that you can follow the rules within the organization.

My last workplace demanded that every change, however, small had to be officiated by the entire management. I felt that the policy wasted a lot of time, which could be saved doing something else. However, I had to agree with it and did strictly as required until it was changed a year later.

15. Describe a Situation Where You Had to Go Above and Beyond to Ensure that a Piece of Work Was Done

You should be ready to do everything in your power to ensure that you are successful at your job. Therefore, giving such an experience will convince the interviewer that you are willing to do whatever it takes to get work done.

I once started working on a project but kept on receiving updates now and then. The client, however, refused to add more time, forcing me to work past my regular hours and into the night. I managed to finish the job 4 hours earlier.

16. Tell Us About When You Had to Deal with an Angry Customer

This is a common question in interviews that is usually asked to determine whether you have people skills. Can you stay professional when handling an angry customer?

I have dealt with lots of such customers. One once came up to me angry because of a change in price that he was not aware of. I treated the situation calmly, apologized, and walked him through why there was a price increase. He finally understood and even apologized for being angry before.

17. Tell me about a Time When You Anticipated Potential Problems and Came Up with Preventive Measures

Can you anticipate problems and come up with solutions to cushion them? This is a chance to convince the interviewer just how much you value succeeding in your work.

I once anticipated a power failure when working from home, given that part of where I lived had experienced a blackout two days ago. I was working on an important project and could not, therefore, entertain such an occurrence. I made arrangements for generator fuel, which pushed me when I experienced a power failure a few hours later. I was able to complete the project without any hiccups.

18. Give an Example of When You Decided to Take Initiative and Lead

Employers want people who can take the initiative when everybody coils back in fear. This is especially important for management positions. Give an experience where you volunteered and decided to lead a project to success.

We were once tasked with a project, but no one wanted to be the group leader. I decided to take up the role, guided the project to its completion, and achieved impressive results.

19. Tell Us About a Goal You Set and How You Managed to Achieve It

Are you a goal setter? How do you usually plan to achieve your goals? Clearly highlight the goal, plan, and the necessary steps you undertook to achieve it.

I managed to exceed our set sales target by 50 percent in the first quarter of the year. It was an uphill task that any area representative had not achieved in five years. I joined the sales team, directly interacted with customers, and increased our reach. We exceeded the sales limit by 70% instead of 50, which happened to be my most significant achievement.

20. Tell Us about a Goal that You Didn’t Achieve

This is quite similar to the last question, just that the situations are different. The interviewer wants to know how well you can handle failure or disappointments. You can also mention what you learned and some of the things you would do differently.

In 2016, I planned to save $(write the value). However, I ran into several emergencies throughout the year that made it a pipe dream. This experience taught me always to keep an emergency fund.

We have come to the end of our article. I hope that you have found great recommendations that will help you ace your interview.

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15 Common Problem-Solving Interview Questions

In an interview for a big tech company, I was asked if I’d ever resolved a fight — and the exact way I went about handling it. I felt blindsided, and I stammered my way through an excuse of an answer.

It’s a familiar scenario to fellow technical job seekers — and one that risks leaving a sour taste in our mouths. As candidate experience becomes an increasingly critical component of the hiring process, recruiters need to ensure the problem-solving interview questions they prepare don’t dissuade talent in the first place.

Interview questions designed to gauge a candidate’s problem-solving skills are more often than not challenging and vague. Assessing a multifaceted skill like problem solving is tricky — a good problem solver owns the full solution and result, researches well, solves creatively and takes action proactively.

It’s hard to establish an effective way to measure such a skill. But it’s not impossible.

We recommend taking an informed and prepared approach to testing candidates’ problem-solving skills . With that in mind, here’s a list of a few common problem-solving interview questions, the science behind them — and how you can go about administering your own problem-solving questions with the unique challenges of your organization in mind.

Key Takeaways for Effective Problem-Solving Interview Questions

Problem solving lies at the heart of programming.
Testing a candidate’s problem-solving skills goes beyond the IDE. Problem-solving interview questions should test both technical skills and soft skills.
STAR, SOAR and PREP are methods a candidate can use to answer some non-technical problem-solving interview questions.
Generic problem-solving interview questions go a long way in gauging a candidate’s fit. But you can go one step further by customizing them according to your company’s service, product, vision, and culture.

Technical Problem-Solving Interview Question Examples

Evaluating a candidates’ problem-solving skills while using coding challenges might seem intimidating. The secret is that coding challenges test many things at the same time — like the candidate’s knowledge of data structures and algorithms, clean code practices, and proficiency in specific programming languages, to name a few examples.

Problem solving itself might at first seem like it’s taking a back seat. But technical problem solving lies at the heart of programming, and most coding questions are designed to test a candidate’s problem-solving abilities.

Here are a few examples of technical problem-solving questions:

1. Mini-Max Sum

This well-known challenge, which asks the interviewee to find the maximum and minimum sum among an array of given numbers, is based on a basic but important programming concept called sorting, as well as integer overflow. It tests the candidate’s observational skills, and the answer should elicit a logical, ad-hoc solution.

2. Organizing Containers of Balls

This problem tests the candidate’s knowledge of a variety of programming concepts, like 2D arrays, sorting and iteration. Organizing colored balls in containers based on various conditions is a common question asked in competitive examinations and job interviews, because it’s an effective way to test multiple facets of a candidate’s problem-solving skills.

3. Build a Palindrome

This is a tough problem to crack, and the candidate’s knowledge of concepts like strings and dynamic programming plays a significant role in solving this challenge. This problem-solving example tests the candidate’s ability to think on their feet as well as their ability to write clean, optimized code.

4. Subarray Division

Based on a technique used for searching pairs in a sorted array ( called the “two pointers” technique ), this problem can be solved in just a few lines and judges the candidate’s ability to optimize (as well as basic mathematical skills).

5. The Grid Search

This is a problem of moderate difficulty and tests the candidate’s knowledge of strings and searching algorithms, the latter of which is regularly tested in developer interviews across all levels.

Common Non-Technical Problem-Solving Interview Questions

Testing a candidate’s problem-solving skills goes beyond the IDE . Everyday situations can help illustrate competency, so here are a few questions that focus on past experiences and hypothetical situations to help interviewers gauge problem-solving skills.

1. Given the problem of selecting a new tool to invest in, where and how would you begin this task?

Key Insight : This question offers insight into the candidate’s research skills. Ideally, they would begin by identifying the problem, interviewing stakeholders, gathering insights from the team, and researching what tools exist to best solve for the team’s challenges and goals.

2. Have you ever recognized a potential problem and addressed it before it occurred?

Key Insight: Prevention is often better than cure. The ability to recognize a problem before it occurs takes intuition and an understanding of business needs.

3. A teammate on a time-sensitive project confesses that he’s made a mistake, and it’s putting your team at risk of missing key deadlines. How would you respond?

Key Insight: Sometimes, all the preparation in the world still won’t stop a mishap. Thinking on your feet and managing stress are skills that this question attempts to unearth. Like any other skill, they can be cultivated through practice.

4. Tell me about a time you used a unique problem-solving approach.

Key Insight: Creativity can manifest in many ways, including original or novel ways to tackle a problem. Methods like the 10X approach and reverse brainstorming are a couple of unique approaches to problem solving.

5. Have you ever broken rules for the “greater good?” If yes, can you walk me through the situation?

Key Insight: “Ask for forgiveness, not for permission.” It’s unconventional, but in some situations, it may be the mindset needed to drive a solution to a problem.

6. Tell me about a weakness you overcame at work, and the approach you took.

Key Insight: According to Compass Partnership , “self-awareness allows us to understand how and why we respond in certain situations, giving us the opportunity to take charge of these responses.” It’s easy to get overwhelmed when faced with a problem. Candidates showing high levels of self-awareness are positioned to handle it well.

7. Have you ever owned up to a mistake at work? Can you tell me about it?

Key Insight: Everybody makes mistakes. But owning up to them can be tough, especially at a workplace. Not only does it take courage, but it also requires honesty and a willingness to improve, all signs of 1) a reliable employee and 2) an effective problem solver.

8. How would you approach working with an upset customer?

Key Insight: With the rise of empathy-driven development and more companies choosing to bridge the gap between users and engineers, today’s tech teams speak directly with customers more frequently than ever before. This question brings to light the candidate’s interpersonal skills in a client-facing environment.

9. Have you ever had to solve a problem on your own, but needed to ask for additional help? How did you go about it?

Key Insight: Knowing when you need assistance to complete a task or address a situation is an important quality to have while problem solving. This questions helps the interviewer get a sense of the candidate’s ability to navigate those waters.

