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  • in this video I'm going to cover the top 22  star method interview questions and answers  

  • I want to keep this amazing wave of success going  I'm really excited by the consistent results that  

  • you guys are getting and it's just prompting me to  create more of these videos to get you guys into  

  • the jobs that you want so I'll include what the  star method is how to use it and tons of example  

  • answers I'm Amri Celeste an interview coach and HR  recruitment specialist with over 11 years hiring  

  • experience I cover tough interview questions and  answers on this channel if you haven't already  

  • do like subscribe and tap the notification Bell  so that you never miss a video so first what is  

  • the star method you'll need to know this to answer  a star method question star stands for situation  

  • task action result and it can be referred to as  the star method the star interview method or the  

  • star technique I have covered this before in this  video but today's video is a deep dive that will  

  • cover all the star method interview questions  and and answers so the star method is a way or  

  • technique to answer interview questions with  a comprehensive answer that covers all of the  

  • points that the interviewer will be looking for  if they ask a star method question so what is a  

  • star method question so star method questions  are questions that are asked to prompt or give  

  • the interviewer a very specific type of answer  an answer that includes a past situation a task  

  • created out of that situation the actions you took  to resolve it and the ultimate result or outcome  

  • and as I said earlier that's what star stands  for situation task action result so the way to  

  • make sure that your answer is super memorable  is also to include a learning turning it into  

  • the style method with the L on the end so I'll  also include that in some of my answers to show  

  • you how to make your answers really memorable  and a lot of interviewers HR Specialists hiring  

  • managers and recruitment Specialists use this  to assess whether you the candidate have fully  

  • answered the interview question so star method  question question will usually start with give  

  • me or give us an example of a Time describe  a time when how have you usually about how  

  • you've handled something that's happened describe  a situation where which would relate to something  

  • that happened usually at work so usually they  they want to work related example and also how  

  • did you again about how you've handled something  in the past so what's the pattern here well all of  

  • these questions are asking about a past occurrence  where something happened they are asking about a  

  • specific situation and that's when it becomesstar method question because it's asking about a  

  • situation so these questions also go by the name  situational interview questions they're really  

  • common and I have a dedicated video to the top  10 situational interview questions and answers  

  • and that's in this video here I'll link that in  the description below if you want more examples  

  • and situational interview questions and answers  so the biggest mistake that you need to avoid  

  • when answering these kind of method questions is  answering in a way that explains what you would  

  • have done or like a hypothetical situation or how  you generally deal with those types of situations  

  • instead of a specific example in the past of how  you have dealt with that situation so here are the  

  • top 22 star method interview questions and answers  and I'll show you how to use the key elements of  

  • each answer in your interview the first star  method question is tell me about the time you  

  • made a mistake I cover an alternative answer to  this question in my top 22 most common interview  

  • questions and answers video I'll link that also  in the description box below so that you have  

  • multiple answers to draw from so an example answer  to tell me about a time you made a mistake is last  

  • year I made a mistake at work that could have cost  the company money I needed to order stock from one  

  • of our stores and I ordered too much of one item  and not enough of another as a result we ended  

  • up with a surplus of one product and a shortage  of another and I needed to find a way to fix the  

  • mistake to resolve the issue I talked to my boss  and I came up with a plan to return the excess  

  • inventory to the supplier and to offer discounts  on the shortage items to encourage customers to  

  • buy them as a result of my actions we were able  to avoid losing any money and we even made a  

  • small profit my boss was really pleased with how  I handled the situation I learned an important  

  • lesson about paying attention to detail andfuture I set up a recurring reminder to give me  

  • advance notice when products were running low  and I also made sure to double check orders  

  • before placing them in future so why is thisgood answer and how can I use it well first and  

  • foremost this answer fits the star method here you  can see the situation was ordering too much of one  

  • item the task was to find a way to fix the mistake  the action was coming up with a two-part plan to  

  • return the inventory and encourage customers  to buy the shortage items and the result was  

  • that your boss was pleased and a small profit was  made so this question is actually a situational  

  • question and it's also a behavioral interview  question as well as being a question that fits  

  • the star method so it's situational because they  asked you in the question to tell them about a  

  • time a specific time or situation when something  happened as opposed to kind of asking the question  

  • how do you handle failure in general but it's also  a behavioral question because not everyone handles  

  • mistakes in the same way so they want to see how  you handle mistakes and also what you consider to  

  • be a mistake so whereas some people see mistakes  as a normal part of the Working Day for others it  

  • would be quite distressing some people really hate  making mistakes so they're also interested in your  

  • behavioral response to the situation and how you  handle it so behavioral interview questions and  

  • answers are a big sticking point for most of the  candidates or all clients that ask me for help  

  • so I've covered behavioral interview questions  and answers in this video and I'll also link  

  • that one down in the description below for you  so I highly recommend that you check that one  

  • out before any upcoming interviews so that you're  fully covered and you don't get caught out so back  

  • to the answer one of the strongest parts of this  answer is here where it says I talked to my boss  

  • and came up with a plan where you knew you mademistake but you jumped into action and used that  

  • initiative to come up with a really smart plan  that ended up in the company actually making a  

  • profit so you're also demonstrating that you have  the ability to use your initiative as well so in  

  • your own answer if you're ever answering this  question and you can include a positive outcome  

