How to Behave in a Behavior-Based Interview
Behavior-based interviewing techniques provide an accurate picture of the future performance of a potential employee, according to the Albright College Career Development Center. While it is often easy to exaggerate or answer according to what the interviewer wants to hear, behavior-based interviewing presents in-depth questioning about specific experiences. Understanding how the process works helps potential employees enter an interview fully prepared to answer a wide range of behavioral questions.
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Honest Answers
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Behavior-based interviewing starts broadly and pinpoints specific characteristics, feelings and experiences. For example, the interviewer begins by asking if you have ever encountered a specific situation. As you respond, the interviewer digs deeper by asking about specific points in the story, such as how you felt or what was learned from the situation. The answers must be honest or they will not hold up under continued questioning. The ability to answer readily to this questioning displays critical thinking, professionalism, self-confidence and personality. If you regret the way you behaved during a certain situation, go ahead and be honest about it. Explain what you learned and how you wish you had behaved in the given situation. This shows the ability to learn from negative experiences.
Keep the Focus
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Do not talk about other people and their actions; instead keep the focus on your behavior in the situations. Do not describe what you would do, or what someone else should have done, but stay on exactly what you did do when faced with a certain situation. If you have never experienced a presented situation, respond with a different situation that shows similar skills or behaviors.
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Use STAR
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Virginia Tech Division of Student Affairs recommends avoiding general or vague answers. Be specific with answers and stay on topic. The STAR method allows you to answer in an organized manner without skipping important information. STAR stands for situation or task, action taken and results achieved. When using the STAR method, briefly describe the situation, explain the specific actions you took to affect the situation and conclude with the positive results you achieved.
Preparation
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Prepare for behavior-based interviews by thinking about specific instances or situations where certain character skills were displayed, such as leadership, teamwork, decision-making and dealing with upset co-workers. Albright College recommends choosing examples that are entirely positive and examples that start out negatively but end positively. The examples do not all need to come from your previous job, but may come from other life experiences. For example, you may not have encountered an upset co-worker, but dealt with an upset person in a sports or community situation.
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