There are four components to the STAR formula:
(S) – Situation
(T) – Task
(A) – Action
(R) – Result
 
You can also add an optional section at the end of your STAR story: Reflection. What were the lessons learned from the situation? If the result was failure, you can talk about what you learned from the experience or changed as a result.

STAR STORY: Collaborated With Others & Had a Conflict With an Employee
 
SITUATION: In my role as manager at GATE Corporation, I added three new team members when we acquired LoneStar Productions. My team of five had all worked together for more than two years at this point, so integrating new staff was a big deal — both for me and the team. Unfortunately, the new employees were used to different processes and methods for project management, which led to problems on the first project we worked on after the acquisition.
 
TASK: As the direct supervisor of the team, it was my job to make sure that the onboarding of the new team members went smoothly. Both my existing team members and my new team members recognized right away that there was a problem, and they looked to me for a solution.
 
ACTION: The first thing I did was sit down with the new team members to get a better understanding of how they were used to tackling projects. I also shared with them the standard operating processes that our team used for project management. Next, I organized a team-building challenge that had nothing to do with the current project — a way for the whole team to get to know each other, without the pressure of the project that was hanging over our heads.
 
RESULT: As a result of the team-building challenge, the employees got to know each other better. The specific team-building exercise focused on communication styles, which had been at the root of the project problems. As the team members interacted more, they were able to communicate more effectively to address some of the differences in project management processes. We ended up blending some of our existing methods with ideas from the new team members, which made the whole process more effective. Even though we had gotten off to a rough start, I ended up bringing the project in on time and on budget, and that team of eight has now been together for the past year.
 
REFLECTION: I always knew the importance of bringing diverse project management workstyles together, but this situation reinforced that. Now, whenever we bring in someone from the “outside” to work on a project, we sit down and make sure we’re on the same page before we dive in.
 
Exercise: Choose a prompt from the list and fill in information for each part of the STAR formula. Then, write a STAR story based on the information. Repeat the process until you have 3-5 STAR stories to draw from.​

SOURCE: https://www.market-connections.net/blog/star-method-interview-questions

​Interviews are pretty stressful experiences. Even if you’re excited by the prospect of potentially getting a new job, the chances are you’re feeling nervous about being “under the microscope” with your interviewer.
 
Afterall, the person you’re speaking to in this interview is there to judge you. They need to determine if you’re the right person for the role, and that’s enough to crank up anyone’s nerves.
 
If it helps, you’re not the only person to feel stressed before an interview. One study found that around 92% of US adults feel anxious about job interviews. It’s natural.

​Most career experts recommend practicing a few interview questions with your friends and family members, but you can even go beyond this to prepare a little more.
 
Research demonstrates that experiencing success increases our feelings of confidence, even if we’re just imagining an interview going well.
 
With that in mind, close your eyes and walk through what it might look like if you were to go through the interview successfully, answering questions perfectly every time. Imagine yourself looking calm, prepared, and confident, as you answer question and ace the interview.
 
If you get any sparks of creativity about how you can improve your interview experience, make a note to come back to them later. 

Music has a unique ability to influence the way we feel. You’ve probably noticed this if you’ve ever used a playlist to get your energy levels up for the gym. When you’re preparing for a big interview, your musical strategy should be all about motivation.
 
Choose songs that make you feel good, and play them in the morning before you head out for your interview.
 
It might also be worth setting up a similarly positive playlist for after the interview, so you can wind down again. 

Self-affirmation is a surprisingly powerful tool!
 
Most people don’t realize it, but we tend to spend a lot of time putting ourselves down and not as much time building ourselves up.
 
Chances are, if you’re panicking about your upcoming interview, you’re thinking about the experiences that didn’t go so well for you in the past, or you’re telling yourself how hard it’s going to be to compete against other candidates.
 
What would happen if you flipped the script and reminded yourself how great you are instead? Let yourself know that you deserve this role just as much as anyone else.
 
Focus on re-affirming your skills and talents and reminding yourself of what makes you good for this job. You’ll feel better, and you’ll come up with some great ideas on how to respond to questions your interviewer might ask about your suitability for the role too.

