Down Range: A Transitioning Veteran's Career Guide to Life's Next Phase

Appendix G

Practice Interview Questions Bank

The STAR Method

The STAR method gets its name from the way you should formulate your answers to behavioral interview questions: situation, task, action taken, and result. It is a good means of organizing your thoughts, and it can help you plan for behavioral questions, which ask about how you have responded in particular situations in the past. STAR expands on the basic information that you will have crafted into your demonstrations of effectiveness (Chapter 8). STAR stands for the following structure:

Situation: Begin answering the question by citing the situation or challenge that your team or organization faces. Keep details to a minimum so you don't lose track of the big picture.

Task: Explain specifically what your task or mission was within the context of the overall situation. Consider framing it in the manner you would frame an intended effect or tactical objective.

Action taken: Explain what you did to accomplish your objective.

Result: Explain the result or outcome of your efforts. Make sure it's a positive outcome that demonstrates your abilities and value to the employer.

Behavioral Practice Questions

What single project or task would you consider to be the most significant accomplishment in your career so far?

Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.

Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.

Give me an example ...