Successfully Answer Behavioral Questions in Your Job Interview

Many employers are now doing "behavioral interviews". Rather than focusing on your resume and reviewing your accomplishments as you have written them on paper, the "behavioral" interviewer will ask you open-ended questions that will cause you to describe real circumstances and your responses to them.

General answers about behavior are not what the employer is looking for. You must describe in detail a particular event, project, or experience and you dealt with the situation, and what the outcome was. The premise behind behavioral interviewing is that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations.

Although it will be more difficult to prepare concrete answers in advance to these interviews (as opposed to traditional ones), you can and should take some time to review your understanding of yourself, your past successes and concrete examples of your accomplishments. Work on honesty, sincerity and candidness. When you start to tell a behavioral story, the interviewer may try to sort out the details by understanding your behaviors.

The interviewer will probe for more depth, detail or understanding with questions like: “What were you thinking at that point?” or “Tell me more about what you discussed with that person.”

If you’ve told a story that’s anything but totally honest, your response will not hold up through these probes.

If you have a spouse or friend that can pose as an interviewer for you, it can be helpful for you to practice answering open-ended questions, such as the following. Have your friend probe further:

• Tell me about a time that you demonstrated initiative?

• Describe a situation when have you motivated yourself to complete an assignment or task that you did not want to do?

• Think about a difficult boss, professor or other person. What made him or her difficult? How did you successfully interact with this person?

• Think about a complex project or assignment that you have been assigned. What approach did you take to complete it?

• Tell me about the riskiest decision that you have made. What were your considerations in making that particular decision.

• Can you tell me about an occasion where you needed to work with a group to get a job done? What were the challenges and difficulties and how did you face these?

• Describe a situation when you or a group that you were a part of were in danger of missing a deadline. What did you do?

• Tell me about a time when you worked with a person who did things very differently from you. How did you get the job done? Would you work with that person again if given the choice?

• Describe your three greatest accomplishments to date.

• Tell me about a situation when you had to learn something new in a short time. How did you proceed?

• Can you tell me about a complex problem that you solved? Describe the process you utilized.

• Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision.

• Give me an example of a bad decision that you made and what you learned from that mistake?

• Tell me about a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed. What did you learn from that failure?

• Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem. What did you learn from that mistake?

• Tell me about a challenge that you successfully met.

• Describe a situation when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.

• Please tell me about one or two unpopular decisions you have made. What were the positive and negative outcomes of those decisions?

• What leadership positions have you held? Describe your leadership style. What aspects of your leadership style have you changed or deleted once you learned that these aspects were not successful?

• Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.

• Summarize a situation where you successfully persuaded others to do something or to see your point of view. Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion.

• Give an example of when your persistence had the biggest payoff.

• How have you most constructively dealt with disappointment and turned it into a learning experience? Please give me a concrete example in your life.

• Tell me of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.

• Describe a situation in which you effectively developed a solution to a problem by combining different perspectives or approaches.

When answering "behavioral questions", do try to steer clear of the pat answers that interviewers are adept at spotting. For example, don't try to portray yourself as a person that never makes mistakes. Or as a person whose only failings are that you work too much, are too dedicated, too loyal, etc.

Be honest about your mistakes since the experienced interviewer will be looking for "progress" and "growth", not perfection. But, do give an example of how you learned from your mistake and how that experience has benefited you in the long run.

Be succinct and concise! In all behavioral answers, the interviewer wants to hear:

• A brief description of the problem, challenge or situation.

• What your action was & how you decided that action.

• A brief description of the result of your action and your assessment of its result.

