Detailed STAR Interview Examples – ACAS Adviser Role
1. Supporting a distressed single mother confused by deductions
**Behaviours:** Communicating & Influencing | Making Effective Decisions
**Situation:** A single mother called the Universal Credit helpline sobbing. Her payment
was £200 short and she didn’t know how she’d buy food for her children that week.
**Task:** I had to calm her down, explain the deduction clearly, and ensure she left the call
feeling supported and informed.
**Action:**
• I lowered my voice and said gently: “Let’s take this one step at a time — I’m here to help
you figure this out.”
• I checked her journal and saw third-party deductions for rent arrears and a budgeting
advance.
• I explained what each deduction was, using everyday language and pacing myself to make
sure she could follow. I said, “It looks like part of your payment went towards past rent and
a budgeting loan — let’s go through how that’s calculated.”
• I checked if the deductions breached the 25% limit and reassured her that I’d raise a query
if needed.
• I also referred her to the local welfare assistance team and the Citizens Advice budgeting
support.
**Result:** She calmed down by the end of the call and said, “You’ve been the first person
who’s explained it in a way I can understand.” She didn’t need to escalate, and I logged the
case for follow-up due to vulnerability concerns.
2. Resolving a complex multi-agent complaint with fairness
**Behaviours:** Making Effective Decisions | Delivering a Quality Service
**Situation:** I received a complaint where the claimant had spoken to four different agents
and received conflicting advice about backdating. He felt dismissed and angry.
**Task:** My job was to establish the facts across multiple contacts, assess whether correct
policy had been applied, and provide an impartial decision.
**Action:**
• I pulled all four call recordings and took detailed notes, comparing the advice to internal
guidance.
• I found that two of the agents had misquoted the backdating rules, which created false
hope. The final agent correctly applied the policy but didn’t explain it clearly.
• I wrote to the claimant with a clear timeline and said, “You were right to feel confused —
here’s what went wrong and what should’ve happened.”
• I upheld the complaint partially and raised learning points with team leads for agent
coaching.
**Result:** The claimant replied to thank me for being “honest and thorough.” Internally, a
knowledge bulletin was issued to correct the common confusion about the policy.
3. Defusing an escalation with empathy and structure
**Behaviours:** Communicating & Influencing | Working Together
**Situation:** A claimant rang in extremely upset, demanding to speak to a manager. He
said, “I’ve been lied to, and I won’t be fobbed off again.”
**Task:** I needed to de-escalate the situation, validate his experience, and guide him
calmly towards a resolution route.
**Action:**
• I paused and said, “I hear how frustrated you are. Let’s talk about what’s happened so we
can get the full picture.”
• I gave him space to vent for a minute without interrupting, then summarised what I heard
to show I understood.
• I explained the complaints process in clear stages, using structure: informal resolution >
formal complaint > review if needed.
• I said, “You absolutely have the right to challenge this — I’ll make sure your case is
properly logged so it’s taken seriously.”
• I emailed the complaint summary directly to the complaints team to avoid any delay.
**Result:** He calmed down and thanked me for “not shutting me down like the others.”
The complaint was resolved informally within a few days, saving escalation time for
everyone.