10. Let’s say you disagree with your colleague on how to move forward with a project. How would you go about resolving the disagreement?

Key Insight: Conflict resolution is an extremely handy skill for any employee to have; an ideal answer to this question might contain a brief explanation of the conflict or situation, the role played by the candidate and the steps taken by them to arrive at a positive resolution or outcome.

Strategies for Answering Problem-Solving Questions

If you’re a job seeker, chances are you’ll encounter this style of question in your various interview experiences. While problem-solving interview questions may appear simple, they can be easy to fumble — leaving the interviewer without a clear solution or outcome.

It’s important to approach such questions in a structured manner. Here are a few tried-and-true methods to employ in your next problem-solving interview.

1. Shine in Interviews With the STAR Method

S ituation, T ask, A ction, and R esult is a great method that can be employed to answer a problem-solving or behavioral interview question. Here’s a breakdown of these steps:

Situation : A good way to address almost any interview question is to lay out and define the situation and circumstances.
Task : Define the problem or goal that needs to be addressed. Coding questions are often multifaceted, so this step is particularly important when answering technical problem-solving questions.
Action : How did you go about solving the problem? Try to be as specific as possible, and state your plan in steps if you can.
Result : Wrap it up by stating the outcome achieved.

2. Rise above difficult questions using the SOAR method

A very similar approach to the STAR method, SOAR stands for S ituation, O bstacle, A ction, and R esults .

Situation: Explain the state of affairs. It’s important to steer clear of stating any personal opinions in this step; focus on the facts.
Obstacle: State the challenge or problem you faced.
Action: Detail carefully how you went about overcoming this obstacle.
Result: What was the end result? Apart from overcoming the obstacle, did you achieve anything else? What did you learn in the process?

3. Do It the PREP Way

Traditionally used as a method to make effective presentations, the P oint, R eason, E xample, P oint method can also be used to answer problem-solving interview questions.

Point : State the solution in plain terms.
Reasons: Follow up the solution by detailing your case — and include any data or insights that support your solution.
Example: In addition to objective data and insights, drive your answer home by contextualizing the solution in a real-world example.
Point : Reiterate the solution to make it come full circle.

How to Customize Problem-Solving Interview Questions

Generic problem-solving interview questions go a long way in gauging a candidate’s skill level, but recruiters can go one step further by customizing these problem-solving questions according to their company’s service, product, vision, or culture.

Here are some tips to do so:

Break down the job’s responsibilities into smaller tasks. Job descriptions may contain ambiguous responsibilities like “manage team projects effectively.” To formulate an effective problem-solving question, envision what this task might look like in a real-world context and develop a question around it.
Tailor questions to the role at hand. Apart from making for an effective problem-solving question, it gives the candidate the impression you’re an informed technical recruiter. For example, an engineer will likely have attended many scrums. So, a good question to ask is: “Suppose you notice your scrums are turning unproductive. How would you go about addressing this?”
Consider the tools and technologies the candidate will use on the job. For example, if Jira is the primary project management tool, a good problem-solving interview question might be: “Can you tell me about a time you simplified a complex workflow — and the tools you used to do so?”
If you don’t know where to start, your company’s core values can often provide direction. If one of the core values is “ownership,” for example, consider asking a question like: “Can you walk us through a project you owned from start to finish?”
Sometimes, developing custom content can be difficult even with all these tips considered. Our platform has a vast selection of problem-solving examples that are designed to help recruiters ask the right questions to help nail their next technical interview.

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Problem-Solving Interview Questions & Answers

Updated July 13, 2023
Published March 9, 2020

A job interview is a great moment for interviewers to evaluate how candidates approach challenging work situations . They do this by asking problem-solving questions. These types of questions are commonly asked during interviews since problem-solving skills are essential in most jobs. In any workplace, there are challenges, and when hiring new personnel, hiring managers look for candidates who are equipped to deal with this.

Problem-solving questions are so-called behavioral interview questions . Behavioral interview questions are strategic type of questions that require you to provide an answer that includes an example situation that you experienced in your career. These questions focus on specific work situations that you experienced and how you responded.

A basic example of a behavior question about problem-solving is ‘ tell me about a time you solved a problem at work .’ As you can see, the interviewer is looking for you to explain a situation and how you approach it, and how you solved it. Furthermore, the interviewer is interested in what you learned from that experience. Answering behavioral questions requires some work because you need to provide the interviewer with a strong answer to convince them that you’re the right person for the job.

The rationale behind asking problem-solving questions is to discover how you approach complex and challenging situations and if you can provide an effective solution. Interview questions about your past behavior might sound challenging, but they are actually a great opportunity for you to show that you’re a fit for the position. With the right preparation, you can use your answers to problem-solving questions to your advantage.

What Are Problem-solving Interview Questions?

Basically, problem-solving skills relate to your ability to identify problems, issues, obstacles, challenges, and opportunities and then come up with and implement effective and efficient solutions. However, this is a broad definition of problem-solving abilities. Depending on the position and field you’re applying for a position in the interviewer can focus on different aspects of problem-solving.

Examples of problem-solving competencies are:

Taking initiative.

Taking initiative means that you step up to the plate when needed and that you take action without being asked to do so. People who take the initiative demonstrate that they can think for themselves and take action whenever necessary. Furthermore, you actively look for opportunities to make a difference in the workplace.

Creative thinking

Creative thinking means that you’re able to look at something in a new way to find a solution. People who are creative have the ability to come up with new ways to carry out their tasks, solve problems, and meet challenges. Creative people are original thinkers and are able to bring unorthodox perspectives to their work.

Resourcefulness

Resourcefulness is the ability to find quick and clever ways to overcome challenges in your work. Furthermore, people who are resourceful are original in their ways of thinking to overcome challenges.

Analytical thinking skills

These skills refer to the ability to gather data, break down a complex problem, weigh pros and cons, and make logical decisions. People who possess analytical thinking skills help the company overcome challenges and are able to spot potential issues before they become actual problems.

Determination

Determination can be described as the firmness of purpose or resoluteness. Specifically, people who are determined are persistent and do not give up easily or when they have a setback. Determination gives these people the motivation to push through and keep moving forward.

Results-oriented

People who are result-oriented have their full focus on getting to the desired outcome.

Problem-solving behavioral interview questions

As discussed in the introduction, problem-solving questions fall into the behavioral category of interview questions . These questions ask you to provide specific examples of past work experiences. For interviewers, understanding your past professional performance is the best way to gauge your future job performance.

Behavioral questions are focused on the desired skills or competency area, such as in this case, problem-solving. Other common competency areas for which behavioral questions are used are teamwork , communication , time management , creative thinking skills , leadership , adaptability , conflict resolution , etc.

Behavioral job interview questions usually start with the following:

Give me an example of
Tell me about a time when you
What do you do when
Describe a situation where

Examples of problem-solving behavioral interview questions:

Give me an example of a time you had to solve a difficult problem at work.
Tell me about a time when you identified and fixed a problem before it became urgent.
What was the best idea you came up with at your last position?
Describe a situation where you find a creative way to overcome an obstacle.

As you can see, the questions mentioned above require you to discuss your past behavior in a professional work environment. The reason for asking behavioral job interview questions instead of just asking traditional ones is that the most accurate predictor of future performance is your past performance in similar situations .

The interviewer wants to discuss previous work situations and wants you to elaborate on them to get to know you better. Solid interview preparation will help you give the answers that the interviewer is looking for. This starts with doing your research and thoroughly reviewing the job description . Doing so can help you understand what type of problem-solving skills are required to successfully perform the job you’re interviewing for.

By preparing example scenarios to questions you expect based on your research , you can give exactly the information that he or she is looking for. In other words, you need to relate your answers to the job requirements and company culture of the organization where you’re applying for a position.

To answer behavioral questions about your problem-solving skills, you need to ensure that you provide the interviewer with specific details about the situation you were in, your task in that situation, the action you took, and the specific results that came out of those actions. In short, this is called the STAR-method of providing an answer. The STAR method is discussed in more detail later on in this article.

Why Interviewers Ask Problem-solving Interview Questions

Problem-solving skills are required in most job positions. This means that a lot of hiring managers will try to assess your problem-solving skills during your interview. The main reason for asking you about situations in which you used your problem-solving skills is to get an understanding of how you work.

The interviewers want to get questions answered, such as:

Are you results-oriented, and are you proactively involved in your work?
Do you look for different ways to contribute?
Are you an individual that others can count on to increase team performance?
Are you a self-starter, or do you need someone to give you instructions?

