Tell me of a time when you…
Could you give me an example of when…
Does your mind ever go blank when asked to retell a story that you know by heart? Mine does. I have found a useful approach to compile concise moments, examples, and stories.
The STAR system stands for: Situation, Task, Action, and Result. It is something I used often when building reports for clients when I worked at different marketing agencies.
I’ve applied it to telling short career stories. Please enjoy the 4 true stories from my career below:
1. Leading a Team Through Ambiguity
S: At TAB Bank, we faced a challenge: launch a new high-yield savings campaign with zero historical data, no prior creative, and tight regulatory oversight.
T: I was tasked with leading the marketing team to define the GTM strategy and execute under pressure.
A: I rallied the team by clarifying what we did know, established a frequent collaboration cadence, and built systems to generate fast, compliant creatives. I took ownership of cross-department communication to unblock legal and dev bottlenecks.
R: In just 4 months, our campaign raised $112M in new deposits. This was 3X our 12-month goal. The team ended more aligned than when we began.
2. Innovating With Low Resources
S: At Incline Marketing, I inherited 89+ Local Service Ad accounts with limited headcount and no automation.
T: My challenge was to improve retention and performance without increasing costs.
A: I introduced tiered service levels, built scalable SOPs, and trained team leads to own reporting and communication. I also repurposed internal tools (like Google Sheets + Google Analytics) for performance dashboards.
R: Within 90 days, client satisfaction improved as lead volume increased dramatically for each client. This improved churn and enabled us to scale the client base for the product 2X without adding staff.
3. Coaching Underperformers
S: A junior member on my team at Bean Patch Beanies was missing deadlines and struggling to meet business benchmarks.
T: I wanted to transform his output without micromanaging.
A: I implemented a weekly development 1:1, allowing a safe space for him and me to discuss his challenges and where he needed support. We shifted his responsibilities to one key project that matched his learning style.
R: Within 60 days, his execution improved 2x, creating internal recognition for the most improved contributor.
4. Driving KPI Success Through Experimentation
S: At TAB Bank, CAC on paid media was rising while lead quality was declining.
T: I was accountable for improving efficiency without reducing spend.
A: I launched a 60-day testing sprint, segmenting audiences by intent and layering in creative variants. I also introduced a micro-conversion metric to benchmark early quality indicators (CTR and Cost-Per-Account). I introduced data training on machine learning for the channels as well.
R: We reduced CAC by 34% and identified two new target segments that now account for 25%+ of the monthly consumer signups.
What are your stories to tell?
I encourage you to use the STAR system not just for reporting, but for telling your story.
Noah Cisneros 
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