Behavioural Interview Questions
Behavioural interview questions are designed for candidates to showcase their skills by answering situational questions about their previous work experience. Answering these questions can be rather intimidating and answering them well, can often mean the difference between landing your ideal job, or losing it to your competition.
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Interviewers who ask behavioural interview questions have already identified the skills necessary for the position, they just want to probe into your experiences and uncover the skills you've demonstrated through your past experiences. The goal of the interviewer is to determine if your skills are the best match for the position.
"Be sure to review the job description and identify the specific skills and abilities that the organization is looking for. Focus on telling a concise and interesting story that will show how you fit the position."
Parker offers the ideal techniques that will help you answer those tricky behavioural interview questions:
First, describe a specific situation or task that you needed to accomplish or resolve. Provide details such as names, dates, and places to add credibility to your statement.
Next, describe the action you took. Discuss what you specifically did to address the situation.
Finally, describe the positive results you achieved. Explain how your organization benefited by your actions. If possible, use numbers to quantify your results.
"These techniques will help you demonstrate to an interviewer that you can effectively do the job," says Parker. "Understanding the purpose of behavioral interview, preparing yourself and and using the techniques above to organize your answers will lead you well on your way towards a successful job interview."
Behavioural Interview Questions and Answers - One Method To Rule Them All
Behavioural interview questions are difficult to prepare answers for because it's impossible to know what question you're going to get asked ahead of time. What usually tends to happen when people encounter a difficult question is that they start to ramble and stumble as they try to remember events from their career and cover the question at the same time. Other than sounding awkward it's not the easiest or best way to answer these types of questions.
Use a structure
The best way to answer behavioural interview questions is to use a framework or structure to work through the question in a methodical and clear way. A structure makes answering questions easier, and provides a repeatable way to answer these types of questions no matter what is asked. There are a few structures getting around but my favorite is STAR.
Introducing STAR
You might have heard of STAR before, it's a popular method to follow when dealing with behavioural interview questions and answers. STAR stands for Situation, Task, Actions, Results. Here's some examples to get your creative juices flowing:
Situation
- New project run by the company that's not going well
- New product that needs marketing
- Staff not performing to expectations
Task
- Take immediate action to review and correct project
-Review new and alternative methods for product marketing
- Evaluate staff and recommend actions
Actions
- Perform analysis of project, diagnose issue and correct with new plan
- Run a series of workshops to test marketing theories
- Recommend corrective action for staff, monitor and coach
Results
- Project was completed 2 weeks early and saved the company 200k
- Several possible advertising campaigns were abandoned as research indicated they would flop
- Regular reviews correct staff behavior
Turn this into a story
With a bit of practice the situation, task, actions, results can be turned into a nice flowing story. Keep it short because you don't want to tell an epic Lord Of The Rings style story. If you make your answer powerful and to the point you will keep the interest of the
recruiter.
Prove You Can Do the Job
Behavioural interview questions are a great way to prove that you are the right person for the job. They allow you to demonstrate that you have the reactions and competencies necessary to be successful in a role. So be prepared and embrace your chance.
While you can't exactly anticipate the exact questions if you use STAR you can recall stories from your career that can demonstrate that you have the skill and competencies necessary to be successful.
Use These Behavioural Interview Questions And Answers To Ace The Next Interview
No preparation, no job!Going directly into interviews without any idea concerning the questions you're likely to be asked is a recipe for catastrophe. To be totally organized for an interview you need to practice and rehearse as many behavioural interview questions as you possibly can.
Behavioural interview questions are not your typical "what do you know about us style" of question. Behavioural interview questions require preparation and thought since they will be different depending on who is asking them. The easiest method to plan for them is to practice coming up with answers.
The core message is the same
The majority of behavioural interview questions tend to center around a few common themes such as handling difficult relationships, negotiating with other people, achieving results under pressure, handling priorities and gaining knowledge of additional skills. Listed here are a few example interview questions and answers you can practice in advance of your next interview.
Question: Tell me about a time when there seemed to be an unrealistic expectation placed upon you?
Answer: I was informed that a difficult customer wished to see somebody from the company, because the sales guy was out I was told I was the next best thing. Although it was a sales related problem I was still capable of helping the angry customer and keeping the engagement alive.
Question: Tell me about a time you felt the need to present a unpopular concept to management and get them to support it?
Answer: While working on a project I inherited, I discovered that the supplier selected was doing a very bad job. The vendors CEO was friends with my CEO therefore, the decision to ask my management to change was going to be unpopular. I was told I had to state my case to the CEO. I used dollars and time to explain why it was a bad decision to carry on.
Question: Provide a recent example of a time that you had to solve a problem with your imagination?
Answer: I was running a data centre fit out project when one of the electricians laughed and said that the servers would not fit into the lift. As the data center was 3 levels up getting servers up the tight stairs would be too difficult. Employing a bit of imagination I had the builders remove an enormous window and got a crane to lift the servers in one by one.
Question: Share a time when you stepped into a job or project without having a road map, Exactly how did you begin gathering the required information?
Answer: While working at ACB, I was given project123. This project had no road map just a clearly defined target. Making use of my knowledge as a project manager I was able to interview people, gain a comprehension of the process, define a work breakdown structure and create a road map.
Hopefully these kind of questions and answers encourage some thought for your next interview!