  • for the company the team your department or your  manager that would really strengthen your answer  

  • and the brilliant thing in this answer here is IT  addresses a learning so I've mentioned this before  

  • when I was explaining the star method this kind  of turns the star method into the style method  

  • with the learning on the end there but essentially  after you've explained the result of the situation  

  • you're then explaining what you learned and what  you would do differently next time so in your own  

  • answer if you can include a learning that will  take your answer up a couple of levels I don't  

  • recommend it for every answer though because  it would make your answer a little bit longer  

  • but where appropriate I highly recommend that  you include what you learned so question two  

  • is describe a time where you helped a friend an  example answer is a few months ago one of my good  

  • friends was struggling with a presentation for  work he had been working on it for weeks and he  

  • was starting to get really stressed out as he'd  hit a wall and couldn't come up with any ideas I  

  • wanted to help as I could tell this was causing  a significant amount of stress but he's quite  

  • proud and didn't openly ask for help I offered to  spend an evening together brainstorming ideas he  

  • was really grateful and accepted I bought some  presentation templates some suggestions along  

  • with me along with some snacks and drinks in order  to relieve some of the stress of the situation by  

  • the end of the evening he felt a lot better and  more confident about the project he finished it  

  • within a week which was ahead of schedule it wasreally rewarding experience and I was glad that I  

  • could help him so a lot of people struggle with  star method interview questions and answers so  

  • if this is helping you do click like it helps  the video to show up for more people on YouTube  

  • and there are other ways that you can support  the channel in the description box below this  

  • video so why is this a good answer and how can  I use it so this question describe a time where  

  • you helped a friend is most likely to be asked  in a role that involves working with others or  

  • teamwork such as retail customer service or any  team-based roles whether office based or otherwise  

  • so the strongest parts of this answer are here  firstly where you talk about recognizing that  

  • your friend didn't openly want to ask for help  so you offered and here where you mentioned you  

  • came prepared with suggestions templates and  snacks it shows that your primary goal is to  

  • alleviate your friend's stress in your own answer  anything that you can include that shows that you  

  • read between the lines and took specific actions  to help a friend will boost your answer it could  

  • be something as simple as a friend withdrawing  socially and you're just checking in on them by  

  • text a little more regularly to show that you are  paying attention when something isn't quite right  

  • so question three is tell me about a time when  you failed now this is hard it's a tough interview  

  • question because you're supposed to be promoting  and selling your best points in an interview not  

  • sharing your failures but this interview question  is designed to see how you handle answering this  

  • so some people might say that they haven't  had that experience some people say they can't  

  • remember and when some candidates are answering  they they share a failure but they don't talk  

  • about how they rectified it so essentially  they're just saying this is how I failed  

  • so showing how you address or rectified a failure  is critical is the most important part of the  

  • answer so here's the star method example answer  I was given a marketing project to manage at work  

  • and unfortunately I failed to properly delegate  tasks resulting in a deadline being missed as  

  • the project was ongoing and more deadlines were  coming up I needed to make sure that I had a  

  • more organized and planful approach to the rest  of the project to rectify the situation I first  

  • spoke with my team members individually to getbetter sense of their workloads and allocate tasks  

  • accordingly I also set up weekly check-ins  so that I could monitor progress and offer  

  • assistance as needed as a result we were able to  get back on track and meet all of our deadlines  

  • my team members also felt more supported and we  were able to build a stronger sense of trust and  

  • collaboration going forward so why is this a good  answer and how can I use it so this answer fits  

  • the star method here the situation was mismanaging  the project and and failing to meet the deadline  

  • the task was to make sure the deadlines were  met and the actions were checking the team's  

  • workload and weekly check-ins and the result was  that you met the deadlines and strengthened your  

  • working relationships with the team so in your  own answer think about how you can include some  

  • of these elements so one of the best parts of  this answer here is that it's very clear what  

  • your actions were to rectify the failure that's  the really key part of addressing any question  

  • about failure or mistakes there were two quick  key actions and one was checking the workload and  

  • two was the specific allocation of tasks and the  weekly monitoring of the progress of the project  

  • and you might have also noticed that there were  two results so one was meeting the deadlines and  

  • the other was team members feeling supported and  building their sense of trust and collaboration so  

  • in your own answer try to make it crystal clear  as you can exactly what you did to address the  

  • failure so if you took multiple actions and  if there were multiple positive outcomes then  

  • include that as well that will really boost your  answer question four is tell me about a situation  

  • where you had to solve a difficult problem with an  example so bear in mind when answering this that  

  • the interviewer isn't just asking for an example  of a problem they are asking for an example of  

  • a difficult problem so it can't be something like  my colleague was struggling to serve customers in  

  • a store so I served some customers as well to  help it's got to be a little more complex and  

  • demonstrate your ability to think outside the  box so an example answer is at my previous job  

  • I was responsible for coming up with new ideas to  increase declining sales figures we tried a number  

  • of initiatives and customers continued to lose  interest in one instance we struggled to sell a  

  • new product that had been introduced after doing  some research I found that a lot of potential  

  • customers were put off by the price so rather  than giving up I came up with a novel solution  

  • which was a subscription based pricing model  customers would sign up to receive the product on  

  • a monthly basis they would receive a discount for  the commitment and it would give them an easy way  

  • to budget for our product but the regular monthly  Revenue would also mean that we could forecast and  

