Behavioural Interview Questions

A 17 Step Strategy to Help You Succeed -

Behavioural interviews were introduced in the 1980s by an industrial psychologist named Dr Tom Janz. Since then they have become the savvy employer’s secret weapon and statistics show that about 30% of all organisations ask behavioural questions during job interviews. Although highly effective, interview questions of this nature can be the career changers’ worst nightmare. This article shares simple yet powerful methods by which people seeking to make career changes can excel at behavioural interviews. Read this article if you are at the verge of changing careers!

1. Define Career Goals – It is crucial to first of all define what you want to achieve from the behavioural interview career wise. Are you aiming for an average performance or do you dare to be outstanding? Are you seeking valuable interview experience or have you got your heart set on the job? Does the role fit in nicely with your long term career goals or will it merely be a stopgap? Before commencing interview preparations, take time to identify and define your career objectives.

2. Snoop Around – The first thing you must remember whilst preparing for your behavioural interview is that employers are searching for multi talented individuals with experiences, knowledge, behaviours and skills that will add long term value to their organisations. Thankfully interviewers don’t expect you to figure out these desirable talents and behaviours by yourself; they provide ample information via job advertisements as well as through specially trained career personnel. Before the behavioural interview, ring your prospective employer and ask if you can come round and spend some time at the recruiting department in order to get a feel of the company and the job role. Whether or not your prospective employer is able to arrange a sit-in, find out as much as you can about the company by visiting its website, speaking to its staff, reading relevant press articles and asking family and friends for helpful information.

3. Master the Ad - Job advertisements are often filled with clues as to the specific talents and behaviours employers find desirable. If you are serious about your career change, read job ads repeatedly until all the key points have been memorised. Pay attention to the style of language in which the ad has been written. For instance a breezy style suggests that the company is informal in its approach whereas a serious tone is typical of more conservative firms. Read the ad at least five times, then grab a pen and map out three separate columns on blank paper. In the first column, write down all the skills and talents required to perform the job successfully (e.g. computer, supervisory and organisational talents), in the second column write down the typical behaviours required of you (e.g. career minded, self starter and team player) and in the third column list the ethos and values of the organisation (e.g. creative, puts the customer first etcetera). Read the ad a few more times to ensure that all the useful information has been extracted from it. Memorise the lists in the three columns repeatedly.

4. Play Pretend – You will fare well at behavioural interviews if you can first put yourself in the prospective interviewer’s position. Imagine for a second that you are the person conducting the behavioural interview. Would you hire yourself? What kind of individual would you be on the lookout for? What sort of talents and behaviours would you find indispensable? Write down your thoughts and ideas on a separate sheet of paper and take them into account as you prepare for the interview.

5. Dig Deep – Do you know who you are? Do you really believe that generic personality tests can help you discover your purpose in life? Before attending your behavioural interview, take time to find hidden talents and discover your life’s unique purpose. Employers love behavioural questions because they are an excellent tool for discovering talents and skills that candidates may not even be aware of. For instance, when a behavioural interviewer asks you to give an example of how you dealt with a difficult colleague in the past, that interviewer is trying to find out if you are a talented people manager. By narrating the various ways in which you have gotten the best out of difficult co-workers, you are demonstrating your people skills whether or not you have ever thought of yourself as a people person. However, candidates who know and believe themselves to be talented people managers will be able to prepare real life case studies that showcase their people management skills to maximum advantage.

6. Use the Clues – Return to the lists of talents and behaviours that are crucial to the job role and ask yourself how many of those qualities you possess. Reflect upon the various ways you have demonstrated these talents and behaviours in the past. For instance if adaptability is one of the desirable attributes, ask yourself when you have had to adjust to changes over which you had no control. If ambition is one of the attributes, ask yourself when was the last time you undertook a project that demanded plenty of initiative. Recall projects or ideas that were implemented primarily because of your efforts. Think of numerous real life examples that demonstrate your willingness to adapt to change. Repeatedly practice likely questions based on the skills, talents and behaviours you extracted from the job advert. Simple search engine searches will also throw up websites that list frequently asked behavioural interview questions.

7. Be a STAR – Whilst preparing for the behavioural interview, remember that interviewers want to hear thorough descriptions of past events. To properly answer a behavioural interview question, you must include the following three components (characterised by the acronym STAR): the Situation or Task you were involved in, the Action(s) you took in order to make changes and the Result(s) that were achieved by those actions. For instance, if asked to narrate how you turned an angry customer into a happy one, it is not enough to say that you apologised to the customer. You must describe what led to the customer’s dissatisfaction, how you stepped into the situation and how, as a result of your timely intervention, the customer who was previously threatening to take his business elsewhere happily purchased new products and services.

