Answer a strengths question by naming a job-relevant ability and proving it with a truthful example. For a work-experience question, describe a specific situation, what you personally did, and the result. The STAR framework—Situation or Task, Action, Result—helps organize that evidence without turning your answer into a script.
What interviewers are asking you to show
A question such as “What are your strengths?” is not just an invitation to list positive traits. The useful answer connects an ability to a competency the job requires and supports the claim with evidence. A question about work experience often asks for a specific past situation, your responsibility, your actions, and the outcome.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) defines a structured interview as “an assessment method designed to measure job-related competencies by systematically inquiring about a candidate’s behavior in past experiences and in proposed hypothetical situations.” In a structured interview, candidates receive standardized questions and are evaluated through a standardized process. See OPM’s explanation of structured interviews.
Use STAR to organize a specific example
OPM recommends writing structured questions to elicit STAR elements. In its guidance, the components are “Situation or Task,” “Action,” and “Result.” OPM puts it simply: “It also helps to write the question using the STAR method.” The framework is a preparation aid, not a formula that guarantees a successful interview.
- Situation or task: Briefly explain the context and the responsibility or challenge you faced.
- Action: Describe the steps and decisions you personally took. Make your contribution clear, especially when the work was shared with a team.
- Result: Explain what changed or was accomplished. Use a number only if it is accurate and you can explain where it came from.
OPM’s guidance on creating structured interview questions explains how questions can draw out these elements.
How to answer “What are your strengths?”
Choose a strength that matters to the role, state it plainly, and demonstrate it with a STAR example. Avoid a string of traits without evidence. For example, if the job calls for clear communication, identify a real occasion when you had to explain a complicated issue, then describe what you did and what resulted. Use your own experience; do not present a hypothetical event as something that happened.
Rank #2
Before the interview, compare possible examples using these checks:
- Role relevance: Does the example demonstrate a skill or competency the job description asks for?
- Personal contribution: Can you explain what you did, rather than only what your team accomplished?
- Clear outcome: Can you state what happened as a result of your actions?
- Accuracy: Can you tell the story honestly and answer follow-up questions about it?
- Focus: Can you keep the details centered on the strength you are demonstrating?
How to answer “Tell me about your work experience”
Choose one incident that illustrates a requirement of the position rather than reciting your entire employment history. Set the scene briefly, identify your task or responsibility, explain your own actions, and finish with the outcome or a relevant lesson. Your example can come from work, education, volunteering, or another relevant experience; what matters is that it accurately demonstrates the competency.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Prepare more than one distinct example so you can choose a story that fits the question asked. Start with the job description and identify a small set of required skills. OPM advises that structured interview questions be tied to competencies identified through job analysis and be open-ended, clear, concise, and free of jargon.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Know whether the question is behavioral or situational
A behavioral question asks about something you actually did in a past experience. A situational question presents a realistic hypothetical and asks how you would respond. These formats call for different evidence: use a real example for the first, and explain a reasoned plan for the second. Do not make a hypothetical answer sound like a past event.
OPM describes both formats and notes that the choice depends on the role and assessment needs in its Structured Interview Guide and its structured interview assessment guidance.
Practice without memorizing a script
Write brief STAR notes for your examples, then practice saying them aloud. Aim to remember the context, your actions, and the result—not a paragraph to repeat word for word. Harvard FAS’s Mignone Center for Career Success describes Big Interview as a platform Harvard students can use to search question sets and receive AI-generated feedback on practice responses. Access described by Harvard is for its students; the source does not establish general public access. See Harvard FAS’s interview and offer resources.
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