What have stars got to do with job hunting? asks Matt Craven of The CV & Interview Advisors. It might seem like a strange question, and slightly ironic given that aviation professionals are often a lot closer to the stars than the rest of us.
But I’m not talking about the stars in the sky, I’m talking about one of the most powerful strategies that any job seeker can use to sell themselves and it’s what we call the STAR methodology.
It can be used in interviews to answer competency-based questions, it can be used on CVs to showcase achievements and it can be used on LinkedIn in the projects section.
The Basics
So, the best place to start is with a quick overview of the STAR methodology. In short, it is an acronym for Situation, Task, Actions and Result. When talking through an example or writing about a project, describe the situation, your task, your actions and the result.
When looking for a job, you will be asked to give examples to back up your claims and STAR is the perfect way to structure examples in both written and verbal format.
The Ramble Prevention Technique
During interviews, it is usual to be asked to give an example; questions might start with “give me an example of when you did xyz…” or “tell me about a situation when xyz happened…”. The interviewer is looking for evidence that you have experience and not just knowledge and the only way to prove this is with an example.
The problem is that most people ramble when providing an example in an interview, but STAR will give you a framework to prevent rambling and perfectly structure your answer.
Case Studies
Your CV is crucial when applying for jobs and providing evidence that you are good at your job is key. When reading CVs, it is often impossible to discern whether the candidate is good, bad or average at their job because the CV is devoid of achievements and evidence of their abilities.
A great strategy is to elevate your three best achievements onto page one of your CV, but if you do this, they must have more context and detail than a short two-liner. This is where STAR comes in! If you can write three mini case studies using the STAR methodology, page one of your CV will serve as a high-impact and interview-generating tool.
LinkedIn is a crucial weapon in your job seeking armoury. It has 675 million members, so recruiters, as well as using job boards, use LinkedIn to find talent. Having a great LinkedIn profile is therefore crucial and statistically 85% of recruiters and hiring managers will check-out shortlisted candidates on LinkedIn.
It also has a section called Projects that you can add and use to showcase your biggest projects or achievements. These can also be written in the STAR methodology to provide maximum impact.