This might seem like a bit of a negative strategy when you’re trying to focus on positivity, but it can be reassuring to prepare for the worst. The reality is the worst thing that can likely happen at the end of your interview is that you don’t get the job.
 
So, ask yourself what you’re going to do if that happens. The answer is probably just “look for something else and try again.”
 
You can also go through some other fears that are worrying you about the interview and come up with ways to prepare for them. For instance, if you’re worried about not having an answer to a question, learn how to cover your tracks when this happens. You could even have an interview cheat-sheet ready in your pocket, just in case.

Plan something nice for the hours after your interview, so you have something to look forward to when you’re sweating through some tough questions.
 
You can even plan for some productive things to do when the interview is over, like applying for other roles just in case, or talking through the interview process with your friends to make yourself feel better about any hiccups that might have happened.
 
Looking forward to what comes after the interview will stop you from feeling too frozen in fear by the event itself to focus properly.

​Once you’ve done your regular preparations for the interview, try to relieve stress and feel more confident beforehand by using these techniques. This will enable you to focus on putting your best foot forward during the interview itself

It's very important to know what to wear to a job interview. Just because you can go to work or a video meeting wearing casual attire, it doesn’t mean you should. If you’re having a professional conference or an interview, dress professionally. Wear a full suit or other attire appropriate for you and the setting.
 
Avoid simply dressing up the top half of your body. You might end up standing up. As countless events have shown, it’s easy to forget that you’re not wearing your bottom half of clothing when you’re in the middle of an animated conversation.
 
It’s also worth noting that dressing correctly can give you a crucial confidence boost too. Dressing appropriately makes you feel like you deserve the job you’re applying for. 

Video conferencing is now an important part of our lifestyle and of the business landscape. Learn to excel in using video and take advantage of these tips to make a positive impression via video. You’ll be glad you did!

Zoom is an easy-to-use cloud-based chatting tool and it is compatible with Windows, Mac, iOS, Linux, and Android. Its great features including desktop and mobile support, multi-sharing, free video replays, auto-recording meetings, and so much more are the reasons for its popularity. 

Let’s dive into how you can take advantage of the flexibility and convenience it brings.

Sign up for Zoom by visiting their website or downloading their app. Enter your preferred email address, allow important resources such as how-to-guides to be sent to your email account, enter your credentials, activate your Zoom account by clicking on the confirmation email sent to your inbox. Remember to use strong passwords to secure your meetings and keep scammers out.
 
Download and install the app on your desktop. Launch the app, enter the required information such as your email address and password. When logged in, head over to the top-right corner and manage your profile. Go to ‘Settings’ to change defaults and activate your preferences. Such as automatically copying the URL once the meeting starts, stopping your video or audio when the display is off, etc.

​You can create a test meeting before inviting participants if you like to get comfortable with how the platform works. Go to ‘Start Meeting’ and use speakers to join audio. Go full screen and test the speaker or microphone.

Schedule meetings and choose how you want to manage them by heading over to the ‘Meetings’ tab. Select ‘Schedule a new meeting’, enter the name, description, as well as time and date. Invite people by selecting the ‘invite’ button, copying the URL, and sharing it. Send the link via email or text. The invitees only need the link as well as the time and date or password where applicable to join. They simply launch the app, enter their Zoom ID, and click on ‘Join’.
 
Set up daily or weekly meetings by using the ‘Recurring’ option under the ‘Meetings tab’. This helps you to lock in settings and ensure you don’t constantly send out invites to participants.

After the sign-up process, install important recommended add-ons before proceeding. Schedule or start a meeting by signing in to the web portal. Click ‘Host a meeting’ to set one up and then ‘Join from your browser.’ Add participants by going to ‘Participants’ and ‘Invites’. Invite people by copying and sending your URL via email.
 
Your attendees will join meetings by following the link or pasting it onto their browser.
 
Keep them engaged by enabling the Q&As section, chat-texting, and screen sharing.

It is important to note that you won’t have access to all Zoom features with this option.

​Download the app from the Play Store or the App Store. Install and launch it. Sign up for an account or log in to your existing account following the prompts.
 