Most likely, the interviewers look for a self-starting person with general problem-solving skills that can be used in different situations. A proven track record of solving problems such as those required in the position you’re interviewing for will definitely help convince the interviewer. Therefore, make sure you prepare answers to questions you expect in advance.

For example, someone who works as a customer service representative should be able to deal with a frustrated or angry customer . They need to be able to solve these problems and know how to handle such situations. Other examples of positions where problem-solving skills are essential are, for instance, accounts or project managers. They need to be flexible in their approaches and should be able to handle a change in deadlines. Another example is, for instance, a logistic manager who should be able to fix an inefficient logistics process.

The Interviewers’ Goal When Assessing Your Problem-solving Skills

There are several underlying reasons why interviewers use behavioral questions to assess your problem-solving skills. The main one, of course, is that they want to hire a person who’s able to perform the job.

Instead of hiring the person that they ‘like’ they need something better to figure out which candidate is the right fit for the job. By analyzing your behavior in past situations that are similar to the ones that are required in the role that you’re applying for, they try to do just that. Below we discuss a couple of important elements employers consider when making a hiring decision.

Costs of making a bad hiring decision

Employers want to make sure that they hire the right person for the job. For a company, making a bad hiring decision is not only about losing money, but it can also lead to a decrease in productivity and morale. Hiring a bad candidate could lead to leaving a bad impression on customers/clients, but also with coworkers.

Furthermore, time will be lost if the company needs to search for another candidate after a bad hire. Therefore, employers do everything to avoid such situations. Behavioral questions are regarded as a preventative way to make sure that the right person with the right fit for the company is hired .

Specific details of your behavior

By asking behavioral questions about your problem-solving skills, the interviewers try to uncover specific details of your behavior. They want to find out if you are able to clearly identify a problem and if you are able to come up with an efficient and effective solution when needed.

Of course, they got your resume already and maybe even a motivational letter or letter of recommendation . Still, the interviewer can only assess your hard skills and educational levels based on these documents.

Essential soft skills , such as problem-solving, are easier to assess during job interviews with the help of behavioral interview questions. Therefore, include real-life work scenarios in your answers that demonstrate how you have used the skills required for the position that you’re interviewing for. The interviewer wants to assess if you possess the skills required to perform the day-to-day tasks and deal with challenges that you will encounter in the workplace.

Your (past) behavior as a predictor of your future job performance

Questions about your problem-solving skills and the answers you give are used to determine the chances of your future success in the job that you’re interviewing for.

Specific behavioral problem-solving questions such as ‘ tell me about a time you had to solve a problem at work. What steps did you take before deciding on how to solve the problem, and why? ‘ give the interviewer more insight into your professional behavior and in turn, your future job performance .

Another way to assess your behavior is by asking hypothetical questions. If you, for instance, do not have certain experience yet, the interviewer could ask you a question along the lines of ‘ What would you do if you were caught off-guard by a problem that you had not foreseen? Which steps would you take to address the problem? ‘. As you can see, this question is hypothetical in nature. The interviewer wants to hear which steps you would take to address a possible complexity in your work. Based on your answer, the interviewer will assess if your approach is suitable for the position for which you’re interviewing.

It’s therefore important that you prepare for frequently asked interview questions that you can expect during your interview. By preparing the right example answers on how you have solved problems in your previous jobs and how you would solve problems in the job you’re applying for, you can provide a concise answer without missing important details.

Avoid making a wrong hiring decision

Questions that gauge your professional behavior help employers assess your future job performance. In other words, this helps them make a better hiring decision. A perfect resume or cover letter is not enough to impress seasoned interviewers.

By asking behavioral problem-solving questions, the interviewer tries to uncover your previous work patterns. The information in your answers gives them more insight into your approach to critical situations and if this approach matches the ones required for the position you’re applying for.

By preparing the right way, you can make sure that your example answer situations include aspects of the most important job requirements. Of course, the interviewer is looking for candidates that fit the job description , so make sure that your answers relate to the job requirements.

What Interviewers Look for in Successful Candidates

In short, interviewers look for candidates who have the right work approach to succeed within their company and in that particular position. This is also why we can’t emphasize the importance of being able to demonstrate your skills through solid example scenarios enough .

The right preparation will help you get there. Your goal is to demonstrate that you are capable of taking on the day-to-day tasks required for the position and have the potential to grow . For example, if you are able to work in and deal with transitions in fast-paced environments such as financial markets . And can you handle the complex situations that you will encounter? Are you able to deal with such transitions effectively? In this case, you need to show adaptability and problem-solving skills through example scenarios of how you did so in the past.

Problem-solving behavioral questions are used to get insights into how you approach problems at work, if you take the initiative, and if you possess the right creative and critical thinking skills . Basically, the interviewers want to get the following questions answered:

Do you take the initiative?
Can you communicate effectively?
Are you able to adequately respond to problems or issues that occur during your work?
Can you perform in stressful and unexpected situations?
Are you able to adjust to changing work environments?
Can you assist your coworkers or team when needed?
Are you flexible in your approaches to situations at work?

Red Flags for Interviewers Assessing Your Problem-solving Skills

When answering questions about your problem-solving skills, there are certain things you need to look out for. Below we discuss a couple of warning signs that interviewers consider when you answer their questions. Ensure that you avoid these at all costs to avoid making the wrong impression.

1. Not answering the question or not providing enough detail

If you answer a question with ‘I can’t recall a situation where I encountered such a problem ,’ this is considered a red flag. This could mean that you did not prepare well and that you’re not taking the interview seriously. Furthermore, the interviewer could interpret such an answer as you may avoid dealing with challenging situations.

If you cannot provide specific details or examples about what you claim in your resume or cover letter, this can be considered a red flag too. If you, for instance, claim that you have successfully solved problems and used critical thinking skills in your work, you need to make sure you’re able to back this up through clear examples of times you did so. Failing to do so could lead to a quick elimination of your candidacy for the position. If the interviewer has trouble verifying your employment history, this is considered a warning sign.

2. Canned responses to questions

Preparing answers is key to success for any interview. However, this means preparing original, effective, and relevant answers that are related to the position you’re interviewing for.

Generic answers to behavioral problem-solving questions such as ‘ tell me about a time you had to solve an issue with a customer ‘ are considered warning signs. An example of a generic answer to that particular question is ‘t his one time I had to deal with an angry customer who had complaints about the pricing of a product. I calmed her down and made the sale ‘. As you can see, this answer does not provide much insight into your problem solving skills, thought process, and how you approach the situation.

If you give a generic answer, you can expect more follow-up questions from the interviewer. However, it’s better to prepare strong answers to impress the interviewer that you actually possess the required skills for the job.

3. Answers that focus on problems, not solutions

The reason for asking specific behavioral-problem solving questions is to assess how you approach and solve problems. It’s, therefore, important that your answers focus on the solution, not the problem . Of course, it’s important that you are able to spot and identify problems, but finding a solution is essential. If your answers focus on problems too much, you can come across as too negative for the job.

Negativity, in any form, in your answers, is considered a red flag. This can be talking negatively about a problem you had to solve but also talking inappropriately about previous employers or co-workers. Negative undertones never impress interviewers the right way. Therefore, focus on how you solve problems and put yourself in the best light possible.

4. Too stressed or uncomfortable during an interview

Interviewers know that almost everybody is slightly uncomfortable when put on the spot during a job interview. However, when you’re too stressed to provide a good answer, this can be viewed as an indicator that you do not handle stressful situations well. Of course, remaining calm under pressure while still being able to solve problems is essential for positions in which problem-solving skills are required.

5. Failing to respond effectively

Failing to respond effectively to interview questions comes across weak. It’s therefore important that you prepare for your interview by thoroughly analyzing the job description and try to understand what kind of problems you will be solving in the position that you applied for. This research will help you choose the right examples from your past that are most likely to impress the interviewer.

Therefore, research the job and organization and make notes of the required skills and experiences you think the company values. This allows you to tailor your answers to your situation.

Also, think about possible follow-up questions the interviewer might ask you. Because you already know what examples you will use in your answers to questions you expect , if you prepare the right way, you can figure out which follow-up questions are likely to be asked. For instance, if you’re preparing for the interview question, ‘ tell me about a time you solved a problem at work ,’ you can expect the interviewer to follow up with, ‘ what steps did you take to solve the situation?’.

6. Not taking responsibility or minimizing the significance of a problem

When a problem is identified but not addressed, this could quickly escalate into a bigger problem. Employees who do not take responsibility or those who leave things for later might not be result-oriented and engaged in their work.

