More behavioral interview tips

When interviewers start questions with


*Tell us about a time when you...
*Give us an example of a situation where you...
*Describe a situation in which...

They're trying to find out:

* How you react in a given situation
* What thought processes you go through
* How you reach decisions
* What action you take
* How you monitor your results

To probe further, they'll ask "why"?

Bae prepared for further questions from the interviewer, in response to the answer you give, such as:

* How did you reach that decision?
* Would you do anything different next time?
* Did your actions work?

Behavioral interview questions-tough questions I've been asked in the past

Behavioral interview questions are tough. They make you squirm because the answer isn't written in stone, and you sometimes can't tell what the interviewer is looking for.

Here are some behavioral interview questions (and answers) I've been asked in the past.

1. (For a telemarketing job). Tell us about a time when you had to persuade someone one to buy something. I answered with the time I sold magazine articles to a publication. This apparently wasn't good enough. I didn't get the job.

2. (For a teaching job). Tell us about a time when something went wrong in the classroom (now pretend it hasn't happened, it has happened to all of us). My answer-- I told the committee about my experience with a group of medical secretarial students who were difficult to teach. I explained what I did that didn't work, and why I thought that. Then I further detailed what I learned and what I would do differently. (I did get that job).


3. (For another teaching job) "Tell us about your greatest accomplishment". I said that my greatest accomplishment as a teacher was the students who wrote to me and told me that they learned something. I think they wanted to hear that I had develop some amazing program that changed the world. Perhaps I gave an example that was too low key, or perhaps, I hadn't thought more thoroughly about my accomplishments. I didn't get that job.

Sample behavioral interview questions and answers-Self starter

Some interviewers want to know just how much of a self-starter you are, to what extent you would take initiative in a given situation. Here are some actual questions from an HR department.

1. Just as there are busy times, there are also also slack time. Tell me about the most recent slack time you faced.

To answer this questions consider theses details:

*When this happened
*Just how slack it was compasred to the normal flow.
*What you did during this period
*What your peers were doing.

consider: Did you ever ask for assignment during slack times?

Here's another self-starter behavioral interview question and sample answer guideline


2. Tell me about a time you showed the most initiative



Here you would go into your STAR (situation, task, action, result) answer. Describe the situation the problems that you had to tackle, the action and the result. In particular, consider the following:

*What did you do that was beyond your normal duties?
*How often have you shown this kind of initiative?
*Interviewer here could ask for another example or a more recent example. Tell me about the most recent example of where you showed initiative.

To prepare. Reflect on examples where you took initiative that you are particularly proud of. Avoid any kind of descriptions that attach blame to anyone or protray events negatively.

Behavioural interview questions - one word answer?

Can you answer a behaviorial interview questions be answer with a one word answer?
The answer is no! A one word answer, especially a yes/ no answer, will stifle the converstaion. Remember, the purpose of the interview is to have a focussed conversation with a potential employer to demonstrate how might be of value to the company. The inherent nature of the behaviorial questions requires more than one word answers.your answers to these questions should be

1)Descriptive - use the five w's and the h in your STAR ()to set the scene.
2)Anectdotal - focused on a story with a beginning, middle and end
3)Action oriented - you can't demonstrate action by answer yes or no. You can only answer be giving examples.

Behavioral interview :Important tips

 

Here are some more tips to answering behavioral interview questions

 

FOCUS AND DEDICATION TO THE INDUSTRY:

1. Why did you choose your major and career?
2. At what point did you make this decision?
3. Specifically, what attracts you to this industry as a career?

ANALYSIS:

1. What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision?
 2. We can sometimes identify a small problem and fix it before it becomes a major problem. Give an example(s) of how you have done this.
 3. Describe a situation in which you had to collect information by asking many questions of several people.
 4. In a supervisory or group leader role, have you ever had to discipline or counsel an employee or group member? What was the nature of the discipline? What steps did you take? How did that make you feel? How did you prepare yourself?

JOB MOTIVATION:

 Give examples of your experiences at school or in a job that were satisfying. Give examples of your experiences that were dissatisfying.

INITIATIVE:

 Describe some projects or ideas (not necessarily your own) that were implemented, or carried out successfully primarily because of your efforts.

Courtesy of cb prjapati

Sample behavioral Interview questions

Adaptability:

Tell me of a a time when you adapted to  fellow workers style or ideas to complete project project.

Analytical Skills/Problem Solving
 Think of a situation that required problem solving skills.  Use the STAR Method.
 


Communication:
How do you deal with conflict? Give an example. Give an example of a situation when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even if that individual did not personally like you How did you handle the situation?

Creativity:

Tell about a problem that solved in a unique or unusual way. What was the outcome?




Goal Setting:
Tell a time when you set a goal and were able to achieve it. What do you consider your greatest achievement so far and why? Tell us  about a goal that you did not reach. How did you feel about it?
What would you do differently? 

Categories of behavioral interview questions

There are different categories of behavioral interivew questions that interviewers can ask. Each category represent a key transferable skill that an employer wants you to explain through anecdotes how you demonstrated it.  Some areas they are interested in:

Adaptability
Ambition
Analytical thinking
Building relationships
Communication
Conflict resolution
Customer focus
Decision making
Delegation
Detail orientation
Employee development
Creative thinking/problem solving
Flexibility
Initiative
Interpersonal skills
Innovation
Integrity
Leadership
Listening
Motivating others
Motivation
Negotiation
Organization
Performance Management
Personal effectiveness
Persuasion
Planning
Presentation
Project management
Relating well


In my future posts I will start detailing different behavioral interview questions and their answers.