How to Answer Interview Questions
The key to answering job interview questions.
If you’re looking for the key to forming great answers to interview questions, then read on because this is for you!
Interviews can be nerve-racking, or at the very least uncomfortable. This can be especially true for people who haven’t interviewed for a new job in quite some time or who have taken a break from the workforce to stay home with children, care for a sick family member, etc. The thought of answering questions perfectly and proving yourself can be daunting.
But, would it make you feel better if I told you there is actually a formula for answering interview questions?
Well, hold onto your mom jeans (which are skinny jeans according to Gen Z, by the way), because there is!
Years ago, there was interviewing advice going around that suggested you shouldn’t be honest and transparent during a job interview. Specifically, this (very bad) advice was geared towards interview questions that asked about strengths and weaknesses, past mistakes made, and other situations like that. Now, the people touting this advice weren’t saying to lie necessarily. The thought was that if you answered a question honestly, and the truth didn’t make you seem like you were the most perfect human to ever walk the earth, then you would never get hired.
So, when applicants were asked questions about their weaknesses or a time they made a mistake, the advice was to use a strength as a weakness. For instance, an applicant would say something like “I guess my biggest weakness is that I am a perfectionist and care about my work, so I sometimes spend more time on a project than I should to make sure it’s perfect and error-free before I submit it.” Insert massive eye roll. Don’t do this. Interviewers see right through it. They know that you didn’t actually answer their question and you were not being honest or transparent.
No one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, so there is no way that things aren’t going to pop up from time to time during your employment with them. When managers ask these types of questions, they genuinely want to know how you’re going to handle it when those mistakes or weaknesses come into play. They want to gauge your level of self-awareness, your willingness to learn and improve, and what type of reaction you would have to constructive feedback.
So, how do you safely talk about these things without jeopardizing your chances of getting the job?
The method for answering questions is called the S.T.A.R. method.
S.T.A.R. stands for situation, task, action, result. You state what the situation was, what your task was, explain what action you took, and how it turned out (or what it taught you).
Examples of how to answer using the S.T.A.R method:
Example 1
Interviewer: Tell me about a time when you faced a challenge and how you overcame it.
Response: As a stylist, my job is to curate outfits for clients that honor their personal style while also encouraging them to try new styles. My employer asks clients to provide feedback regularly. About six months ago, in reviewing my feedback, (SITUATION) I noticed that a number of clients were becoming dissatisfied with the looks I was putting together for them, and they were buying less clothing, which impacted my productivity and sales. I was confused because I had continued to apply the same techniques that I had always used and that had consistently gotten me positive results up to that point.
(TASK) I went back to the feedback I had received over the last few weeks and reviewed it again to identify any similarities and trends. I also enlisted the help and support of my team lead to get a fresh eye on the feedback. In discussing the feedback with my lead, I realized that many of the clients who were providing the negative feedback were longtime clients of mine and that I had been giving each of them similar products to those that I had already given them in the past.
(ACTION) Moving forward, I set the intention of providing every client with at least one different style that they had never received before to give them more variety and fun in their wardrobe. (RESULT) After doing this consistently for about a month, the feedback my clients provided improved greatly and I was able to increase my sales.
Example 2
Interviewer: Tell me about a time you received negative feedback. Why did you receive that feedback and what did you do with it?
Response: (SITUATION) Much of my position required me to communicate often with members of management via email. I would try to keep the content of my emails short and to the point, because I knew the managers were busy with other things. I thought that I was being helpful by doing this so they didn’t have to read through long-winded text, but my supervisor provided me with the feedback that the emails were coming off as off-putting, as though I was annoyed.
(TASK) I talked with my supervisor about ways I could still keep my emails concise but pleasant to foster a positive partnership with management.
(ACTION) I began taking extra time to reread my emails before sending them to ensure that the tone was polite and pleasant. If I was still concerned about my message being taken the wrong way, I would ask my supervisor to read the email first to either confirm it was communicated well or to provide feedback on how to improve it. After a few weeks, my supervisor checked in with management to see if the changes I made in my written communication were noticed and if there was any additional feedback.
(RESULT) The feedback I received was that my emails were being received much better than before, they felt I was more approachable, and that the effort I made to improve my communication was appreciated.
