Behavioral Interviewing

Behavioral Interviewing - What is it?

Behavioral interviewing is a style of interviewing that many companies are using in the hiring process. It offers a more objective approach for employers to determine which candidate should be hired. The philosophy behind behavioral interviewing is that past performance is an accurate predictor of future performance.

Preparing for the Behavioral Interview

The difficult part of the behavioral interview is preparing for it. To determine which skills the employer is seeking, read the job description. Become familiar with the skills employers may be seeking. Some of these are:

Communications Skills Integrity
Motivation Computer Skills
Teamwork Decision Making
Interpersonal Skills Flexibility/Adaptability
Analytical Skills Creativity
Leadership Skills Organizational Skills

Formulate examples from work, internships, classes, team involvement, and community service. Pick examples that demonstrate skills the job will require. Like many new graduates, you may not have much paid work experience. However, your group projects provide excellent opportunities to demonstrate skills the employers are seeking.

The process of answering behavioral questions is extremely important. Follow the three-step STAR process by briefly giving the …

1. Situation or Task
2. Action
3. Result or outcome

Sample Behavioral Questions

• Give me an example of a time when you had to be quick in coming to a decision.
• Give me an example of your leadership skills and how you motivate others.
• Tell me about the biggest pressure you faced, either in school or work, and how you resolved that pressure.
• Give me an example of an important goal you had to set and tell me about your process in reaching that goal.
• Tell me about a situation in the past year in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker.
• Describe a situation when you were able to have a positive influence on the actions of others.
• Give me an example of a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty.
• Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?
• What have you done in the past to contribute toward a teamwork environment?
• How do you decide what gets top priority when scheduling your time?
• Give me an example when your schedule has been suddenly interrupted. What did you do?
• Give a specific example of a policy you conformed to which you did not agree.
• Give me an example of an important goal that you had set in the past and tell me about your success in reaching it.
• Sometimes it is easy to get “over your head.” Describe a situation where you had to request help on a project or assignment.
• Tell me about a time someone wasn’t pulling his or her own weight. What did you do and what was the final outcome?
• We can sometimes identify a small problem and fix it before it becomes a major problem. Give an example of how you have done this.
• Recall a time from your work experience when your manager was unavailable and a problem arose. How did you handle that situation and how did it make you feel?
• Give me an example of when you had to adjust quickly to a situation. What was the impact of the change on you?
• What has been your experience in giving presentations to small or large groups? What has been your most successful experience in speech making?
• Describe a situation in which you found that your results were not up to your professor or supervisor’s expectations. What happened? What action did you take?
• Compare and contrast a time when you did work which was above the standard with times your work was below the standard.
• Describe your ideal work environment and explain why.
• Tell me about a time when you had multiple projects due at the same time. How did you handle it?
• Give me an example of when you had to think on your feet to extricate yourself from a difficult situation.