  • plan more accurately as a business this approach  was successful and we were able to increase sales  

  • of the product significantly as a result I was  recognized by leadership for my creativity and  

  • awarded a bonus so why is this a good answer and  how can I use it so by now you're familiar with  

  • the star method the answers on the left here show  which areas of the star method are the situation  

  • task action results so this answer shows why this  was a difficult problem here where IT addresses  

  • that the company had tried initiatives and nothing  had been working so it wouldn't have been an easy  

  • task in your own answer bear in mind to takemoment to think if you're asked this question  

  • before starting your answer and ensure that it's  not a simple basic problem now there's two really  

  • strong parts to this answer that you want to take  note of so the first one is here where it explains  

  • the solution itself the subscription-based pricing  model the second is here where it breaks down the  

  • individual benefits for the customer they get  the products monthly they get a discount for  

  • the commitment and it helps them to budget in  your answer try to make your actions and the  

  • specific results as clear as possible so question  five is tell me about a time when you went above  

  • and beyond the example answer is in my current  job as an office administrator I'm constantly  

  • looking for ways to improve efficiency and  lighten the workload for my team one day I  

  • noticed that our supply room was in disarray and  we were running out of some key supplies although  

  • it isn't part of my job I decided to infantry  the supplies restock the shelves and create a  

  • system for tracking stock although it took hours  I enjoyed the work as I knew it would make things  

  • smoother and easier going forward as a result  we were able to avoid some costly delays and  

  • increase our overall productivity my team was very  appreciative of my efforts and I was recognized by  

  • my boss for going above and beyond so why is this  a good answer and how can I use it so we can see  

  • here how this fits the star method there's a  theme in this answer of continuous Improvement  

  • here where it states always looking for ways to  improve efficiency and lighten the workload in  

  • your answer when talking about going above and  beyond the element of continuous Improvement is  

  • key and you can include this in your answer so  for example I'm regularly suggesting how we can  

  • improve customer service that could be the kind  of thing that you could include it shows that  

  • going above and beyond is part of your natural  character and it's also a great way to start  

  • off an answer about going above and beyond the  remit of your day job so other strong areas to  

  • include in your answer are here here it shows the  actions you took are not part of your day job so  

  • it shows how you went above and beyond and there  were four great results so avoided costly delays  

  • increase productivity appreciation of your team  and recognition from your boss and one really  

  • brilliant part here where it says you enjoyed the  work this is key in your own answer as someone  

  • who's interviewed thousands I can tell you that  managers are always more attracted to candidates  

  • who demonstrate that they naturally enjoy similar  work to the work in the role that they are being  

  • interviewed for so try to demonstrate this  in your own answer by sharing an example that  

  • includes elements that you enjoyed question six  is tell me about a time you showed leadership  

  • so the example answer is I was recently put in  charge of heading up a new project at work I was  

  • quite nervous as it was something I had never done  before but I had a lot riding on its success and  

  • I quickly realized that this was an opportunity  to step up and demonstrate my leadership skills  

  • I gathered my team and laid out a plan of actiondelegated tasks assigned deadlines and held weekly  

  • check-ins to ensure that everyone was on track  as a result of clear leadership of the project  

  • and team over six months we were able to develop  a more efficient system for logging tracking and  

  • responding to customer inquiries and and reduce  the average response time to customers by 20 my  

  • team were thrilled with the results andmade sure to give them special mentions in  

  • our next department meeting I regularly cover  tough interview questions and answers so if  

  • you're job hunting do subscribe guys and tap the  notification Bell so that you never miss a video  

  • and also let me know any example answers that you  want to see in the comments so why is this a good  

  • answer and how can I use it now I specifically  chose this example because you don't need to be  

  • in a people management or leadership job like  a head of department or a company director to  

  • demonstrate leadership skills you can actually  share examples of situations where you led a new  

  • initiative arranged a company event or anything  where you had to organize and Lead others just  

  • like in this example answer so one key part of  this answer is here where it covers multiple  

  • results a more efficient system reducing customer  inquiries and response times so in your own answer  

  • if you can include multiple results it will make  a much more powerful and effective answer and  

  • sometimes it's just as simple as breaking down  what the actual results were so that you can  

  • label each one clearly for your interviewer just  like in that example answer so question seven is  

  • describe a time where you help someone the star  method answer is I was working on a front desk  

  • at a hotel last year when a guest came up and  asked for directions to the nearest grocery store  

  • I could tell from the map he was holding that he  was staying in our hotel so I offered to walk him  

  • there he accepted and I spent the next 10 minutes  walking with him and showing him where everything  

  • was when we got back to the hotel he thanked me  and said that he really appreciated it and it  

  • made his stay so much better it felt personally  rewarding to know that I was able to help out  

  • fully as opposed to just pointing him in the right  direction and hoping he arrives at the right place  

  • and it also made me realize how important it is  to be friendly and helpful to our guests so why is  

  • this a good answer and how can I use it so I love  this example because it's a short and sweet simple  

  • answer No Frills but an excellent example of being  naturally helpful so it's particularly effective  

  • here where it adds on not only did you walk the  person there but you also took the time to show  

  • him where everything was just another clear action  that you took to be helpful so in your interview  

  • you can use Simple examples that involve being  helpful and then just give a couple of details to  

