Result: Share the outcome with metrics (1-2 sentences)
STAR Story Template
SITUATION: "At [Company], we faced [specific challenge/context]..."
TASK: "I was responsible for [specific ownership]..."
ACTION: "I [specific action 1], [specific action 2], and [specific action 3]..."
RESULT: "As a result, [quantified outcome]. This led to [business impact]."
Example STAR Story
Question: "Tell me about a time you led a team through a difficult project."
Answer:
SITUATION: "At TechCorp, our main product was losing customers to a competitor who had launched a better mobile experience. We were seeing 5% monthly churn, up from our normal 2%."
TASK: "As the product manager, I was responsible for turning around our mobile product to stop the bleeding and win back customers."
ACTION: "I started by interviewing 30 churned customers to understand exactly why they left. Based on that research, I prioritized 5 critical features that would achieve parity with competitors. I then worked with engineering to restructure our roadmap, negotiated with leadership to add 2 contract developers, and implemented weekly sprint reviews to keep the project on track. I also started a beta program with 50 of our best customers to get feedback before full launch."
RESULT: "We launched the improved mobile app in 3 months, reducing churn from 5% back to 2% within 60 days. We recovered 35% of churned customers and the NPS for our mobile app increased from 32 to 58. This project was recognized in our company all-hands as a turnaround success."
Time: 90 seconds to 2 minutes
Story Banking Process
Step 1: Identify Core Competencies
Leadership Stories Needed:
Led a team through challenge
Managed conflict
Made a difficult decision
Delegated effectively
Developed/mentored someone
Problem-Solving Stories Needed:
Solved complex technical problem
Fixed a process that was broken
Handled unexpected obstacle
Made decision with incomplete information
Improved something proactively
Collaboration Stories Needed:
Worked with difficult colleague
Aligned cross-functional stakeholders
Built consensus
Partnered with other teams
Influenced without authority
Achievement Stories Needed:
Exceeded goals/expectations
Delivered under pressure
Went above and beyond
Took initiative
Accomplished something proud of
Failure/Growth Stories Needed:
Made a mistake and learned
Received critical feedback
Failed and recovered
Changed approach based on learning
Step 2: Map Resume to Stories
For each resume bullet, create a full STAR story:
RESUME BULLET: "Led cross-functional team of 12 to deliver $2M product launch"
STAR EXPANSION:
SITUATION: Our company was losing market share to a competitor, and leadership decided we needed to launch a new product line within 6 months.
TASK: As Product Manager, I was tasked with leading the product from concept to launch, coordinating across engineering, design, marketing, and sales teams (12 people total).
ACTION:
- I established weekly cross-functional syncs and a shared Notion workspace
- Created a detailed project plan with milestones and dependencies
- Implemented a rapid prototyping process with 2-week design sprints
- Personally resolved 3 major conflicts between engineering and marketing
- Presented monthly updates to leadership to maintain alignment
RESULT:
- Launched on time and under budget
- Generated $2M revenue in first year
- Acquired 50 new enterprise customers
- Team received company innovation award
Step 3: Create Multiple Versions
Each story should have:
Full version: 2 minutes (for "tell me about a time...")
Short version: 60 seconds (for follow-ups)
One-liner: 15 seconds (for "give me an example")
Common Interview Questions by Category
Behavioral Questions
Leadership:
"Tell me about a time you led a team."
"Describe a situation where you had to make an unpopular decision."
"How have you developed team members?"
"Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult team member."
Problem-Solving:
"Describe a complex problem you solved."
"Tell me about a time something didn't go as planned."
"How do you approach problems with incomplete information?"
"Give an example of an innovative solution you developed."
Collaboration:
"Tell me about working with someone difficult."
"Describe a time you had to influence someone without authority."
"How do you handle disagreements with colleagues?"
"Tell me about a successful cross-functional project."
Achievement:
"What's your proudest professional accomplishment?"
"Tell me about a time you exceeded expectations."
"Describe a goal you achieved against the odds."
"What's the biggest impact you've had in your career?"
Failure/Growth:
"Tell me about a time you failed."
"What's the biggest mistake you've made at work?"
"How do you handle criticism?"
"What would you do differently in your career?"
Role-Specific Questions
Product Management:
"How do you prioritize features?"
"Walk me through how you'd approach [product problem]."
"How do you measure product success?"
"Tell me about a product you shipped from 0 to 1."
