How to Respond to a Situational Job Interview Question?

Interview Preparation
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Situational job interview questions are opportunities to showcase your ability to think quickly and highlight how you respond to scenarios that may be unexpected.

To respond to a situational question, you can leverage a technique called (STAR).

  • Situation,
  • Task,
  • Action,
  • Result

While this technique is usually used to describe experiences, you can use the structure to inform how you would respond to a hypothetical scenario. You can also use this structure to explain how you have responded to similar situations in the past.

Here is the structure of the [STAR interview response]:

  • Situation: Explain the situation the interviewer presents and break it down into its main components. What is the nature of the problem? How did it come to light?
  • Task: Describe your involvement in the situation. Why are you the right person to solve the problem? What responsibilities will you need to take on to solve it?
  • Action: Explain the action you took that helped you overcome the challenge. What courses of action did you consider? Which one did you follow through on? How did you implement the action you wanted to take?
  • Result: Walk through the outcome that you achieved as a result of taking the action.

By using STAR, you can keep your responses to situational interview questions focused and action-oriented.