Telling STAR Stories in Competency Interviews.

Competency or behavioural questions can feel difficult, but they are a great chance to show your real value. In this lesson you learn to use the STAR method to tell clear, powerful stories about your experience. You first listen to or read sample answers to questions like 'Tell me about a time when you solved a difficult problem' and identify the Situation, Task, Action and Result. Then you build your own STAR bank of 4–6 short stories covering teamwork, problem-solving, conflict, pressure and learning quickly. You practise adding numbers, time frames and specific details so that your stories sound concrete, not generic. Role plays help you answer different behavioural questions by choosing and adapting the right story. By the end, you can answer STAR-style questions in a calm, structured way, using language that highlights your actions and measurable results.

1. Stepping into a competency interview.

Welcome to your STAR stories lesson. In this first part, I want you to feel what a real competency interview is like. Imagine you are sitting in a quiet meeting room at an international company. The interviewer smiles and says, “I would like to ask you some behavioural questions.” These questions are not about theory or what you would do. They are about real moments from your experience. You will hear questions that start with phrases like “Tell me about a time when…” or “Give me an example of…”. Employers ask these questions to check how you behave in teamwork, conflict, pressure and learning situations. In a moment, you will listen to a short interview opening. Your job is to notice which questions are behavioural questions and remember the key phrases the interviewer uses. After listening, you will write down the questions you heard and create one new question that could appear in your own interview.

Behavioural questions: what is really happening?.

In many English interviews, especially in international companies, you will hear behavioural or competency-based questions. These questions focus on a real situation from your past, not on theory or imagination.

Interviewers believe that:

> Past behaviour is a good predictor of future behaviour.

So instead of asking:

• Are you good at solving problems?

They ask:

• Tell me about a time when you solved a difficult problem.

You must tell a short story. That is where the STAR method will help you later in this lesson.

Common beginnings of behavioural questions.

As you listen in this block, watch out for questions that start with phrases like:

• Tell me about a time when…
• Can you give me an example of…?
• Describe a situation where…
• Could you share an example of a time when…?

All of these invite you to talk about one specific experience.

A quick interview scene.

Here is the situation. Sara is interviewing for a project coordinator role in an international company. The interviewer is moving into the behavioural part of the interview.

Interviewer: Thank you, Sara. Now I would like to ask some questions about how you work in real situations.

Interviewer: Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult colleague.

Interviewer: Can you give me an example of when you solved a complex problem under pressure?

Interviewer: Describe a situation where you had to learn something very quickly.

When you listen to the audio below, focus on the exact wording of the questions. Notice how calm and neutral the interviewer sounds. These questions can feel stressful, but they are also a great chance to show your value.

In the activity for this block, you will write the questions you hear and then create one new behavioural question that fits your own job.

Practice & Feedback

Listen carefully to the interviewer in the audio. You will hear an interview opening with several questions. Your task is to focus on the behavioural questions – the ones that ask for a specific example from the past.

After listening, do three things:

1. Write the full behavioural questions you heard, as accurately as you can. It does not matter if your punctuation is not perfect, but try to keep the structure.
2. If you also heard any question that is not behavioural, do not include it.
3. Then create one new behavioural question that would be realistic for interviews in your field, starting with phrases such as “Tell me about a time when…” or “Give me an example of…”.

Write your answers in clear sentences. I will tell you if your questions sound natural and truly behavioural, and I will help you correct any awkward phrases.

2. Seeing the STAR method in action.

In the previous block you met some typical behavioural questions. Now, let us look at how a strong answer is organised. A good behavioural answer is not a long, chaotic story. It has a clear structure. The STAR method gives you that structure: Situation, Task, Action, Result. In this block, you will read a complete answer from Sara to the question about a difficult colleague. On the screen, you will see how we can divide her answer into four parts. I want you to notice what information appears in each part. What exactly is in the Situation? What does she focus on for the Task? How detailed are her Actions? How clear is the Result? After reading, you will summarise each part in your own words. This will help you understand the framework before you build your own STAR stories later in the lesson.

The STAR method: four clear steps.

