The STAR Method Explained: How to Answer Competency Questions (UK Examples)
If an interview question starts "tell me about a time when…", you are being asked a competency question. Employers in the UK use them in almost every sector because past behaviour is a good predictor of future behaviour. The STAR method is the simplest way to answer them well.
What does STAR stand for?
Situation: set the scene briefly.
Task: explain what you needed to achieve or what your responsibility was.
Action: describe what you did. This should be the longest part.
Result: say what happened, ideally with a number, and what you learned.
A worked example
Question: Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult customer.
Situation: "In my last retail job a customer came in angry because an online order had not arrived." Task: "I needed to calm the situation and solve the problem." Action: "I listened without interrupting, apologised, checked the order on the system and found it had been sent to the wrong store. I arranged for it to be redirected the next day and offered a refund on delivery." Result: "The customer left calm, posted a positive review the following week and my manager asked me to share the approach with the team."
Common competency questions
Teamwork: tell me about a time you worked in a team to achieve a goal.
Problem solving: tell me about a time you solved a difficult problem.
Pressure: describe a time you met a tight deadline.
Conflict: tell me about a disagreement with a colleague.
Initiative: give an example of when you went beyond what was expected.
Failure: tell me about a mistake and what you learned.
How to prepare
Choose five or six stories from work, study or volunteering. Each story can answer more than one question. Write a few bullet points for each, practise out loud and keep each to two minutes.
Common mistakes
Using "we" for everything so the interviewer cannot tell what you did.
Spending too long on the situation and not enough on the action.
Having no result. Always say what happened.
Making up stories. Interviewers will probe.
Quick answers
What if I have no work experience? Use school, university, volunteering, sport or family responsibilities.
Is STAR used in every sector? It is used widely, from the Civil Service and NHS to banks and retail.
Want to practise with questions written for your exact job? Our question bank covers hundreds of UK roles with model answers, and every role has five questions free.
Practise for specific roles
Pick your role: Customer Service Advisor, Administrator, Project Manager.
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