You must have felt the need to have an impressive resume to show to your potential employers and recruiters. While the basic information that goes into a resume remains the same, the way to present it spans across a lot of varieties depending on the creativity of the person.
Something similar is the STAR method. In interviews when you answer situational questions, it is often recommended to use the STAR method for answering. So, the same tactic has slipped its way into resumes. Many online resume makers are now offering assistance in making STAR method-based resumes, even the free online resume builders. Let us take a look at this much-talked-about method and how to include it in your resume.
What Is the STAR Method In Resume?
The STAR method is a way to put forward your achievements in a telltale manner. In the STAR method, you aren’t just telling the employer your achievements, but bragging about them in a concise yet positive way.
The STAR method stands for:
- Situation
- Task
- Action
- Result
Let’s say, your achievements say that you successfully completed your responsibility of managing a development team. So, writing a bullet point that says “held the responsibility as a team manager” isn’t very impressive. You need to offer enough information about it in such a concise manner that makes your recruiter curious to know more about how you dealt with the situation and went forward to have achieved it.
Why Use STAR Method In Your Resume?
You must be wondering why to use this STAR method in your resume. Here’s an overview of what exactly comes under each point of the STAR method.
- Situation
The situation is where you explain what exactly was the problem you were dealing with. If you are working, there has to be a problem over which you are working, to resolve it of course. So, tell them the situation.
- Task
The task is what you were expected to do. When you work under an employer, they often expect you to do certain tasks in order to overcome the underlying issue. That’s what is the task
- Action
Action is what you do exactly. You know the situation or issue, you know your responsibility for the same. Now’s the time to tell how you dealt with it. It will show your potential employers the approach you use when working.
- Result
This is an achievement. It is not always necessary that the task you were given for the situation and the action you took, actually have a result. And that is what makes you stand out from the crowd because you are providing substantial proof of the result with a whole relevant process.
How To Use The STAR Method In Your Resume?
Wow! That would become a really long story if you start writing your achievements with the STAR method and your resume doesn’t exactly require you to overspill. So, how to effectively use the STAR method in a resume?
Keep it limited to one or two sentences. Summarize the whole story into it so that it is complete in itself. For example, suppose you worked as a software developer. Let’s break down an achievement as a software developer through the STAR method.
- Situation
The situation or issue was that there were problems with the existing software product related to security and efficiency.
- Task
You were supposed to enhance the code of a software product and remove all the glitches and bugs, making it trustworthy and efficient for use with the clients.
- Action
You contributed to the code and got rid of the problem following a modular approach.
- Action
The problem was resolved and it boosted the sales by 15% and even generated a revenue of $10 million.
To put forward the achievement via the STAR method you can bullet point it as, “Increased 15% of XYZ product and generated $10 million revenue for the company by contributing to the software code.”
You don’t need to include all of your achievements using the STAR method. Just keep it for the major ones to give a sneak peek to the employer about your story. This will make them seek you for an interview to know more about it.
Conclusion
For an impressive resume, the best way is to use an online resume maker that suggests STAR method adoption. STAR method can get your resume reader’s attention rather quickly and you’ll definitely have an upper hand in grabbing yourself an interview over other candidates who are still stuck on the traditional approach. With time, you need to enhance your professional skills as well as presentation skills so that you are still in the game. You can check out free online resume builders to get help in making STAR method-based resumes as well. Hope to see you working in your dream company soon!
