Expanded Behavioral Interview Answer Format
Behavioral interviews have become a staple in modern hiring processes, as they delve into candidates’ past experiences and actions to assess their traits and abilities. The STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) or SAR (Situation, Action, Result) method is widely recognized and effective for structuring responses in these interviews. It provides a clear framework for presenting one’s experiences.
Based on my experience conducting and participating in behavioral interviews, I have identified two crucial pieces of information that can enhance responses: Context and Learnings. Including these elements, either as part of or in addition to the STAR format, can provide valuable insights. Towards the end of an interview, I often ask candidates the question, “Given the same scenario, what would you do differently?” This allows for an understanding of how the learnings can be applied back. In his book “Raising the Amazon Bar,” Eric Hudson also suggests touching on the long-term impact of actions, which I find further enriches the response.
So, it’s time to expand further on the STAR. May be we should call it CoSTAR LLR 🤔. Let’s dive into it further.
Context, Situation, Tasks, Action, Results, Long-term, Learning, Reflection
Context
It is the broader background or circumstances surrounding a situation. It provides the necessary details and information to understand the environment, conditions, and factors that influenced the situation
Situation
The specific event, scenario, or occurrence that requires attention or action. It refers to a particular circumstance that you experienced
Task
What were you trying to solve or challenge you faced. Clarifying what needed to be accomplished
Action
Actions you took to overcome the challenge or achieve the task. Highlighting your skills, leadership, problem-solving and so on.
Tasks is the WHAT and Action is the HOW
Example : Let’s say you were implementing a mobile applications as a front-end dev.
Task was to Implement the front-end coding using programming languages like Kotlin or Swift.
Actions was series of steps YOU took
- Analyze the design specifications and break them down into smaller coding tasks.
- Collaborate with other developers to ensure consistency and compatibility across different sections of the app.
- Write clean, efficient, and maintainable code.
- Utilize best practices and industry standards while coding.
- Conduct code reviews and participate in pair programming sessions to improve code quality and catch potential issues.
Results
What was the outcome of your action? Highlight and quantify achievements if possible.
Long-term Impact
Expand the results further to highlight Long-term Impact beyond immediate time horizon
Learnings
Explain any lessons you learned or skills acquired
Reflection
With all that Learnings if you look back and do it all over again, what would you do differently? Would you change anything? Why or why not? This gives interviewer an window to how you might be apply your learning in future.
In a condensed version, SAR can be seen as a combination of these elements together where S = Context + Situation, A = Task + Action, R = Results + Long-term Impact + Learning + Reflection.
Let’s see how would this play out with a fictious event
Context > In a world of tranquil peace, where flowers bloomed abundantly and humanity reveled in an era of serenity, unaware of the perils lurking beyond, billions of people lived harmoniously. Among them, I was one curious soul with a makeshift lab to monitor extra terrestrial objects.
Situation > It was on a day like any other when my extraterrestrial camera caught a flicker of movement hurtling towards Earth. Could it be another celestial planet? An asteroid? Or perhaps something entirely unforeseen? Intrigued, I embarked on a deeper investigation, analyzing the object’s shape, speed, and trajectory. To my dismay, I discovered that it was indeed heading straight for Earth, posing a catastrophic threat capable of wiping out the entire human race. Based on its current velocity, it was estimated to arrive in a mere 15 days.
Task > The time for action had arrived to save humanity
Action > Swiftly, I shared my findings with governments and took charge of a mission to neutralize the impending catastrophe. Collaborating with Space Agency, international space academies, and militaries worldwide, I spearheaded the creation of a space force. Engineers, scientists, and soldiers rallied together, preparing to board the space shuttle. As the orchestrator, I brought people together, managed expectations, and devised a meticulous plan with multiple contingency points (Plan A, Plan B, Plan C). With just five days remaining, the decision was made to proceed with the launch.
Result > The courageous team successfully landed on the asteroid, drilling deep into its core to implant a nuclear bomb. Leaving with time to spare, they detonated the explosive, causing the celestial threat to shatter into countless fragments. It was a collective triumph—an act of salvation achieved through teamwork. Earth had been rescued on that fateful day!
Long-term Impact > In the months that followed, a global task force was established, with me leading the charge in enhancing our extraterrestrial security measures. This marked the inception of a new era in space exploration.
Learning > This extraordinary experience taught me that with unwavering determination, collaborative efforts, and innovative thinking, even the most daunting challenges can be overcome. Humanity could implement automated alert systems and continue investing in advanced technologies to prevent and combat future threats of a similar nature.
Reflection > In hindsight, I realized that automating the alert system, which would have automatically transmitted the necessary details to Space Agency, could have saved valuable time instead of relying on manual intervention. This lesson emphasized the significance of automation in streamlining processes and expediting response times.
References
Raising The Amazon Bar: How to Ace the Amazon Interview