Engineering:
"Describe your experience with [specific technology]."
"How do you approach code reviews?"
"Tell me about a technical challenge you solved."
"How do you balance technical debt vs. features?"
Marketing:
"How do you measure campaign success?"
"Tell me about a campaign that didn't work."
"How do you allocate budget across channels?"
"Describe your approach to brand building."
Sales:
"Walk me through your sales process."
"Tell me about a deal you lost and why."
"How do you handle objections?"
"Describe your largest closed deal."
Standard Questions
About You:
"Tell me about yourself." (2 min pitch)
"Walk me through your resume."
"Why are you looking for a new role?"
"Where do you see yourself in 5 years?"
About the Role:
"Why this role?"
"What interests you about this position?"
"What do you think this role entails?"
"What would you do in your first 90 days?"
About the Company:
"Why this company?"
"What do you know about us?"
"Why do you want to work here?"
"What excites you about our mission?"
Questions to Ask Interviewers
For Hiring Manager
"What does success look like in this role at 30/60/90 days?"
"What are the biggest challenges facing the team?"
"How is performance measured?"
"What's the team structure?"
For Team Members
"What's a typical day/week like?"
"What do you enjoy most about working here?"
"How do teams collaborate?"
"What would you want a new hire to know?"
For Executives
"What's the company's strategy for the next year?"
"How does this team contribute to company goals?"
"What keeps you excited about the company?"
To Avoid
❌ Questions about salary/benefits (save for HR)
❌ Questions you could easily Google
❌ Negative questions about company problems
❌ Yes/no questions (ask open-ended)
Handling Difficult Questions
"What's your greatest weakness?"
Formula: Real weakness + Self-awareness + Improvement steps
"I tend to be overly detail-oriented, which can sometimes slow me down. I've recognized this and now set time limits for tasks and ask for feedback on when good enough is good enough. In my current role, I've also learned to delegate detailed work when appropriate."
"Why are you leaving your current job?"
Keep it:
Positive (growth-focused)
Forward-looking (not complaint-based)
Brief (don't over-explain)
"I've learned a lot at [Company], but I'm looking for [specific opportunity] that I don't see available in my current path. This role at [Company] offers exactly that - the chance to [specific thing]."
"Tell me about a time you failed"
Must include:
Real failure (not humble brag)
What you learned
How you applied the learning
"In my first year as a PM, I launched a feature without sufficient user research. The feature was technically sound but users found it confusing. Only 10% adopted it. I learned the hard way that building the right thing matters more than building the thing right. Since then, I never skip user research - I now always do at least 10 user interviews before major feature decisions."
Salary Questions
Deflect until you have to answer:
"I'm flexible on compensation and more focused on finding the right role. Can you share the range budgeted for this position?"
If pressed:
"Based on my research and experience, I'm looking for something in the range of $X-$Y, but I'm open to discussing the full compensation package."
Output Format
When generating interview prep:
# INTERVIEW PREP: [POSITION] AT [COMPANY]
## Role Analysis
**Key competencies they'll test:**
1. [Competency] - Evidence: [From JD]
2. [Competency] - Evidence: [From JD]
3. [Competency] - Evidence: [From JD]
## Predicted Questions
### High Probability (prepare thoroughly)
1. [Question] → Use story: [Story name]
2. [Question] → Use story: [Story name]
3. [Question] → Use story: [Story name]
### Medium Probability
1. [Question]
2. [Question]
## Your STAR Story Bank
### Story 1: [Name - e.g., "Product Launch Success"]
**Use for:** Leadership, Achievement, Cross-functional
**STAR:**
- S: [Situation]
- T: [Task]
- A: [Action]
- R: [Result with metrics]
**Short version:** [60 second version]
### Story 2: [Name]
[Same structure]
## "Tell Me About Yourself" Script
[2-minute pitch tailored to this role]
## Questions to Ask
**For Hiring Manager:**
1. [Question]
2. [Question]
**For Team:**
1. [Question]
2. [Question]
## Company Research Notes
- Recent news: [Item]
- Key facts to reference: [Facts]
- Potential concerns: [Items to be ready for]
## Red Flag Answers to Avoid
- Don't mention: [Topics]
- Don't criticize: [Past employer aspects]
- Watch out for: [Potential trap questions]
Implementation Checklist
For complete interview prep:
✅ Analyze job description for competencies
✅ Create 8-10 STAR stories covering all competencies