Anyone can be good at answering interview questions if they follow the STAR framework. So where is the differentiator? For employers, it must be even harder to decide on a candidate when all candidates know how to use the STAR method.

Is the STAR framework too narrow? Is the STAR method less relevant when it hasn't been explicitly asked for? It has been around since the 1960s and times have changed. 

What do employers do to consider candidates holistically and assess a candidate's understanding of the skills needed for the job in question? 

On a personal note...

On a personal level, I felt deflated sticking to the STAR methodology in my early interview experiences. It didn’t give me much creative freedom and it did nothing to open up a two-way conversation. 

So, I started to build a framework for telling a story which answered the question but said much more in terms of the person I am and what I could offer the employer. The result.....I landed job offers that I never imagined getting. I secured projects I didn’t believe I was good enough to get. Then I helped others secure job promotions - last year the average salary increase was £5,000 for my private clients. All because I recognised that the STAR method isn’t good enough. 

So I developed STAR+A and then wrote an article last week about A+RTAS, and now having listened to some feedback from career development professionals about the importance of STAR, I have created EXTRA STAR - a framework for expressing applied knowledge, breadth, and most importantly empathy.

Candidates are in the business of selling themselves, if they can’t empathise with the needs of the employer then they will sell themselves short. 

This new model also negates the need for asking the obvious “What do you know about our organisation”? Why? Because that content should be embedded within most answers given during the interview. 

Let me explain how EXTRA STAR works.

EXTRA STAR explained

Empathise

As a recruiter, you probably, if you don’t already, want to assess for a degree of empathy throughout the interview process. A candidate who can already show empathy before they join the business is a better candidate. Can the candidate empathise and see the importance of your competency-based question? How do you know? Using STAR alone, you don’t. 

If you are a candidate then you should aim to show empathy throughout the interview process. 

So, if the candidate is asked “Can you tell me a time when you worked on a complex project”. 

Using the E from EXTRA, “Empathise” The candidate is able to say something like: 

Having read the job description and researched the company, I understand that project management is an important part of the role and the company's values (opportunity to reference a value) e.g. delivering excellence in X, Y, and Z. In addition, the candidate can strengthen their answer with a reference to a recent project the organisation has worked on. They could even reference policy or market trends, e.g. given the political context of X, the industry needs to move to Y or the rise in the number of X means we should do Y. 

Why is this important? 

It allows the candidate to show an understanding of the skill within the context of the organisation. It also gives them the chance to reference the research they have completed on the company but also the chance to be specific about the skill and the relationship to the business. The candidate is also able to demonstrate lateral thinking. 

If we took this approach, we’d never need to ask a candidate at the beginning of the interview “What do you know about us”? Such a basic question in my opinion. 

Now that empathy is out of the way, the candidate can go on to talk about a single example using STAR.

Xample for Example

I’ve taken the E off example (so Xample) to make the acronym read EXTRA. Why? Everyone loves an acronym! 

This is the opportunity for the candidate to give a concrete example using the STAR methodology: Situation, Task, Action, Result. A fairly standard and common framework. The candidate goes through the motions of telling you a specific time when they have worked on a complex project covering the basics. 

During my time at X, I was tasked with Y. I did A,B,C and the result was this…..

Once the candidate has given a concrete example using STAR the candidate can go on to build their case using T -  for Times. 

Times 

Don’t confuse the two Ts. In the STAR Framework the “T” represents Task. But using the EXTRA STAR framework the additional “T” represents Times. 

This is an opportunity for the candidate to showcase times when they have worked on a complex project. 

The candidate might say something like this: 

The instance given is a recent example where I have worked on a complex project. However, working on complex projects is a constant theme throughout my personal and professional development. In my final year project group, we created an algorithm to help recruiters with the decision-making process for applicants as part of our Organisational Psychology module. In addition, in my spare time, I am currently helping my local sports club raise funds to build a new training facility for the local community to use. 

This allows the candidate to add breadth and depth to their answer and highlight many examples without giving the details. If the recruiter is interested then they can ask more during the question or at the end of the interview. The STAR framework only really allows for one example.

Result  

This is an opportunity for the student to make a statement about where they are at in their personal and professional development: the result of their efforts. 

So they might say something like this: 

As a result of my experiences, I am confident that I have good project management skills which are relevant to this role. I can see how they would apply to this role. The student can then move on to +A and talk about their understanding of how it is applied to the role and organisation in question. 

+A - the candidate might say the following:  

Within the job description, it is mentioned that I would be managing several projects across multiple stakeholders. Given my experiences and commitment to professional development, I am confident that I can support the business with X,Y and Z. 

The more specific the candidate can be the better - this will depend on the level of research they have given.

The statement “Within the job description” allows the candidate to show that they have understood the job description and how the skills are applied to the role and organisation. 

This model is an extension of STAR - a framework designed to assess a very narrow experience in the candidate's career development. 

EXTRA STAR opens up the dialogue between the candidate and the recruiter. It allows the candidate to showcase application, breadth, depth and most importantly empathy whilst giving a specific example. 

If organisations want a better candidate, then they must look beyond the STAR framework. If candidates want to remain competitive in the jobs, then they must go beyond the STAR framework and in my view it starts with empathy.

On paper, it might look something like this

You would not need to use this framework when writing supporting statements for a job application. You should also consider the situation you use this. In my opinion, this might work better in commercial, creative job interviews across the SME sector, but this doesn't mean you shouldn't use it with bigger companies should not adopt this framework.

Questions you might use it with

• Concrete questions related to the core skills of the job that require empathy and depth e.g. Project Management, Creativity, Digital, e.g. Tell me a time when you worked on a Digital Transformation Project / Tell me about a time when you worked on a creative project

Questions you don't need to use it on:

• Tell me about yourself
• Situational questions e.g. tell me a time when you worked with a difficult colleague / tell me a time when you failed / what are your weaknesses etc. These types of questions require a very specific answer whereas the broader questions asking about specific job skills e.g. Project management require empathy and depth.

Will this require more preparation for interviews - no. Just a change in thinking about how professionals prepare students, how employers assess candidates and how candidates approach the interview process - remember empathy first.

You might be worried about whether or not there is enough time for this in an interview situation. If you aim to be concise and selective when you use the EXTRA STAR framework, then you will strengthen your interview performance overall. Not all competency-based questions will need the EXTRA STAR answer. So as a candidate, you must carefully consider when to use it and when not.