  • boost your answer so for example helping someone  carry groceries offering to help with a project or  

  • noticing that someone seems unsettled distant or  quiet and just listening to them sometimes having  

  • someone just listen to you when you're feeling  down can be incredibly helpful so question eight  

  • is tell me about a time you made a difficult  decision the star method answer is after two  

  • years as a customer service rep I decided to apply  for a senior position which included team coaching  

  • responsibilities in order to be considered for  the role people management skills were essential  

  • to to ensure that the team were supported and  developed in the right way after being selected  

  • for an initial shortlist I decided to withdraw  from the process to develop my coaching skills  

  • as I identified that I still had development areas  as a result my colleague who was better suited to  

  • manage at that time was offered the position the  head of our department was so impressed with my  

  • decision that I was selected for an even better  position as team leader a year later and I had  

  • used the year leading up to that offer to attend  leadership training and develop those coaching  

  • skills I learned that sometimes patience in  self-reflection is more useful than my immediate  

  • desires and results in this case my ability to  wait and self-reflect earned me the attention  

  • of leadership a promotion and time to develop the  skills I needed so why is this a good answer and  

  • how can I use it so I use this example because  interview questions normally relate to what's  

  • involved in the role and a question like tell me  about a time you made a difficult decision maybe  

  • linked to a role where you have in some capacity  leadership responsibilities even though it may not  

  • be a leadership role so this answer demonstrates  that you have leadership qualities and extreme  

  • maturity it takes a lot of maturity to step away  from something that you want in order to be better  

  • prepared in future so the answer also shows here  that you have emotional intelligence when you talk  

  • about self-reflection when you say I identified  that I still had development areas this is a  

  • demonstration of self-awareness which is part of  emotional intelligence then here where you share  

  • your learning you actually mention self-reflection  so adding a learning always boosts and levels up  

  • a star method answer because adding a learning  means that you're telling the interviewer what  

  • you learned and in some cases what you would  do differently next time in your answer it's  

  • important to share as many traits associated  with maturity as possible a mature approach  

  • demonstrates that you are able to handle the  responsibilities that come with making difficult  

  • decisions so question nine is give an example of  an occasion where you use logic to solve a problem  

  • so I answer the question give me an example oftime when you solved a problem in the free guide  

  • that I mentioned earlier covering the top 20  interview questions and answers so you can grab  

  • that in the description box below so that you have  multiple answers to draw from or if you generally  

  • just struggle with a difficult interview questions  and answers as it covers some of the key questions  

  • like why should we give you the job how do you  handle pressure at work so an example answer is  

  • as a healthcare assistant I sometimes need to  cover sick days last year one of my co-workers  

  • had been out sick for a few days and I was asked  to cover their shift one of my tasks was dealing  

  • with infantry of supplies at the end of the week  Unfortunately they had not left any instructions  

  • on how to do this so At first I felt overwhelmed  but then I took a step back and looked at the  

  • situation logically rather than make a complete  guess I reverse engineered the process to think  

  • about what a completed inventory normally looks  like and then I decided to work backwards from  

  • there to work out where they normally store the  information and I took the steps that I thought  

  • best to get the same results by logging items onspreadsheet once I've done this I had a clear plan  

  • of action I was able to complete the inventory and  when my colleague returned to work they were able  

  • to pick up where I left off and they commented  how helpful it was to have those tasks completed  

  • so why is this a good answer and how can I use  it all right so when you're answering questions  

  • about using logic remember to explain clearly  where the logic part of your actions are not  

  • just explaining how you solve the problem make  the logical steps really clear so in the answer  

  • here it says I looked at the situation logicallydidn't make a complete guess I reverse engineered  

  • the process so that I could make a decision and  then it goes on here to explain that the benefit  

  • was that your colleague didn't need to correct  anything so they could just pick up where they  

  • left off the next star method question is give  me an example of a time when you most motivated  

  • others so the answer is a few months ago our team  was struggling to meet our sales goals morale was  

  • low and people were starting to get discouraged  as a sales team leader I needed to do something  

  • about this to motivate my team I sat down with  each person on the team and identified their  

  • strengths then I created a plan that would play  to those strengths for example I had one team  

  • member who was particularly good at building  relationships with customers so I asked her to  

  • focus on developing New Leads while another team  member who excelled at closing deals took on more  

  • of the responsibility for negotiating contract  renewals with existing clients by playing to  

  • individual strengths we were able to increase  ourselves significantly and meet our targets  

  • the whole team was extremely grateful and I was  proud to have been able to help the team succeed  

  • so why is this a good answer and how can I use  it this answer is a specific example of a time  

  • in the past where a team was motivated so the  strength in this answer is Clarity so here it  

  • explains I sat down with each person and identify  their strengths and then it goes directly into an  

  • example of that sharing something like this in  your own job interview is something that would  

  • increase the authenticity of your answer so  if you're saying something like I'm motivated  

  • others by arranging a team social you wouldn't  want to stop there you just explain a couple of  

  • specifics on how you did that and some positive  outcomes as well so here it explains that one  

  • team member was particularly strong in a specific  skill set building relationships so you recognize  

  • that and asks that team member to focus on that  and that's a brilliant way to motivate others so  

  • think about that in your own answer so if you're  particularly good at something using that skill  

  • will normally make you stand out it will help you  to shine at work and when someone recognizes your  

