How to Answer: Using the STAR method, tell me about the most significant problem you faced and solved.
Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Oil and Gas job interview.
9. Using the STAR method, tell me about the most significant problem you faced and solved.
How to Answer
Many interviewers like to apply the STAR method during discussions with their candidates. If you are not sure what STAR is:
- Situation: talk about a challenge you have faced
- Task: an overview of what you set out to achieve
- Action: a brief on what you did, or how you assessed the situation
- Result: the outcome of the steps that you took
Keep your STAR example workplace related, and keep your response organized, helping you to avoid rambling.
1st Answer Example
"In my first year of working as an O&G administrator, I was asked to update and manage our Well Files into digital files. The job was daunting, so I broke the task alphabetically, and then by region. From there, I started to build the file database. The job took me about three months and, in the end, my manager was thrilled. The result was that the organized file system saved our department many hours of time when searching for oil-well specific data."
2nd Answer Example
"My previous company had an alarmingly high accident rate. As a safety specialist, I was asked to evaluate multiple processes, assess the problem areas, and create a program to resolve the safety issues. I studied every accident, going back six years. Compiling the data, I then analyze my findings, to source out the weak spots. Knowing the weakest areas gave me a baseline from which to work. The entire project took me about four months. The result was, 18 months later, our safety rate went up 35%."