STAR model

Use the STAR model to show your skills and experience in answers to shortlisting questions or in a supporting statement as well as for interview questions.

What STAR stands for

• Situation - briefly describe the context this took place in, for instance work, school, volunteering or another setting
• Task - briefly describe what you had to do and the purpose of the task
• Action - explain what you did, how and when you did it. Tell us about the processes you used, the reasons for the choices you made and the key things you did to deal with the situation.
• Result - tell us what the outcomes of your actions were and what difference they made

When to use STAR

You can use the STAR method in your:

• answers to shortlisting questions
• supporting statement
• interview

How to use STAR

You can use the STAR method to structure the examples you give as answers to shortlisting questions,  in your supporting statement or in interviews. 

When using STAR, remember:

• you can use examples from work, home or volunteering
• keep examples short and to the point
• try to get your points across in a conversational way so as not to appear too rehearsed
• be prepared to answer follow-up questions about the examples you give

Specific examples

See the following examples to show how the STAR model can be applied.

Example person specification

1. Good knowledge of Word, Excel and Powerpoint
2. Ability to produce accurate work
3. Ability to undertake a range of administrative procedures
4. Ability to organise and prioritise work
5. Ability to communicate in a polite, friendly and helpful manner in person and on the telephone
6. Excellent numerical and literacy skills in order to undertake a range of tasks
7. Experience of organising and minuting meetings with a range of people that may be highly confidential

Example application

1.    Good knowledge of Word, Excel and Powerpoint

I have used Microsoft Office for over 5 years, both at work and at home.

I am able to use Word to produce reports and newsletters which are formatted and easy to read, and I can also do mail merges. I use PowerPoint for presentations and to produce diagrams such as organisation charts. I have a basic knowledge of excel and can use it to produce charts and graphs, and I can maintain and update spreadsheets. I would be willing to increase my excel knowledge either through a training course or by learning on the job.

2.    Ability to produce accurate work

In my role as a Team Administrator I am required to type correspondence such as letters and emails, and because these go to external people, it is very important that there are no mistakes. Therefore I check my work before sending it out. In a previous role I produced the monthly newsletter which went out to all staff in the department, therefore I needed to proofread my own as well as other people’s work.

3.    Ability to undertake a range of administrative procedures

I have worked in offices for over three years. In my role as Team administrator I am required to undertake a range of administrative duties, these include typing letters and emails, answering the phone to both members of the public and colleagues, taking messages and helping where I can. I have access to my managers diary and can help inform people when the best time would be to see her.

I also need to keep records of the queries coming in to our office and I keep the weekly office reports up to date for my manager.
In my last role I helped to organise events for parents, this involved sending out the invitations, booking rooms and catering and welcoming people as they arrived.

4.    Ability to organise and prioritise work

In my current job I have a list of tasks that need to be done and the dates they need to be completed by. It is my responsibility to manage which pieces of work I do first and I do this by using a list and talking to my manager to make sure I understand which should take priority. If I find that I have too much work to do, I will let my manager know so that they can help me to work out which pieces of work to do first and also to make sure they know that I might not be able to complete some by the due date.

When I worked as a receptionist I would need to complete all my work whilst also answering the telephone and dealing with visitors face to face. This could prove challenging at times but I was able to remain calm and complete my work on time, whilst delivering good customer service.

5.    Ability to communicate in a polite, friendly and helpful manner in person and on the telephone

In my current role I am required to answer the phone and deal with basic queries from members of the public and also from colleagues. If I cannot answer the query I transfer calls to ensure the caller is helped by the best person. If this is not possible then I take a detailed message and pass this on to the correct team. I am also polite and helpful. Occasionally callers may be upset or angry and I always remain calm and listen to why they are upset and assure them that I will try to help them resolve their issue.

I have previously held a weekend job in a shop, which has given me really good experiencing of dealing with members of the public. Good customer service was a very important part of that role and I was often complimented by my manager for my ability to deal with people in a kind and friendly manner.

6.    Excellent numerical and literacy skills in order to undertake a range of tasks

I have GCSE English and Maths. In my current role I write letters and emails to people outside of the company which means I need excellent written communication skills. Some of the letters I write are explaining some complex issues and so I need to write clearly and accurately to ensure our message is understood.

I am also required to input data onto a spreadsheet and then use this to produce graphs which are presented at a monthly meeting where decisions are based on the graphs, therefore I need excellent numerical skills to ensure the data presented is accurate.