  • strength it normally has a positive outcome so  you could think about a similar situation where  

  • you recognized someone's strengths and then you  know you encourage them to utilize those skills  

  • question 11 is tell me about time you use data to  make a decision Vision so the answer is about a  

  • year ago I was considering applying to graduate  school I knew that it would be a significant  

  • investment of time and money so I wanted to be  sure that it was the right decision for me to  

  • help me make up my mind I collected information  on a variety of factors including the cost of  

  • tuition the average salary and the employment rate  for recent graduates after careful consideration  

  • of the data I decided not to apply to graduate  school at this time in retrospect I'm glad that I  

  • took the time to gather and analyze data before  making such a major decision so why is this a  

  • good answer and how can I use it now I usually  use work related examples because they're most  

  • helpful and relevant in a job interview but this  example can be used for those of you who haven't  

  • had work experience but you've had to make study  based decisions plus it's an easily transferable  

  • answer to a work situation so for example if you  wanted to give a work related example you could  

  • share something like looking at data to decide  whether an item should be purchased for the  

  • office or you know where something might be an  initial investment but would save costs for the  

  • company in the long term so another example could  be using data to decide on a marketing campaign  

  • maybe for your job or for a client you could take  into account sales figures customer feedback and  

  • demographic information so one thing to make  your answer to this question really powerful is  

  • to include the gravity of your decision or the  impact on the office so in the example answer  

  • here it actually ends with verbalizing that it's a  major decision and the factors taken into account  

  • like employment rates and average salaries  which are life-changing factors question 12  

  • is describe a time where you solved a problem the  answer is when I'd started my current job my boss  

  • was constantly looking over my shoulder giving me  detailed instructions on how to do every task it  

  • was frustrating and draining and I quickly began  to feel like I wasn't being trusted to do my job I  

  • even considered leaving my boss was very sensitive  so I wanted to approach the situation carefully so  

  • I could maintain a positive working relationshipdecided to try scheduling regular catch-ups twice  

  • a week with my boss so they had a clear picture of  my progress without having to check in throughout  

  • each day I also sent a weekly follow-up Report  with a status update on important tasks so our  

  • conversations felt more structured I was surprised  but it worked as my boss had all the information  

  • he needed he felt less anxious and didn't have the  desire to check in as often he started trusting  

  • me to do my job and as a result I was able to work  more independently and efficiently this experience  

  • taught me the importance of open communication at  work so why is this a good answer how can I use it  

  • so so if you've ever experienced micromanagement  you know how annoying and soul destroying it can  

  • be you could have the best job in the world and  it could still you could still end up hating it  

  • so the reason I created this example is that  it demonstrates consideration as part of your  

  • decision to solve the problem it's quite specific  because communication should always underpin your  

  • approach in a people-based issue such as this one  as it says at the end of the answer here now this  

  • is one example when it comes to communicating  with others there's no rule book on exactly how  

  • to approach it and you never know how someone  will respond but here it shows you consider the  

  • sensitivity of your manager and you thought  about your working relationship before you  

  • took action so in your interview if they're asking  you to describe a time where you solved a problem  

  • they want to know that you take a considered  approach that you don't just jump in and rush  

  • into sensitive situations and you understand the  importance of preserving a strong working relay  

  • ship whether your example includes your  manager or your colleagues so when you're  

  • answering a question like this make sure that your  considerations and the reasons for your actions  

  • are clearly laid out in your answer interview  question 13 is how have you dealt with conflicts  

  • at work so an example answer is I consider myself  to be quite organized and my co-worker is quite  

  • relaxed from time to time we were both tasked  with conducting job interviews with candidates  

  • applying to work at the company I like to prepare  documentation beforehand and allocate questions  

  • to each interviewer so the interview is structured  and we also have tons of notes should we need them  

  • for compliance reasons I also wanted the candidate  to have a smooth experience my colleague wanted to  

  • Freestyle as he felt a rigid experience wasn't  positive for the candidate he was so against a  

  • structured interview that he refused to attend  a preparation meeting before the interview as  

  • he felt it wasn't needed I decided to try to  negotiate I asked him if he he would consider  

  • attending the prep meeting if I cut it down to 10  minutes instead of a half an hour as originally  

  • planned I also agreed to cut down the preparation  documents so instead of taking six documents each  

  • into the interview we would only take three each  the interview questions the job description and  

  • the candidate's resume although my co-worker was  still reluctant he could see that I was trying  

  • to reach out and find a Midway point so that we  could work together and he agreed we actually  

  • both enjoyed the interview and I realized that  I quite liked a structure that was slightly more  

  • relaxed so why is this a good answer and how can  you use it so this answer is a fantastic example  

  • of demonstrating multiple skills in one while  explaining how you handle conflict so if we take  

  • a look at this answer we can clearly see what the  situation is one person is organized and the other  

  • person is relaxed and it causes a clash so the  quick solution here is communication based where  

  • it says I decided to negotiate but one of the  things I really like in this answer is explains  

  • your reasons for your Viewpoint so here it says  I wanted the candidate to have a good experience  

  • I wanted to make sure we were compliant so it's  not just a simple Clash of personalities in your  

  • answer I highly recommend that you include some of  your justifications you don't need to elaborate or  

