Structure & Organization

PAR

Problem, Action, Result: keep a story about a problem you tackled focused on your action and its outcome.

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What & why

What it is
PAR tells a problem-solving experience in three parts: Problem (what was wrong or missing; if you started from a target, name the gap), Action (the steps you took, with your own part clear), and Result (what changed, with real figures where you have them). It drops the scene-setting that STAR front-loads, so it suits fast rounds and technical questions where the interviewer cares about what you did and what changed, not background. Best when context is obvious or time is short. Some career guides read the P as Project.
Why it works

PAR keeps a problem-solving account focused on three jobs: what was wrong, what you did, and what changed. Listeners can connect the outcome to a specific action instead of relying on a general claim about your abilities. Use it when the setting needs little explanation and the question calls for a real experience.

Before & after

These are fictional teaching examples, not accounts of real events.

Before

“I improved the onboarding process. It was better after I worked on it.”

After

“New starters were taking about six weeks to handle customer calls alone (Problem). I paired each one with an experienced colleague and wrote a one-page guide to the ten most common calls (Action). The next eight starters were handling calls alone within three weeks (Result).”

See it in action

An original teaching example. The situations and results are fictional.

Tell me about a problem you fixed at work.

Problem

Our team’s monthly report went out late in four of the six months before I took it on. Most of the delay came from waiting for figures that three colleagues sent in different formats.

Action

I made one shared template and agreed a deadline two days earlier with each colleague, so I had time to check the numbers before sending. I also sent each colleague a short reminder the day before the deadline.

Result

The next five reports all went out on time, and the checking step caught two errors before they reached managers.

How the answer works

Problem
Define the specific difficulty or unwanted state.
Action
Describe the response that was actually taken.
Result
Report the observed outcome, rather than a hoped-for benefit.

Why it works: The problem says how often it happened, the Action says what was done and why, and the Result compares five reports with the months before.

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When you’ll use it

Rapid-fire interview rounds with strict time limits

Technical interviews where results matter more than context

Phone screenings with recruiters

Quick introductions of your achievements

Reporting a fix you made in a team or community group

Pro tip

State the problem, explain what you did, show what changed.

Questions & answers

Is PAR too simple for detailed interview questions?

PAR can be expanded with follow-up details if the interviewer asks. Start concise, then elaborate. It's better to give a clear short answer than a rambling long one.

How do I make PAR answers more convincing?

Use real figures in your result when you have them, such as a before-and-after count or time saved. Never invent or round up a number you cannot back up; if you have no figure, say what you saw change, such as who could now do what without help.

Learn more

Indeed Career Guide - A Definitive Guide to the PAR Method (With Examples)
VidCruiter HR Glossary - PAR Interview Method
Resumeble - Behavioral Interview Techniques

Put it into practice

Practice PAR

Work through examples, then test your understanding in a short quiz. Your progress is saved as you practice.

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