7.    Experience of organising and minuting meetings with a range of people that may be highly confidential

When I was an Administrative Officer I was required to organise and minute monthly partnership meetings. This involved contact all the different partners who attended to find a suitable date in the diary, booking a venue, helping to arrange the agenda and sending out the papers in advance of the meeting. I would then attend and minute the meetings. Sometimes the subject matter of these meetings would be confidential and it was essential that I maintained confidentiality and treated the minutes and any papers accordingly, such as shredding papers after meetings and ensuring the documents are saved in a secure place on the network.
 

Example person specification

1. Ability to work as part of a team
2. Ability to use initiative
3. Ability to attend to the personal care needs of service users
4. Ability to communicate well, verbally and written
5. Ability to follow written and verbal guidelines
6. A willingness to learn and adapt to change
7. Ability to relate to people of all ages, some with mental health needs and  / or challenging behavior
8. Willingness to develop the basic ICT skills needed to use information systems within services

Example application

1. Ability to work as part of a team

I am used to working as part of a team and enjoy doing so. For me, working in a team means supporting each other and covering work when needed. I am good at communicating with my team in an open manner and asking for help when I need it, but also helping my colleagues as well. It is important to be reliable so you don’t let your team down and also to be flexible and friendly to create a good team environment. In my current role, we pull together as a team, helping each other with ideas of activity plans or ways to best handle service users who have challenging behavior, we use all of our experiences to help improve things for the service users.

2. Ability to use initiative

I am able to use my own initiative and understand this is very important when working as a care officer as there are often unexpected situations or activities that need to happen that are not in the care plan. I am able to determine when I should contact my supervisor for support and when I can resolve a situation myself following guidelines and procedures. Working night shifts meant that I was often working unsupervised and would need to use my initiative when unexpected situations occurred, for example when a service user became unwell I called the ambulance and then contacted my supervisor to let them know what was happening. I then write everything down so that it was documented properly and the manager would understand what had happened when they came into work the next day.

3. Ability to attend to the personal care needs of service users

For the last four years I have been working in care giving jobs. I have worked in both a residential care home and a supported living home. These roles have included personal care for service users as well as feeding, cooking, cleaning, administering medication, planning and doing activities. I treat all the service users with kindness, respect and dignity and try to let them have as much control over their daily lives as possible. I work with them to write activity plans so that they can enjoy their days as much as possible and also where possible to remain independent.

4. Ability to communicate well, verbally and written

As part of the care giving jobs I have held, I have needed to keep daily written reports of the activities undertaken with the service users as well as reporting any incidents. It was important that these reports were clear so that the managers of the units could act on them. It is also very important to keep clear records about medication or illness so that the next care giver knows what the service user has taken and still needs. This is often a part of my daily routine.

I am talkative and sociable so that I can get along with service users with a range of needs and interests. Some of the service users do not speak English as a first language and so I need to be able to communicate slowly and clearly and be patient to make sure they understand what is happening

5. Ability to follow written and verbal guidelines

Because I have needed to administer medicine to some service users it is very important that I can follow written guidelines. I have also followed written instructions for a range of things such as cooking and activities and also being able to deal with some difficult behavior by using good manual handling techniques that I have been trained in.

I am also very good at following verbal instructions, for example from service users who can explain to me how they like things to be done.

6. A willingness to learn and adapt to change

I have had a number of jobs and these have all been in different types of situations – for example in residential care homes and supported living accommodation. I have been able to adapt to this change by learning how things are done in each place I have worked. I like to learn about new places and new services users which helps. I moved countries 10 years ago and had to learn how to live in a new country, this has taught me very well how to adapt to change.

7. Ability to relate to people of all ages, some with mental health needs and challenging behaviour

I have worked in shops as well as care homes and this means I have very good customer service skills and can work with a range of people of all ages and with all different needs. One of the residential units I worked in had people with mental health needs living there and I was trained to work with people with different conditions. I am very caring and I like to meet and help all kinds of people. I understand that each person has their own needs and that some people like more support and structure than others, I respect people’s wishes regardless of their age, background etc. I am very good at putting people at ease so that they can explain to me how they are feeling and I am trained and confident when working with people who have challenging behavior.

8. Willingness to develop the basic ICT skills needed to use information systems within services

I like to learn new things and would be willing to learn how to use new IT systems. I have a computer at home which I have learned to use mostly by myself. I have also used a computer system in the shop I worked in, which we used to look up if stock was available in other shops.

