RSTAR Stories
Overview:
The RSTAR method is a structured manner of responding to a behavioral-based interview question by discussing the specific result, situation, task, action, and result of the situation you are describing.
- Result: Begin by describing the RESULT or outcome of your actions and don’t be shy about taking credit for your leadership, influence or behavior.
- Situation: Describe the SITUATION that you were in. You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you have done in the past. Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand. This situation can be from a previous job, from a volunteer experience, or any relevant event. (20 seconds)
- Task: Describe the TASK that you needed to accomplish. What goal were you working toward? (20 seconds)
- Action: Describe the ACTIONS you took to address the situation with an appropriate amount of detail and keep the focus on YOU. What specific steps did you take and what was your particular contribution? Be careful that you don’t describe what the team or group did when talking about a project, but what you actually did. Use the word “I,” not “we” when describing actions. (45 seconds)
- Result: Wrap up by again describing the RESULT or outcome of your actions. What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you learn? (TOTAL TIME: 35 seconds)
Make sure that you follow all parts of the RSTAR method. Be as specific as possible at all times, without rambling or including too much information. Oftentimes students have to be prompted to include their results, so try to include that without being asked. Also, eliminate any examples that do not paint you in a positive light. However, keep in mind that some examples that have a negative result (such as “lost the game”) can highlight your strengths in the face of adversity.
SAMPLE RSTAR RESPONSE:
- Result (R): The Marketing group signed contracts with 15 former advertisers for daily ads and five for special supplements. I drove a 20% increase in new advertisers over the same period last year.
- Situation (S): Advertising revenue was falling off for my college newspaper, The Review, and large numbers of long-term advertisers were not renewing contracts.
- Task (T): My goal was to generate new ideas, materials and incentives that would result in at least a 15% increase in advertisers from the year before.
- Action (A): I designed a new promotional packet to go with the rate sheet and compared the benefits of The Review circulation with other ad media in the area. I also set-up a special training session for the account executives with a School of Business Administration professor who discussed competitive selling strategies.
- Result (R): I drove a 20% increase in new advertisers by influencing our marketing group to sign contracts with 15 former advertisers for daily ads and five for special supplements – significantly impacting revenue.
Purpose of the checkpoint:
✅ Learn to structure RSTAR Stories
✅ Practice RSTAR Stories
✅ Receive feedback from others on RSTAR Stories
Checkpoint Completion Criteria:
✅ Effectively share 3 RSTAR stories in less than 2 minutes per story