  • spend more than 10 to 15 seconds on it but it adds  context then here it explains that the approach  

  • was to negotiate in two areas one was to cut down  the time of the meeting and the other was to cut  

  • down the preparation documents but the best part  of the end of the answer is here where you said I  

  • quite liked a structure that was slightly more  relaxed which is brilliant to use in your own  

  • answer so if you can include multiple suggestions  steps or strategies that you used to deal with the  

  • conflict that's a bonus but even better is what  you learn so although this answer doesn't strictly  

  • include a learning which I explained in earlier  star method Answers by saying that you enjoyed  

  • the outcome you found that you liked a different  way of work working shows that you're open-minded  

  • and you found a way to work with others even  when their style was totally different to yours  

  • so people who can work well with others are very  attractive to potential employers question 14 is  

  • tell me about a situation when your work was  criticized the example interview answer is a  

  • couple of years ago I led a new marketing campaign  with the support of a small team and I thought it  

  • had turned out really well however my boss wasn't  happy with the results she said that the campaign  

  • didn't reflect the company values and that it  wouldn't appeal to our target audience initially  

  • it was quite hard to hear I led the campaign soended up feeling as though I hadn't communicated  

  • the company's vision for the project properlydecided to dig further and ask her if we could  

  • talk so I could find out more about the area she  mentioned it turns out that she had two specific  

  • issues the first was that she didn't think that  the imagery used in the campaign was professional  

  • enough the second issue was with the copy she felt  that it was too informal and it didn't get across  

  • the the message we were trying to communicate  after hearing my boss's criticism I took some  

  • time to reflect on the project I realized that  she was right and I prioritized those two areas  

  • for the next campaign six months later rather  than being critical she was really pleased that  

  • not only did I take the feedback but I actually  took action with the feedback in mind to improve  

  • on the next round so let's look at how you  can use this answer so with an answer like  

  • this one you're demonstrating maturity and the  ability to overcome your emotional response of  

  • disappointment or at the very least this sting  of receiving feedback that is critical so that  

  • you can find out more and make the most of what  you're hearing when you're answering questions  

  • about being criticized just be sure that you don't  share scenarios where things escalated into a  

  • full-blown argument or disagreement especially for  a work related example like in this star method  

  • answer and make sure that you include a positive  outcome that included actions that you took based  

  • on the critique or feedback that you received in  this answer here there were two actions taken as  

  • a result of the feedback the first was deciding  to dig further and ask questions and get as much  

  • information as possible the second was utilizing  what you discovered in the next campaign with a  

  • great result here where your boss was really  pleased with what you did with the feedback  

  • question 15 is describe a time where you worked in  a team an example answer is I once was part of a  

  • team at work that was tasked with adapting one of  our existing products we were a team of five and  

  • we all had different strengths so I thought about  additional ways I could contribute to someone who  

  • is quite organized I volunteered to keep the team  on track setting up a weekly meeting so that we  

  • were all communicating and working to the same  goals I also created a shared online document  

  • where we could all track our progress and ideas  this ended up being really helpful as not only did  

  • it help us to stay on track but also it allowed  us to keep track of our individual all progress  

  • and contributions it was a lot of work but it  was also a lot of fun the updated watch was a  

  • huge success with our customers despite the fact  that I am now looking for a new challenge which  

  • is one of the reasons that I applied for this  job I'm still very proud of the work that we  

  • did together so why is this a good answer and how  can I use it so what's behind any question about  

  • teamwork is how you contributed as an individual  that's what the interviewer wants to know that you  

  • can work in a team and that you can identify  your own skills and use them to contribute to  

  • a positive outcome so really here all the way  throughout the answer it's a demonstration of  

  • how you worked with a team but it's of course in  story format with the team situation the task you  

  • were set the actions you took as an individual and  the overall result within the star method and it's  

  • a great finish where you bring it back around to  the interview you're in where it states this is  

  • one of the reasons I applied question 16 is when  have you gone above and beyond for a customer an  

  • example answer is as a customer service repfound myself speaking to a customer last year  

  • who was upset that a gift hadn't arrived for her  son three days before Christmas no matter what I  

  • did I couldn't locate her order which meant  I should have redirected her to the company  

  • website to place another one or put her through  to the sales team she sounded close to tears and  

  • explained that this was the fourth time she  had called and had previously been told to  

  • keep waiting I could hear how upset she was sospent the 40 minutes on the phone with her calling  

  • different departments checking our system and  finally we were able to locate the order which  

  • had been lost in our system I put the item on same  day delivery and I also applied a small discount  

  • to her account due to the inconvenience after  checking with my manager I spent much longer on  

  • the phone with her than I did most customers  but she was relieved and extremely grateful  

  • and my manager agreed I did the right thing so  why is this a good answer and how can I use it  

  • so with this answer you need to strike a fine  balance because in any job you'll have a certain  

  • recommended way to interact and handle customers  so that you don't cause long cues wait times or  

  • backlogs however you also need to show that you  can deal with the customers like human beings  

  • so that the company doesn't get a bad reputation  so taking a look back at this answer here where  

  • it says I spent the next 40 minutes on the phone  calling departments checking our system it clearly  

  • answers the question which is the main thing but  it has context here where it says she sounded  

  • close to tears it's the fourth time she called so  you're creating context there adding specifics of  

  • the situation to show that you were empathetic  to her for these reasons which is key so in your  

