Behavioral Interview Questions

It is pretty safe to assume that you will come across behavioral interview questions at some point in the interview process. Common behavioral interview topics include team building, versatility, problem solving, commitment, perception, analysis, and communication, to name a few. Keep in mind that the behavioral interview is based on the premise that past performance is a key indicator of future performance in a similar role/environment. Preparing for behavioral interviews can greatly improve your interview skills for phone screenings and traditional interviews, so read on…

Preparation includes

• Gathering knowledge about
  o the company,
  o roles and responsibilities of the position,
  o necessary skills to do the job,
  o why the position is open (is it a new role, or did someone leave, and why)
• Presenting a top notch resume,
• Being prepared to discuss your education, work experience, and the characteristics you possess coupled with your ability to operate in the work environment.

The objective is to sell yourself and to do so truthfully…don’t embellish on your resume, or during an interview.

Get the interview. Your resume is how you create your first impression, so make sure it is complete, professional, honest, and error free (including spelling and grammar). Once your resume and application get you noticed, often times, the phone interview is treated as a screening to ensure accuracy of your resume and to weed out candidates based on functional/technical ability and how your experience lends itself to the opportunity. When you are brought in for a face to face interview, continue to be prepared to discuss your skill set, work experience, and resume, and be prepared for behavioral interview questions. Behavioral interview questions give recruiters and hiring managers a true sense of how you handle situations in the work environment including stress, management, colleagues, deadlines, and more….remember “past performance is a key indicator of future performance in a similar role/environment.”

During the interview, it is imperative to keep in mind the position for which you are interviewing. For example, if you are interviewing for a management position, and a question is asked of you about your previous experience leading a team, make sure you provide a positive example that highlights your management/leadership skills that helped your team be successful. This seems like common sense, but the nerves of an interview can take over if you are not prepared (be prepared, not memorized and insincere). Practice answering questions with the STAR approach.

1. Situation/Task (state the situation or task at hand)
2. Action, (state the action that you took)
3. Result (state the results/outcome)

The STAR approach enables you to provide a complete answer with a beginning, middle and end. Coupling this approach with your knowledge of the roles and responsibilities of the position for which you are interviewing, you should be well prepared for most questions.

Here are some sample behavioral interview questions:

1. Provide an example of how you have been successful at empowering either a person or a group of people in accomplishing a task.
2. Tell me about a time when you made a personal sacrifice in order to reach a work objective.
3. Describe a time in which you found it necessary to speak up about an issue where there was a real or potential risk to the company or your project and your perspective was not popular. What was the outcome?
4. Tell me about a position you have held that required you to remain focused in a chaotic environment.
5. Describe a project when you were especially energized and others (team, business unit etc.) did not able to share your exuberance. Were you able to change their views or inspire more energy and motivation for the project?
6. This position is an important leadership role for moving our organization forward – Why are you the one for the job?

Good luck!

Thanks Allison for sharing it.