The STAR Method, an acronym for Situation, Task, Action, and Result, is an interview technique commonly used by job interviewers to assess a candidate’s ability to handle specific situations and challenges. It provides a structured approach for candidates to respond to behavioural or situational interview questions effectively.
Here’s a breakdown of the STAR Method components:
Situation: Describe the context or situation you were in. It sets the stage for your response and provides the interviewer with the necessary background information.
Task: Explain the task or objective you needed to accomplish within that situation. This helps clarify your role and responsibilities.
Action: Detail the actions you took to address the situation and accomplish the task. Focus on your specific contributions and problem-solving skills.
Result: Discuss the outcomes of your actions, emphasizing the positive results or lessons learned from the experience. Quantify your achievements if possible.
The STAR Method allows candidates to structure their responses in a way that showcases their skills and experiences clearly. It’s a valuable tool for demonstrating competencies and providing evidence of how you’ve handled challenges in previous roles during job interviews.
As a Cybersecurity Professional, here is a specific example of a STAR-formatted accomplishment that you can share during an interview.
Situation:
There were several incidences of cyber threats in the organisation I work for. In one instance, the official email belonging to the Managing Director/CEO was compromised, and the attacker used the email to direct the company’s Financial Director to transfer a certain sum of money to a private account. This happened when the MD was out of the country and could not be reached on the phone, except by email communication.
Task:
After the incident, I was tasked to develop a comprehensive cyber security strategy for the company to forestall any form of cyber-attack within the organisation.
Action:
Using ISO 27001 Cybersecurity Information Systems Management, I implemented a set of security controls. These include installing Endpoint Security software to all endpoint devices within the company’s network, a Firewall to prevent suspicious network traffic, web content filtering software installed and configured to regulate access to certain unapproved network resources, Microsoft Office 365 Defender installed and configured to protect the company’s cloud-based emails and all emails account had multifactor authentication activated. Using Microsoft Azure Identity Management, I was able to implement Access control mechanisms on all IT resources within the company and limit access to only authorised users
Result:
Following the implementation of the above security control measures, the company has not witnessed any form of security threat till today.
