As social media networking opportunities are rapidly expanding, you can use the STAR format to your advantage through networking and communicating in social media as well as in job interviews. In this blog post, I have identified some STAR strategies to help you recall and structure your life experiences to help you “shine” in the vast network of social media, or in replying to targeted selection questions in a job interview situation.
When describing your life experiences, design your own thought-provoking questions beginning with a stem like, "Describe a situation in which..." or "Tell about a time when you..." Then, utilize the following STAR format to recall and structure your life experiences for social media readers or when being interviewed for a job:
S – SITUATION—Describe the situation in which you were involved. Here, you have an opportunity to show your grasp on the English language by being concise. Be as descriptive as possible in as few words as possible. The more concise your description the easier it will be for the reader to follow and understand the situation. If you ramble, even if your answer is great, the audience's attention will fade.
T – TASK—Describe the task to be performed. This is an opportunity to display your ability to assess situations and read people. Sometimes the task required can be self-explanatory. If so, over-complicating the task can make you appear self-aggrandizing. Don't always give the obvious answer, however. Giving novel answers to prickly problems shows initiative and evidence of original thought.
A – ACTION—What was your approach to the problem? Here you have the opportunity to show yourself as a doer, a person of action. Be concise. Your actions should simple. This is also an opportunity to show decisiveness.
R – RESULTS—What were the results of your actions? This is the part of the answer where you get to sell yourself by selling the results of your work. There is a time and place for everything and this is your time to shine. This is the part of the answer where the reader will see how confident you are in the work you have done.
T – TASK—Describe the task to be performed. This is an opportunity to display your ability to assess situations and read people. Sometimes the task required can be self-explanatory. If so, over-complicating the task can make you appear self-aggrandizing. Don't always give the obvious answer, however. Giving novel answers to prickly problems shows initiative and evidence of original thought.
A – ACTION—What was your approach to the problem? Here you have the opportunity to show yourself as a doer, a person of action. Be concise. Your actions should simple. This is also an opportunity to show decisiveness.
R – RESULTS—What were the results of your actions? This is the part of the answer where you get to sell yourself by selling the results of your work. There is a time and place for everything and this is your time to shine. This is the part of the answer where the reader will see how confident you are in the work you have done.
Even with stellar credentials, the STAR format will help you organize your life history and shine in the vast network of social media or when you are applying for a job.
Just for fun, try writing out your responses to your own thought-provoking questions beginning with a stem like, "Describe a situation in which..." or "Tell about a time when you..." This will give you a great resource from which to draw descriptions of your life experiences for use in the future.
Just for fun, try writing out your responses to your own thought-provoking questions beginning with a stem like, "Describe a situation in which..." or "Tell about a time when you..." This will give you a great resource from which to draw descriptions of your life experiences for use in the future.
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