August 15, 2024, by Jackie Thompson
How STAR helped me get a part-time job
By Subinuer Kuximake, MA Education.
In this blog, I will explain what the STAR interview technique is all about and how it helped me to secure a part-time job.
Learning and competencies
As an international student at the University of Nottingham, I initially struggled with job interviews. Driven by a strong desire for a part-time job, I began my search in the first term.
My early attempts were unsuccessful, and despite preparing diligently for my first interview, I was rejected. This disappointment led me to seek advice from a career adviser. With their guidance and the emphasis on the grasp of job requirements and usage of the STAR technique, I secured three job interview opportunities, which I approached with renewed seriousness and preparation.
I found out that many organisations outline the key qualities and skills they seek in candidates, categorising them as essential and desirable requirements.
To be considered for a position, we, as candidates, must clearly demonstrate how we have exhibited these skills within a specific timeframe. This articulation is crucial for standing out in the selection process. Providing concrete examples that match the job’s requirements significantly increases our chances of being selected.
Using the STAR technique
The STAR (Situation, Task, Action, and Result) technique helps me provide clear and structured answers to interview questions.
The employer advertising the role stated that communication skills were essential so I crafted a STAR response to illustrate how I effectively demonstrate strong communication skills.
Situation: Describe the context where I gained or improved my communication skills and demonstrated them effectively.
Task: Identify the specific responsibility I had in that context.
Action: Explain the steps I took to maximise efficiency in that task using my communication skills.
Result: Highlight the success achieved and how my communication skills enabled me to overcome any barriers faced.
The careers adviser suggested five questions based on the job requirements and explained the importance of using STAR technique for preparing the answers. I came up with my responses beforehand, and we practised them together. At the interview, I was asked four other questions and I answered them based on the logic of STAR technique even though I hadn’t prepared for them.
The STAR approach helped me organise my responses more effectively. Even when asked unexpected questions, I could still provide targeted answers by thinking about the four guidelines.
In-person and online interviews
I went through both online and in-person interviews. The online interview was more daunting for me as the lack of face-to-face interaction made it harder to gauge the interviewers’ reactions and maintain a natural flow in the conversation. However, even though I could perform better in in-person interviews, I was asked many more unexpected questions by various interviewers based on my previous responses.
With the help of the STAR technique, even for new questions, I had a basic understanding of where to start, what to include, and how to conclude.
Practice makes perfect
However, I believe all these strategies don’t work as well as expected without sufficient practice.
In both interviews, I did mock interviews with career advisers and didn’t perform very well despite having prepared answers, simply because I lacked the practice to make my responses more natural.
As I practised more and received feedback from them, my performance improved, and my confidence increased, making me less nervous during the actual interview. Honestly, a proper amount of nerves is completely normal and can sometimes be helpful in taking the interview seriously.
If you’re looking for a part-time job, go to our webpage and explore what Unitemps has to offer. For help with applications for a part-time job, internship or graduate role, we have all the information and advice you need.
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