The STAR Framework: Nail Your Interview
Summary
TLDRThe video introduces the STAR method, a popular framework for behavioral interview responses. Hosted by Not Suskind, a product manager and interview coach, it guides viewers on how to effectively answer questions using the Situation, Task, Action, and Result structure. The video uses a mock scenario of a conflict between a program manager and an engineer to illustrate the method. It emphasizes the importance of providing context, clarifying tasks and goals, detailing actions, and sharing outcomes and learnings. The video advises against rehearsed answers, instead promoting natural conversation tailored to the interview.
Takeaways
- 🌟 The STAR method is a popular framework for answering behavioral interview questions.
- 🗣️ The acronym STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result, which helps structure interview answers.
- 👤 The speaker, Not Suskind, is a product manager and interview coach aiming to help viewers land tech jobs.
- 🏗️ The video uses a mock example of a conflict between a technical program manager and an engineer about scheduling a code refactor.
- 📝 When describing the situation, provide context and detail the challenging circumstances to set the stage for the problem.
- 🎯 Clarify the specific task and your role in it, including any benchmarks or goals that were set.
- 🛠️ In the Action section, explain how you tackled the problem, highlighting relevant skills and the team's contribution.
- 🤝 Emphasize the importance of humility and not overstating your role while being confident in your contributions.
- 🎉 The Result section should detail how the situation was resolved due to your actions and any learnings gained.
- 📑 It's advised to prepare a few examples and tailor them to the interview questions in a natural, conversational tone.
- 🚫 Avoid rehearsing or reading pre-prepared answers as it can sound robotic and inauthentic.
Q & A
What is the STAR method and how is it used in interviews?
-The STAR method is a popular interview framework that stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. It helps candidates structure their responses to behavioral interview questions, providing a clear and concise narrative of their experiences and the outcomes of their actions.
Who is the speaker in the video and what is their role?
-The speaker is not named 'Suskind', and they are a product manager and interview coach. Their role is to help job seekers land their dream job in the tech industry by providing guidance on interview techniques, such as the STAR method.
Why does the speaker recommend the STAR framework as a starting point for structuring interview answers?
-The speaker recommends the STAR framework as a starting point because it helps to organize thoughts and provide a comprehensive response to behavioral questions. It ensures that candidates cover all necessary aspects of a situation, including the context, actions taken, and the outcomes.
What is the example scenario used in the video to illustrate the STAR method?
-The example scenario is a conflict between a technical program manager and an engineer regarding whether a code refactor should be scheduled for an upcoming sprint. This scenario is used to demonstrate how to apply the STAR method in a real-world situation.
How should the 'Situation' part of the STAR method be approached according to the video?
-In the 'Situation' part, candidates should describe the context of their role and the challenging circumstance they faced. It's important to provide enough detail so that the interviewer understands the problem without assuming shared knowledge or using jargon.
What should be included in the 'Task' section of the STAR method?
-The 'Task' section should clarify the specific task at hand and the candidate's role in it. If there were specific benchmarks or goals, such as a sales increase target, these should be mentioned to provide a clear understanding of the objectives.
How should candidates describe their 'Action' in the STAR method?
-In the 'Action' section, candidates should explain how they tackled the problem, highlighting relevant skills and the team's contribution. It's important to balance confidence with humility, not overstating one's role while also showcasing leadership and teamwork.
What is the purpose of the 'Result' section in the STAR method?
-The 'Result' section is meant to inform the interviewer about how the situation was resolved due to the candidate's actions. It's also an opportunity to share any learnings or lessons gained from the experience, demonstrating personal growth and reflection.
Why does the speaker advise against rehearsing or reading a pre-prepared answer using the STAR method?
-The speaker advises against rehearsing or reading a pre-prepared answer to avoid sounding robotic and inauthentic. Instead, candidates should come to the interview with familiar examples and tailor them naturally in a conversational tone, which is more engaging and genuine.
What additional resources does the speaker mention for Amazon's behavioral interview preparation?
-The speaker mentions a link to an Amazon behavioral interview prep guide, which is provided in the video description. This guide is meant to help candidates understand Amazon's leadership principles and how to apply them in their interview responses.
How can viewers access more tech interview preparation content from the speaker?
-Viewers can access more tech interview preparation content by liking and subscribing to the Exponent channel for weekly videos. They are also encouraged to visit tryexponent.com to get assistance in acing their next interview.
