Quantifying Success: Transforming Your Resume with the STAR Method

You can improve your chances of landing a new job with a crisply written, data-backed resume. A resume with better grammar and spelling can more likely get you hired. But aside from your word choice, you must also focus on your content and format, as they are as essential—if not more. The data that you include in each section of your resume must be factual, relevant, and noteworthy, and your format must flow smoothly so that employers can read it easily. You may already know about the skills, experiences, and achievements you want to include, but you may not be sure how to present them. An excellent way to organize your resume is through the tried-and-tested STAR Method.

What is the STAR Method

With the advanced technology today, incorrect grammar and spelling can be easily detected. This positions job seekers at an advantage. A 2023 working paper posted on the National Bureau of Economic Research website found that between two job seekers who possess the same skills and background, the candidate with a resume that had better grammar and spelling is more likely to be chosen for the job. In the paper, applicants who got algorithmic assistance with their grammar and spelling were reported to be 8% more likely to be hired. Notably, the details that you include on your resume and the way that you present them can make you stand out to prospective employers. Enter the STAR Method, which is an acronym for “situation,” “task,” “action,” and “result.” This method can help you identify real-life scenarios in which you participated and contributed, resulting in positive outcomes for you and your company.

Situation. Pick a situation, issue, or challenge that you encountered.

Task. Describe your role or the responsibilities that you were given.

Action. Discuss briefly the initiatives or efforts that you made to fulfill your responsibilities.

Result. Identify the impact of your efforts.

What are the steps to write a compelling STAR story for your resume

Employers may notice your resume better if your list of job titles is supported by quantitative data related to your work experiences. You can also use qualitative data to help describe your projects, efforts, and impact. Explore the steps below to understand more deeply how you can use the STAR Method and be able to try it out on your own.

Check the description of the job. This can help you grasp the skills and characteristics the company seeks in a job applicant.
Tailor your resume details to the job requirements. Identify the skills, experiences, and achievements that are relevant to the job qualifications set by the company. Then you will know which details you can appropriately put on your resume.
Start creating your resume based on the STAR Method. Begin by deciding on a situation that you faced at work. Then write down the task you were given to address the problem. Follow it up with the measures or actions you took to work on the task and end it with the results that you achieved through your actions. This STAR outline can guide you in writing descriptions of your professional experiences. Once done with your outline, you can finalize your STAR story by starting it with an action word and adding it to your resume.

Example of Using the STAR Method

Individuals still in school can also apply the STAR Method when learning how to write a student resume. Check out the examples below to see how you can use the method.

1. Jennifer, the Content Writer: Jennifer is a content writer for a startup online magazine, and she wants to become an editor for a more established publishing company.

Skills Needed in an Editor: Leadership, Problem Solving, Organization

Situation: Jennifer’s current company did not have a standard manual of style for their team of writers. As a result, her editor, Lia, has to have several rounds of proofreading to fix errors before they can publish articles. Good thing Lia did guide Jennifer through the onboarding process when she was newly hired and trained her on in-house preferences for writing styles for 2 months.

Task: Since Lia was often busy with editing and management tasks, Jennifer took it upon herself to create a draft for an in-company manual of style.

Action: Jennifer worked on the draft for the manual of style based on her notes during her training period, and the corrections that Lia made to Jennifer’s writing throughout her time with the online magazine.

Result: Jennifer introduced her manual of style draft to Lia, who read through it and felt impressed by Jennifer’s initiative. Lia has always trusted Jennifer due to her work ethic and deep understanding of in-house writing rules and preferences. Thus, both of them produced copies of the manual for the other writers, and after a month, Lia saw at least a 5% decrease in technical errors within the team. Because of this, Lia has been able to proofread and edit about eight articles per shift instead of just four.

Summary for your resume: Created the first in-house manual of style at my company, reducing technical errors within the writing team by 75% and helping my editor be able to work on 50% more articles per shift.

2. David, the Aspiring Social Worker: David is a mental health counselor and aspires to become a social worker.

Skills Needed in a Social Worker: Communication, Cultural Competence, Critical Thinking

Situation: David has 5 years of professional counseling experience and wants to advance his career purposefully. His passion has always been helping vulnerable communities, and he believes that he can help more people as a social worker.

Task: By the time David realized he wanted to become a social worker, he was already 3 years into his counseling job. He needed to earn a master’s degree in social work and pass the licensure examination to legally practice as a social worker.

Action: Low on budget but still determined, David went through the cheapest online master's in social work (MSW) program as a full-time student, earned his degree while still working, and took the licensure examination.

Result: He passed the examination and is now searching for companies he can work for as a social worker.

Summary for your resume: Worked full-time at my current company while being a full-time MSW student, earning my degree and passing the licensure examination in 2.5 years.

What are the benefits of the STAR Method for job seekers

The STAR Method can be one of your strategies to improve your job search success rate. It provides clarity, structure, and relevant storytelling that ends with a quantifiable impact.

Structure. The STAR Method is a step-by-step process, with each letter of the acronym representing each step. It organizes your resume details into a readable structure.

Relevant Storytelling. The STAR Method lets you pinpoint relevant experiences and turn them into snackable narratives. As a result, you can outline the journey you took from when a situation occurred until your positive outcome.

Quantifiable Impact. The "result" component of the method demonstrates to prospective employers the effects your contributions have had on the issue at hand while being supported by the previous steps of the STAR Method.

Make Employers Remember Your Resume

In 2023, the global unemployment rate was at 5.1%, slightly better than the 2022 levels (5.3%) (International Labour Organization, 2024). However, 2024 has been forecasted to see a growth in the number of jobless individuals worldwide. Not to mention, for individual job applicants, the recruitment process can often feel grueling. You need to put your best foot forward at every step. But if you prepare carefully, you can get ahead of other candidates. Moreover, a well-written resume that emphasizes your skills and your impact as a professional can make you memorable among employers.