A strong behavioural answer usually follows this order:

1. Situation – Where and when the story happened, and the background.
2. Task – What you needed to do or what the problem or goal was.
3. Action – What you actually did, step by step.
4. Result – What happened in the end and why it was positive.

You do not need to say the words Situation, Task, Action, Result in the interview, but you should think in this structure.

Sara's answer to a behavioural question.

Here is Sara's answer to the question: “Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult colleague.”

> Situation: In my previous role as a project coordinator at GreenTech, I worked in a team of six people managing software updates for clients. One colleague in the team often missed deadlines and did not reply to emails quickly.

>

> Task: Our manager asked me to lead a small project to deliver an important update for a key client within four weeks. I needed to make sure everyone, including this colleague, delivered their part on time.

>

> Action: First, I organised a short kick-off meeting to agree on responsibilities and deadlines. Then I spoke privately with this colleague to understand why he was struggling. I listened carefully and discovered he was confused about some technical steps. I created a simple checklist for him and suggested we have two quick check-ins each week.

>

> Result: As a result, he felt more confident and started replying much faster. Our team delivered the project two days before the deadline, and the client thanked us for the smooth process.

Read the answer slowly. Notice how each part adds different information. The Situation and Task are quite short. Most of the detail is in the Action and Result.

In the activity, you will summarise each part in one simple sentence, using your own words. This will help you feel the structure before you write your own story.

Practice & Feedback

Read Sara’s STAR answer on the screen again. Do not copy it. Instead, show that you understand the function of each part.

Write four short sentences in your own words, following this format:

• Situation: your explanation in one sentence.
• Task: your explanation in one sentence.
• Action: your explanation in one sentence.
• Result: your explanation in one sentence.

Focus on what kind of information goes in each part, not on all the small details. For example, for Action you might write something like, “She met the colleague, listened to his problems and gave him simple tools so he could work better.”

Keep your language simple and clear. This is a comprehension and organisation activity, not a test of complex grammar. I will check whether you have understood STAR correctly and help you make your sentences more natural and accurate.

3. Making your STAR stories concrete and specific.

You now understand the basic STAR structure. The next step is to make your stories sound concrete, not generic. Interviewers hear many answers like, “We worked hard and the project was successful.” That sounds nice, but it is not very convincing. Numbers, time frames and specific results make a big difference. Phrases like “within four weeks”, “by 15 per cent” or “for a key client in Germany” help interviewers imagine the real situation. In this block, you will look at two versions of the same story: a flat version with no clear details, and an improved version with stronger actions and results. Then you will rewrite a short, flat answer yourself, adding useful details. Do not worry if you cannot use big numbers. Even small, realistic detail makes your story stronger and easier to believe.

Why details matter in STAR stories.

Many candidates give STAR answers that are too general:

> We had a problem. I worked hard with my team. In the end we finished the project and the client was happy.

This answer has the right shape, but it does not feel very strong. The interviewer cannot see what you actually did or how big the impact was.

Adding numbers, time frames and specific results makes your story more powerful:

• Time frames: within three weeks, over six months, during my first year
• Numbers: a team of six, reduced errors by 20%, managed a budget of £50,000
• Result language: as a result, this led to, because of this, we achieved

A flat answer vs an upgraded answer.

Flat version

> In my last job I had to organise a client event. It was difficult because we had little time, but I worked with my colleagues and we did it. The client was happy and my manager thanked me.

Upgraded version

> In my last job as a sales assistant, I had to organise a client event for about 80 people with only ten days of preparation. It was difficult because we had never done this kind of event before. I created a detailed checklist, divided tasks between four colleagues and used a shared online document to track progress each day. As a result, we stayed within the £5,000 budget and 90% of participants said they were satisfied or very satisfied in the feedback survey.

See the difference? The second version still follows STAR, but the Action and Result parts use clear verbs and numbers.

In the activity, you will practise doing this yourself with a simple story.

Practice & Feedback

Read the short, flat answer in the resource carefully. Your job is to upgrade it using the ideas from this block.

Follow these steps:

1. Identify the basic Situation, Task, Action and Result in the flat story.
2. Rewrite the story as one STAR answer of about 6–8 sentences.
3. Add at least:

• one time detail (for example, over three months, in my first year),
• one number (for example, a team of four, five new clients),
• one clear result phrase (for example, as a result, this led to).

