You nailed the STAR story then came the follow-up

You nailed the STAR story. Then I asked one follow-up — and watched you unravel.

After 100+ Amazon interviews as a Bar Raiser, I can tell you: most candidates prep the story. Almost none prep the follow-ups.

That's where offers are lost.

Here's how to prep so you don't freeze:

𝟭. "𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘃𝘀. 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺'𝘀?"

🚩 Unprepared signal: vague "we" language, can't isolate personal actions.

✅ Prep tip: For every story, write down exactly what YOU decided, influenced, or built. If you can't answer "What wouldn't have happened without you?" — pick a different story.

𝟮. "𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿?"

🚩 Unprepared signal: no decision logic, can't articulate trade-offs.

✅ Prep tip: For each story, name 2 options you weighed and why you rejected one. This shows judgment, not just action.

𝟯. "𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻?"

🚩 Unprepared signal: story sounds frictionless or unrealistic.

✅ Prep tip: Identify the constraint (time, budget, stakeholders) and explain how you adapted.

𝟰. "𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀 — 𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲, 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁?"

🚩 Unprepared signal: no numbers, no measurement method, no definition of "success."

✅ Prep tip: Know your baseline → target → result for every story. If you don't have exact numbers, use directional data ("reduced from X to Y" or "improved by roughly Z%").

𝟱. "𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆?"

🚩 Unprepared signal: generic "I'd communicate more" without a concrete change tied to an outcome.

✅ Prep tip: Name one specific thing you'd change and what result it would improve. This shows self-awareness and growth mindset.

(For a “STAR Method Worksheet” see  - https://capd.mit.edu/resources/the-star-method-for-behavioral-interviews/).

💡 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵

Your STAR story gets you to the follow-up.

Your follow-up answers get you the offer.

The candidates who freeze on these aren't less qualified. They're less prepared.

💬 Which of these would trip you up today? Drop it below — I'll help you prep.

‍

💥 I'm Howard — an executive coach (and former Amazon Bar Raiser) helping high-achieving professionals navigate what's next.

🔔 Ring my profile for more.

📅 Book a call