8. Lighten Up – Don’t base all your narratives on job related proficiencies. If you are a talented musician, say so at the interview. If you are a former Olympic contestant who climbed Mount Everest barefoot, let your interviewers in on the secret too. If you’ve written a book, bring an autographed sample copy or two along. The truth is that employers want to interview and hire talented people. Be interesting if you want to stand out amidst the dozens of candidates who claim they can do the job. Frankly speaking, it is not enough to get the job done; one must also bring valuable talents to an organisation. If you want to make a good impression, show off your star qualities to advantage. Varying your narratives will also enhance your credibility because capable people tend to put their skills to work in their everyday lives - not just within the four walls of an office. E.g. if you are a good time manager at work then you should be demonstrating those time management skills at home also.

9. Practice Until Perfect – Practice likely behavioural interview questions with the help of family and friends, co-workers and career counsellors, mentors and managers, to mention a few. Everyone has unique perspectives and nuggets of wisdom to offer. If possible, get your line manager to go through likely questions with you as he or she is likely to know what interviewers look out for in a candidate. Effective role play will prepare you mentally for the behavioural interview.

10. Be Confident – Even talented performers experience stage fright so it’s natural to feel a little nervous before your behavioural interview. A good way to keep calm whilst waiting for the interview to begin is by focussing on the talents and activities you enjoy tremendously e.g. singing, painting, or playing golf. When you walk into the interview room, be sure to smile, make eye contact and shake hands firmly. It also helps to create rapport by making light conversation. For instance, ask your interviewers what talents and activities they enjoy in their spare time and draw emphasis on common interests. Remember that people respond more favourably to those who are like them and behavioural interviewers are no exception.

11. Listen Up – Make sure you listen to each question carefully and stop to think before you answer. For instance, many behavioural interview questions are multi faceted i.e. several questions merged into one. For example: What do you do when priorities change quickly? Give one example of when this happened. -OR- There are times when we work without close supervision to get the job done. Tell us about a time when you found yourself in such a situation and how things turned out. If you fail to listen attentively, you may forget to answer certain parts of such questions! A good way to keep track is by discretely holding out multiple fingers before attempting multi faceted questions, dropping a finger after each sub-question has been completely answered.

12. Speak Up – Speak clearly and confidently, in keeping with your natural style. For instance, if you are a slow talker don’t try to talk fast just because you want to sound really keen on the job and if you are the serious sort don’t try to be funny either. Maintain eye contact with your interviewers throughout the behavioural interview as this will make you come across as honest, confident and intelligent. Just be your best self and you’ll make a positive impact at the interview.

13. Be Friendly – If the job in question requires people skills (and most sociable jobs do) then your interviewers will want to see tangible proof. Don’t go over the top though. Just be polite and confident, listening attentively and emphasising similarities whilst making small talk. For instance, if your interviewer has just had a baby, extend your congratulations and ask how he or she is coping with the change in lifestyle. If you have recently had a baby yourself, briefly share experiences that the interviewer may find humorous and helpful. If all goes according to plan, be sure to tender your rapport building skills as ample evidence during the course of the behavioural interview.

14. Ask – Candidates who fail to ask questions of their own may come across as timid and disinterested. After giving a good account of yourself, find out if the job is really a great match for you by asking the interviewers some behavioural questions too. Good questions to ask each interviewer are: How did you come to work for this company and what have you enjoyed the most so far? How many hours a week do you put into this job and what have been your biggest challenges yet? In what ways have the company rewarded hard work and initiative of recent? It is also a great idea to ask your interviewers if they would be willing to offer you some interview feedback at a later date. If you manage to build good rapport and express genuine interest in the company, many interviewers would be more than happy to help.

15. Recap – Never forget that employers want to hire multi talented people who will add long term value to their organisations. At the end of your behavioural interview, recap by summarising the talents, skills and behaviours that equip you for the role as well as the values and ethics that will enable you fit right into the company. Some candidates go as far as preparing power-point presentations that demonstrate their competence and show how their long term goals fit in with the prospective employer’s. Be creative if you want to stand out from your competitors. At the end of the interview, thank your interviewers for their time and say how much you look forward to hearing their decision.

16. Follow Up – Don’t leave the interview room without a contact name and direct telephone number you can use for follow up purposes. However, make sure you find out how long you should wait before getting in touch. It is good manners to send a thank you note a few days after the final interview and to ring for the result within agreed time scales. If further follow up is required do so no more than twice per week, contacting the key decision makers (usually the interviewers) directly where possible. Do exhibit polite and professional behaviour at all times.

17. Get Feedback – It is vital that you get some feedback on your performance as this will serve you well should you have cause to attend future behavioural interviews. Candidates who are humble enough to solicit constructive criticism score high marks with interviewers and sometimes get special consideration when subsequent vacancies emerge.

In a nutshell, people who fare best at behavioural interviews are those who have taken the time to find hidden talents and discover their purpose in life. By passionately communicating how your talents and purpose complement your prospective employer’s ethics, values and business objectives, you can put yourself head and shoulders above your competitors and make the career changes you desire.

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Ogo Ogbata is a multi-talented writer, speaker and consultant. Author of the forthcoming non fiction title, ‘Creativity and Sense: How to Make a Living Doing What You Love’, she empowers people to find hidden talents, discover their purpose and create financially rewarding work that allows time and energy for what matters most.

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