1. Telling your STAR stories
Become Irresistible
By
Catherine Jewell
The Career Passion® Coach

2. They determine if you
CAN do the job
To “read” your
personality – to see if
you are a “fit”
The real purpose behind job interviews

3. Hat in hand, the
beggar
Proud and sure –
the consultant
Tell yourself: “I have
a business meeting.”
How to approach the interview

4. All interviewers will
use “Behavioral
Interviewing”
Premise: Past
performance predicts
future performance
The dreaded question:
“Tell me about a time
when…”
Why are STAR stories so Important?

5. 1. TMAY – Tell me
about yourself
2. Success story from
your career or
personal life
3. “Mentions” about
skills from your
resume
Three kinds of STAR stories

6. Tell Me about Yourself - TMAY
 NOT a question
 Demand
 “Convince me in 60 seconds that I’m
not wasting my time.”

7. Tell Me about Yourself –
DON’Ts
Don’t start with “I was born…” or “I
graduated…”
Don’t include ANY personal
information – age, married, 2 children
– that could be used to discriminate
Don’t talk for more than 60 seconds

8. Tell Me about Yourself – DO’s
Do recap significant career highlights,
especially recent ones
Do prove your capability for this job
Do tell why you are interested in this
specific job
5 to 8 sentences; about 60 seconds
long

9. Sample– What are they looking for?
Masters degree in Instructional
Design or similar
Creating elearning
Experience with LMS
Able to upgrade current curriculum

10. Tell Me about Yourself -
SAMPLE
I recently completed my Masters in instruction and curriculum
with an emphasis on learning technology.
My most recent job has allowed me to create e-learning and
use online collaborative tools such as learning management
systems and software.
I’ve been able to lead my current team at (company name) to
completely revamp the new hire training. I created a training
roadmap, discovered the redundancies, and was able to
reduce training time from 20 days to 16.

11. Tell Me about Yourself -
SAMPLE
I’m interested in this position because it will allow me bring
my expertise in learning technology, LMS and elearning to
the table to enhance the training and learning at your
company. (53 seconds)

12. Create Your Own -- Tell Me about
Yourself
Recap Career: ____________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Relevant Experience: _______________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
I am interested in this job because ____________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________
________________________________________________

13. STAR Stories
Fill your resume with ACHIEVEMENTS
Give you interview CONTENT
Make you UNIQUE
Make you MEMORABLE
Make you IRRESISTIBLE

14. Patrick’s STAR
Story
When I was just 19, I worked for a furniture store during the
summer. One day, I was sent out in a truck to pick-up a
$3,000 sofa. The woman who had purchased it was irate
because the leg was loose and the sofa was just a few
weeks old. I decided to find a way to connect with her.
When we entered the home, I saw a photo of a crew team
on a river. I asked her about it, and told her I was on a crew
team at college. She opened up and told me enthusiastically
about her son. Later, we discussed the sofa and I asked,
“Would you be willing to keep it if we can tighten the leg
right now?” Not only did she keep the sofa, she made
lunch for us! Then, she called my manager and
complimented our service.”

15. What employers want
Employees who can deal with
AMBIGUITY
 Employees who TAKE INITIATIVE
 Employees who LEARN ON THEIR
OWN
Employees who THINK

16. STAR Stories
S – Situation
T – Thinking/Tactic
A – Action
R – Results

17. You might say…
“I don’t have any success stories…”
“We had procedures that prevented
innovation and initiative…”
“I just did my job…”
“I can’t remember…”
Weak, uninspired interview

18. How to Begin
Think about each of your jobs
Put yourself back in that situation
Separate the job from the work
Everyday business success

19. Job vs. Work
Overcome? Achieve?
Job Conditions Work Activities
Sales quota/commissions Relating to Customers
Sales over service Troubleshooting software
Constant time pressure Helping new sales staff
Micro-managing boss Implementing software
Harried corporate culture Proposal writing
New software versions Creating training
Service policies eLearning solutions

20. Transferable Technical
Skills
Learn? Efficiencies?
Adobe eLearning GoToMeeting / Zoom.us
Web Ex Lotus Notes
Survey Monkey Articulate Quizmaker 09
Adobe Dreamweaver SalesForce Customer Mgt
Articulate Cornerstone on Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint .NET 2.0

21. Caution!
On your resume, convert job
duties to achievements
People who READ resumes WRITE
job descriptions
It’s all about: What can you do?
Everyday business success

22. Keith’s STAR Story
Accomplishment Statement
Mentored and trained team of 5 order entry specialists, helping
to reduce errors on over 60 major orders per week with an
average price of $30K and average of 20 line items
Interview “Story”
“In my work at ABC Software as account manager, we realized
that our order-entry specialists were making errors on our
large customers orders, creating most of our customer service
complaints. I analyzed the situation and found out there were
just 4 concepts that needed to be trained. I volunteered to
create the training and reduced…”
Can anyone else tell this story?

23. What is a resume?
300-900 Words
Sample—a taste of your challenges and successes in business
An advertisement about you
To win an interview!

24. What is a resume?
300-900 Words
Sample—a taste of your challenges and successes in business
An advertisement about you
To win an interview!