Another way of taking responsibility is to show self-awareness. It’s common for interviewers to ask you about a time that you failed, especially in situations where you needed to solve problems. They are interested in what went wrong in a work situation, if you took responsibility for your actions, and what you learned from that situation. Not taking responsibility for, for instance, a project that may have failed , is considered a warning sign.

Self-awareness and being to reflect on situations is an important characteristic to possess in the workplace. Interviewers want to hire candidates that can admit errors or who made thoughtful mistakes trying to solve problems in the past and tried to fix them. Employers know that candidates are human and make mistakes, just like everybody else. It’s important that your answers show that you take responsibility for situations and describe the actions you took to repair any problems or challenges.

Frequently Asked Problem-solving Interview Questions

Below you can find commonly asked behavioral problem-solving questions . These questions are divided into regular questions and hypothetical questions. Learn everything you need to know about common interview questions that are frequently asked during job interviews .

Problem-solving interview questions:

Tell me about a time you faced an unexpected challenge at work and how you dealt with it.
Describe a time a customer approached you with a problem or concern. How did you respond?
Tell me about a time you had to change your planned course of action at the last moment. How did you re-evaluate your priorities?
What was the best idea you came in in your last position?
Tell me about a time you had to solve a difficult problem.
What’s the most significant improvement that you have made in the last year?
Tell me about the most innovative new idea that you have implemented in the workplace.
Have you ever improved the workflow of a project based on your analysis? How did you do this?
Describe a situation in which you anticipated a potential problem and applied preventive measures.
Tell me about a time you faced a significant obstacle you had to overcome to succeed in a project.
When you’re working on several projects, it’s tricky to deliver excellent service to all of them. How do you go about prioritizing the needs of a client?
Describe a situation in which you had to analyze information and make a recommendation.
What do you consider your greatest achievement in the workplace? Why?
Describe a situation in which you needed to motivate others to get something done.

Hypothetical problem-solving interview questions:

How would you approach a situation in which you had to analyze information to make a recommendation to a client?
Tell me how you would handle a situation in which you have a deadline you cannot meet.
How would you handle a conflict with a co-worker?
A frustrated client calls you to discuss a problem. How do you deal with such a situation?
How would you handle a situation in which you would need to convince someone to change their decision?

Preparing Answers to Problem-solving Interview Questions

There are several steps that you can take to prepare for problem-solving questions. Here you can find a job interview checklist . To get started, you can consider the following steps.

Step 1: Research

Before your interview, it’s important that you thoroughly research the position and company. Read the job description carefully to find specific skills that a candidate needs to possess to successfully perform the job. Think of skills such as adaptability , communication , and problem-solving. Also, read the company website to get more information about their mission statement and who their main clients are. Furthermore, check their LinkedIn pages and other content/news related to the company.

Your research will help you identify the required skills, qualities, and experience for the position. In turn, you can use this information to make an educated guess about what kind of interview questions you can expect .

Step 2: Write down the required skills, competencies, and experience

Behavioral questions such as those about problem-solving skills are a great opportunity for you to show why you’re the perfect candidate for the job. Based on the skills and competencies that you have identified during your research, you can start preparing answers. Rank the skills on importance in relation to the requirements for the position.

Step 3: Create a list of past work experiences related to the position’s requirements

Everybody knows that it’s hard to come up with strong answers when you’re put on the spot during an interview. Therefore, come up with strong examples to questions you expect ahead of your interview.

Create a list of past work experiences and tailor them to the required skills and competencies for the job—highlight successful situations where you demonstrated behavior related to these required skills and competencies . Focus on delivering a concise and to-the-point answer.

Step 4: Prepare successful and challenging answer examples

Effective problem-solving skills are essential in the workplace. Therefore, your answers must demonstrate that you have successfully identified problems, proposed solutions, evaluated several options, and finally implemented a solution. However, it’s also likely that the interviewer will ask you about a time you have failed to solve a problem . Interviewers ask you about failures to assess whether or not you learn from your mistakes and if you’re self-aware enough to acknowledge times you failed. Also, it helps them identify if you take calculated and smart risks.

Step 5: Use the STAR method to structure your answers

The STAR method allows you to concisely provide the interviewer an answer by logically walking them through the situation. STAR is an acronym that stands for a situation ( S ), your task ( T ) in that situation, the actions ( A ) you took, and what results ( R ) you got based on your actions. These are the basic steps you take in your walkthrough.

Below we discuss the STAR interview technique in more detail.

STAR Interview Technique For Problem-Solving Interview Questions & Answers

By using the STAR method, you can give an answer that includes exactly what the interviewer is looking for. Below, the STAR acronym is broken down into each step.

Start your answer by explaining the situation that you faced. The start of your answer ‘story’ should answer questions such as:

What was the situation/problem?
Who was involved?
Why did the situation happen at that time?

It’s important to provide context around what problem needed to be solved. Furthermore, make sure to provide relevant details.

Next, explain your specific role in the task ahead. Include important details, such as specific responsibilities. Focus on giving the interviewer an understanding of your task in solving the problem. This part of your answer should answer questions such as:

Why were you involved in that specific situation?
What’s the background story?

After you describe your task, it’s time to specifically discuss the actions you took to solve the problem. Give the interviewer a step-by-step description of the actions you took. This part of your answer should answer questions such as:

What steps did you take to resolve the situation you were in?
Why did you choose to complete your tasks this way?

Finish your answer by discussing the results you got from your actions. Detail the outcomes of your actions and ensure to highlight your strengths . Also, make sure to take credit for your behavior that led to the result. Focus on positive results and positive learning experiences. This part of your answer ‘story’ should answer questions such as:

What exactly happened?
What did you accomplish?
How did you feel about the results you got?
What did you learn from the situation?
How did this particular situation influence who you are as a professional today?

Sample Answers to Problem-solving Questions

Below you will find some example questions. The examples are already written in STAR format so that you can clearly see how you can structure your answers. However, these are ‘general’ examples. Do not forget to structure your own answers in a way that includes enough detail to convince the interviewer that you’re the right person for the job!

Problem-Solving Example 1: ‘ Tell me about a time you had to resolve a disagreement with a coworker.’

‘Personally, I believe that communication is essential in such a situation to find a way that works for both of us. Finding a compromise is the main goal to get the work done to the best of our ability.

Task & Action

In my current position as a financial consultant, I encountered such a situation recently. A colleague disagreed with the way I wanted to handle an issue that we encountered along the way. To address this issue, I scheduled a meeting with him to discuss the situation. I asked him about his points of view and how he thought we should go about the project.

Even though we had differences in the way we felt like how the project should be approached, we quickly came to the conclusion that our goal was the same; providing our client with a high-quality final product within the set deadline.

We talked about the project and the specific aspect about which we had a difference. I explained my point of view and that I had already encountered a similar issue in the past. Ultimately, my colleague agreed to tackle the issue using my proposed method. His insights gave me a good suggestion which we incorporated into the project. After that, we successfully worked together and finalized the project in time and according to the quality level that we both were proud of.’

Why this is a strong answer:

The provided example is concise and relevant to the workplace where problem-solving skills are important
This answer shows important skills such as being proactive, problem-solving, persuasion, and adaptability .
The answer shows that you’re a team player as well and that you listen to the input of others for the better of a project’s result.

Note : There’s always a chance that interviewers ask you follow-up questions about how you convinced your colleague. Make sure that you are able to answer those questions as well.

Problem-Solving Example 2: ‘ Tell me about a time you had to solve a challenging problem at work .’

‘In my position as a business development manager at ABC Software, I’m responsible for organizing all client events and conferences. ABC Software is a major player in the IT market, and during our events, we invite industry experts to speak on market developments. These events are used to attract new clients but also to maintain our relationship with our existing ones.

Over the last two years, we analyzed our attendee data and found that our event attendance dropped by almost 10%. Furthermore, we discovered that the retention rate of our clients also decreased. When we had to plan the next event, my team and I knew that we had to get our attendance levels back up in order for the events to stay successful. The goal was to get our networking event popular and recurring again.

I had an idea why the attendance levels dropped but to get more information, I interviewed several sales consultants as well. The main feedback was that we should focus more on attracting new clients through social media channels. I communicated this with our marketing team, and we decided to also reach out to our client base and ask them what they would like to see on our future events. This led to interesting new insights on topics and speakers that we could invite, plus we also received input on how to improve networking possibilities during our events. Based on our research and feedback, I created a new plan of action to market our events through our social media channels to increase exposure.

