Don't Use STAR in Your Next Interview (Do This Instead)!
About this video
Jeff Su argues the popular STAR method for behavioral interview questions — Situation, Task, Action, Result — has two major limitations: it allocates too much time to background information instead of accomplishments, and candidates who follow it rigidly forget or do not know to add takeaways and learnings, often sounding robotic. He proposes CARL instead: Context, Action, Results, and Learnings. Context combines Situation and Task into a concise setup, prompted by asking what you were hoping to accomplish in the experience. In his example about going above and beyond as a management consultant with EY, the CARL version compresses the background about designing a training program for new hires into a few words and moves quickly to action. For learnings, he suggests asking what the implications of your actions and results are, what you did well, and what you would do differently. He demonstrates with a ’tell me about a time you failed’ answer about home workout videos that got fewer than 1% of his connections liking or viewing them; in the CARL version he adds that he reflected, realized his content was not in the same league as established fitness coaches, and applied his new video editing expertise to career interview tips instead. He notes STAR still fits resume bullet points, which should stay results-oriented and backed by data.
Key takeaways
- STAR overweights background and ends at results, so candidates often omit learnings and sound robotic
- CARL stands for Context, Action, Results, and Learnings, with Context merging Situation and Task
- Prime Context by asking yourself what you were hoping to accomplish in the experience
- Build Learnings by considering implications, what you did well, and what you would do differently
- Keep using STAR for resume bullets, which should end with results backed by data points
Episode details: published October 28, 2020 · 7:27 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Jeff Su’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.
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