ASTARL Interview Pattern
I have adapted the STARL Method, which is commonly used for answering interview questions, to prepare my high school students for university and work interviews.
To ensure the chances of getting accepted in their most coveted university, I have decided to take advantage of a method I learned back when I was still a fellow of Teach for the Philippines (a non-government organization that aims to provide relevant and quality education in the Philippines). Through this, they will be able to discuss and elaborate clearly to the interviewer what they want to say.
So, maybe you are wondering what ASTARL stands for. You may also be curious as to how this pattern smoothens one's explanation. In this article, not only will I discuss what every letter in the ASTARL pattern means, but I will also give examples of how my students have utilized it in our class and what students think of it.
ASTARL, what is it?
A - ANSWER. This is a short direct answer to the interview question.
S - SITUATION. Focuses on when the story happened and what the problem was.
T - TASK. Describes your goal in solving the problem.
A - ACTION. Explains the different steps you took to address the challenge.
R - RESULT. Shows the end result of the action.
L - LESSON. Gives emphasis on your own self-reflection.
It seems like an easy thing to do, but students usually find it difficult to make sense of the different stages. Hence, I came up with some signal words which they can use to transition from one stage to another. This also helps them not to go around and speak of the same thing over and over again.
S - When I was... (talks about when the story happened) But... (discusses the problem)
T - I needed to/ I had to... (introduces your objective)
A - What I did was, firstly... secondly.. then.. (describes every step)
R - As a result/ In the end... (explains the success you achieved)
L - From this, I learned that... (shows that you know how to evaluate yourself)
How do I teach it?
Every end of semester, I do a mock up interview. I start with grade ten or M4 with the common question "Tell Me About Yourself". I let them choose a positive adjective that best describes them and think of an experience that best showcases that adjective. With my grade eleven or M5 students, there are additional random questions that I ask like: "What is Your Strength?" "Why Should We Choose You?" And for my grade twelve or M6, I ask them more advanced questions.
Why do I start simple? Well, asking students to perform a task like this can be a make-or-break point. Some might be extremely excited to do this, while some the opposite. If we start slowly by asking the very basic question "Tell me about yourself", we are able to build their confidence and have the experience of using ASTARL pattern. Slowly but surely, they get to realize the importance of why you are doing this.
Here are some of the interviews my students have done:
M4 - fb.watch/bqGhwk4MzW
M5 - fb.watch/bqIcu7w_9P
What do students think of it?
Many of my students always message me right after their interview. They thank me for teaching them ASTARL and how it has helped them be confident with answering questions. Recently, an M6 student of mine sent me a message and told me about his interview. By the way, he just received a confirmation email stating that he got accepted in that international university.
Every student of ours has their own success stories, which they should be proud of. If we are able to help them tell their stories, imagine how the future of Thailand could be--surely inspiring!
PS. My students are regular ones, not enrolled in EP or MEP. In Thai education system, it's ศิลป์ภาษา, but we have developed our curriculum and changed our class into EClass or English Class.
