TL;DR - The problem with the star methodology is it invites long-winded answers.

The S.T.A.R. (Situation, Task, Action, Results) method of answering interview questions was made famous by Amazon. There are many things I love about it. However, the biggest pitfall is how you get started.

Product managers who start with the situation and not the introclusion lose their listeners too quickly. Also, PMs shouldn’t focus on tasks.

How Things go Off the Rails

Most people jump into the situation, and the poor interviewer sits there, trying to figure out where this person is going. I coach all candidates to at least give a summary. I called the introclusion. As a mock interviewer, watch out for people giving you a long-winded situation to a behavioral answer. If it is hard to follow, don’t feel guilty telling them this is the issue. Poor communication and excessive rambling are two of the biggest problems with behavioral interviews.

Common Problems with Behavioral Interviews

1. Not Getting to the Point: Putting the cognitive load on the listener to connect the dots

2. Getting into the Weeds: Too much detail. If I want the detail, I will ask a probing question.

3. Assuming I can’t understand without the details: The point of interview questions isn’t for you to tell me the deep nuances of your product but rather to sell me on how you manage products and cross-functional teams without authority in many cases

4. Can’t go deep: I said don’t bore me with the details, but if I ask, you need to be able to go there.

5. Now Measurable Outcomes: Most people forget to document the impact (thing numbers and percentages) of what they did. They excuse themselves because their product or company aren’t very metrics-driven, etc. Well, without it they will come across as junior and not outcome focused. This is a major problem.

How To Grade

Most importantly, use common sense. Don’t worry about what a typical interviewer might say. Use the above list to guide you, but also trust your gut.