The most effective interview preparation involves building a bank of real, specific examples from your own life and practising how to communicate them clearly. This planner helps you do that. Use it before any interview: work experience, insight days, internships, graduate schemes, or apprenticeships.
What the STAR method is
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result. It is a framework for structuring answers to competency-based interview questions. Situation: describe the context briefly. Task: explain what you needed to do or the challenge you faced. Action: describe specifically what you did. Result: share the outcome. The Action section should take up most of your answer. A strong STAR answer takes about two minutes to tell and includes specific detail.
What competencies to prepare for
Most employers assess some or all of the following: teamwork, leadership, communication, problem-solving, initiative, commercial awareness, resilience, time management, and attention to detail. Read the opportunity description before your interview. The competencies they mention most often are the ones to prioritise. Prepare at least one strong example for each competency listed.
How to build a strong example
Choose an experience that is specific and real — not vague or hypothetical. It does not need to be impressive from the outside. What matters is that you can describe it concretely and that your role in it is clear. School projects, sports team captaincy, family responsibilities, part-time work, and extracurricular activities all work. Vague examples like "I am a natural leader and have always worked well in teams" will not impress.
Practising your answers
Write out your examples in STAR format first. Then practise telling them out loud without reading. Record yourself if possible. Listen back. Are you taking too long? Are you getting to the Action quickly enough? Does the Result sound genuine? Aim for each answer to take 1.5 to 2.5 minutes when spoken. Practise with a friend or family member who can ask follow-up questions.
Answer planner
Answer plannerSTAR ANSWER PLANNER
Competency: [e.g. Teamwork]
Question: [e.g. Tell me about a time you worked effectively as part of a team]
SITUATION
Context: [Where were you? What was the setting? — 1–2 sentences]
_______________________________________________
TASK
What needed to be done / what challenge did you face?
[1–2 sentences]
_______________________________________________
ACTION
What did YOU specifically do? (Not "we" — focus on your role)
Step 1: _______________________________________________
Step 2: _______________________________________________
Step 3: _______________________________________________
RESULT
What happened? What was the outcome?
[Include a specific outcome where possible — a grade, a decision made, a problem solved]
_______________________________________________
What did you learn from this?
_______________________________________________
Spoken length (aim for 1.5–2.5 mins): ____
Practised out loud: Yes / No
Replace every [highlighted placeholder] with your own specific content.
Checklist
- Identified six to eight experiences to draw from
- Written each example in STAR format
- Each example covers a different competency
- Practised telling each example out loud
- Each answer takes 1.5 to 2.5 minutes when spoken
- Tailored to the specific competencies listed for this opportunity
Common mistakes to avoid
- Preparing vague examples that lack specific detail
- Preparing examples only in your head without writing or saying them aloud
- Using the same example for every competency question
- Focusing too much on the Situation and not enough on the Action