How do you build STAR stories when your actual work feels kind of boring?
Every behavioral guide says 'use the STAR method' but my projects are just... CRUD apps and bug fixes. No dramatic 'I saved the company $2M' moments. When they ask about a time I showed leadership or handled conflict, I freeze because nothing feels big enough to talk about.
How do you make ordinary work sound like a real story without exaggerating? Do you just pick the least boring thing and go deep on it?
2 comments
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AnonymousAnon The trick is that "boring" work still has a Situation-Task-Action-Result if you zoom in. "Our deploy took 40 min and annoyed everyone (S/T), so I scripted a step (A) and cut it to 10 (R)" is a genuinely good story and it's completely mundane work. Interviewers care how you think and follow through, not whether you saved the company millions. Small, real, specific beats big and vague.
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AnonymousAnon Honestly the 'boring' stories often land better than the heroic ones — interviewers trust them more. Your CRUD bug fix where you chased down a nasty edge case already IS a story: the situation, what you tried, the call you made, the result. You don't need drama, you need one clear decision you owned.