Example 3
Interviewer: Tell me about a time you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. How did you handle that situation?
Response: (SITUATION) When I worked at my previous employer for four years, there was a longtime employee there who often was unpleasant to interact with. We didn’t work in the same department, but because of the nature of my job, I interacted with her pretty regularly. Her verbal and written communication came off as rough and aggressive, so whenever I saw her, I had a feeling of dread. It was important to me that I didn’t allow her demeanor to cause me to act differently towards her than I would any other employee, so I still greeted her nicely every time I saw her, whether she came to my office or we were just passing each other in the hallway. For four years, I never received a polite greeting or response from her.
(TASK) Then, one day she came to me with a serious situation. She suspected her manager was discriminating against her because of her age. She was fearful for her job and didn’t know how to handle the situation.
(ACTION) I proceeded to talk with her about what she was experiencing, documented her answers, and then conducted an investigation, just as I would in any other case, putting my personal feelings about her unpleasantness aside. Through the course of the investigation, I found that she was right – she had been discriminated against. I submitted my report to the manager’s direct supervisor and the HR Director, who took it from there. I followed up with the employee to let her know what the next steps were.
(RESULT) She said she was thankful that I listened to her and took her concerns seriously. That was the first time she ever said anything positive to me. I was so glad that even though she didn’t seem to particularly like me for years, she felt comfortable coming to me for help with a serious situation because I interacted with her in an approachable way.
For those moms who have taken a career break, the S.T.A.R. method can still be applied and is a great way to connect the dots for the interviewer that your time as a stay-at-home mom is relevant and valid!
I’ll give you another scenario…
Example 4
Interviewer: Tell me about a time when your routine was disrupted and you were asked to take on additional work while still completing your normal job duties. What did you do to get through that time of inconsistency and instability?
Response: As a mom of two people who have their own schedules and as the manager of our household who does the majority of coordinating and planning, I am used to being flexible with my time and utilizing my problem-solving skills when unexpected situations come up. (SITUATION) A few months ago, my spouse was asked to go on an unexpected business trip with a day’s notice. This meant that the back-up I normally have when it comes to transporting our kids to school and their extracurricular activities, making dinner, ensuring that their homework assignments are completed on time and correctly, completing daily household chores, etc. was gone.
(TASK) I was the sole caretaker for the next five days and I needed to strategize how I was going to get everything done.
(ACTION) So, I wrote out everything our family had going on during that timeframe. I then mapped out the route and the travel time to the various locations my children had to be and assessed if I could transport them. For the activities that had conflicting schedules, I realized that I needed help and I reached out to other parents whose kids were involved in the same activities to coordinate safe and reliable transportation for my children. I also was proactive with my time management by preparing healthy and nutritious dinners in advance so that my family was able to eat immediately after getting home, effectively avoiding late nights and staying on schedule.
(RESULT) Even though I didn’t have the support that I normally have, my children were still able to attend all of their activities, all of their school assignments were completed on time, and their caregiving needs were met without causing a disruption to our home life.
The responses to the example questions above are truthful and they aren’t trying to hide anything. They’re honest and straightforward, but they’re also well thought out to show that something was learned. Generally, when people feel like they have to cover something up, that causes stress…which you don’t need more of if you’re already nervous during the interview process. And people usually have “tells” or ways they unintentionally show they are lying or are not being completely honest that interviewers may pick up on.
Answering questions using the S.T.A.R method allows you to talk about how you’ve grown over the years in a way that is truthful but that also highlights how you’ve improved and are a better employee for it. Another great outcome of using this method is that it allows you to bring up other relevant experiences you’ve had that may make you a strong candidate for the position that you otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity to talk about in the interview.
Prepare your answers for interview questions with Situation, Task, Action, Result responses.
So, when you’re getting ready for an interview, a great way to prep is to think of challenges you’ve had in your career or in your life when you’ve learned something. Think through what happened and how it impacted you and the way you work.
If you want to be even more prepared, apply the S.T.A.R. method and write out your ideal response.
Those examples will be at the forefront of your mind during the interview, and you’ll be able to clearly and confidently answer those questions honestly without worrying about painting yourself in a bad light!