Outshine in engineering interviews with the STAR framework

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We all struggle to create a compelling narrative for our past projects

Do you struggle to explain your projects in interviews? Are you unsure how to share your achievements during an interview with the full context? So that the person sitting on the other side of the table can appreciate what has been done and why it was needed. In short, what's the best way to let the interviewer know you're the right candidate for the job?

STAR framework can help deliver great interviews

Since past performance is considered a good predictor of future performance, interviewers tend to ask these questions to determine whether candidates have the skills and experiences required to excel in a specific job.

STAR framework is beneficial in response to competency-focused questions, which typically start out with phrases such as, "Describe a time when..." and "Share an example of a situation where...."

The STAR Framework will help you clarify behavioral questions by using your own experiences.

What is STAR Framework?

STAR is an acronym for four key concepts.

  • Situation: Describe the context within which you performed a task or faced a challenge at work. For example, perhaps you were working on a short deadline project or had an expectations mismatch with a client in a project. This situation can be drawn from your past work experience. Be as specific as possible in describing the situation.
  • Task: Next, describe your responsibility in that situation. Perhaps you had to educate a client on machine learning or data engineering pipelines to bridge the expectation gap etc.
  • Action: Then you describe how you completed the task or met the challenge successfully. Focus on what you did, rather than what your team, boss, or coworker did, and Instead of saying, "We did aba," say "I did .".
  • Result: Finally, explain the outcomes or results generated by the action taken. It may be helpful to emphasize what you accomplished, or what you learned and how it is related to the current role.

How to Prepare for the interview with STAR?

  • Make a List of the Job Qualifications: Make a list of the skills and/or experiences that are required for the job. You should deeply look at the job listing and research on the company and the team and match your qualifications to those required for the job.
  • Recall from your past experience:  Recall previous situations that show favorable behaviors or actions, especially involving the client projects.
  • Create a List of Examples: Now, consider specific examples of occasions/projects when you displayed those skills. For each example, name the situation, task, action, and result.

Whatever examples you select, make sure they are as closely related to the job you’re interviewing for as possible.