Set yourself up for success by following this outline.

1. Understand the STAR Framework

• S – Situation: Set the scene. Describe the context briefly. Focus on what they really need to know to understand your story. 
• T – Task: Explain what you needed to achieve or the challenge you faced.
• A – Action: Share the steps you personally took (focus on YOU, not just the team).
• R – Result: Highlight the outcome, and if possible, include numbers, recognition, or lessons learned.

2. Review Common Behavioral Questions
Expect prompts like:

• Planning and organizing – Give me an example of a time when you had to be quick in coming to a decision. What obstacles did you face?
• Customer orientation – Urgent customer requests can come at inconvenient times. Tell me about a time when this happened to you.
• Decision making – Describe a situation where you identified a significant problem or opportunity.

3. Prepare a Bank of Stories

• Think of 3–5 real experiences you can adapt to multiple questions.
• I recommend creating a grid (a spreadsheet) to help you outline your story.  This will put those key points right in front of you.  Bullet format is easiest to read while you are interviewing.
• Prioritize them with the most recent and strongest examples listed first.
• The priority is to use work situations/behaviors, but tap into your school projects, part-time jobs, volunteer work, sports, or personal challenges.

4. Keep It Concise

• Aim for 1–2 minutes per answer.
• Don’t wander into unnecessary details—stick to the STAR steps.
• My STAR method pitfalls blog and video has great TCTips to help.

5. Emphasize Your Role

• Even if it was a team effort, highlight what you personally contributed.
• Employers want to see your skills in action.

6. Focus on Positive Outcomes

• If the result wasn’t perfect, share what you learned and how you grew.
• Show resilience and problem-solving.
• You will be asked positive and negative questions, so be prepared to brag and to be humbled.

7. Practice Out Loud

• Reading your stories to yourself is not going to do the trick.  It is not going to help you hear yourself so you can critique yourself.  Telling your story aloud will help you clean it up.
• Rehearse your stories until they flow naturally, not memorized.
• Do not plan to read your answers.  It is so easy for the interviewer to tell when you are doing this and it does not show you in the best light.
• Practice with a friend, mentor, or in front of a mirror. Last resort, get your pet to listen to you (LOL).

8. Connect to the Job

• After answering, tie your story back to the role: “That experience taught me how to handle pressure, which I know will help me in this customer service role.”
• Make sure to use examples that show skills needed for the job you want.
• Use buzz words that will resonate with the interviewer or hiring manager.
• If the job requires selling – talk about how you were able to sell.
• If the job requires managing blue collar workers – showcase when you managed or lead that type of worker.
• If the job requires managing an art gallery – highlight your knowledge of art.

You get the picture!

TCTip: Keep a STAR story journal — continue to update your examples throughout the year.  Don’t wait until there is a job opening and then you need to scrabble to put all of this together.

Interviewing is hard enough without all that other pressure.

There are pitfalls that get you in trouble with the STAR method, so be sure to check out my blog and YouTube video on how to avoid them.

Share your experience with the STAR method in the comments and let’s help each other get better.