“At an external company, we received a large delivery of stock one morning. A colleague and I were tasked with unloading and unpacking the pallets from the delivery onto the shelves in time for the store opening, which was only 3 hours away.

After considering various options, I decided the best approach was to break the task down into sections to enable me to organise it properly and keep closer control of the time element. I also checked all the pallets’ contents to identify which would require more time and which would be a quicker turnaround. This gave me a clear idea of the task and allowed me to plan the best way to meet the deadline. I worked out that on average it would take 20 minutes per pallet and that this would help me keep track of whether we were on course to make the deadline or if I would need to request assistance.

I decided to unload the bulkier pallets first and leave the smaller pallets until the end. I took responsibility for the task by considering both my colleague’s and my physical attributes and then allocated pallets accordingly. I worked at maximum pace and remained focused because of my plan and the smaller targets I had set. Each hour I reported our progress to my manager to keep him updated.

Through my planning, organisation and hard work, we met the tight deadline without needing further assistance. My manager praised me for an excellent achievement at the team meeting.”

The applicant made the situation and task brief and clear. Throughout the example, the applicant has made it clear that they understand the behaviour and can meet the requirements of each point that the behaviour describes. By using the STAR model they structured their evidence very well, in particular the ‘result’ part of the model. They achieved this by succinctly describing and demonstrating the positive outcome of the situation and how it was because of the applicant’s work, not someone else’s.