The 150 Typical Job Interview Questions

1. How would you describe yourself?
2. What specific goals, including those related to your occupation, have you established for your life?
3. How has your college experience prepared you for a business career?
4. Please describe the ideal job for you following graduation.
5. What influenced you to choose this career?
6. At what point did you choose this career?
7. What specific goals have you established for your career?
8. What will it take to attain your goals, and what steps have you taken toward attaining them?
9. What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?
10. How do you determine or evaluate success? Give me an example of one of your successful accomplishments.
11. Do you have the qualifications and personal characteristics necessary for success in your chosen career?
12. What has been your most rewarding accomplishment?
13. If you could do so, how would you plan your college career differently?
14. Are you more energized by working with data or by collaborating with other individuals?
15. How would you describe yourself in terms of your ability to work as a member of a team?
16. What motivates you to put forth your greatest effort?
17. Given the investment our company will make in hiring and training you, can you give us a reason to hire you?
18. Would you describe yourself as goal-driven?
19. Describe what you've accomplished toward reaching a recent goal for yourself.
20. What short-term goals and objectives have you established for yourself?
21. Can you describe your long-range goals and objectives?
22. What do you expect to be doing in five years?
23. What do you see yourself doing in ten years?
24. How would you evaluate your ability to deal with conflict?
25. Have you ever had difficulty with a supervisor or instructor? How did you resolve the conflict?
26. Tell me about a major problem you recently handled. Were you successful in resolving it?
27. Would you say that you can easily deal with high-pressure situations?
28. What quality or attribute do you feel will most contribute to your career success?
29. What personal weakness has caused you the greatest difficulty in school or on the job?
30. What were your reasons for selecting your college or university?
31. If you could change or improve anything about your college, what would it be?
32. How will the academic program and coursework you've taken benefit your career?
33. Which college classes or subjects did you like best? Why?
34. Are you the type of student for whom conducting independent research has been a positive experience?
35. Describe the type of professor that has created the most beneficial learning experience for you.
36. Do you think that your grades are a indication of your academic achievement?
37. What plans do you have for continued study? An advanced degree?
38. Before you can make a productive contribution to the company, what degree of training do you feel you will require?
39. Describe the characteristics of a successful manager.
40. Why did you decide to seek a position in this field?
41. Tell me what you know about our company.
42. Why did you decide to seek a position in this company?
43. Do you have a geographic preference?
44. Why do you think you might like to live in the community in which our company is located?
45. Would it be a problem for you to relocate?
46. To what extent would you be willing to travel for the job?
47. Which is more important to you, the job itself or your salary?
48. What level of compensation would it take to make you happy?
49. Tell me about the salary range you're seeking.
50. What are the most important rewards you expect to gain from your career?
51. How would you define "success" for someone in your chosen career?
52. What qualifications do you have that will make you successful in this company?
53. What skills have you acquired from your work experience?
54. What have you learned from your experiences outside the classroom or workplace?
55. What criteria are you using to choose companies to interview with?
56. If you were hiring for this position, what qualities would you look for?
57. How would you describe your leadership skills?
58. Which is more important: creativity or efficiency? Why?
59. How has college changed you as a person?
60. What have you accomplished that shows your initiative and willingness to work?
61. What was the toughest challenge you've ever faced?
62. What two or three things are most important to you in your job?
63. Some people work best as part of a group -- others prefer the role of individual contributor. How would you describe yourself?
64. When given an important assignment, how do you approach it?
65. If there were one area you've always wanted to improve upon, what would that be?
66. When you have been made aware of, or have discovered for yourself, a problem in your school or work performance, what was your course of action?
67. What kinds of things have you done at school or on the job that were beyond expectations?
68. What, in your opinion, are the key ingredients in guiding and maintaining successful business relationships?
69. What sorts of things have you done to become better qualified for your career?
70. Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way?
71. Describe an instance when you had to think on your feet to extricate yourself from a difficult situation.
72. Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
73. By providing examples, convince me that you can adapt to a wide variety of people, situations and environments.
74. Describe a time when you were faced with problems or stresses that tested your coping skills.
75. Give an example of a time in which you had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision.
76. Describe a time when you had to use your written communication skills to get an important point across.
77. Give me a specific occasion in which you conformed to a policy with which you did not agree.
78. Give me an example of an important goal which you had set in the past and tell me about your success in reaching it.
79. Describe the most significant or creative presentation that you have had to complete.
80. Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
81. Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).
82. Sometimes it's easy to get in "over your head." Describe a situation where you had to request help or assistance on a project or assignment.
83. Give an example of how you applied knowledge from previous coursework to a project in another class.
84. Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?
85. Describe a situation in which you found that your results were not up to your professor's or supervisor's expectations. What happened? What action did you take?
86. Tell of a time when you worked with a colleague who was not completing his or her share of the work. Who, if anyone, did you tell or talk to about it? Did the manager take any steps to correct your colleague? Did you agree or disagree with the manager's actions?
87. Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or guide others to a compromise.
88. What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision.
89. 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.
90. 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?
