Competency questions make up a large part of many job interviews: from a company’s point of view they allow an objective assessment of a candidate’s experience, and the qualities that make them suitable for the job.

This makes some candidates nervous but there’s really no need to worry. There’s a tried and tested way to answer potentially tricky competency assessments: it’s known as the STAR technique.

By using this step-by-step method, as a candidate you’ll be able to answer each question in a systematic manner, without forgetting the important stuff.  Here we take a look at every stage of the STAR interview method.

Which questions need a STAR response?

These types of questions usually start along the lines of “Tell me about a time when you…”.

This will be followed by those competencies that have been listed on the job description so it’s important to be familiar with these so that you can prepare. Read the job description again now to see what is regarded as important. Asking about soft skills – such as teamwork, negotiation and communication abilities – or other skills – such as improving efficiency, minimising risk, maintaining professional ethics – are increasingly popular, especially for roles that require relocation abroad.

(A lot of the questions will require you to think about past work experiences you’ve had. For those who are newer in their careers, you can still talk about extra-curricular activities, what you achieved while being a member of a university society, or school projects you have been involved in, for example.)

Answering one these questions might usually take 1-3 minutes, and a STAR technique response will involve four stages:

  • Situation

This is about setting the scene, giving a context and background to the situation. Say you’re asked a question about time management, your reply would need to include the details of the project you were working on, who you were working with, when it happened and where you were.

  • Task

This is more specific to your exact role in the situation. You need to make sure that the interviewer knows what you (rather than the rest of the team) were tasked with as your responsibility/role.

  • Action

This is the most important part of the STAR technique because it allows you to highlight what your response was. Remember: you need to talk about what you specifically did, so using ‘I’ rather than team actions such as “we” – otherwise you won’t be showing off the necessary skills the employer is looking for.

Be sure to share detail as the interviewer will not be familiar with your history; do your best though not to ramble and try to avoid any acronyms and institutional language.

What you’re trying to get across here is how you assessed and decided what was the appropriate response to the situation, and how you got the other team members involved – which in turn is a great way to demonstrate your communication skills.

For example, if you’re asked about dealing with a difficult personality on your team, you could talk about how you decided to take a certain course of action to avoid making the situation worse or upsetting the individual.

  • Result

The result should be a positive one, and ideally one that can be quantified.

Examples could include: managing to keep a client whilst maintaining professional standards in a potentially conflicted reporting situation, saving the engagement team X hours of time and selling additional services.

The interviewer will want to know what you learnt from that situation and if there was anything you’d do differently the next time you were faced with that situation.

As you can see, the STAR technique is a useful tool to enable you to showcase your relevant experience with the interviewer in a methodical manner. We recommend doing in-depth preparation before the interview so that you can have some great examples to quote: a little time invested in this will banish any unnecessary nerves on the day of your interview and can make all the difference.