How do you use the STAR method to showcase your achievements and impact in salary negotiations?

When working with my clients, I suggest that they add an additional "R" to the formula when interviewing. The additional "R" stands for "Relate". Try to relate your story to a specific problem, issue, new product, etc. that the company is facing. This helps the interviewer already picture you in the position you are interviewing for. Think about these questions when crafting your interview answer: 1. How does this story relate to the position or company your are interviewing with? 2. How does this accomplishment relate to a problem the company is having? 3, How does your story relate to a project the company has in the pipeline? 4. How would your past experience help the company address a pain point?

Companies hire people to solve problems that involve making or saving money. Most employees don't explicitly connect their work (and its results) to these ends. Tying results to specific financial benefits to the company shifts the conversation from "I want more," to "here is why I deserve more!" (And, by implication, "why you would be foolish to say 'no' and risk losing me.") Critical to optimizing results at any stage of the process, this is especially true in initial salary negotiations. Every candidate says "I can do that!" when it comes to helping the prospective employer sell, make, save, or do more. The better bet is on someone who has actually solved these problems. The STAR method maximizes that credibility

Weaving your value proposition into your STAR stories is crucial to help you stand out from your competition. Your value proposition is what makes you unique and the best candidate for a position. Are you a great contract negotiator? If so, share STAR stories that demonstrate the financial impact of your negotiation skills. You want to share stories that speak to specific pain points, goals, projects, etc. that the company is facing. By adding the additional "R" and relating your story, the interviewer will not only understanding how you have succeeded in the past, but how that success can be replicated to meet their specific needs.

I would not recommend writing your value proposition in the STAR format. I would recommend evaluating all of your STAR stories to identify the most common and most impactful skill or quality that you posses that allowed you to achieve the outcomes in those STAR stories. You can then focus your value proposition statement on those skills and the outcomes that those skills allow you to achieve.

In my experience, unless you tell your manager the impact of what you've done, they may not connect the dots for themselves. After all, they are busy with their work. As a result, it is important to always remind them of what you contributed will help you be top of mind as important. Using STAR or any conversation where you inform or remind them of how you contributed to a firm or department's success is great in describing your value and helping to recession-proof your career and position.