Last Updated:
In this guide
A written STAR response explains what happened, what you were responsible for, what you did and what changed. The detail should help the panel assess the requirement in the question or job advertisement.
Start with the developed stakeholder example below, then compare the planning and customer-service examples. Use them to understand the level of evidence to include. Your own answer must use your experience and follow the employer’s instructions.
Developed stakeholder exampleCompeting prioritiesCustomer serviceStrengthen a vague action
STAR example for stakeholder communication
Illustrative requirement: Explain how you communicated a change to different stakeholders and used their feedback to support implementation.
Fictional teaching example — 267 words. This is a developed illustration, not a client application or an official NSW assessment answer. It demonstrates relevant behaviours without assigning a grade or capability level.
In a project support role, I coordinated communication for an internal process rollout across several business units. Staff needed to understand the new workflow before implementation, while managers needed visibility of risks and decisions. I was responsible for preparing updates and collecting feedback so practical issues could be addressed before the change went live.
I checked the rollout schedule and draft instructions with the project lead, then prepared a communication plan showing who needed an update, when they needed it and what feedback we required. For operational staff, I explained the steps that would change and used short check-ins to ask how those steps would work in their daily tasks. For managers, I summarised progress, unresolved risks and decisions requiring their input.
I recorded feedback in a shared register rather than relying on separate email conversations. When staff raised an unclear handover, I asked them to walk me through a typical request and compared it with the proposed instructions. I recorded where responsibility became unclear and referred the issue to the process owner for a decision. I used the same approach when another team identified a gap in the escalation process. Keeping the issues separate made it clear who needed to resolve each one.
Once the process owners confirmed the changes, I updated the communication materials and checked with the affected staff that the revised instructions answered their concerns. The rollout proceeded on time, with both workflow issues addressed before implementation. My contribution was to make the changes understandable, turn feedback into specific issues for decision and communicate the agreed resolution to the people using the process.
What the evidence shows: The applicant adapts communication for staff and managers, checks how a process works in practice, and turns feedback into an issue someone can decide. Process owners retain decision authority. The outcome connects the applicant’s communication and follow-up to two issues resolved before rollout; it does not claim they delivered the whole change alone.
Build your truthful version: Identify the actual change, who was affected and what each audience needed. Explain how you tested understanding, what feedback changed your approach and who approved the resolution. If you cannot verify an improvement, describe the outcome you can substantiate instead.
STAR example for managing competing priorities
Illustrative teaching example. This is a model of response structure, not a verified client result or an official assessment answer. Use your own facts.
This is a very common theme in government applications.
Situation
In my current administrative role, I regularly support multiple managers with urgent requests, reporting deadlines, and scheduling changes.
Task
During a particularly busy end-of-month period, I needed to finalise reporting, prepare briefing materials, and manage several last-minute operational requests at the same time.
Action
I reviewed all tasks against their deadlines and business impact, clarified priorities directly with the managers involved, and grouped related work to avoid duplication. I kept a simple tracker of urgent items, flagged any risks early, and communicated realistic delivery times where needed rather than going quiet and hoping I could get through everything.
Result
All critical work was delivered on time, the reporting pack was submitted accurately, and the managers I supported had clear visibility over what was being completed and when.
Strengthen a vague action
Weak: “I managed competing priorities and met the deadlines.”
Stronger: “I checked which requests affected that day’s client appointments, confirmed the remaining deadlines with the managers and agreed which work could move to the following morning. I recorded the revised order in a shared tracker and flagged the item I could not complete without another team’s input.”
The stronger passage reveals the basis for prioritising, who agreed the change, how the applicant recorded it and where they needed help. It still needs a situation and an outcome to become a complete response.
To supply equivalent detail from your own experience, ask: Which consequence made one task urgent? What could wait, and who agreed? How did you keep track of the change? What depended on someone else? What did you do when that dependency threatened the deadline? Use the answers you can support.
STAR example for customer service and problem-solving
Illustrative teaching example. This is a model of response structure, not a verified client result or an official assessment answer. Use your own facts.
This kind of example works well for entry-level and service delivery roles.
Situation
While working in a high-volume customer service environment, I dealt with a customer whose request had been delayed due to an internal processing issue.
Task
I needed to resolve the issue quickly, manage the customer’s frustration professionally, and make sure the matter did not continue to bounce between teams.
Action
I listened carefully to the concern, reviewed the account history, and identified where the process had stalled. I then contacted the relevant internal team directly rather than simply logging another request, clarified what was needed to move the matter forward, and kept the customer updated throughout the day so they were not left in the dark.
Result
The issue was resolved the same day, the customer thanked me for the follow-up, and I later suggested a small change to our internal handover notes to reduce the risk of similar delays happening again.
How to adapt STAR to different documents
A written response needs to make sense without follow-up questions, so include the context, decisions and outcome within the allowed space. A spoken answer can use simpler signposting and a natural sequence, with room to clarify detail when the panel asks. The facts and your level of responsibility stay the same.
See the same APS evidence as a written response, pitch paragraph and spoken answer. That demonstration already shows the format change in full. When practising, change the delivery and emphasis to suit the question; do not turn a carefully written paragraph into a script you must recite.
Using STAR in a government interview
The same evidence can work in an interview, but the spoken answer needs a direct opening, a clear middle and enough tactical detail for the panel to assess your judgement. Use the NSW Government interview questions guide to turn your example bank into answers for likely capability questions.
Final thoughts
Before using an example, check that it answers the actual requirement. A communication story needs to show how you communicated; a prioritisation story needs to show how you decided what mattered first. Follow the word or page limit and keep your responsibilities consistent with your CV.
If the advertisement gives you specific questions to answer, read the NSW targeted questions and worked answers. For help with the broader document, use the guide to writing NSW Government selection criteria.
Want help turning your experience into the documents for one role? The Complete Government Job Application service is $497 incl. GST, including your CV and all written documents the advertisement requires. Your application is built from your experience for you to review and submit.