  • interview if you're asked about going above and  beyond or going outside the normal requirement  

  • of a job the interviewer wants to see that you are  able to identify when it's appropriate to do so as  

  • well as what you consider to be above and beyond  the answer does that here where it says I applied  

  • a discount after getting approval from my manager  and my manager agreed that I did the right thing  

  • and the good thing about this answer is that it  will likely a vocal response from the interviewer  

  • so maybe not verbally but it shows your ability  to empathize because most people would agree that  

  • three days before Christmas you wouldn't want  to abandon someone who is upset about a gift for  

  • their child question 17 is tell me about a time  where you missed a deadline an example answer is  

  • as part of my job as a customer support executive  I respond to customer support tickets raised by  

  • our customers answer questions and resolve queries  our system was due for an upgrade so I was given a  

  • deadline of one week to respond to all outstanding  support tickets so that we could take the system  

  • offline and upgrade it to the new system as the  deadline Drew closer I knew that I wouldn't be  

  • able to meet it as I still had over 100 support  tickets left with only a few days to go I started  

  • to really feel the pressure as I didn't want to  delay an entire system up great project and I  

  • knew that working long hours wouldn't be enough to  clear the backlog I decided to speak to managers  

  • in Customer Support I.T and the system project  team as those three teams would be most impacted  

  • by the delay they completely understood that the  workload was too high and decided to stagger the  

  • system upgrade over a period of two weeks to give  me time to get through the support tickets they  

  • also asked for volunteers in their own departments  to help that did the trick and with extra support  

  • it only took a week to clear the remaining  tickets why is this a good answer and how can  

  • I use it so this answer is strong because it's a  comprehensive story so you've got the situation  

  • here part of the job is responding to outstanding  support tickets then as part of the task section  

  • it explains how you feel you appreciated the  importance of the situation because it says  

  • here I didn't want to delay an entire project  the strongest part of this star method answer  

  • is the action by approaching it in this way and  showing you approached key people in each area  

  • that would be impacted it shows that you're  thinking of the impact on the wider business and  

  • not just your own job if you can include something  like this in your own answer and show how you  

  • considered others impacted by the misdeadline it  will make your answer more impactful because it  

  • shows that you can think bigger than just yourself  and the impact to you question 18 is how have you  

  • dealt with a difficult customer the answer is  recently a lady came into the store where I work  

  • and demanded to speak to my manager she was upset  because she felt that she had been overcharged for  

  • an item and was determined to get a refund when  the manager explained that the original price  

  • she paid was correct the lady became even more  agitated and began to berate both me and him it  

  • was a frustrating situation but I was determined  to stay calm and respectful I apologized and  

  • explained that we couldn't refund her but asmeat in the middle solution I offered an exchange  

  • of the same value she refused but seemed to be  slowly calming down on it took a while but in the  

  • end the lady left without getting the refund she  wanted but she wasn't as aggressive as when she  

  • first came in so why is this a good answer and how  can I use it so the reason I chose this answer is  

  • because it's realistic it doesn't end with you  magically saving the day because realistically  

  • that doesn't always happen with every customer and  you'll know that if you ever worked in customer  

  • service the question isn't about how you resolve  the customer query or help to customer it's  

  • about dealing with a difficult customer and when  you're dealing with a difficult customer in a work  

  • setting the very best thing you can do is maintain  your professionalism and so I've demonstrated how  

  • you can do that in this answer question 19 is give  me an example of a time when you took initiative  

  • a star method answer is last year our company was  going through a lot of internal changes Department  

  • moves and restructuring morale was low and many  employees were looking for other jobs I decided  

  • to take the initiative and suggested organizing  a series of low-cost events to improve morale my  

  • manager agreed and was happy for me to take the  lead in arranging things I asked for some help  

  • from colleagues and put together potlucks happy  hours and community service days the response  

  • from my colleagues was overwhelmingly positive  and it really helped to boost a sense of culture  

  • and togetherness in the company for several months  after people were still talking about the events  

  • staff had pinned photos of the events on staff  memory boards and those events ultimately helped  

  • to improve morale within the company duringtough time so why is this a good answer and how  

  • can I use it so this is a strong answer not just  because it gives specific examples of taking the  

  • initiative but also because it shows that you can  do this during a difficult time when the company  

  • morale was low so taking initiative is great but  doing it at a time when the company is most in  

  • need is a great quality in a candidate and very  useful to demonstrate in a job interview so the  

  • second reason this answer is strong is here it  says here I help to boost a sense of culture  

  • the response was overwhelmingly positive and what  that does is demonstrates multiple skills in one  

  • it shows that you have motivational skills and  you're aware of how to implement and use them in  

  • a way that motivates multiple people so in your  interview you can give a standard answer like I  

  • suggested something at work that ended up incost saving which is okay or you can make your  

  • answer Stand Out by sharing multiple skills in  one so making sure that there was a benefit to  

  • the company and if possible including a challenge  along the way like something you suggested or did  

  • during a difficult time like in that answer so  question 20 is how did you deal with a difficult  

  • co-worker the answer is I once had a co-worker  who created a very uncomfortable work atmosphere  

  • she would gossip about other employees spread  rumors and generally make life difficult for  

  • everyone around around her wanting to avoiddisagreement I initially tried to ignore her as  