Keep the story realistic; you can invent reasonable numbers, but they should sound possible in your field. Use simple, clear grammar. Do not worry about being perfect. I will help you check whether your upgraded answer sounds more concrete and professional and I will suggest phrases to make it even stronger.

4. Planning your own STAR story from experience.

You have seen how STAR works and how details make your stories stronger. Now it is time to build your own STAR story from real experience. This can feel difficult at first, especially if you have never told your stories in English before. Do not worry. In this block, we will use a simple planning template. You will choose one situation from your work, studies or volunteering where you showed teamwork, problem-solving, dealing with conflict, working under pressure or learning quickly. Then you will answer a few guiding questions for each part: Situation, Task, Action and Result. After that, you will connect your notes into a short story. Remember, interview answers do not need to be perfect. They need to be clear, honest and relevant. Focus on one concrete example, not your whole career.

Choosing a good situation for your story.

For your first STAR story, choose one specific moment where you:

• solved a problem, or
• worked well in a team, or
• managed conflict or a difficult person, or
• worked under time pressure, or
• learned something quickly.

It can be from a paid job, an internship, volunteering, university or another serious responsibility.

A simple planning template.

Use these questions to plan your story before you write full sentences.

Situation

• When and where did this happen?
• What was your role?
• Who was involved?

Task

• What was the problem or goal?
• What was expected from you personally?

Action

• What were the first steps you took?
• What did you do next?
• How did you communicate or organise things?
• Did you use any tools, documents or systems?

Result

• What changed because of your actions?
• How do you know it was a success?
• Did you receive any feedback, numbers or comments?

Example of short planning notes.

> Situation: Last year, in my role as a nurse in a busy hospital ward, night shift, team of five.

> Task: Reduce delays in giving medicine during busy nights.

> Action: Suggested colour-coded checklist, tested it for two weeks, reminded colleagues at the start of each shift.

> Result: Fewer delays, manager noticed, checklist became standard tool on the ward.

In the activity, you will choose your own situation and then write a complete STAR story of your own.

Practice & Feedback

Now it is your turn to create a STAR story based on your real experience.

1. Think of one clear situation from your work, studies or volunteering that shows teamwork, problem-solving, conflict management, pressure or learning quickly.
2. Make short planning notes for Situation, Task, Action, Result (you do not need to show these notes, they are just for you).
3. Then write one complete STAR answer of about 120–180 words. You can imagine the interviewer asks a question such as “Tell me about a time when you solved a difficult problem” or “Give me an example of when you worked well in a team.”

Organise your answer so that the Situation and Task are quite short, and most detail is in the Action and Result. Use some of the useful language from earlier blocks such as “The key challenge was…”, “The first step I took was…” and “As a result…”.

Do not worry if your job or field is different from the examples. I will help you check that each part of STAR is clear and that your story sounds natural and professional.

5. Chat-style practice with a behavioural question.

You now have at least one STAR story prepared. In real interviews, however, you do not read from notes. You listen to a question and answer in a natural conversation. In this block, we will simulate that experience in a chat-style format. Imagine I am your interviewer. I will ask you one behavioural question. You will answer in writing, but try to imagine you are speaking. Use the STAR structure in your mind: give a short Situation and Task, then spend most of your time on your Actions and Results. Remember to use some of the useful phrases we practised, such as “The key challenge was…”, “The first step I took was…” and “As a result…”. After you write your answer, I will react as an interviewer and then give you detailed feedback on your language and structure. This is a safe place to experiment, so feel free to adapt the story you wrote in the previous block.

From preparation to live interview.

Planning your STAR stories on paper is an important first step. The next step is to use them under light pressure, more like in a real interview.

In a real conversation, you:

• hear a question only once,
• have a few seconds to think,
• and then need to answer in about 1–2 minutes.

In this online practice, you have more time to think and type, but we will still keep the interview feeling.

Remember your structure while you answer.

Before you answer the question in the audio, quickly remind yourself of STAR:

• Situation – one or two sentences, no long history.
• Task – one or two sentences explaining the problem or goal.
• Action – 3–5 sentences about what you did.
• Result – 2–3 sentences about what changed.

