Questions that begin "Tell me about a time when..." are called behavioral questions, and they are where students most often get stuck. The STAR method gives them a simple structure: the Situation, the Task they had to do, the Action they took, and the Result. A four-cell storyboard fits STAR exactly, and drawing the story helps students remember it under pressure.
Students often believe they have no experience to talk about. Remind them that school projects, sports, clubs, babysitting, volunteering, and helping at home all count. In the example, Jordan uses a moment from the school store to answer a question in the TagBack interview.
| CELL | WHAT IT DOES | EXAMPLE: JORDAN |
|---|---|---|
| Situation | Set the scene: where, when, and what went wrong. | During a busy lunch at the school store, the card reader stopped working. |
| Task | What you were responsible for. | I was running the register, and I needed to keep the line moving. |
| Action | The steps you took. | I told my advisor, opened a cash-only line, and wrote a sign so students could decide right away. |
| Result | What happened, ideally with a number or a lesson. | We served about 40 students in 20 minutes, and the store now keeps a backup plan for outages. |
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Create a four-cell storyboard that answers a behavioral interview question using the STAR method.
Share a few "Tell me about a time when..." questions and explain why employers ask them.
Students list times they solved a problem, worked on a team, or fixed a mistake.
Students show one story in four cells, with the Action as the most detailed part.
Under each cell, students write one or two sentences they would say out loud.
Students say the answer to a partner and trim it until it takes about one minute.
Behavioral questions ask about something the candidate has already done, usually starting with "Tell me about a time when..." Employers ask them because past behavior is a good predictor of future behavior. Common examples for students are solving a problem, working on a team, handling a mistake, and dealing with a difficult customer or classmate.
Brainstorm before writing. School projects, sports, clubs, babysitting, volunteering, part-time jobs, and helping at home all produce STAR stories. Ask students to list three times they solved a problem, worked with others, or fixed a mistake. Almost every student finds at least one story they can tell with a clear result.
About one minute out loud, or roughly 120 to 150 words. The Situation and Task should take a sentence or two each, the Action should be the longest part, and the Result should end with a number or a lesson learned. Timing answers with a phone helps students notice when the setup runs too long.
The interviewer is hiring one person, so they need to know what the candidate personally did. Students often describe group work as "we decided" or "we fixed it," which hides their own role. Saying "I suggested," "I organized," or "I told my advisor" gives credit where it belongs without dismissing the team.
Give 2 points for each part: 1 for including it and 1 for detail. The Action earns full marks only when it names specific steps the student took, and the Result only when it includes something measurable or a lesson learned. Add points for saying the answer aloud in about a minute.