  • much as possible then I tried subtle attempts to  change the subject or highlight new topics to lift  

  • the atmosphere and it had no impact So eventually  I realized that the best way to deal with her was  

  • to simply be direct and honest when I told her  exactly how I felt it turned out she had no idea  

  • that her actions made me or others uncomfortable  so going forward she was much more mindful of  

  • her topics of conversation I also invited her to  lunch in an active effort to show that there was  

  • no animosity and that I still wanted to maintain  a positive working relationship with her so why  

  • is this a good answer and how can I use it the  things you can lift from this answer are here  

  • so first here where it says I wanted to avoid  a disagreement it talks about taking multiple  

  • approaches before approaching the situation  direct which could potentially turn into a  

  • conflict as of course you never know how someone  will respond in your answer demonstrating that  

  • you took a thoughtful approach and tried multiple  methods before directly addressing the issue shows  

  • that you are aware of the multiple ways that your  actions could have an impact on the other person  

  • and the office environment as well it's incredibly  mature to approach in your approach to demonstrate  

  • so next at the end here you took that extra step  to make sure that your working relationship was  

  • maintained question 21 is how do you prioritize  your workload the answer is the first step in  

  • prioritizing my work is planning I consider  myself to be extremely organized I take full  

  • advantage of the tools and Tech to help me stay  on track for example while Outlook reminders are  

  • commonly used for meetings and events I also use  the reminders tool to schedule in time to complete  

  • admin work that I used to fall behind on I also  schedule in breaks so that I'm alert and refreshed  

  • when I'm working in terms of prioritizing my work  specifically although I do plan ahead unexpected  

  • tasks always pop up so in these situations I also  consider what is urgent versus what is important  

  • an example of this is when I was still a junior  graphic designer in my career one of the most  

  • important tasks was creating layout designs for  our company's quarterly newsletter this helped to  

  • increase brand awareness and engage our customers  but it wasn't as important as another task where  

  • I had to design an ad campaign that was set to  launch in two weeks even though the campaign would  

  • have delayed designs for the newsletter I got to  work on the campaign first because it was the most  

  • urgent task in the end I did fall slightly  behind on my work but as I planned ahead I  

  • had also communicated with any of the teams or  individuals that would have been affected by  

  • the delay in advance so they could plan ahead  or if need be I could re-delegate the work so  

  • why is this a good answer and how can I use  it now this answer is slightly longer than an  

  • average interview answer that I might give and  here's why so in this first section here you're  

  • answering the question directly by starting with  the first step in prioritizing his planning then  

  • this whole section includes a solid example of  how you use reminders in the Outlook program  

  • in a unique way so I then move into a star method  example and normally I will include a star method  

  • answer or a non-star method answer so the whole  answer is essentially shorter and a little easier  

  • to digest for the interviewer however this is an  example of how you can answer a question directly  

  • and still turn your answer into a star method  answer by adding an example onto the end in your  

  • own interview so when you include two effective  and relevant short examples it's basically a slam  

  • dunk answer now there's one other thing you need  to be aware of that is included in this answer and  

  • that is here where you highlight your ability  to determine urgent versus important I highly  

  • recommend you include this in your answer  if you're answering a star method question  

  • about prioritizing work or conflicting priorities  because sometimes you have two things that seem  

  • just as important right so you need to show that  you have a way or a system of determining what is  

  • the most important and or what is the top priority  I also share example answers to questions about  

  • conflicting priorities in this video so you can  get some more example answers specifically related  

  • to that topic question 22 is how would you deal  with a customer complaint the answer is I recently  

  • had to deal with a customer complaint at workgentleman had received the wrong product and the  

  • item he actually ordered was for a birthday party  he was really annoyed that the wrong item arrived  

  • and didn't want to exchange the item or shop with  the company again he demanded a refund I listened  

  • to his complaint in full and empathize with him on  how frustrating it is to receive the wrong product  

  • I then explained the company's refund policy  I explained that a refund would take longer to  

  • process than an exchange and with an exchange  he would at least have the item he wanted even  

  • though it was a little late with this in mind  he reluctantly agreed that it would be better to  

  • arrange an exchange I arranged for fast next day  delivery of the correct item and the collection  

  • of the previous item and he thanked me for the  help so why is this a good answer and how can I  

  • use it so the strength in this answer is showing  how you dealt with the complaint preferably in  

  • a way that has a positive outcome or a benefit to  the company or customer so in this example answer  

  • you've done both of those things here so first is  making the customer aware of the refund process  

  • time and that it would be more beneficial for  him to receive the product he originally ordered  

  • so highlighting the benefits to the customer is  one thing to bear in mind for your own answer but  

  • you've also demonstrated two more key skills one  is that you understand the importance of empathy  

  • when dealing with customer complaints and the  role it plays in diffusing any frustration the  

  • customer may be feeling the other is the skill of  persuasion so this customer initially refused a  

  • refund he didn't want to shop with the company  again the customer service rep in this example  

  • changed his mind and gently persuaded him by  explaining the benefits then asking him if  

  • he would reconsider but now most companies  try to avoid having to return money to the  

  • customer where possible so in an example like this  there's also a benefit to the company thank you so  

  • much for watching and remember to turn on your  notifications and I'll see you in the next video

in this video I'm going to cover the top 22  star method interview questions and answers  

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