How to ace the STAR method resume with examples

Has your resume been getting you the attention you deserve during your job search? If not, there might be a problem with the narrative of your resume. We have talked about how the STAR method helps you answer behavioral questions during an interview. But did you know that the STAR method also helps you write a winning resume?

What is this STAR method?

Simply put, the STAR method is the best concise way to get a story across. It helps you narrate things in detail, without wasting time or resume space. The acronym STAR stands for:

• S - Situation
• T - Task
• A - Action
• R – Result

Gone are the days when you can mention job duties in your resume’s career summary starting with “Responsible for online marketing” and still impressing a hiring manager. Today, recruiters are more interested in quantifiable achievements on resumes that really show the worth of a candidate to their company.

Why should you use the STAR method to write the bullet points of your resume?

The way to win your dream job is to stand out among a sea of other equally talented candidates. But can you achieve that with just a resume? The answer is, “Yes, you can.” You need to highlight how competitive you are by bragging about your achievements in every single bullet point you write. The STAR method can help you do just that. Using the STAR method to write resume bullet points will portray you as an achiever rather than a doer. It will help the hiring managers easily understand how you can make an impact on their business.

How to use the STAR method in your resume

Your career history is filled with detailed stories of how you spotted a financial risk before anyone else did, strategized a response for the risk, alleviated the risk, and saved the company thousands of dollars. But how can you get such a beautiful, long story into a simple bullet point? You can use the STAR method to summarize each entry so that it speaks briefly about the Situation, Task, Action, and Result without boring the reader to death.

How to write resume bullet points using the STAR method

First, review the job description to identify the keywords to see which areas of the job your resume must revolve around. Let us say that you are applying for a job as a Construction Project Manager and the job description mentions cost reduction of projects as a major job duty. What your resume must do is show that you know how to reduce project costs.

Let’s look at an example.

• 1. Situation

I worked on construction project management, which contributes greatly to the financial health of the business.

• 2. Task

I had to research the geographical location of a construction project, environmental factors, client expectations, and health and safety regulations to determine the quality and cost of a particular project.

• 3. Action

I researched suppliers and negotiated supplier contracts to buy superb quality construction materials for a lower cost.

• 4. Result

I saved the company $70M in the span of 6 months across 3 large-scale construction projects.

All of this sounds good, but they definitely wouldn’t fit in your concise resume. The STAR method will help you write a single sentence to summarize all of this. You can use commas to separate different portions of the story. Here’s what a resume bullet point written for this scenario using the STAR method will look like:

• Reduced construction project costs by $70M in 6 months, after researching environmental factors, and negotiating supplier contracts, across 3 large-scale construction projects

This sounds way more impressive than listing simple job duties in the career summary of your resume.

Still not sure how to do it? Get the help of a resume-writing service

If you are unsure whether the STAR resume bullet points you wrote are strong enough to impress a hiring manager, you can get the help of a professional resume writing service like Resume Mansion. Our resume writers are seasoned professionals who have created thousands of resumes for job seekers from all industries. You can even receive a free resume review by getting in touch with us!