STAR Interview

Getting picked out of a group of hungry job candidates means you need to be at the top of your game and be able to differentiate yourself from everyone else.

On this page are two classic interview questions you can expect in behavioral based interviews.

They both follow the STAR Interview method of answer behavioral questions. Answer them correctly to score points with your interviewer and you'll inch closer to landing the job.

As you can see from the following examples, you answers do not need to be very long. Actually, shorter answers are preferable because it's easier for an interviewer to follow your story and it leaves the floor open for an interviewer to ask additional questions about what you did and why you chose the course of action you did.

STAR Interview Question

A question a candidate might get asked if they were applying for an HR position.

Describe to me a time when your boss asked you to do something you did not think was appropriate? What was your response?

Situation:
I was putting together a total headcount report of all employees in our remote offices. There were many employees and the current records were out of date. Plus, we were recently acquired by another company and several people quit after the merger, others were transferred, and some were laid off.

So the existing employee count was anybody's guess. My manager was soon to be heading into a meeting and needed the final count. When I explained the situation and told him I don't have all the figures yet, he very casually told me to, "just make them up if I have to."

Action:
I told him if he could just give me two more hours, I think I could confirm actual numbers by then and that he could feel more comfortable going to his meeting. He agreed and allowed me to complete my task.

Result:
90 minutes later, I gave him the a factual headcount of all employees in our remote offices. It was actually better that he went in with live headcount.

I later found out that yet another company was purchasing us and they needed know how many employees they were acquiring so they could accurately calculate compensation and employee benefits. My boss later told me that had he gone in to his meeting and presented an inaccurate employee headcount that it would have most certainly cost him his job.

STAR Interview Question

A question a nursing candidate might get asked when applying to a hospital.

Describe a time when your boss asked you to do something you felt was wrong, inappropriate or even unethical?

Situation:
Back at Kent State University, I worked as a student nurse during the graveyard shift. One of our patients was admitted for alcohol withdrawal. We needed to continue restraining this patient but I thought hospital policy required a doctor signature.

One of the other nurses told me that we did not need signed doctors orders, but I felt she only said this because it would have been too hard to obtain at 2:00 AM.

Action:
I was almost certain this was hospital policy, so I called my professor up at 2:00 AM and asked her advice. She said I was right and to follow proper channels. So then I tracked down the patients doctor to get his signature before the current order expired.

Result:
The patient continued receiving treatment and we followed hospital policy. It just seem like the right thing to do.

Inside The Complete Interview Answer Guide, Don shows job seekers how to prepare for behavioral based interviews. The 201+ sample answers in the guide will quickly help you craft your own professional answers for ALL types of interview questions for any occupation.

STAR Interview & Behavioral Based Interviews:

Behavioral Interview
Behavioral Interview Questions
Behavioral Answers
Competency Interview