After launching our marketing campaign, we immediately gained online traction, leading to an increase in advance registrations. For that specific event, we saw a total increase in attendance of 20% in comparison to the previous year. An online survey showed that the attendees were happy with how the way the new event was structured, and 80% of respondents said that it would be likely that they would recommend our events within their network.

My approach to increasing attendance at our events did not go unnoticed. I was asked by my department director to make a presentation about how I tackled this problem and present this to the board.’

This example shows that you can identify issues and understand your responsibility to address them.
The provided example is related but also relevant to the workplace. It’s also concise, which is perfect.
This answer shows important skills, such as being proactive, teamwork , adaptability , problem-solving skills, and creativity .
Taking responsibility to find out why the event attendance dropped and subsequently taking action turned out successful gives more weight to the situation.

Problem Solving Example 3: ‘Describe a time a customer approached you with a problem or concern. How did you respond?’

‘In one instance, a customer came to me with an issue. She had recently purchased a product from our store, which broke shortly after she got it home. She was understandably upset and wanted to know what could be done.

In response, I apologized for any inconvenience and asked her to explain what had happened. After hearing her story, I promised to help her as much as possible. Next, I checked the item’s warranty status in our system.

I was able to offer her a replacement or a refund since the product was still under warranty , and I helped her find an identical item in our store and processed the exchange for her. The customer decided she wanted a replacement, so I explained our return policy to her in case this ever happened again in the future.

My customer thanked me for my help and seemed more satisfied at the end of the transaction; I was glad I was able to turn a potentially negative experience into a positive one.’

This example shows that you understand what great customer service is.
The provided example is concise and to the point; it describes a situation and the actions you took to resolve it.
This answer shows essential skills, such as being proactive, customer service, and problem-solving skills.

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Interview Questions & Answers

Behavioral Interview: What It Is & How to Prepare (Tips)

Behavioral interviews are interviews that focus on your past experiences and contain questions such as “Tell me about a time when…”

I hated these so much and I never really knew how to answer them without feeling like I was exaggerating or making things up… until I found the perfect technique for preparing for them and a secret tip that helped me delight the last 4 recruiters I spoke to (I will let you in on that secret later).

Now, I think behavioral interviews are the easiest . They are predictable, there’s a template for answering behavioral interview questions, and they’re a unique opportunity for you to be the main character and showcase your best qualities.

It just takes a bit of preparation for you to absolutely crush them, which is what we’ll help you do.

In this article, we will talk about:

What a behavioral interview is
What to expect in a behavioral interview
How to prepare for it
The secret tip that will help you impress interviewers
How to use the STAR format to answer behavioral interview questions
Common mistakes to avoid

Big Interview: the best interview preparation tool

Don’t waste days compiling overused interview techniques. Get original answers to every single question you could expect.

What Is a Behavioral Interview?

A behavioral interview is a type of job interview that focuses on your past experiences and how you behaved in different situations.

It’s based on the assumption that your past behavior is a reliable predictor of how you’ll behave in the future — hence the word behavioral .

In that sense, a behavioral interview is slightly different from traditional interviews because it focuses on your specific experience and skills, making it easier for you to display relevant competencies and prove you’re the right fit.

A pretty nice break from vague, hypothetical questions like “What would you do if…” or “Imagine that…”, right?

Why do interviewers use behavioral interviews?

Because behavioral interviews help them create a structured, constructive process with a standardized set of questions and evaluation criteria. This decreases the risk of unconscious bias and promotes equal opportunities for all candidates .

That’s actually beneficial for you, too — you won’t be at a disadvantage, and you’ll get the exact same questions as any other candidate.

How to Prepare for a Behavioral Interview

Research the company.

No matter the type of interview or the questions you get asked, company research lies at the heart of any interview preparation.

Running background checks and having useful information in place will help you figure out if you want to work for that company and formulate proper answers to prove you’re the right candidate for a position.

When researching the company, check out:

Their website
Career page
News about the company
Company social media
Glassdoor reviews
Forums (Reddit, Quora)

Based on the information you gather, you’ll understand the company’s current situation and if you see yourself in their team.

It’ll also be easier to think of engaging, smart questions that will prove you did your homework and you’re genuinely interested in contributing to the success of the company.

Match your experiences with the job description

Remember that secret tip that helped me delight interviewers and make it to the final round of the last 4 interviews I attended?

Drum roll… I matched my answers with the skills in the job description. The truth is, if you go through the job description and extract the key skills needed for the job, then prepare for questions about those skills, you’ll have that interview in the bag.

Here’s how you do it: study the job description carefully .

Search for keywords (words that convey the most important information such as what duties the position entails, what kind of experience the ideal candidate will have, and key skills) to find out exactly what they’re looking for.

Then, think about your own work experience and find parallels between what they’re looking for and what you can offer them.

Doing this will help you figure out exactly what experiences, achievements, and skills to highlight in your answers to prove you’ve got what it takes to be successful in that role.

For example, check out the Customer Success Manager job ad below where we underlined keywords:

Behavioral interview: job ad matching skills

If you were applying for this position, you’d want to emphasize:

Your experience with onboarding clients, expanding accounts, and finding revenue opportunities within the customer base.
Some of your key achievements regarding expanding revenue, mitigating customer churn, and turning customers into advocates.
A story where you displayed your customer-centric mindset and built strong relationships.

And if you don’t have the exact experience and skills they need, mention transferable skills that could help you achieve results.

Use the STAR method

You want to use compelling stories as your answers to behavioral interview questions. These stories will best illustrate your skills and accomplishments, and they’ll help you create coherent, structured, relevant responses.

Here’s how to do it and what to focus on:

Situation = The initial problem or the situation you found yourself in
Task = The task that was ahead of you in order to solve the problem
Action = Specific steps you took to address the problem
Results = Results that followed (quantitative or qualitative)

For more details, check out this video:

To sum up, using the STAR method helps you:

✔️ Prepare compelling stories in advance

✔️ Display your strengths in an engaging way

✔️ Be confident in your delivery

But mentally preparing will not be enough.

In order to get ready, have an informative answer, and deliver it confidently, you’ll need to practice your answers verbally. You can:

Get creative and practice with a friend
Practice in front of the mirror
Record yourself
Or use the Mock Interview Tool that will give you actionable feedback on how to improve.

You’ll get valuable insights that will make your delivery perfect: feedback on your pace of speech, power words used, ummm-counter, eye contact, and similar.

Inside Big Interview's mock interview tool

Hone your communication skills

Interviewers will focus on how well you anchor your answers in specific, real-life situations from your professional past. If you’re able to tell engaging stories that revolve around things that you dealt with or accomplished, you’ll do well in an interview.

But they will also assess the ways you display communication skills in real-time. This includes monitoring how you gather, filter, and convey information, your non-verbal communication, and your body language.

✅ Pro tip: If the interview is in person, practice a firm handshake and eye contact. Smile politely throughout the interview — not too much, but enough to come across as friendly and engaged in a conversation.

Pay attention to your body language, sit straight facing the interviewer, and don’t cross your arms. Don’t give in to nervous habits: no pen clicking, leg shaking, and similar.

For more tips, read about 9 Ways to Sell Yourself in an Interview (+ Examples) .

The Structure of Behavioral Interviews

The process.

The process itself is no different than any other interview. At the beginning of the interview, expect a few general questions about yourself, like:

Tell me about yourself
Describe your current responsibilities
Why do you want to work here?

✅ Pro tip: If you feel like selling yourself, this is your chance to prove how charming you are: strike up a conversation before the real deal starts. You can chit-chat about what you’ve been up to (perhaps you just read a cool industry-related article, or listened to a podcast), or choose another light topic to break the ice and set a nice tone for the rest of the interview.

The central part of the behavioral interview is reserved for behavioral questions which follow a specific pattern and ask you for specific things you dealt with: a time you solved a problem, made a difficult decision, achieved a goal, and similar.

If you’re interviewing for a managerial position, you’ll also get questions about how you organize the work of your team, how you manage conflict within a team, how you track performance, how you keep your team motivated, and similar.

Towards the end of the interview, you’ll want to ask a few smart, relevant questions that will demonstrate that you researched the company and the industry and you have specific ideas about how to contribute. For a detailed guide, head over to the article: 40+ Smart Questions to Ask at the End of Any Job Interview .

