The STAR Method

During your interview, you will have to face “What If” style interview questions. “What If” style questions allow the interviewer to see how you think and act in different situations (your soft skills). Which is difficult to find out using direct questions. So you need a strategy that will allow you to outline what you did in different scenarios in your previous jobs.

The STAR method gives you a process to outline your answers and gives you something to practice.

STAR stands for:

  • Situation
  • Task
  • Action
  • Result

Situation: is the trigger event that started your scenario. The trigger can be an obstacle you encountered, or an assignment from your manager.

Task: is the part of the scenario you had to deal with. Be specific and to the point and describe the task you had to accomplish.

Action: describe exactly what you did. How did you finish your task?

  • What skills did you use?
  • Who did you work with? (your manager / other crew members?)
  • What soft skills helped you finish your task?
  • And make sure to highlight any challenges you faced.

Result: your closing. What happened after you took action, and how did you help get to the finished outcome? What did you learn?

You will want to look at the airline website to try and see what they are looking for. But in general you will want to prepare answers that show skills in the following categories:

  • Teamwork
  • Problem solving / planning
  • Initiative / leadership
  • Interpersonal skills / conflict resolution

All the questions the interviewer will ask have one focus. Which is about “You”. The interviewer wants to know how you behave under pressure. So you want to come across as relaxed and confident as you can.

Do not give any fake or dishonest answers that you think the interviewer wants to hear. The interviewer has the advantage. They have done plenty of interviews and can easily judge if you are honest or just bluffing.

And remember, there will most likely be a follow up question on your original answer. So make sure your original answer is something you are comfortable with and can talk a bit about.