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Work & Career

Story answers (STAR)

When they say "Tell me about a time when…," answer with a short story: the Situation, your Task, the Action you took, and the Result. Four parts, about a minute, with a number if you have one.

Easy30 min to prepare three storiesFree

You'll need

  • Paper, or a notes app
  • Three or four moments from work, school, sports or volunteering

Do it like this

  1. Situation: give the background the interviewer needs to understand what was going on (LSU).
  2. Task: name what you were responsible for, or the problem you had to solve (U.S. Department of Labor).
  3. Action: describe what you did, step by step, and the skills you used. Make clear what you did yourself (U.S. Department of Labor).
  4. Result: say what came of it, good or bad, and what you learned (LSU). Use numbers where you can (U.S. Department of Labor).
  5. Prepare stories for common prompts like handling a deadline or stress, or dealing with a difficult customer (CareerOneStop). One good story can often answer more than one question.
Watch out. Keep it true and keep it short. A story that wanders past two minutes loses people. Practice out loud until you can tell it in about one.

If it doesn't work

  • No work stories? School projects, sports, volunteering and family responsibilities all work (CareerOneStop).
  • The result was bad? Say what you learned. That counts as a result (LSU).
  • Still stuck? Practice with a friend, or ask an American Job Center for a free mock interview (CareerOneStop).

Good to know

An example

Situation: Saturday rush at the grocery store, and two cashiers called in. Task: keep my line moving. Action: I asked a manager to open a second register and bagged for the new cashier between my own customers. Result: the line stayed under five people, and my manager asked me to train new hires.

Why they ask

Behavioral questions ask how you've acted in the past, which employers see as a sign of how you'll act on the job (U.S. Department of Labor).

Sources

  1. LSU Olinde Career Center Interviewing: behavioral questions and the STAR method
  2. U.S. Department of Labor TEAMS Interview Skills participant guide (PDF, Feb. 2026)
  3. CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) Common interview questions
  4. CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) Get ready for interviews

Lesson W3.3 · Last checked October 2, 2026 against the sources listed. See a mistake?