You do not need to say the letters S, T, A, R. Simply use them in your head as a guide.

Useful language for live answers.

Here are some phrases you can use to sound natural and structured:

• Let me give you an example from my last role.
• In this situation, we were…
• My main task was to…
• The first step I took was…
• Another important action was…
• As a result, we managed to…
• This led to…
• From this experience, I learned that…

In the activity, you will hear a common behavioural question and then answer it as if you are in a real interview chat.

Practice & Feedback

Listen to the interviewer’s question in the audio. Imagine you are in an online interview and the interviewer has just asked you this question.

Your task is to answer as the candidate in a chat-style message.

• Write 8–12 sentences.
• Use the STAR structure in your mind: short Situation and Task, more detail in Action and Result.
• Use at least one of these phrases: “The key challenge was…”, “The first step I took was…”, “As a result…”, “From this experience, I learned that…”.

You may reuse or adapt the STAR story you wrote in the previous block, or choose a different but similar situation. Write as if you are really speaking to an interviewer: polite, professional, but not too formal.

I will reply first as the interviewer, with a short reaction, and then I will switch to teacher mode to give you detailed feedback on your answer and concrete suggestions to make it even stronger.

6. Adapting one STAR story to new questions.

You are almost at the end of this lesson. So far, you have recognised behavioural questions, analysed a model STAR answer, made stories more concrete and practised one story in a chat-style interview. The final skill is flexibility. In real interviews, you cannot predict every question, but you can reuse your prepared stories in different ways. For example, one STAR story about a difficult project could answer a question about teamwork, pressure or problem-solving, depending on what you emphasise. In this block, you will see several typical behavioural questions. You will choose one and then adapt one of your stories to answer it fully. This is like a mini performance: you will write a complete answer from start to finish, thinking carefully about what the interviewer really wants to know. This will help you leave the lesson with a strong, ready-to-use STAR answer for your next interview.

One story, many possible questions.

Interviewers may ask about similar themes in different ways. A single STAR story can often work for several questions if you change the focus slightly.

For example, imagine you have a story about leading a small team to deliver a project under time pressure. You could use it for:

• Tell me about a time when you worked effectively in a team.
• Describe a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem at work.
• Can you give me an example of when you had to manage conflicting priorities?
• Tell me about a time when you worked under a lot of pressure.

The facts of the story are the same, but you highlight different parts when you answer.

Reading some typical behavioural questions.

Look at these common questions that many international employers use:

1. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a conflict or disagreement at work.
2. Give me an example of a time when you learned something very quickly to complete a task.
3. Describe a situation where you showed strong teamwork to achieve a goal.
4. Can you tell me about a time when you improved a process or way of working?

Think about your STAR stories so far. Which story could answer more than one of these questions if you told it in a slightly different way?

Planning your final answer.

Before you write, quickly decide:

• Which question you will answer.
• Which story you will use (you can reuse or adapt a story from earlier in the lesson).
• What you want to emphasise: teamwork, conflict, pressure, learning quickly, or improvement.

Then follow STAR:

• Keep Situation and Task short and clear.
• Spend most time on Action, with clear steps.
• Finish with a strong Result, including numbers or feedback if possible, and maybe one sentence about what you learned.

In the activity, you will write your final integrated STAR answer.

Practice & Feedback

This is your final task for the lesson, a small “performance” where you put everything together.

1. Choose one of the questions in the reading above (or write a very similar behavioural question from your own field).
2. Decide which real experience you will use to answer it. You may reuse and adapt a story you wrote earlier, but make sure it fits the question.
3. Write a complete STAR answer of about 150–200 words.

As you write, try to:

• Make the Situation and Task clear but short.
• Describe your Actions step by step, using clear action verbs and linking phrases such as “The first step I took was…” and “Another important action was…”.
• End with a strong Result using numbers, time frames or feedback if possible, and, if you can, one sentence starting with “From this experience, I learned that…”.

I will check how well your answer fits the question, how clear your STAR structure is, and how professional your English sounds. Then I will give you concrete advice on how to polish this answer for your next real interview.