How to answer behavioural interview questions and impress the interviewer!
During a job interview you have to be prepared for anything. Even for behavioural interview questions!
First you start off with the “Tell me about yourself” questions, followed by an evaluation of your strengths, skills and work experience.
Granted, the interviewer would sometimes take your word at face value, however, in these times, they’re asking questions that involve examples of your work accomplishments, work ethic and problem-solving capabilities.
These types of questions are referred to as behavioural interview questions, and they fit cohesively with the ‘Don’t tell me, show me’ culture of the 21st century workplace.
What are behavioural interview questions?
Behavioural interview questions determine one’s ability to contribute value and is often referred to as the STAR method of interviewing.
This type of questions seek to address and discover:
- Situation – What was the situation where a challenge arose?
- Task – What was the task/work you had to get done?
- Action – What form of action was required to get the task done in that situation?
- Result – What was the end result? Were you successful in getting the task completed?
What should I expect in a behavioural interview?
You can expect the following common behavioural questions:
- Tell me about a successful project you worked on at your last organisation.
- Tell me about a time you had a conflict with a colleague or manager. How did you resolve it?
- Were there any projects you worked on as part of a team?
- Were you ever in a position that required you to take initiative and show leadership?
- Describe an incident where you made a mistake and the steps you took to rectify it.
These type of questions demand clear examples that demonstrates you have the practical skill of applying knowledge to real life situations.
Do not divulge any personal information or use this opportunity to badmouth your last employer. You can categorise any previous work conflicts as “differences in work ethic or personalities”. Never mention any names. Highlight how you alleviated any conflicts, produced a healthy working relationship, and detail some accomplishments you achieved together.
How to prepare for a behavioural interview?
Behavioural interview questions require accounts of your work experience to back up your claims as being the best candidate for the job.
Examine the skills mentioned in the job description
Based on the job description, you can identify the skills they’re looking for and compile a list of likely questions the interviewer may ask.
For example, if the position is a customer service representative, you will be asked for examples dealing with irate customers, or going the extra mile to ensure a customer is satisfied. If you’re applying to be a project manager, behavioural questions can include, “Tell me a time you had to meet a tight deadline” or “How did you manage different personalities to ensure deliverables were met?”
If the job description asks for leadership skills, time management or web development skills, rest assured you will be asked behavioural questions to provide examples of teams you’ve led, schedules you’ve managed or websites you developed.
The skills outlined in the job description is the foundation upon which behavioural questions will be asked.
Pick out relevant examples
Once you’ve examined the job description and identified the skills and possible questions to test those skills, you can pick out the relevant examples from your work history.
Consider the STAR approach.
- Situation – What were some of your notable situations where challenges arose?
- Tasks – What were the tasks that you were called upon to do?
- Action – What actions you took to complete those tasks and overcome the challenges?
- Result – What was the accomplishment? Did you succeed? Was the problem solved? How did your organisation/customer respond to the actions and solutions you provided?
Once you get sufficient examples, it will tremendously prove your worth to potential employers. You will also be spared the frustration of trying to think of examples on the spot, which can leave you looking unprepared, fraudulent or incompetent.
Improve your story-telling
Answering behavioural questions is essentially storytelling. Your answers therefore should adopt a storytelling approach to engage, educate and even entertain the interviewer.
You can again, use the STAR method as a guide to tell your stories. Describe the:
- Situation – The company/department & job positioned you worked. What problem arose?
- Task – What solution was required on your end to alleviate the problem?
- Action – What did you actually do to solve the problem?
- Result – Was the problem solved? What benefit came to the company as a result of your solution?
Keep your answers concise
Adequately preparing the stories you’re going to tell prevents you from rambling.
Don’t spend elaborate amounts of time on the Situation or Task. Place the majority of your emphasis on the Action you took and Results achieved.
Behavioural Interview sample questions & answers
Have you ever made a mistake? How did you handle it?
“I once misquoted an amount on an invoice at the last place I worked. I explained my mistake to my supervisor, who appreciated my honesty and ownership of the error.
He advised me to email the client, offer sincere apologies and indicate the invoice needs to be revised due to a computation error. Despite the miscalculation, the client was understanding and was sent the correct invoice shortly after.
I regretted the mistake, however it did teach me to pay close attention to the details so as to be sure to give accurate information in the future.”
Give an example of a time you were part of a team. How did you contribute to the overall goal?
“During my last year at my previous company, I worked as part of a project team in the Marketing department. The project was involved an advertising campaign for a new product in a developing market.
I was assigned multiple tasks that I performed which included market research, copywriting, building presentations and visiting retail stores. The project was a tremendous success with sales revenues exceeding the forecast and the product being featured on several high profile news stations.”
Tell me about a time you were in a position of leadership
“I led a team of presenters who were giving a big presentation to a CEO of a multination chain. I held a brief meeting the week before and actually discovered the newest employee had the best orator skills for the presentation.
I decided to shift tasks around to pertain to everyone’s skills to get the most impact from this presentation. It turned out the presentation went smoothly as everyone was comfortable and competent in the new roles I’d assigned them.”
What should I do next?
- Read more about how to answer the most common interview questions
- Read more about The 25 top interview questions
- Read about How to overcome anxiety before an interview