Common behavioral questions

Common behavioral questions you might hear in a behavioral interview are:

Behavioral questions about leadership
Customer service behavioral interview questions
Problem-solving behavioral questions
Behavioral questions about conflict resolution
Questions about teamwork
Behavioral interview questions about intercultural fluency
Tell me about a time you failed
What are you most proud of?
Behavioral interview questions about work ethic

As you can see, interviewers will want to test key groups of skills like problem-solving, teamwork, conflict resolution, and work ethic.

Bear in mind, however, that each position is different — therefore, interviewers might phrase these questions in different ways, but the intention behind them will always be the same.

For a comprehensive guide on behavioral questions and how to answer them, visit this article: Behavioral Interview Questions and Sample Answers .

If you want to learn more about how to answer common interview questions, how to sell yourself, and how to negotiate your salary and benefits, sign up for our free course .

Mixed interview

Recruiters will rarely ask only behavioral questions in an interview.

Based on the type of role, your experience, or other factors, they’ll use different questions such as resume questions, self-analysis questions, situational questions (where they describe a situation and you tell them what you would do in it), brain teaser questions, spontaneous questions that will pop up during the conversation, and similar.

For example, you may only get a couple of behavioral questions in your first interview with a recruiter. But in your next interview, they could primarily focus on behavioral and situational questions.

But that’s nothing to worry about. Whenever you hear a question that starts with:

“Tell me about a time when…”
“Can you remember a situation when”
“Have you ever experienced a situation when…”

Recognize that it’s a behavioral question and use the tips and tricks described in this article to answer them (don’t forget to use the STAR framework).

Not entirely happy with how many interviews you’re scoring? Maybe your resume could use some improvements. We’ve created some easy guides with actionable tips for how to make sure your resume is up to par, check these out:

How to Write a Resume for a Job in 2023
Resume Format: Which One to Choose
Resume Summary Examples
Resume Objective Examples
Resume Profile: What It Is & How to Write It
How to Describe Your Work Experience on a Resume
How to Create an Education Section on a Resume
The Best Skills to Put on a Resume in 2023
How to Describe Hobbies and Interests on a Resume

Common Mistakes to Avoid Before and During Behavioral Interviews

Failing to self-reflect.

Not reflecting on your experiences before the interview will make you look unprepared, unengaged, and, honestly, incompetent.

If you’re not sure of your top skills, strengths, and growth opportunities, you surely won’t be able to communicate them to someone else.

This is why you need to do some self-reflection before the interview which will help you think of your strengths and qualities and how to present them.

Think about:

Some of your proudest achievements
Your strengths
Your weaknesses
Situations where you were proud of yourself
Lessons learned from each company you worked for
Areas you’d like to improve in
Your dreams and goals for the future

You don’t have to bring up your strengths only — revealing less flattering information about yourself, like your weaknesses or areas of improvement, can actually increase your chances of landing an offer , as you’ll demonstrate critical thinking and the desire to develop.

Lack of preparation

We’ve all been there. You have an idea of what you want to talk about in an interview, but you end up blurting out ideas one after another without coherently talking about them and backing them up with evidence.

This is 100% avoidable with practice.

Write down your ideas, create your answers and practice as much as you want, until you’re confident and know exactly what, when, and how you want to convey certain pieces of information.

We’re not saying you should learn your answers by heart and recite them like a robot, but knowing the order of your arguments and having practiced beforehand will make you much more confident and convincing.

Being vague

Not preparing in advance will result in your answers being vague and unconvincing.

If you’re not able to talk about your specific achievements and skills and provide details, you won’t sound credible.

You can prevent the risk of being vague in your answers by:

Reflecting on your experience and skills
Preparing answers in advance
Researching the company
Studying the job description (this will help you be more specific about what makes you the perfect candidate)

Here’s an example of a detailed answer:

Summary of the Main Points

Behavioral interviews focus on your past experiences and how you behaved in certain situations.
Such interviews are based on the assumption that your past behavior is a reliable indicator of how you’ll perform in the future.
Behavioral interviewing is centered around key skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving.
Behavioral interview questions are specific and usually begin with “Tell me about a time when…”
These questions allow you to get specific and showcase your skills.
To answer them, use the STAR (Situation-Task-Action-Result) framework.
Always prepare in advance, practice your answers, and research the company to check if you’re the right fit.

__________________

Need a hand? There’s 3 ways we can help:

Tired of interviewing and not landing the job? Discover actionable lessons and interview practice here (Rated with 4.9/5 by 1,000,000 users).
Changing careers? Read about 18 Career Change Interview Questions and Sample Answers
Read about 20+ Illegal Interview Questions and How to Handle Them

Are behavioral interviews harder than “normal” job interviews?

If you don’t prepare in advance, they will be very hard. But if you take time to prepare, behavioral interviews will actually be easy. You’ll know exactly what to talk about and how to convey why you’re the right person for the job.

What are the advantages of behavioral interviewing?

You know what type of questions to expect, so it’s easier to anticipate and prepare answers. You also have more chances to prove you’re aligned with the job ad and company culture. It’s also a nice way to make the interview more engaging through your answers. On the interviewers’ side, they’ll be able to be more objective, decrease unconscious bias (they ask the same questions to each candidate), and assess if you’re the right fit for the role more precisely.

How to prepare for a behavioral interview if I have little or no experience?

Focus on transferable skills. For example, if you don’t have leadership experience, you can talk about how you took the lead on a tricky project, or how you spearheaded a college project as a student. Additionally, you can draw examples from your personal life where you displayed certain skills that would be relevant to the job (but don’t provide details that are too personal). And, of course, always use the STAR method.

What should I avoid saying in a behavioral interview?

Avoid being too vague or general in your answers. Avoid humble bragging (or pure bragging, really) — instead, talk realistically about your successes and provide evidence for your claims. Don’t exaggerate in your answers and don’t interrupt your interviewer.

How do I know that my behavioral interview went well?

The interviewer will seem engaged and they will ask a lot of follow-up questions — the longer the interview, the better the chances it went well. You might notice an interviewer’s face light up when you bring up a certain skill or accomplishment, or that they nod and take notes. They might have encouraging statements towards the end of the interview, and some will even tell you that you did well and made it to the next round right away.

How are behavioral interviews evaluated?

Many interviewers follow a standardized process where they create a scorecard (a list of key skills, traits, and qualifications needed for a position) for each candidate. Then, all candidates get the same behavioral questions based on the key competences required.

Interviewers note how your examples demonstrate your ability to excel in their role. They score each candidate in each category. This allows them to use real data instead of vague impressions to identify the strongest candidates. If you’re weak in a crucial category (can’t come up with a good teamwork example, for instance), that can knock you out of contention.

Not all interviewers are this organized and structured in their approach. However, even if they don’t use a consistent scorecard, you can bet that they are evaluating your stories based on how well they show what you could do for them.

Maja Stojanovic

Fact Checked By:

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Great Brain Teaser Interview Questions (With Answers)

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Find a Job You Really Want In

Interviewers will often ask brain teaser interview questions because they will help assess your workplace skills. Answering brain teasers correctly can involve critical thinking , problem-solving , creativity , and close listening skills . For these reasons, they’re commonly used during interviews to see how well and how quickly a candidate can think on his or her feet.

Whether you’re thinking about using brain teaser questions to test a candidate’s skills or you’re preparing for an interview yourself, this article will go over what brain teaser questions are, some examples of open and closed brain teaser questions, and the pros and cons of brain teasers for interviews.

Key Takeaways:

Brain teaser questions test your analytical and problem-solving skills in real time.

Some brainteaser interview questions only have one right answer, while others are more open-ended.

Listen closely when asked a brain teaser question and clarify all information.

Do your thinking out loud. It is just as important for the interview to see how you think as it is to get the right answer.

Brain teaser questions are not great for evaluating visual learners.

[Great Brain Teaser Interview Questions (With Answers)

What are brain teasers?

Close ended brain teaser question examples, open ended brain teaser question examples, why interviewers ask brain teaser questions, tips for answering brain teaser interview questions, brain teaser question pros and cons, brain teaser interview question faq.

Brain teasers are a form of puzzle that tests one’s thinking and problem-solving abilities. With brain teasers, the answer is never straightforward. Instead, brain teasers require a creative thought process known as lateral thinking, or arriving at answers in unconventional ways. They may also involve the creative use of mathematics and formal logic.

Brain teaser questions can reveal a lot about how a person thinks, which is why they are such a popular option for job interviews. Often, your answer ends up being less important than how you arrived at your answer – the hiring manager values being able to see your thought process.

There are many different kinds of brain teasers, all involving various types of intelligence and thinking to solve. Some might require math skills, others may test your close listening abilities, and others might rely on creativity and boldness.