Example person specification

1. Experience of managing strategic inter-agency programmes/projects for, and including, Executive Directors or Heads of Service
2. Ability to engage with stakeholders and build effective relationships that will influence the key objectives of the project
3. Strategic and lateral thinking to reach innovative solutions, then advising, challenging, influencing and negotiating at a senior level to influence long-term courses of action
4. Experience of planning and delivering training programmes within either a change management programme or the implementation of a project/programme
5. Experience in applying change management principles in a major change programme and demonstrable understanding of the principles of change management

Example application

1.    Experience of managing strategic programmes/projects for, and including, Executive Directors or Heads of Service

I have successful programme/project management experience. As a Project Manager in my last role, I successfully implemented the ISO 9000 Quality standards throughout the organisation, at the request of the Chairman. I was responsible for delivering this project from researching the standards, agreeing with the management team how to approach the project, working with managers across the organisation to identify and draft procedures, consulting with staff on these and then implementing, embedding and auditing the procedures and process.

The ISO standards were to be embedded throughout the whole organisation, so I needed to work effectively with the directors of each division to ensure that all of the processes were included and the documentation across the whole organisation was standardised. This required the ability to appreciate differences in the culture of different departments, in order to bring the staff on board and engage with the process. Part of the process is to be audited by an independent auditor, with an initial visit to provide advice on areas of potential weakness. I developed a good relationship with the auditor to ensure we were given adequate feedback that helped ensure success at the official audit.

The organisation achieved certification first time around and for each year following, showing how well the ISO process was embedded as a result of thorough staff engagement throughout.

2.    Ability to engage with stakeholders and build effective relationships that will influence the key objectives of the project

One of my strongest attributes is my interpersonal skills. I am able to develop strong relationships with people across an organisation and the community. In my previous role as a Change and Project Assurance Advisor, I was required to ensure the corporate project management methodology was used across the organisation, to well defined standards. This role required the ability to influence the attitudes and opinions of others to gain their agreement on proposals and courses of action. I was often advising more experienced and qualified project managers than myself and thus needed to be skilled in my ability to influence others, by using sound judgement and reasoning and by developing strong relationships across the organisation. 

My success in this role relied on my ability to build effective relationships between project managers and heads of business and to work collaboratively with finance, HR and ICT to ensure the project objectives were delivered whilst adhering to the methodology of the organisation.

As a project manager a key skill is the ability to work across disciplines with people from a range of professions and to bring them together to work on a single piece of work. 

3.    Strategic and lateral thinking to reach innovative solutions, then advising, challenging, influencing and negotiating at a senior level to influence long-term courses of action

During my time as a Project Manager, I undertook a piece of work regarding the Occupational Health service – with the aim of making recommendations on whether to have an in-house service or to contract out.

I undertook nationwide research by telephone and email to establish practice elsewhere and to understand the issues faced by comparable organisations who were operating on different models. I also undertook desk-based research and analysis of our own Occupational Health service to understand the demand and the level of service we were receiving.

The subsequent report I wrote on my findings and recommendations was taken through the management boards and influenced subsequent decisions on how to take the service forward. The report challenged existing thinking and raised far reaching issues, but was well accepted as a strong piece of work with clear evidence behind the recommendations.

4.    Experience of planning and delivering training programmes within either a change management programme or the implementation of a project/programme

When I worked in the programme management office, part of the role was to design and deliver Project Management training to managers and staff across the organisation. This training was based on the PRINCE 2 methodology, and I extracted the main features of PRINCE 2 and incorporated them into training that was at a relevant level for managers that fitted the organisational culture. I was responsible for all training materials, making sure they were up to date, keeping up with best practice examples. I delivered the training to cohorts of between 8-12 people at a time, each course ran for two days. I ensured I collected feedback to enable continuous improvement. I was given excellent feedback for the training I delivered and this was one of the most rewarding parts of the job.

5.    Experience in applying change management principles in a major change programme and demonstrable understanding of the principles of change management

During my time as Project Manager I undertook a major change programme of office moves as one of our main sites was closed. This project involved moving more than 150 staff over a period of 4 months. I led on all aspects of the project, which required working closely with managers from the teams affected as well as property, IT and HR. It also involved a lot of work on continuity of service, and I adopted a structured approach to moving teams to ensure the service was always available to customers.

This change management work included consideration and implementation of a communications strategy, managing and escalating risks where appropriate and by fully understanding the needs and concerns of staff impacted by the move. 

I organised a series of focus groups with staff to understand the issues that would impact them and their work the most, and to talk through ways to mitigate any issues. I also instigated a series of regular project newsletters and attended team briefings.

The move was deemed a success and a follow up survey after six months showed that staff were satisfied with the way the move as managed.