Ace your next interview with the STEAR Method

It's like the time-tested STAR method... but way better

Welcome! You’re reading The Psychology of Thriving @ Work, a free career well-being publication dedicated to improving working parents' careers and lives with science-based careers, stress management, and well-being tips. This publication is written by

Lydia Fogo Johnson, MS

, your friendly neighborhood holistic carer coach, organizational psychology expert, and queer, neurospicey mom.

I recently opened a text from a career coaching client and instantly grinned ear to ear.

They had just completed an interview that we had prepped together for the day before and were sending me a celebratory text to let me know it went incredibly well and was one of the best they’d ever done.  

Of course, our interview prep session is only part of the reason for their big win (they’re a bad a** professional, so that’s a big part of the magic!), but today, I’m sharing a format to help you ace all your future interviews:

The STEAR Method!

STEAR is the STAR Method… with a twist

Thankfully, job interviews are becoming more structured, meaning you get more questions like “Tell me about a time when you…” and fewer terrible questions like “If you were a car, what color would you be?”.

Well, friends, there’s a best practice way to answer this type of question called the STAR method. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result.

I didn’t come up with STAR; it’s a time-tested method commonly suggested because it helps you provide a well-organized and straightforward way to answer this type of question… 

But I do have an unconventional opinion about a tweak you can use to make your response even more effective.

My advice? Answer all your interview questions in STEAR format instead of STAR by adding an “E” for editorialize.