Employability Award Written Task Guide

STAR-E

Example: Skills

S

Situation
Where were you?

As a full-time student who also works casually as a research assistant at UQ,

T

Task
What were you expected to do?

I often need to manage several deadlines at the same time.  For example, there was a time when my manager assigned me to analyse 50 interview transcripts and identify key emerging themes.  Unfortunately, one of my major class assignments was also due the same week.  To be more specific, I needed to create a video reflecting on my learning in the course for that assignment.  I had a month to complete both tasks.

A

Action
What action did you take?

In this case, I analysed the tasks such as the goals, requirements, what and who was involved, my roles, and the tools I needed.  I articulated what successful outcomes or final products would look like.  For my job work, I consulted the perceived outcomes with my supervisor while for my class assignment, I compared my final work with the marking rubrics.... Continue to outline your process.

R

Result
What did you achieve?

The report on data analysis was well received by leadership and program staff.  Within three months, we successfully developed two research reports to use internally with UQ and one scholarly article to submit to the Q1 research journal based on my initial data analysis report.  Not only was my data analysis task successful, but my class assignment also received a high score, 97 out of 100.  

E

*Evaluation
What would you do differently?  Be solutions-focused and don’t just focus on negative aspects.

I have learned that to effectively manage multiple priorities concurrently, I firstly needed to be clear about my tasks' goals, including the work involved and the deadline for each priority.  Secondly, I would develop a strategic action plan for each task to make sure that all tasks satisfy the task requirements and due dates.  Although I received excellent outcomes, I will always strive for improvement.