Using the STAR Framework

Posted on by Hannah Allison

4 students, 2 men and 2 women sitting around a table working together. The table is covered in books, laptops and other stationery.

It is not enough in an application to say ‘I am a good team player’ you need to show this with evidence whether this be for your Lancaster Award, or an application form, or within an interview. A great way to do this is to use the STAR framework. The STAR framework is a common part of recruitment processes, but not everyone knows how important this actually is.

Firstly, many employers expect this framework to be used, but secondly, it really helps you think through your answer and structure it in a way that effectively demonstrates your skills.

You should use STAR anytime you get asked a question that starts with something like:

  • Tell me about a time when…
  • What do you do when…..
  • Have you ever…
  • Give me an example of…
  • Describe a…

So, let’s go into it a little further.

The first section is the SITUATION. This is where you briefly set the scene, providing the context of the situation, such as your job role and company.

Next is the TASK. Here, you mention your specific role within the situation, which links to the skill you are writing about. Both the situation and the task section should only be about 25% of your word count/time you speak for.

The most important section is the ACTION session. This is where you explain the actions you took to resolve the task you were dealing with. It should focus on what you did, but in relation to the skill you are speaking about. How did you use that specific skill? What were your strategies to do it effectively? It’s really important to address the how, what and why elements here. This will provide the recruiter with an understanding of your thought process when dealing with a challenging task. This section is at least 50% of your time/word count.

Finally, comes the RESULT, where you can tell the employer the outcome of the situation, focusing on how your contribution made a difference, the impact your actions had, and again, all in relation to the skill you have been asked to speak about, so you can demonstrate to the reader how you are effective at that skill.

Once you have written this, you should proof read your answer, and think through whether it has answered the question, and that the skill is really clear (a good tip is to mention the word of the skill within each section at least once).

Make sure you also use​ active vocabulary such as planned, developed, researched, recommended etc, and use ‘I’ statements rather than ‘we did this’.

Equally, as a marker of how long your answer should be, use the information they have given you, for example, 300 words, or two minutes. I would suggest aiming for at least 75% of the time/length you have been given, to make sure you are answering in enough depth.

Overall, just ensure that the skill you are speaking about is clear to the employer, as the whole point of the STAR framework questions are to demonstrate that you are able to use a specific skill.

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Hannah Allison manages GROW Your Future and is a Lancaster Graduate. She regularly speaks to students in 1-1s and workshops, as well as working on the Lancaster Award, and hosting the popular ‘Get That Grad Job’ podcast.

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