In this article, we are going to Henry Ford our way to approaching a perfect and crisp description of your job(s) listed on your resume. This is the assembly line way of putting together your experiences in an organized and logically-sequential way. It is the STAR METHOD!
Description of STAR Method adapted from the 2020 Resume Guide:
“STAR Method: Situation, Task, Action, Result → To properly use the STAR method for your resume, you need to apply that mode of thinking to your work experience descriptions.
Below, we’ll explain how to modify the interview STAR method to apply to your resume:
> Situation: This is about your job, challenge, role, or other situational context. Begin by defining the role you filled at a previous employer’s company. Include the position and your core responsibilities
> Task: This is demonstrating your competencies through defined problem-solving. Select a required competency from the job posting and describe an instance in your previous job where you needed to demonstrate that expertise
> Action: Here, you are showcasing your ability to make things happen. Provide details about the actions you took to deal with that issue, including whether your efforts involved acting alone or in concert with other members of the team
> Result: You are achieving your goals and adding value! Document the actual results that you achieved. Here, you will want to focus on quantifiable results, using real numbers to highlight the value that you provided to the company.”
Now that you have an idea of what it is about, you can get assistance on how to go about it on BigInterview – available in both your CSE Connect and Handshake resource libraries. Follow the steps listed below to get started:
- Login/create a free account on Big Interview following the instructions here
- Once you have your account, click on My Dashboard
- Scroll down and click on the Answer Builder tab; click on Build an Answer
- Select the Behavioral tab and you can begin!
Or
(Once you’re logged into your Brandeis Big Interview Account) Click on the link here: STAR Method on BigInterview
It all starts with your resume so focus on making it your STAR!
