Ask the Right Questions: STAR Interviewing 101

Some turnover is inevitable. But how much is too much? A third of hiring managers predict employee turnover to increase in the next year. When filling these vacancies, quality is key. A single bad hire can hurt a company, leading to even more turnover, and costing an upwards of $100,000. Reduce unnecessary turnover by hiring the right fit in the first place. The STAR interview method helps accurately assess candidates so hiring managers can find the best replacements.

How Do Companies End Up with Bad Hires?

Hiring managers need an intentional recruitment process and clear expectations to make solid hiring decisions. Sadly, some people don't have these and have to rely on their instincts to make decisions. This is where unconscious bias can creep in. Hiring managers without a plan may unintentionally hire the wrong candidates instead of those who are better suited for the job.

Common selection challenges include:

• Not understanding what they want out of the position;
• Not understanding company “fit;”
• Not following a consistent hiring approach; and
• Waiting for the “perfect” candidate.

Many factors lead hiring managers to forgo the process and hire poor-quality candidates. They may need to hire quickly. For example, they may need to fill an urgent vacancy or beat their competitors in making job offers. Others face a limited talent pool. Hiring decisions made in a silo (without collaboration) can also lead to bad hires.

Behavioral Interviewing: The Solution to Bad Hiring?

Behavioral interviews are one way hiring managers are making better informed and more objective hiring decisions. During behavioral interviews, hiring managers ask specific questions to learn about the candidate's work experiences and achievements.

Research suggests that behavioral interviewing is 55% predictive of future job performance. Meanwhile, traditional interviewing is only 10% predictive. With behavioral interviewing, hiring managers can pinpoint exactly what makes a candidate likely to perform well on the job.

Competencies are the core of behavioral interviews. Hiring managers need a complete competency profile for the job to know what they want in a candidate.

“If companies care about making good hiring decisions, they need to use competencies. Period.”– Lorraine McKay, Cofounder, Chief Revenue Officer at HRSG

The STAR Method

The STAR model of interviewing assesses the behavior of a candidate by asking them to describe:

• A specific situation they were in (to give the interviewer context);
• The task they were responsible for completing;
• The action they took or did not take to complete the task; and
• The result of their work or outcomes of their efforts.

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Developing STAR Interview Questions

To execute the STAR model, you must ask competency-based interview questions. Here’s how to develop them in three steps:

1. Every job should have a list of competencies. Review these competencies and identify the specific behaviors associated with each. New to competencies? Download our free comprehensive guide.
2. Consider the typical challenges faced in this job and the expected actions in those situations. Think about the challenges that someone in this job usually encounters. Consider what actions you expect them to take in those situations.
3. Working backwards, turn these situations into a question or a prompt. For example, for the competency Creativity and Innovation, a good prompt may be, “Describe the most complex problem that you were faced with and how you generated a new approach or explanation or solution.”

STAR interviews predict future on-the-job performance using past behaviors. If a candidate previously handled similar situations with the behaviors listed in the job’s competency profile, it’s likely they have what it takes to perform well on the job.

STAR Interviewing Best Practices

When it comes to STAR interviews, hiring managers and interviews should remember a few things:

• Open the interview with a brief explanation of what a STAR interview is. Explain what you’re looking for in their answers.
• If a candidate misses a piece of the acronym in their answer (for example, if they don’t describe the results), ask follow-up questions. Ask them to explain more of the part they are missing. Understanding each component of the STAR acronym is vital for hiring managers to have context.
• For the STAR interview to work best, you need to ask the same questions to each candidate. Consistency allows you to accurately compare candidate answers. It also ensures you don’t give any unfair advantages to certain candidates.

Be sure to follow these best practices to get the most out of your STAR interview.

Retaining Star Employees

STAR interviews can lead to hiring star employees. But turnover will continue if you don’t prioritize retention. Set clear and accurate expectations for the job. Employees who are hired just to find out they are responsible for tasks beyond what the job post or interview suggested will likely disengage quickly. Better prepare new hires for their role with clear and comprehensive job descriptions.

Hire Quicker and Better

Some of the fastest growing jobs right now include data scientists, information security analysts, and software developers. Get a sample pack of competency-based STAR interview questions for these jobs in our free guide.