How to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions

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, you can prepare for success by following these steps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. 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.
2. The job is profiled and the most important competencies required for job performance identified. Examples of job competencies include attention to detail, leadership, teamwork, initiative and adaptability among many others.
3. Behavioral questions are prepared around these competencies to gather information on the candidate’s previous experience as it relates and demonstrates these competencies. The Behavioral Interview is based on the premise that past behavior predicts future behavior.
4. The candidate is asked to provide a specific example of when they previously displayed the desired competency. For example, this behavioral question is exploring the candidate's problem-solving ability: "Tell me about a time you had to solve a complex problem in a short period of time."
5. The candidate then describes a previous situation or instance when they were required to demonstrate the competency, the actions they took and the outcome. Here the candidate then provides a specific example of how he or she solved a difficult problem. 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.
6. The question should result in a clear example of the candidate’s competence in solving complex problems. 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 solve a complex problem.” This requires a hypothetical-type response that only gives information on how the candidate thinks they would deal with a difficult problem rather than hard factual evidence of how they actually have done so in the past

Tips & Warnings

• 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.