Behavior-Based Interview Questions
Traditional interview questions allow you to project how you might fit in a certain environment or respond to a given situation. Behavior-based questions target your previous experiences and responses on the premise that behaviors you demonstrated in the past are likely to be repeated. Behavioral interviewing is also designed to help minimize subjective impressions by focusing on your previous experience.
Behavior-based interview questions will ask you to focus on specific examples that will target behaviors the interviewer believes are needed for success in the position. Sample questions might include:
- “Tell me about a situation in which you solved a problem as a member of a group or team. What was your role?”
- “Describe a major problem you have faced and how you dealt with it.”
- “This position requires meeting frequent deadlines. Please give me an example of a time you had to work under time pressure.”
- “Tell me about a time you had to handle a difficult person. How did you handle the situation and what happened?”
- “Can you give me an example?”
- “What did you do? What was your role?”
- “How did you feel in that situation?”
- “What were you thinking when that happened?”
- “What was the end result?”
- Identify before the interview some recent situations that would illustrate favorable behaviors or actions, especially involving leadership, teamwork, initiative, problem solving, planning/organizing, or other skills you feel would be beneficial in the position for which you are applying.
- Be sure each story has a beginning, middle and end. In general, you should describe the situation you faced, the task you hoped to accomplish, the action you took to reach that goal, and the actual result. Be sure to stop talking when the story is over; the interviewer will ask follow-up questions as needed.
- Be honest. Embellishments or omissions discovered later in the process can damage your credibility. Sharing what you learned from the situation or what you would do differently the next time can provide the interviewer with equally valuable information.
- Be specific. Do not try to generalize about several different events; give a detailed account of one specific situation.