91. Recall a time from your work experience when your manager or supervisor was unavailable and a problem arose. What was the nature of the problem? How did you handle that situation? How did that make you feel?
92. Recall a time when you were assigned what you considered to be a complex project. Specifically, what steps did you take to prepare for and finish the project? Were you happy with the outcome? What one step would you have done differently if given the chance?
93. What was the most complex assignment you have had? What was your role?
94. How was your transition from high school to college? Did you face any particular problems?
95. Tell of some situations in which you have had to adjust quickly to changes over which you had no control. What was the impact of the change on you?
96. Compare and contrast the times when you did work which was above the standard with times your work was below the standard.
97. Describe some times when you were not very satisfied or pleased with your performance. What did you do about it?
98. What are your standards of success in school? What have you done to meet these standards?
99. How have you differed from your professors in evaluating your performance? How did you handle the situation?
100. Give examples of your experiences at school or in a job that were satisfying. Give examples of your experiences that were dissatisfying.
101. What kind of supervisor do you work best for? Provide examples.
102. Describe some projects or ideas (not necessarily your own) that were implemented, or carried out successfully primarily because of your efforts.
103. Describe a situation that required a number of things to be done at the same time. How did you handle it? What was the result?
104. Have you found any ways to make school or a job easier or more rewarding or to make yourself more effective?
105. How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time? Give examples.
106. Tell of a time when your active listening skills really paid off for you -- maybe a time when other people missed the key idea being expressed.
107. What has been your experience in giving presentations? What has been your most successful experience in speech making?
108. Tell of the most difficult customer service experience that you have ever had to handle -- perhaps an angry or irate customer. Be specific and tell what you did and what was the outcome.
109. Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. Why was this person difficult? How did you handle that person?
110. Describe a situation where you found yourself dealing with someone who didn't like you. How did you handle it?
111. Give me a specific example of something you did that helped build enthusiasm in others.
112. Tell me about a difficult situation when it was desirable for you to keep a positive attitude. What did you do?
113. Give me an example of a time you had to make an important decision. How did you make the decision? How does it affect you today?
114. Give me an example of a time you had to persuade other people to take action. Were you successful?
115. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult person. How did you handle the situation?
116. Tell me about a time you had to handle multiple responsibilities. How did you organize the work you needed to do?
117. Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision, but didn't have all the information you needed.
118. What suggestions do you have for our organization?
119. What is the most significant contribution you made to the company during a past job or internship?
120. What is the biggest mistake you've made?
121. Describe a situation in which you had to use reference materials to write a research paper. What was the topic? What journals did you read?
122. Give me a specific example of a time when a co-worker or classmate criticized your work in front of others. How did you respond? How has that event shaped the way you communicate with others?
123. Give me a specific example of a time when you sold your supervisor or professor on an idea or concept. How did you proceed? What was the result?
124. Describe the system you use for keeping track of multiple projects. How do you track your progress so that you can meet deadlines? How do you stay focused?
125. Tell me about a time when you came up with an innovative solution to a challenge your company/class/organization was facing. What was the challenge? What role did others play?
126. Describe a specific problem you solved for your employer or professor. How did you approach the problem? What role did others play? What was the outcome?
127. Describe a time when you got co-workers or classmates who dislike each other to work together. How did you accomplish this? What was the outcome?
128. Tell me about a time when you failed to meet a deadline. What things did you fail to do? What were the repercussions? What did you learn?
129. Describe a time when you put your needs aside to help a co-worker or classmate understand a task. How did you assist him or her? What was the result?
130. Give two examples of things you've done in previous jobs or school that demonstrate your willingness to work hard.
131. Describe the last time that you undertook a project that demanded a lot of initiative.
132. What is the most competitive work or school situation you have experienced? How did you handle it? What was the result?
133. Describe a project or situation that best demonstrates your analytical abilities.
134. Give an example of when you took a risk to achieve a goal. What was the outcome?
135. Tell about a time when you built rapport quickly with someone under difficult conditions.
136. Some people consider themselves to be "big picture people" and others are detail oriented. Which are you? Give an example that illustrates your preference.
137. Describe a situation where you felt you had not communicated well. How did you correct the situation?
138. Describe a time when you took personal accountability for a conflict and initiated contact with the individual(s) involved to explain your actions.
139. Give me an example of when you were able to meet the personal and professional (or academic) demands in your life yet still maintained a healthy balance.
140. Everyone has made some poor decisions or has done something that just did not turn out right. Give an example of when this has happened to you.
141. What do you do when you are faced with an obstacle to an important project? Give an example.
142. Tell about the most difficult or frustrating individual that you've ever had to work with, and how you managed to work with that person.
143. Tell about a time when your trustworthiness was challenged. How did you react/respond?
144. Describe a situation when you were able to have a positive influence on the actions of others.
145. Tell about a recent job or campus experience that you would describe as a real learning experience? What did you learn from the job or experience?
146. Describe a team experience you found disappointing. What could you have done to prevent it?
147. Recall a situation in which communications were poor. How did you handle it?
148. Describe a time when you had to make a difficult choice between your personal and professional (or academic) life.
149. On occasion we are confronted by dishonesty in the workplace or in school. Tell about such an occurrence and how you handled it.
150. What motivates you to go the extra mile on a project or job?

