Interview coaches and hiring managers alike love the STAR interview method. STAR is an acronym that stands for “situation, task, action, result,” and it’s used to create an outline for responding thoroughly to situational or behavioral interview questions. For example, you might be asked about a time you managed stress. Using STAR, you’d describe the situation and why it was so stressful, the task that needed to be completed, the actions you took to calm down and move forward, and the positive results you achieved. A good STAR answer can highlight your problem-solving skills, your adaptability, your follow-through, and your self-awareness. Many interviewers listen for completed STARs.
It’s about time that job seekers set the same standard for employers, too.
While searching for a new job, we often forget that the vetting process is two-sided. Employers need to wow candidates just as much as candidates need to impress prospective employers. Listening for STARs when asking hiring managers or HR managers crucial questions about benefits, leadership, culture, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) can help you discover how effectively a company supports its employees and whether that organization is the right place for you.
For International Women’s Day, InHerSight asked our partner employers to share their own STAR responses about gender equity—times they’ve listened and followed through in support of women employees. These standout responses illustrate many of the positive signals you should listen for when asking a company about culture, gender equity, or DEI.
Pretend you asked “How are you supporting women in your workplace?” during an interview. Then, read carefully how these 12 employers respond.
Read more: 10 Questions to Ask a Prospective Employer About Their Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion
1. Intuit started an ongoing series to celebrate women’s bodies
Situation
Through private messages, public forums, and surveys, women at Intuit shared that they felt invisible or "behind" in the workplace because of their age, fertility/infertility, etc. Upon further investigation, Intuit realized that women’s bodies impact a variety of factors.
Task
With help from Intuit Women’s Network chairs, the company decided to tackle the topic of women and their bodies, providing a forum for discussion and offering resources to help in hopes of shifting the narrative.
Action
The Intuit Women's Network advocacy committee created an ongoing series called "Women and Their Bodies." Each month they tackle a different issue, including breast health, body neutrality, menopause, weight, hair, access to health care, periods, and fertility/infertility.
Result
About 100 women participate each month. Women now freely talk about topics that they may have never addressed publicly in the workplace before.
2. Sunbelt Rentals started their first employee resource group (ERG)
Situation
Through an employee survey, Sunbelt Rentals found that their teammates wanted to connect more through shared characteristics and/or life experiences.
Task
They decided to form their first employee resource group (ERG) for women in this male-dominated construction industry: Woman – Inspired. Supported. Empowered. (WISE)
Action
To ensure the ERG met employee needs, Sunbelt started a WISE Advisory Board, surveyed teammates on what they wanted from an ERG, and started a 20-person leadership team to grow WISE’s network.
Result
With leadership support and dedication from the WISE team, Sunbelt created a global ERG that connects women employees in order to amplify their voices and experiences and grow their network.
3. Staples added care options to support employees’ lifestyles
Situation
Pre-pandemic, Staples employees voiced a need for discounted care options for their children, pets, and aging family members. During the pandemic, employees needed access to alternative care options.
Task
Dependent care is a necessity for employees, and it’s vitally important for employees who need to be on-site. Plus, during the pandemic, parents needed support as children navigated virtual learning.
Action
Staples partnered with a family solutions provider that offers childcare at a discounted rate, tutoring services for children, adult companion care for aging parents or special-needs family members, pet-sitting and house-cleaning services, college coaching and elder-care planning, and more.
Result
Coming out of the pandemic, many employees have been using the pet-sitting and dog-walking services as their work routines stabilize. College coaching and daycare usage also continue to rise.
4. InfoTrust worked with their women employees to accommodate their evolving personal needs.
Situation
InfoTrust strives for a culture of transparency. Recently, four women requested to move home locations due to personal reasons.
Task
Leaders at InfoTrust saw what employer inflexibility during the COVID-19 pandemic did to employee satisfaction and wanted to be different. The company decided to partner with employees to find solutions that meet everyone’s needs.
Action
They engaged external experts in tax and employment law to identify options for how the employees’ work could be done from new locations and time zones.
Result
Leaders spoke with each woman directly to find an individual approach. They realized the positive impact of having open, honest conversations and are working toward a mobility policy that’ll support employees throughout their life changes.
5. Hitachi Energy created a Gender Identification Guide to offer support and guidance to transitioning employees.
Situation
To increase awareness around transitioning in the workplace, Hitachi Energy leaders began conducting discussions to challenge biased thinking. In one session, an employee reached out for support with their transition.
Task
Hitachi saw an opportunity to provide education, and they wanted to support their transitioning employees and create more awareness and belonging.
Action
Leaders developed a “Gender Identification Guide” to offer guidance regarding transitioning in the workplace, and to provide support for employees as they manage expressional changes and navigate conversations with colleagues.
Result
One employee's voice set into motion a powerful initiative. The Gender Identification Guide is a commitment to all of the Hitachi Energy employees as they hope to bring their authentic selves to work every day.
