Interviews: The STAR technique of asking interview questions

The STAR technique is a systematic way of asking targeted questions to get a required response.

STAR is an acronym meaning ST: Situation and Task, A: Action, R: Result. This is a method of using a logical base for questions. Standard interview questions are classed into types:

Open questions: Intended to gain information or find opinions.
Closed questions: Yes or no, defined answers.
Neutral questions: Not biased in any way.
Leading questions: As in law, leading to an answer.
Hypothetical questions: As in hypothetical problems.
Situational questions: Based on a given situation.

The STAR method uses questions of different types to get its results.

A lot of very familiar interview questions are actually STAR questions:

• Give us an example of…?
• Describe a situation…?
• What experience have you had…?
• Can you give us more information…?

You can see how this works. A question asks you to provide information related to a situation you experienced, and how you dealt with it. You have to describe the situation and the task clearly. What did you do about the situation? Why? What was the result?

As you can see, this is a very effective way of getting a lot of information out of one question.

Planning your interview: Using the STAR technique in an interview

Interviews are planned using a clear process of questioning:

The questions are designed to fit the job criteria. (A situational question will relate to a requirement for problem solving skills, etc.)
Who asks which questions is decided. This is usually based on expertise.
Who asks related questions is also decided.
Interviewers may establish a way of taking turns for asking questions.

Designing your questions

The STAR technique is so simple, and so effective, that when you've decided on your job criteria, many questions are obvious. In many cases the standard questions are the best.

For example, the job criteria for a position as a shop assistant are:

• Customer service skills
• Communications skills
• Problem solving skills
• Teamwork and good interpersonal skills

The questions will be:

• What sort of experience have you had in customer service?
• Can you give us an example of your communications skills on the job?
• Can you tell us about a time you had to solve a problem at work? What happened?
• What is your experience of being part of a team? What is your role in that team?

These aren't difficult or complex questions, but they're all extremely relevant questions to the job. The STAR technique can be applied to any job, and any job criteria.

The important thing is that each question is going to produce a good answer which is measurable in terms of the employer's requirements. The examples will be useful in measuring experience, skills, and suitability for the work environment.

The STAR questions are actually multiple questions. They provide more information than just the answer to the questions.

Other information to be gained from the STAR questions is:

• Does the interviewee communicate well?
• Did the interviewee show good work values?
• Did the answer show good comprehension?
• Did the example given indicate above average skills?
• Is the interviewee comfortable with the subject?

Good questions make good interviews.