STAR Stories

1. Give an example of what teamwork means to you.

SITUATION: At a previous job of mine assisting girls with disabilities, our team had monthly house audits to prepare for.

TASK: Not always would each team member complete their duties on time, which made it difficult for others and resulted in the team, as a whole, being disciplined. I wanted there to be fairness and make sure everyone cared about doing their work on time for the sake of the team.

ACTION: I raised the issue gently, but firmly at a meeting, which led to a collective understanding of the importance of doing each job on time, as the tasks built on each other..

RESULT: Team members immediately began doing their duties on time, and even assisting others with additional tasks. As we began to understand the importance of teamwork, frustration levels lowered, and our residential home passed our audits consecutively in the months to follow, even resulting in awards for outstanding residential audit scores.

2. Give me an example of a major challenge you faced, and how you went about addressing the problem, and how it turned out.

SITUATION: At the same job I spoke of earlier, a girl who was in my care stole the staff keys while I was attending another girl, broke into the staff closet, and removed my car keys. All unknown to me, she got into my car and stole over $50 and several CDs.

TASK: I needed to confront the issue. I knew not to call her out in front of others, I also knew not to accuse or attack this girl, as I was aware this would only cause defensiveness. I let a few days pass, allowing her the opportunity to choose on her own to be honest.

ACTION: I described how I was missing some items. When she did not come forth after a few days, I pulled her aside and let her know the consequences that would follow which involved her behavioral team knowing, her state case workers, and eventually the police. When she chose not to come forward after this, and proceeded to get angry, I chose to inform her care team in a meeting. This was difficult for me to do, but ultimately for the good.

RESULTS: This girl lost privileges, had more restrictions, and had to repay me. Although the entire situation was challenging, I kept my cool, and was gentle and discrete about the issue as much as possible. Our staff-client relationship was not damaged and she expressed appreciation for helping her learn about honesty and the concept of right and wrong. I was overall pleased with the actions that I took, as this situation could have easily caused overreaction.

3. Describe a past goal and how you achieved it.

SITUATION: I am proud to say that through much work, I have recovered from a long struggle with an eating disorder.

TASK: I knew my behaviors were negatively impacting my life and the lives around me. I decided that I needed professional help, and decided to move away from my family to seek treatment at the age of 17.

ACTION: For 2 months, I put much determination and effort into my intense recovery program and tackled my unhealthy behaviors. I learned to communicate effectively with others, to better manage stress and conflict, and to take a proactive approach to working around contingencies.

RESULTS: I have since worked hard at utilizing the tools I gained from treatment to keep myself healthy and stable. I have reached and maintained my goal of recovery of which I am very proud.