6. Pittsburgh Regional Transit created an inclusive paid parental leave policy
Situation
After a colleague gave birth, the president of PRT’s Women’s Employee Resource Group (WERG) discovered the company’s minimal parental leave and decided to take action.
Task
A direct report to PRT’s CEO, she elevated the issue and was given the green light to begin crafting a policy that supported employees of all backgrounds.
Action
She researched other policies and spoke with employees in and out of WERG meetings. They had meaningful conversations about how this policy would affect all employees—men, women, nonbinary employees, married, single, represented, non-represented, birthing, non-birthing, adoptive, and foster parents.
Result
PRT launched a new gender- and marital-status neutral paid parental leave (PPL) policy for eligible non-represented PRT employees. They now have eight weeks of fully paid leave following the birth, adoption, or foster care placement of a child.
7. VTS created a flexible return-to-work plan for new parents
Situation
While VTS has strong parental leave policies, they wanted to figure out a way to make their support of new parents even better and their environment more inclusive of women.
Task
Parenthood is a challenging transition. The goal was to make sure employees knew their wellbeing was valued and to provide them with the space they needed to adjust to coming back to work.
Action
The process started off with a reflection on current policies for parents, asking the question, “How can we do better?” The policy came to life after collaboration with the People team.
Result
VTS implemented a flexible return-to-work schedule for full-time primary caregivers to work 60 percent of their workweek at 100 percent pay for up to the first four weeks following their return from paid parental leave.
8. Ascend Behavior Partners updated their holiday policy to promote a better work-life balance
Situation
In a survey, Ascend asked employees for feedback on the company’s holiday policy, and they received a lot of responses regarding paid holidays.
Task
Leaders felt enough people had expressed the desire to have paid days off, and they wanted to address their needs. Feedback is a valued asset at Ascend, and they often use it to drive initiatives for partners.
Action
Upon diving into the data, they realized a change would not only impact partners in a positive way, but also the families they serve. Executive team members presented the business case and overall benefit to the organization and employee experience.
Result
The company updated their policy to offer six paid holidays to all partners.
9. Amazon supported a software engineer in finding and growing a community in her male-dominated field
Situation
In 2007, a new software engineer at Amazon, who was often the only woman on her team, found she craved connections with other women in tech.
Task
She joined an internal networking group called the Amazon Hoppers, named for Grace Hopper, in order to give and receive support from other women who were familiar with some of the unique challenges with being a woman in tech.
Action
She became a committee chair for the Hoppers and began coordinating mentorship matching for women SDE interns, many of whom were also the only women on their teams. The program grew from 10 interns to 200.
Result
The Hoppers continued to grow and was eventually rebranded as Amazon Women in Engineering (AWE). AWE now has branches across the world and sponsors activities to support Amazon employees as well as potential future Amazon employees via STEM outreach.
10. CrowdStrike removed systemic barriers to hire diverse candidates
Situation
Like many tech companies, CrowdStrike had a lack of gender diversity and an overrepresentation of men. Organically, their Collection and Intelligence teams started moving toward more equitable hiring practices.
Task
The teams tailored the requirements for roles to better capture what they required while being intentional that the language, format, and criteria were messaged in a way that allowed for a broader range of candidates.
Action
They expanded their job qualifications beyond purely technical experience to emphasize the value of soft skills, such as problem-solving and communication, which increased the number of women applicants.
Result
The teams were able to access a broader candidate pool and hire the most qualified candidates for the roles. Other CrowdStrike teams are now following suit!
11. Publicis Sapient started a program to support moms’ return to work
Situation
Seventy percent of Indian women in the formal workforce struggle to re-enter the workforce after caring for their families.
Task
Publicis Sapient in India decided to create a structured return-to-work program that centered on providing the upskilling and support needed for women to re-enter exactly where they left off.
Action
They launched the Spring Program, which provides opportunities for re-entry into engineering, business analysis, and product management roles after a career sabbatical. Each returnee is assigned a mentor, enrolled in a self-paced comprehensive learning program, is paired with a buddy, and is added to a career returnee support group.
Result
PS in India now has a maternity return rate of 98%+. The program is being adopted across other regional offices, starting with the United Kingdom.
12. Gradient AI overhauled their paid parental leave policy to accommodate new parents
Situation
Gradient AI lacked a paid time off policy for new parents, and as they grew, the importance of a formal parental leave policy became more and more apparent.
Task
HR spent a lot of time researching what other companies offer—especially smaller organizations and start-ups—and comparing data to ensure a fair and competitive policy.
Action
Using a template from TriNet and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and with the support of their finance director, HR wrote a policy that was subsequently approved by the executive team.
Result
The new paid parental leave policy was approved, implemented, and now allows for 12 weeks of fully paid leave for parents after the birth, adoption, or fostering of a child. Since instituting the policy, employee satisfaction has increased.
