Behavioral Interviewing

What is behavioral interviewing?

• Behavioral interviewing is a technique used by employers in which the questions asked assist the employer in making predictions about a potential employee’s future success based on past behaviors. (What you did do, not what you would do.)
• In behavioral interviews, you are asked to give specific examples of when you demonstrated particular behaviors or skills. You must describe in detail a specific event, project, or experience and tell how you dealt with it and what the outcome was.
• The interview is structured with open-ended questions.

How do you prepare for behavioral interviewing?

• Research the organization and the position to try to determine what skills are necessary for the job. Prepare yourself for questions that are geared toward those skills.
• Identify examples of events where you demonstrated the skills sought by the organization. (Coursework, work experience, leadership, teamwork, initiative, customer service, etc.)

How do you answer behavioral questions?

• Keep your answers specific and detailed. Use the three step process: 1.) Situation 2.) Action 3.) Outcome. Describe a specific situation, the action(s) you took and what the outcome was.
• Make sure you understand the question. Ask for clarification if necessary.
• Keep all of your responses positive.
• Don’t be afraid to take a few minutes to think about the question. The interviewer understands that you don’t know what will be asked of you.
• Never lie or make up a story.

Examples of behavioral interview questions:

• Give me an example of a time when you had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision.
• Give me an example of an important goal you had to set and tell me about your progress in reaching that goal.
• Describe the most creative work-related project that you have completed.
• Give me an example of a time when you had to show good leadership.
• Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?
• Tell me about a situation in the past year in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker.
• Describe some times when you where not satisfied with your work. What did you do about it?
• How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time? Give examples