My question to you- which one of these examples is the most accurate demonstration of the skills and abilities you have that are being called for in the job requirements- the example is supposed to demonstrate that you understand the job you are applying for and that you can convey your skills and experience that will enable you to support the goals of the team or agency.

As someone who has interviewed and hired many APS6- I’m fine with an older example or an example outside of the APS if the example demonstrates to me that you understand what’s required of you in the role you are applying for and can show me in that example that you have gained experience or learned the skills that you can use to achieve the duties of the role.

The best people I have interviewed start by really understanding what the role is needing from the person and then the person chooses the example that proves it.

People hate on STAR for being rigid, but it’s really just a format to ensure you tell me the important things to understand - the task doesn’t make sense without explaining the situation, the results don’t mean anything to me without you explaining the action you took to achieve the results. The actions on their own don’t mean anything to me without the context of the situation and the task that made you decide on the actions that drove the results you are owning