Hi Emily,

If you have done interview prep in the past, you’ve likely been taught the STAR method for answering interview questions: 

Situation

Task

Action 

Result

Search online for “STAR interview technique” and you’ll find hundreds of articles written about the topic. This is common interview advice and I don’t like it. 

Here's how I see it: Most interview questions can be answered in two minutes, three minutes tops. (I'm talking about behavioral questions. You can take more time with technical questions.)

But the STAR format - Situation, Task, Action, Result - it takes too long to go through. When I do interview prep, I see people spend too long on the "Situation" and "Task" before they get to the good stuff - the "Action" and "Result."

In today’s competitive job market, hiring managers want to hear about your RESULTS. Your impact, outcomes, and accomplishments. That’s what you want to spend time talking about. 

Put yourself in an interviewer's shoes - they are talking with people for hours at a time. They're bored. They're tired. And the last thing you want to do is give a long, meandering answer to an interview question.

Here's what I like to do instead:

  • Drop the "T" - now it's just Situation, Action, Result.
  • Add another "R" - try RESULT, Situation, Action, Result.

Let me explain.

The RESULT is the punchline. And it's the hook. When you lead with the result, you get the attention of the listener. Now they know where the story is going and they want to know how it got there.

Here's an example:

Q: "Tell me about a time you made a mistake - how did you handle it?"

A: "Let me tell you about the time our company nearly spent an extra $10,000 in printer fees. Don't worry, I caught it. Here's what happened..." (That's your Result.) Then you tell your story (Situation and Action), and bookend it with, "... And that's how I caught an extra $10,000 printing charge." (Result again.)

Keep your answer focused in RSAR format - 2 minutes or less if you can. You don’t have to include all the details of the story, just give them the gist of it. If they want more details, they will ask for it. 

Keep your answers tight and your interviewer engaged, and your interview will feel more like a conversation than an interrogation. 

To your success,

- Emily

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