Outlines
🌟 Introduction to the STAR Method
The video introduces the STAR method, a popular interview framework for behavioral questions, such as recounting a time when a complex problem was solved. The presenter, a product manager and interview coach, aims to assist viewers in securing jobs in the tech industry. While frameworks are not recommended for heavy use, the STAR method is suggested as a starting point for structuring interview responses. The method is divided into four components: Situation, Task, Action, and Result. The video will use a hypothetical scenario involving a conflict between a technical program manager and an engineer over scheduling a code refactor. The presenter advises on how to describe the situation, emphasizing the context and challenging circumstances, and to avoid using jargon or assuming the interviewer's familiarity with the project.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡STAR Method
💡Behavioral Interview Questions
💡Product Manager
💡Interview Framework
💡Situation
💡Task
💡Action
💡Result
💡Rehearsing
💡Humility
💡Amazon Leadership Principles
Highlights
The STAR method is introduced as a popular interview framework for behavioral questions.
The acronym STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result.
The video is aimed at helping viewers land their dream job in Tech.
While frameworks are not heavily recommended, STAR serves as a good starting point for structuring answers.
The importance of describing the situation with context and role is emphasized.
Highlighting challenging circumstances and filling in gaps for the interviewer is suggested.
The task section should clarify the specific task and role, including any benchmarks or goals.
In the action part, interviewees should highlight relevant skills and relate them to the job description.
Amazon's leadership principles are mentioned as an example of company-specific values to consider.
The speaker advises against overstatement and encourages humility by crediting the larger team.
The result section should convey how the situation was resolved and any learnings gained.
The STAR method is not meant to be rehearsed but rather tailored to fit the natural flow of an interview.
The video provides a mock example of a conflict between a technical program manager and an engineer.
The video encourages viewers to like and subscribe for weekly Tech interview prep videos.
A link to an Amazon behavioral interview prep guide is promised in the description.
The video concludes with a call to action to visit tryexponent.com for interview help.
The video ends with a reminder of the importance of the STAR method in interview preparation.
Transcripts
in this video we're going to talk about
the star method the star method is a
popular interview framework that helps
you answer behavioral interview
questions like tell me about a time you
solved a complex problem my name is not
suskind and I'm a product manager and
interview coach and I'm here to help you
land your dream job in Tech
while exponent doesn't recommend heavy
use of Frameworks we often find the star
framework is helpful as a starting place
for structuring your interview answers
the star framework is broken down into
situation task action and result
we'll talk more at the end about how to
think about using this framework as well
for this video we'll be using a mock
example of a conflict between a
technical program manager and an
engineer on whether or not a code
refactor should be scheduled for an
upcoming Sprint first describe the
situation including the context of your
role in that situation this is a great
way to set the stage and set up why this
problem is worth talking about don't
just say the basics also highlight the
ways in which this setup led to a
challenging circumstance that you had to
face don't forget to fill in the gaps
with information or knowledge that the
interviewer may not have it's easy to
slip back into using acronyms or
describing the project as if the
interviewer was on your team by the way
if you're enjoying these videos be sure
to like And subscribe for more Tech
interview prep videos every single week
now for the task it usually helps to
clarify what the specific task at hand
was here and your role in it it's also
worth calling out here if you had
specific benchmarks or goals that you
were meant to accomplish say a 50 sales
increase by Q4 now for the action this
is where the meat of your in interview
is tell us how you tackled this problem
be sure to highlight any skills that are
relevant to the job in fact we recommend
browsing through the job description for
your upcoming role to understand what
skills they may be looking for and bring
those out specifically in your interview
for instance Amazon famously adheres to
a set of leadership principles we'll
leave a link in the description below to
our Amazon behavioral interview prep
guide in the action section don't just
talk about yourself talk about the team
as well it's easy to think that you're
supposed to highlight your role in the
entire process but it's also important
to have humility and not overstate your
role be confident while also crediting
your larger team now for the final part
of the interview the result this is also
the most satisfying tell your
interviewer how the situation was
resolved thanks to your help also be
sure to voice any learnings or lessons
you got from the experience now that you
understand the core framework we just
want to say that we don't recommend
rehearsing or reading through a
pre-prepared answer instead we recommend
coming into the interviews with a few
examples and situations that you're
familiar with and then tailoring them to
the interviewer were in a natural
conversational tone running through the
star framework line by line will usually
sound robotic and inauthentic which be
counterproductive to your success in the
interview I hope this video was helpful
in understanding the star method be sure
to like And subscribe to exponent for
new tech interview prep videos every
single week and visit try exponent.com
to help you Ace your next interview
thanks for watching
[Music]
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