Start new meetings by clicking on ‘New Meeting’ and then ‘Start new meeting’. Go to ‘Participants’ then ‘Invite’. The mobile version also allows you to adjust your settings, similar to the desktop one. Add participants by copying, pasting, and sending them the URL via email, messaging, or other available options.
 
They will attend meetings or webinars by following the same method outlined under the desktop version.

Go to ‘Meet & Chat’, click on ‘Schedule’, fill in the name as well as the time and date. After hitting ‘Done’, enter participant names and set notifications. That’s it, you’re done setting up a meeting.
 
To respond to an invite, follow the URL link or answer the incoming call. Tap ‘Join’, enter your meeting ID, and participate.

Knowing the common mistakes that make conferences boring, unproductive, and tiring will help you to avoid them.
 
So, here’s what you need to avoid:
 

• Failing to get attendees to connect with you.
• Multi-tasking or trying to respond to text or emails while presenting.
• Failing to keep participants engaged.
• Hosting meetings without proper planning.
• Not recording your meetings especially when there are important things to remember.

​Get the most out of your Zoom experience by knowing the best tricks to use the platform and implement them at your next meeting.

Look professional or decent by positioning your webcam right. Don’t look down at the camera. Keep it at the eye or face level and look directly at the webcam.

Check if everything is working as expected before starting. Ensure you conduct your webinars in a quiet environment. Get rid of background noises by investing in the right tools that will give your presentations and presence that professional touch. Mute and unmute participants to get rid of unwanted noise by going to ‘Manage participants’ and ‘Mute’ or ‘Mute all’. Don’t forget to mute your microphone and unmute only when speaking.

​Your background says a lot about you. So, use one that presents you or your business well. Zoom allows you to change or customize your background. Go to ‘Settings’ and then ‘Virtual Background’. From there, upload your preferred image or video or use default ones. If you want to maintain it as it is, make sure everything behind you is clean and tidy. Or simply set your desk in front of a plain wall and have it as your background.

​This helps you to effectively manage and host productive meetings. Sharing information, commenting, bouncing ideas off each other, and solving problems becomes easier because you will be running manageable groups. You can also provide one-on-one support to participants if you are an instructor. Create breakout rooms by going to ‘Account Management’ and then to ‘Account Settings’. Go to the ‘Meeting’, choose ‘Breakout room’ and enable it.

​Protect against Zoombomb and scammers. They can disrupt your meetings and post malicious content if you are not careful. So, use the best security standards to keep that from happening. For example, don’t publicly share your meeting links, use waiting rooms or the ‘lock’ feature to gain complete control over who participates, remove disruptive attendees by using the ‘Remove’ option, and so forth.

​Be sure to review Zoom's Best Practices. Go to their website. Navigate to ‘Resources’ and ‘Privacy and Security’. Here you will get in-depth information on how to protect and conduct as well as manage secure meetings.

Effortlessly navigate through the platform by mastering the essential keyboard shortcuts. Whether you are on a Mac or using Windows.

• Use Alt+I on a PC to access the invite window and share the link.
• Use Cmd+I on a macOS to access the invite window and share the link..
• Take a screenshot on Windows by using Alt+Shift+T.
• ​Take a screenshot on a macOS by using Cmd+T.

The list is endless. Access the hotkeys by going to ‘Settings’ and then ‘Keyboard Shortcuts.’

Zoom's platform lets you set up and conduct job interviews and productive virtual meetings. Its user-friendly interface lets you set up and manage everything easily without any tech skills. Once you open an account, you can invite people to your meetings and have them join by simply clicking on the shared link. No IT required. 

Whether it’s a job interview, business meeting, or a family meeting, connection issues may occur. Some of the most common issues you may run into are: 
​
Failing to see or hear other participants, seeing blurry images, lagging videos, crashing meetings, background noises, and getting your meetings hijacked, just to name a few. 

Learning Zoom meeting etiquette is also important. All this can be frustrating when you are trying to join a meeting. Nonetheless, running into technical issues is quite common when using video conferencing software. So, you are bound to run into problems on Zoom as well. But luckily, you can fix most of the issues on your own. There are easy practical solutions you can apply to solve Zoom meet​ problems.

​Ensure security by using the best standards such as having participants enter a password before joining meetings or locking your meetings to ensure no one joins in without your approval and so on.