What is a STAR example?
A short, structured story about something you actually did. The most reliable way to write a CV bullet that doesn't read as fluff.
The 30-second version
STAR is an acronym used by recruiters and interview coaches:
- S — Situation
- The context. Where were you, what was happening?
- T — Task
- What needed to be done? What was your part?
- A — Action
- What did you specifically do? (Not the team — you.)
- R — Result
- What changed because of it? Numbers if you have them.
That structure forces concrete, falsifiable claims. Recruiters trust them because they're hard to fake.
Why JAC asks for them
When you save a STAR example to your profile, JAC re-uses it in two places:
- CV bullets — we reframe the example to match the wording of each job you apply for.
- Cover letters — we weave them into the relevant paragraph so the letter actually says something specific.
Without them, every CV draft has to be invented from scratch. With them, you build a small library of true stories about yourself that scale across hundreds of applications.
A quick example
Situation: The volunteer team I supported had no record of which donations had been processed and which were still in the back room.
Task: Build a simple tracker so the Saturday team could see what was outstanding without asking the manager.
Action: I set up a Google Sheet with a colour-coded status column and trained the four weekend volunteers in 20 minutes.
Result: Cleared the backlog of 200+ items in two weekends; the manager said it was "the biggest tidy-up in two years".
Tips for writing them
- Keep it short. 4–6 sentences total. STAR isn't an essay format.
- Use real numbers where you have them. "Saved 6 hours a week" beats "made things faster".
- Lead with what you did. Not "the team did" — recruiters are evaluating you, not your team.
- Don't worry if it feels small. Volunteer experience, school projects, and a tidy-up at a charity shop all count. Specific beats impressive.
Where they live
Saved STAR examples sit on your JAC profile under STAR examples. You can edit, delete, or add new ones manually anytime.
More long-form guidance coming soon. For now, this page is the short version.