A brain teaser might have one right answer, it may have multiple solutions, or it may be open-ended with no definite correct answer. Let’s take a look at some examples to give you a better idea.

Close ended brain teaser questions have a “right” answer that you arrive at through creative problem-solving. Here are some examples of this type of brain teaser question:

“You have a three-gallon bucket and a five-gallon bucket. How do you measure out exactly four gallons?”

Answer: The three-gallon bucket is too small, and the five-gallon bucket is too large. This is a given fact, and along with it comes the assumption that our final four gallons will end up in the five-gallon bucket. The first step is to fill the three-gallon bucket. Then, pour all three gallons into the five-gallon bucket. Now the five-gallon bucket has three gallons in it, and the three-gallon bucket is empty. Because 5-3=2, we know that only two more gallons can fit into the five-gallon bucket before it is full. So we’d fill the three-gallon bucket again and slowly pour it into the five-gallon bucket until it’s full. 3-2=1, so there is one gallon in the three-gallon bucket. We dump out the five-gallon bucket completely, then pour the one-gallon into it. Finally, we fill up the three-gallon bucket and pour it into the five-gallon bucket. We end up with precisely four gallons.

“The Beatles need to cross a bridge at night to get to a concert. They only have one flashlight, and they have seventeen minutes to get there. The bridge must be crossed with the flashlight and can only support two people at a time. John can cross in one minute, Paul can cross in two minutes, George can cross in five minutes, and Ringo takes ten minutes to cross. How can they all make it to the concert on time?”

Answer: First, John takes the flashlight and crosses the bridge with Paul. This takes two minutes. John then returns across the bridge with the flashlight taking one more minute (three minutes have passed so far). John gives the flashlight to George, and George and Ringo cross together, taking ten minutes (thirteen minutes have passed so far). George gives the flashlight to Paul, who recrosses the bridge taking two minutes (fifteen minutes have passed at this point). John and Paul now cross the bridge together, taking two more minutes. All end up across the bridge at the concert in exactly seventeen minutes.

“You are standing outside of a room that has no windows. The room has three light bulbs and three switches outside of the room. Each switch controls one of the light bulbs. You can only enter the room one time. How do you find out what switch goes to which light bulb?”

Answer: Turn on the first light switch and wait five minutes or so. After this time, turn off the first light switch and turn on the second switch. At this point, one light bulb (corresponding to the second switch) will be on, and one light bulb (corresponding to the first switch) will be turned off but warm from being on previously. Walk into the room, and feel the two turned-off light bulbs. The warm light bulb belongs to the first switch, the turned-on light bulb belongs to the second switch, and the remaining light bulb belongs to the third switch.

“There are three boxes, one box labeled “bananas,” another labeled “strawberries” and the last labeled “mixed.” All the boxes are labeled incorrectly. You’re only allowed to reach into a single box and take out one piece of fruit. Without looking into the box, how will you fix the labels?”

Answer: The first step is to open the box labeled “mixed” first. Since none of the boxes are labeled correctly, it’s guaranteed that this box doesn’t contain a mix of fruits. Say I picked a banana. This lets me know that the box labeled “mixed” is actually the “bananas” box. Now that the box labeled “mixed” is actually bananas, I can deduce that the box originally labeled “bananas” must be the “strawberries” box and the remaining box must be the “mixed” box. I would then label each box with their correct label.

Open ended brain teaser questions have no single right answer that you have to figure out. Instead, these questions can be answered in any way that makes sense to you and are meant to show off your unique approach to making sense of what’s asked of you.

“How many people are using Instagram in San Francisco at 1:30 pm on a Thursday?”

How to answer: This question not only tests your knowledge of certain crucial pieces of data (e.g., knowing how many people use Instagram at a given time throughout the day, knowing how many people live in San Francisco), but it also tests how you combine these different pieces of knowledge (or educated guesses). This question may also take the form of “How many [things] are there in [place]? To answer this and similar questions, utilize educated guesses about the various parts involved and develop a formula that makes sense to you.

“How would you describe a sunset to a blind person?”

How to answer: This question tests your knowledge and grasp of a given concept, as well as being an opportunity to display tremendous amounts of creativity in your answer. This question might also take the form of “Explain [a difficult concept] to [someone it would be difficult to explain it to].” Dig deeply into your powers of creative description, as well as everything you know about the concept or thing you are meant to describe. Remember that being able to teach a concept at varying levels is a mark of understanding it very well, so lean heavily on your knowledge of the subject.

“Sell me my iPhone.”

How to answer: This is a brain teaser as well as a practical test of your skills as a salesperson. The interviewer will pick an object around the room close by, such as their phone or a pen, and ask you to convince them to buy it. It may seem like a difficult, nerve-wracking task at first, but remember that they already own this item, so there are already a wealth of reasons for you to work with. The best strategy is to emphasize the need – why does this person need this thing? What value does it serve? However, rather than simply stating the facts, try and paint a vivid picture. Stimulate the interviewer’s imagination, perhaps, by describing in detail a time when this object may be a lifesaver.

“How much should you charge to wash all the windows in Seattle?”

How to answer: This answer can be answered in a different way but it provides you an opportunity to give a simple answer of one number. A popular response to this question would be that there is no need to wash the windows in Seattle because it rains so much that they’re washed naturally. Another way to answer this is to estimate the number of buildings and thus windows. How you answer this question will reveal how you approach thinking about abstract questions. It will test your quick thinking, your creative problem-solving, and your mathematical thinking.

Interviewers use brain teaser questions during interviews as an alternative way of getting to know a candidate and getting a deeper insight into how they might solve an unexpected problem. Brain teasers are asked alongside more typical interview questions and help form a more complete understanding of a candidate.

As mentioned earlier, asking brain teaser questions isn’t about seeing whether a potential employee has the right answers, but seeing how they think about and approach difficult problems.

Brain teasers can be used to reveal a candidate’s skills and abilities. They give crucial insight into how someone assesses and utilizes information and how they solve problems. They can also provide a good look into how well a potential employee deals with stress , how attentively they listen, and how well they can eloquently present their solutions.

When answering brain teaser questions, make sure you are prepared by reviewing some common brain teaser questions and then listening to the interviewer closely. Here are some more tips to keep in mind when answering brain teaser interview questions:

Come prepared. First things first, you’ll want to understand the underlying aims of asking these types of questions. Questions like these can provoke our inner test anxiety but understand that the interviewer is simply trying to get a picture of how you work through and communicate difficult issues.

Take a couple of deep breaths before your interview (and remember to stay breathing during the process) to help your nerves settle and bring about a state of mind that’s ready to take on challenging tasks. Bring a pen and paper to your interview to take notes or work out calculations.

Listen closely. One of the most important things you can do to accurately and cleverly solve a brain teaser is to listen attentively to the words. Many brain teasers rely on small but crucial pieces of information getting past you, so close listening is always the best first step in answering these questions.

Don’t try to answer the questions as they’re being asked to you or immediately after. With this strategy, you’re sure to become attached to certain pieces of information while ignoring other (potentially vital) pieces of information. Sometimes the answer can even be hidden within the question, so pay attention.

Do all your thinking out loud. Remember that brain teaser questions are asked to get insight into your thinking. State every thought you have in regard to answering this question out loud. Any assumptions or estimations that you make should be stated to the interviewer.

Make sure you have a methodical approach to answering the question. Come up with a working strategy that you can use and take the interviewer along for the ride. Come up with a formula for mathematical questions.

Brain teaser questions are very useful in a job interview. However, they are not perfect. The advantages and drawbacks of brain teaser questions reveal how hiring the right employee takes a lot of effort.

Pros of brain teaser questions include:

Shows how someone deals with pressure. Being put on put on the spot to solve a problem is a great way to analyze how someone thinks on their feet.

Reveals an ability to analyze information. One of the key components of a brain teaser question is taking the information that is given to solve a problem. This requires well-developed analytical skills.

Shows an ability to communicate solutions. Not only do you need to come up with a correct answer for a brain teaser, you need to communicate that answer effectively. A proper response to a brain teaser question shows that you can organize your thoughts.

Cons to brain teaser questions include:

The candidate might already know the answer ahead of time. Consider how this article gives you some example answers. If you are asked these questions in an interview, then the point of the question is unfulfilled.

Difficult for visual learners. Following verbal instructions (as opposed to written instructions) is more challenging for visual learners, and this may translate to an incorrect assessment of their skills.

The answer doesn’t reveal many skills. Although a correct answer to a brain teaser question reveals some skills, it does not reveal every skill needed in the workplace.