STAR Interviewing Technique

Situation or Task

Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you have done in the past. Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand. This situation can be from a previous job, from a volunteer experience, or any relevant event.

Action you took
Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you are discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did -- not the efforts of the team. Don't tell what you might do, tell what you did.

Results you achieved

What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you learn?

Preparation for the Potential Behavioral Interview

What’s the best way to prepare? It’s important to remember that you won’t know what type of interview will take place until you are sitting in the interview room. So, prepare answers to traditional interview questions.

Then, since you don’t know exactly what situations you will be asked about if it’s a behavioral interview, refresh your memory and consider some special situations you have dealt with or projects you have worked on. You may be able to use them to help frame responses. Prepare stories that illustrate times when you have successfully solved problems or performed memorably. The stories will be useful to help you respond meaningfully in a behavioral interview.

Finally, review the job description, if you have it, or the job posting or ad. You may be able to get a sense of what skills and behavioral characteristics the employer is seeking from reading the job description and position requirements. Take a look at what employers are advised about developing the job posting for a behavioral interview on the About Human Resources site.
During the Behavioral Interview

During the interview, if you are not sure how to answer the question, ask for clarification. Then be sure to include these points in your answer:

* A specific situation
* The tasks that needed to be done
* The action you took
* The results i.e. what happened

It’s important to keep in mind that there are no right or wrong answers. The interviewer is simply trying to understand how you behaved in a given situation. How you respond will determine if there is a fit between your skills and the position the company is seeking to fill. So, listen carefully, be clear and detailed when you respond and, most importantly, be honest. If your answers aren’t what the interviewer is looking for, this position may not be the best job for you anyway.

The Behavioral Interview - What to Expect

Author: Julia Penny

The Behavioral Interview is increasingly used by companies for employment selection. Although it is a more demanding type of interview from the candidate’s point of view, it should be welcomed by candidates as an opportunity to effectively demonstrate why they are suitable job candidates.

Why the Behavioral Interview Works

Have you ever heard an interviewer saying that they know straight away on meeting a candidate if they are suitable or not, that they go on “gut feel” when deciding on the right job applicant? Fortunately this sort of haphazard approach to job interviews is seen less and less as companies take a much more structured and systematic approach to selecting employees.

Organizations are under increasing pressure to achieve accuracy in predicting an applicant’s job performance. The escalating costs of a hiring mistake (generally calculated at being about 50 percent of the position’s annual remuneration) and the negative impact of the wrong person in the job on both existing employees and customers mean that employers need an effective selection process that accurately identifies the right person for the job. The system used for selection also needs to be consistent to give every candidate a fair and equal opportunity of being selected for it to be considered legally defensible.

Behavioral (sometimes referred to as Competency-Based) Interviews offer a solution to the problem of an accurate and equitable selection system. The fairness and accuracy of the Behavioral Interview is based on the fact that the candidate is providing real, factual information about their past behavior and how it relates to the present required job competencies. The questions asked are designed to gain information on the candidate’s ability in the competencies that have been identified as necessary for successful job performance. All information gathered during the Behavioral Interview is relevant to the position and company being interviewed for. All candidates are asked the same type of questions, the interview is standardized which makes it a fair selection process.

The Behavioral Interview Process

The job is profiled and competencies required for job performance identified. Examples of job competencies include attention to detail, leadership, teamwork, initiative and adaptability among many others.


Questions are prepared to elicit information on the candidate’s previous experience as it relates to these competencies. The Behavioral Interview is based on the premise that past behavior predicts future behavior.

The candidate is asked to provide a specific example of when they previously displayed the desired competency. The candidate then describes a previous situation or instance when they were required to demonstrate the competency, the actions they took and the outcome.

The Behavioral Interview Question

“Adaptability” is an identified competency for the vacancy. The interviewer prepares the following question to ask all candidates : “Tell me about a time you had to change your approach when dealing with a customer”

The candidate then provides a specific example of how he or she adapted their approach to effectively manage the customer. The interviewer may need to ask a number of probing questions such as “Tell me more about that” in order to get enough detail from the candidate.

The question should result in a clear example of the candidate’s competence in adapting to the situation or individual. The interviewer can then rate the candidate on this particular competency.

The factual evidence generated by the behavioral questions provides a solid basis for evaluating the candidate’s suitability for the position. Too often an interviewer uses the following type of question in the job interview “Tell me how you would handle a difficult customer.” This requires a hypothetical-type response that only gives information on how the candidate thinks they would deal with a difficult customer rather than hard factual evidence of how they actually have done so in the past.

You can see the value in asking behavioral interview questions to determine the real suitability of a candidate.

The Behavioral Interview can be intimidating for the candidate as often it is difficult to think of specific examples in the limited time constraints of the interview. Preparing properly for the Behavioral Interview beforehand by thinking about examples of competencies that your position may require helps set you up for success. The Behavioral Interview provides an easy to use guide to managing the behavioral interview, including sample behavioral interview questions and answers.

Julia Penny is an organizational psychologist with many years experience in recruitment and hiring. She offers her expertise to candidates who want to succeed in their job interviews. Her website includes a complete and free guide to preparing for and excelling in job interviews.
http://www.best-job-interview.com