Answer Behavioral Interview Questions

Behavioral interview questions ask you to describe how you've handled situations in the past. The guiding idea here is that your past performance in a given situation is the best predictor of your future performance in a similar situation.[1] This interview tactic can be tough, but it can also be a great opportunity to show a potential employer why he or she should hire you.

Steps

Answering a Question

  1. Prepare for the STAR model. This is a common behavioral interview format. "Tell us about a Situation or Task that you encountered in a past position. Describe the Action you took, and explain the Result." An example of this might be, "Tell us about a time where you were confronted by an angry customer. What did you do, and what was the result?" The panel may then ask further, more in-depth questions about the details of the situation that you describe.[2]
    • Listen carefully to the question the interviewer asks. Be sure that you are giving an example that will demonstrate the skills they are looking for.
    • Clarify what is being asked by rephrasing the question back to the interviewer. Demonstrate that you understand the question. This way, the interviewer can put you back on the right track if you didn't fully understand what the question was asking.[3]
  2. Describe the situation.[4] The interviewers will usually prompt you to think of a specific type of situation: e.g. a time when you had to resolve a conflict between members of your team. Pick a situation that paints you in a positive light. Provide an example of a time when you previously demonstrated a certain competency or behavior, preferably in a work situation: for example, your problem-solving ability.[5]
    • You don't need to pick a "success," necessarily. If you can explain how you learned from failure, then you may impress employers with your honesty.
    • Try to think of relevant situations ahead of time. Make a short list of challenges that you've overcome in past jobs that might also be applicable to this new job.
    • The situation doesn't need to be something that occurred at a job. If you don't have much relevant work experience, try to draw from situations that occurred while you were at college or school, playing on a sports team, volunteering, or performing any other extracurricular activities.[6]
  3. Talk about a task. This task might be a project, a repeating role, or a special mission. The task may be something that you encountered on a regular basis at a past job, or it may be the account of a request that took you out of your comfort zone. Think back to a project that challenged you to grow.
  4. Outline the action that you took.[7] Tell the interviewers about the steps that you took to resolve the situation. Explain your thought process and how you knew what to do. Make sure to focus on what you as an individual did. If you refer to "we," then it will not be clear what your specific contribution was. Do not inflate your own importance, but be sure to own your actions.[8]
  5. Like telling a story, you need to have a little context to understand it. This beginning or introduction is called the Situation. Describe the time and position you had, a little of what you were doing or the company was doing at this time so that the listener is oriented and informed.
    • If you are describing a customer situation, then explain how you handled that customer. If you are answering a question about a team conflict, then explain what you said to each member of the team in question.
  6. Explain the result. Clearly detail the outcome of your actions, including what happened and what you learned from the situation.[9] It is very important to frame the example as a learning experience.[10]

Predicting the Questions

  1. Think about the situations that you might encounter in the course of this job.[11] If you are interviewing for a specific position, then any behavioral interview questions will probably relate to common challenges that you'll face while working. The questions will prompt you to explain how your personal attitude and skill-set will apply to this new job.[12]
    • If you are applying for a job that involves customer service, then you will probably be asked questions about past experiences handling customers. How have you dealt with angry customers? How have you gone out of your way to satisfy customers?[13]
    • If you are applying for a job that will entail working in a team, then some of the interview questions may revolve around your past experience working in teams. How have you taken charge or helped balance a team?[14]
    • If the potential job involves emergency response or high-pressure situations, then many of the behavioral interview questions will seek to understand how you behave under pressure. Think about times when you have reacted calmly and decisively to a high-pressure situation.
  2. Study common behavioral interview questions. Read over lists of the most common interview questions.[15] If you are applying to a big-name company that fields a lot of applicants, then search online for the accounts of others who have interviewed for the same job at the same company.
  3. Prepare, but don't over-prepare. You don't need to rehearse and regurgitate a scripted answer. You only need to be able to reference examples that paint you in a positive light. Before the interview, make a short list of situations and projects from past jobs that might be relevant to this new position.
    • Try to remember the details. If you cannot clearly explain what you did in a situation, then you should not use that situation as an example.
    • Consider sketching out potential answers beforehand. Again: no need to memorize them! Simply use the writing as a tool for exploring how a given situation relates to the new job.

Preparing for Follow-Up Questions

  1. Be ready for further probing. It is common behavioral interview practice for the recruiters to ask follow-up questions that explore the situation in more detail. The recruiters want to use the example as a stepping-off point for understanding the way that you work. Thus: make sure that you've used an example that you can talk about in greater detail.
    • The recruiter might say, "Tell me why you did that," or "Can you explain what was going through your head at that moment?"
    • Follow-up questions might ask you to explain the long-term consequences of your example action. You may wind up explaining much more about the role in which the example took place.
  2. Do not make up fake examples. Prepare complete and actual examples of behaviors that you know relate to the position. The follow-up questions will request you to explain the situation in great detail. Indeed, they are designed to root out answers that have been fabricated. If you haven't thought your answer through, then the recruiters may dismiss the example as a fake.
  3. Answer honestly. Own your successes and your failures. Even if the example that you used was a great "success" from your professional career, the follow-up questions might prompt you to explain other similar situations in which you were not so successful. Try to own your mistakes and frame them as learning experiences. Show that you can handle both good and bad situations in a mature way.[16]

Tips

  • There are no right or wrong answers. The answer should describe in detail what you did in a certain situation. You can prepare good examples by analyzing the job to determine the required competencies or behaviors.
  • It is often difficult to think of appropriate examples within the time limits and stressful environment of a job interview. Thus, it is usually a good idea to spend some time preparing before the interview.

Related Articles

References

  1. ↑ http://www.theladders.com/career-advice/acing-behavioral-interview
  2. ↑ [v161448_b01]. 25 June 2020.
  3. ↑ http://theinterviewguys.com/behavioral-interview-questions-and-answers-101/
  4. ↑ [v161448_b01]. 25 June 2020.
  5. ↑ http://www.hsu.edu/Career/completelistofbehavioral.pdf
  6. ↑ http://www.best-job-interview.com/behavioral-interview.html
  7. ↑ [v161448_b01]. 25 June 2020.
  8. ↑ http://career-advice.monster.com/job-interview/interview-preparation/you-can-survive-the-behavioral-interview/article.aspx
  9. ↑ [v161448_b01]. 25 June 2020.
  10. ↑ http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2011/09/26/how-to-answer-behavorial-interview-questions
  11. ↑ [v161448_b01]. 25 June 2020.
  12. ↑ http://www.theladders.com/career-advice/acing-behavioral-interview
  13. ↑ http://career-advice.monster.com/job-interview/interview-questions/100-potential-interview-questions/article.aspx
  14. ↑ https://www.themuse.com/advice/30-behavioral-interview-questions-you-should-be-ready-to-answer
  15. ↑ http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2013/01/11/how-to-ace-the-50-most-common-interview-questions/#2e5e12824873
  16. ↑ http://biginterview.com/blog/2013/09/behavioral-interview-questions-conflict.html

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