What if I get the brain teaser wrong in an interview?

Most of the time the answer to the brain teaser isn’t the main reason the interviewer is asking the question. Interviewers will ask brain teaser questions to gain insight into your use of logic and how you are able to answer questions under pressure. Brain teasers will also often test your analytical, active listening, and problem-solving skills, which are skills interviewers want to know about.

Why do interviewers ask brain teaser questions?

Interviewers will ask brain teaser questions to get an understanding of your critical thinking skills. It will also give them a deeper understanding of how you solve problems and who you are as a candidate. The questions are often asked not to get the correct answer but to see how the candidate comes up with their answer.

MConsulting Prep – 30 Brain Teaser Interview Questions & Detailed Answers

U.S. Department of Labor – Interview Tips

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Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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How to demonstrate problem-solving abilities during the interview process

In the competitive field of engineering, showcasing your problem-solving abilities is crucial during the interview process. Employers are not just looking for candidates who can perform routine tasks; they want innovators who can tackle complex challenges and contribute to the company’s success.

Here are some strategies to effectively demonstrate your problem-solving skills in an engineering job interview:

1. Understand the framework

Before diving into specific strategies, it’s essential to understand the typical problem-solving framework that many engineers use:

Define the problem: Clearly articulate the issue you’re addressing.
Analyse the problem: Break it down into smaller components to understand its root cause.
Generate solutions: Brainstorm multiple potential solutions.
Evaluate and select solutions: Assess the feasibility and impact of each solution.
Implement the solution: Execute the chosen solution effectively.
Review the results: Evaluate the outcome and refine the approach if necessary.

2. Prepare with real-world examples

When preparing for your interview, identify several examples from your past experience where you successfully solved engineering problems. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses:

Situation: Describe the context or challenge you faced.
Task: Explain your role and responsibilities in that situation.
Action: Detail the specific steps you took to address the problem.
Result: Highlight the outcome and any measurable impact your solution had.

For instance, if you optimised a manufacturing process, mention the specific problem, the analytical methods you used, the solution you implemented, and how it improved efficiency or reduced costs.

3. Showcase technical skills and tools

Engineering problem-solving often requires specific technical skills and tools. Be prepared to discuss the software, methodologies, and technologies you used to solve past problems. Highlight any experience with industry-standard tools such as MATLAB, CAD software, FEA (Finite Element Analysis), or other relevant applications. If possible, bring along a portfolio of your work that includes diagrams, code snippets, or project reports.

4. Engage in technical problem-solving exercises

Many engineering interviews include technical problem-solving exercises. These might be whiteboard problems, coding challenges, or case studies. To excel in these exercises:

Practice common problems: Familiarise yourself with common problems in your engineering discipline. Websites like LeetCode, HackerRank, or Project Euler can provide practice problems for software engineers, while mechanical or civil engineers might benefit from solving design and analysis problems.

Think aloud: During the interview, articulate your thought process as you work through the problem. This demonstrates your logical approach and helps interviewers understand how you tackle challenges.

Ask clarifying questions: Don’t hesitate to ask for more information if the problem is not clear. This shows that you are thorough and methodical in understanding the problem before jumping to solutions.

5. Demonstrate soft skills

Effective problem-solving in engineering often involves teamwork and communication. Highlight experiences where you collaborated with others to solve complex problems. Discuss how you facilitated communication within a team, handled conflicts, or integrated diverse perspectives to arrive at the best solution.

6. Be ready for behavioural questions

Behavioural questions are designed to assess how you handle various situations. Examples include:

“Tell me about a time when you faced a significant technical challenge.”

“Describe a project where you had to overcome unexpected obstacles.”

Prepare for these by reflecting on your past experiences and ensuring you can discuss them confidently and in detail.

7. Prepare questions for your interviewer

Show your problem-solving mindset by asking insightful questions about the company’s challenges, projects, and technologies. This not only demonstrates your interest but also allows you to understand better how your skills can contribute to the company.

Demonstrating your problem-solving abilities in an engineering interview requires a combination of preparation, practical examples, and effective communication. By showcasing your technical expertise, analytical thinking, and collaborative skills, you can stand out as a candidate who not only understands engineering principles but also applies them to create innovative solutions.

Remember, the key is to articulate clearly and confidently how your past experiences have equipped you with the skills necessary to tackle the challenges you’ll face in your new role.

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10 STAR Interview Method Examples (2024)
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How to Answer Interview Questions with the STAR Method
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The STAR Interview Method: How To Answer + Examples
The STAR method will help you craft engaging, informative answers to all behavioral interview questions. In this guide, we'll teach you how to use it.
25 STAR Interview Questions and Best Answers for 2024
Hiring managers use the STAR interview to assess a candidate's problem-solving skills, communication skills, and ability to work under pressure. ... Below are 25 common STAR interview questions and some tips on how to answer them effectively. Tell me about a time when you had to solve a difficult problem.
30 Star Interview Method Questions & Tips to Ace Your Interview
Review common behavioral interview questions and use the STAR technique to answer them. Common STAR interview method questions focus on soft skills like communication, collaboration, leadership behaviors, or problem-solving.
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The STAR interview method is a technique you can use to prepare for behavioral and situational interview questions. STAR stands for situation, task, action and result. ... most behavioral interviews will focus on various work-related challenges that demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving, ...
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To answer situation-based interview questions, use the problem-solution-benefit formula. Your answer should contain: ... Use this style for problem solving interview questions and answers too. Unless it's a specific programming problem, find achievements in your past that match the question. ... STAR Method for Acing Behavioral Interview ...
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25 STAR Interview Questions and Best Answers for 2024

Background Information

Overview of the STAR interview questions and format

Differences between STAR interview and other interviews

How hiring managers use STAR interviews to assess candidates

Preparation for a STAR Interview

Key Preparation Steps

Importance of Research

Effective Communication

STAR Interview Questions and Best Answers

Using the S.T.A.R Format to Answer Interview Questions

Common STAR Interview Questions and Best Answers

Skills and Competencies for STAR Interviews

Handling Difficult STAR Interview Questions

Preparation strategies for handling challenging STAR interview questions

Examples of challenging STAR interview questions and how to approach them

Importance of maintaining a positive attitude and staying calm during a STAR interview

Common Mistakes and Pitfalls in STAR Interviews

Lack of preparation

Focusing too much on the situation

Overuse of “we” instead of “I”

Poor storytelling skills

Tips on How to Avoid Common Mistakes and Pitfalls

Strategies for Recovering from a Poor Interview Performance

After the STAR Interview

Actions to take post-interview

How to follow up after a STAR interview

Answers to frequently asked questions about STAR interviews

Sample Answers to STAR Interview Questions

1. Can you tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult customer?

Explanation

2. Can you describe a situation where you had to work under pressure?

Tips for Practicing and Mastering STAR Interviews

Strategies for Developing Effective Responses to STAR Interview Questions

How to Practice Delivering Responses to STAR Interview Questions

Advice on How to Build Self-Confidence for a STAR Interview

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How to use the STAR method in an interview

1. Situation: Set the stage

2. Task: Explain where you fit in

3. Action: Describe each step

4. Results: Impress with your achievements

5 example STAR interview questions and answers

1. Give me an example of a goal you’ve set and how you achieved it.

2. Tell me about a time you failed. How did you handle it?

3. Can you describe a time people didn’t see things your way?

4. Tell me about a time when you worked well with a team.

5. Can you share a time when you’ve had to juggle multiple priorities at work?

Why should I use the STAR method?

How do I prepare for STAR interview questions?

1. Highlight the skills and experience required for the role

2. Reflect on previous achievements and wins

3. Practice your answers

4. Get ready for common behavioral questions

More tips to ace your STAR interview

Mastering the STAR interview method

Master your next interview

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In this article

Why do so Many People Struggle When Answering STAR Interview Questions?

STAR Method Example for Problem Solving Competency

7 Key Strategies to Keep in Mind When Answering STAR Interview Questions

Expert STAR Examples Created For You in Minutes

Employers Love STAR Competency Interview Questions – Why is that?

S.T.A.R. stands for Situation + Task + Action + Result

Get Expert STAR Interview Answers Written For You With InterviewGold

2 Key Factors That Make a Good Interview Answer Great

Tips on Choosing Examples for Your STAR Interview Answer

Sample STAR Interview Answer to Inspire Your Interview Success

Competency Question: Tell me about a time when you used your initiative to resolve a complex problem. What was involved and what actions did you take?

Get Your STAR Examples

Remember: You Must Include the Correct Behaviours in Your STAR Interview Answer