25. Mine your resume for STAR
stories
 Study your own
story
 Expand on the
achievement
statement

26. Kerry’s STAR Story
Accomplishment Statement
• Generated $230,000 in sales leads by creating a popular Limo
Ride instead of an ordinary trade show exhibit.
Interview “Story”
“In one of the trade shows I did for MediaMemory, there was a
miscommunication with the vendor, who delivered our new 2,000-square-
foot display to Las Vegas instead of Anaheim. I made some calls and got
the display reshipped within 24 hours. To make the best of the show while
we waited, I hired a local limo service to give our best clients a ride,
complete with champagne and snacks, while our sales force gave their
sales pitch in the limo. We generated $230,000 in new sales leads and the
limo ride was so popular we had show participants waiting in a line two-
blocks long.” (45 seconds)

27. Documenting the Details
Achievements vs. Responsibilities
STAR stories
S – Situation
T – Thinking/Tactic
A – Action
R – Results
Verbal: STAR Story
Written: Achievement statement

28. Sequence of elements
Achievement Statement
•Result (verb) (number)
•Action
•Who with / who for
STAR story - interview
•S-T-A-R
•Don’t forget the results!

29. Components of a STAR story
1.Situation – paint it bleak, but don’t
be judgmental
2.Thinking (Talent) – taking initiative
3.Action – personally took
4.Results – dollars saved, product
sold, time saved, profits, ROI, etc.

35. John’s STAR Story
Accomplishment Statement
• Competent in impromptu situations; participated in Moot Court.
Won or tied through 5 levels of competition.
Interview “Story”
“In law school I entered a moot court competition, which
basically consisted of a series of scheduled arguments
against opposing teams. In the competition I found myself
arguing on behalf of a school trying to censor one of its
students. Unfortunately for me, most of the judges of the
competition were students themselves. In the third round a
teacher stepped in to judge…

36. John’s STAR Story
“Not just any teacher, but a teacher who had a tendency
to debate with students in class. When I saw the teacher
step in, my heart started racing and I grew very nervous.
Instead of giving a speech, I had a conversation with the
teacher, who pinpointed every weakness in my argument
and would not relent in questioning my points. After a
while, I started to have fun and enjoyed my debate with
the teacher. I was told I had a polished argument and my
team tied that round.” (59 seconds)

37. 1.Saving money
2.Extraordinary customer service
3.Winning back a customer
4.Make a huge sale/negotiation
5.Resolving a conflict
Categories of STAR
Stories

38. 6. Taking on a new challenge
7. Creating something out of
nothing
8. Learning from a mentor
9. Meeting an impossible deadline
10. Something you love to do; an
extraordinary talent
Categories of STAR Stories

39. 5 Powerful Questions
 How did you do your job differently than others in
the same job?
 Did you create or bring innovations to your job,
the process, your work duties or your business
tools in some lasting way?
 What assignments did you volunteer for beyond
your job responsibilities?
 Did your co-workers look to you for some special
knowledge, talent or ability?
 What did you enjoy about the work?

40. 1.Contribution
2.Innovation
3.Initiative
4.Talent
5.Enjoyment – Career Passion
Your STAR Stories

41. Resume
achievements
Resume
competencies – Key
words
Asking yourself the 5
questions
Sources of STAR Stories

42. Are you willing to share
a STAR story today?
Sharing & coaching

43.  Is it 60 seconds or less?
 Does it clearly state the situation as a problem for the
company?
 Is it clear that I am the one who took initiative?
 Do I clearly state what action I personally took and my
thought process?
 Do I clearly state the impact or results my story produced?
 Would my grandmother fully understand the story? Is all
the jargon replaced with everyday language?
 Do I love this story and tell it with enthusiasm?
 Does the story have any hint of judgment, criticism or
hurt? (If so, revise it.)
 Does this story contribute to my likeability?
Test of a Great STAR Story

44. STAR “mentions” – from competencies
list
Choose a competency
Presentations of key financial data to ExecutiExpand on it for just a few seconds by telling a short story.

45. STAR “mentions” – build from
competencies list
Presentation Skills
Presentations of key financial data to ExecutiI’ve made presentations of key financial data to Executive
Team. One time, I stepped in to present to the Board with 15-
minutes preparation, because the CFO was stuck in traffic.

46. STAR “mentions” – from competencies
list
Multitasking
Presentations of key financial data to ExecutiI really know how to multi-task. I’ve worked in a call center
environment while managing 5 direct reports and mentoring 3
new employees, during a thunderstorm with intermittent
power outages.

47. STAR “mentions” – build from
competencies list
Writing
Presentations of key financial data to ExecutiI wrote, designed and edited a 12-page monthly e-newsletter
distributed worldwide to 50,000 clients and staff. We won the
IABC gold award for our content and design.

48. 7 Active job leads
2 Applications per week
2 Career Conversations
7 LinkedIn sessions per week
7 STAR stories – create &
practice
Call your coach if you get a job interview.
Homework

49. Work hard to apply for jobs and get
an interview!
More weeks to complete your
coaching
Call or email your short questions
Download from the Member Page
What’s next?