Apply the STAR method during interviews
You’ve been learning about different techniques and strategies to use during future interviews for jobs in
the cybersecurity field. In this reading, you’ll learn more details about the STAR method for answering
interview questions. Implementing this strategy will help you answer interview questions with
confidence and clarity.
The STAR method
Star method acronym
When interviewing for a job, it can be challenging to convey the right details about your professional
history and skills to your interviewers. Using the STAR method can help you share your success stories
effectively and strategically. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Using this method
enables you to describe potential challenges you faced in previous roles and gives you the opportunity to
show how you thoughtfully approached solving those problems from start to finish.
Situation
The situation is the project you worked on or a challenge that you had to overcome. For example,
perhaps you had to manage a disgruntled customer’s negative feedback about your company, a system
error on your work device that slowed down a customer transaction, or being left alone in the office for
an extended period of time. Fully describing the situation allows the interviewer to gain a clear
understanding of the challenge you had to overcome.
Task
The task outlines the key responsibilities or role you played in solving the challenge described in the
situation phase of the STAR method. Specifying what the task is provides clarity about what your
objectives were in this scenario.
Action
The action describes the exact steps you took to resolve the challenging situation you described in the
beginning of the STAR method. The action is crucial to the STAR method because it allows the employer
to understand what choices you made to achieve your desired outcome during a real conflict or
challenge. Employers want employees who can think fast and make decisions that help solve problems.
Result
Finally, sharing the result of your challenge or example shows the employers how the situation was
resolved as a direct result of the actions you took. When participating in an interview, you want to make
sure that any example you give with the STAR method ends in a positive result. Positive results show an
employer that you are someone who has demonstrated an ability to successfully resolve issues and may
lead an employer to offer you a job. Of course, not all situations have completely positive outcomes; if an
employer asks you about a situation that didn’t have a positive outcome, try to focus on what you
learned from the situation and how that experience helped you become a better employee.
Key takeaways
The STAR method stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Following this method helps you
communicate to an employer an example of a challenge you faced in the workplace. Remember to use
one of your success stories when using the STAR method on an interview. Challenges arise all the time in
the security world, so being able to demonstrate an ability to overcome any type of challenge is a great
trait to show off during an interview. Plus, since cybersecurity is such a team-driven industry, being able
to communicate effectively to an interviewer will help you be a competitive applicant.
