Ten Behavioral-Based Interview Questions That Must Be Answered

Ten Behavioral-Based Interview Questions That Must Be Answered
Mark Krajnik, CPC

Opinion-based interviewing questions have been fading away since behavioral-based interview questions burst on the scene back in 1996. Even though some old school questions are important to be aware of, they have been replaced by behavioral-based questioning strategies. Here are a few of the most popular opinion-based questions:

“What are your strengths?”
“What are your weaknesses?”
“Why should I hire you?”
“How will you benefit our company?”
“What would your former manager say about you?”
“Tell me about yourself.”

Today, most organizations have implemented some type of behavioral-based questions to better understand the candidate’s capabilities and past performance. Two primary reasons that behavioral-based interviewing techniques have become the accepted practice are past behaviors are an accurate indicator of future behaviors, and all answers can be verified through a reference check. You must prepare your answers well in advance of the on-site interview, and even the initial telephone interview, in order to stand out from your competition. Your answers will take more time than the questions above, however, simply use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format, and practice each response so you are well-prepared when the interview arrives.

Here are ten behavioral-based questions. Have an answer for each prior to your next interview:

1. “Describe for me your greatest accomplishment up to this point in your career. When was it? What did you do? What was the outcome?”

2.“Tell me about a time when you didn’t accomplish the original objective. When was it? What was your role? What was the result?”

3. “Describe the most prominent mistake you have made during your career. What did you do? What were the results? What did you learn from it? Have you ever repeated that same mistake?”

4. “Walk me through the last time you worked in a team and didn’t get along with one of its members. When did this take place? What did you do? What could you have done differently? What was the outcome?”

5. “Tell me about the toughest decision you have had to make in the past three months. What made this decision so tough? What information did you consider when deciding? How did you reach your decision? How did it turn out?”

6. “Take me back to the last project that you were involved with that required extra effort on your part. When was it? What adjustments did you have to make to meet these demands? What was the outcome?”

7. “Describe the last important task you delegated. What instructions did you give? How did you check on the progress of the assignment? Was the outcome satisfactory? Why or why not?”

8. “Describe a recent situation that best illustrates your style in leading others to accomplish a task. When did this occur? What was the situation? How did you motivate the team? Who was the hardest team member to get on your side? How did you do it?”

9. “Tell me about the most recent goal that you achieved. When was it? What was the goal? How did you set up an action plan to achieve that goal? What was the result?”

10. “Tell me about a recent customer complaint that you handled. When did this take place? What was the complaint? How did you learn about it? What did you do? How did it turn out?”

By mastering behavioral-based interview questions, you position yourself at the top of the selection pool. Remember, the more recent your examples, the more weight they carry in the mind of the Hiring Manager. Also, answering a behavioral-based question is much more time consuming than other types of questions so the more preparation time you put in, the better you will be able to handle the behavioral-based questions without lengthy delays or uncomfortable pauses.

Mark Krajnik, CPC, has spent 18 years in the talent acquisition, staffing and recruitment industry, both as an Executive Search Consultant and Recruitment Trainer. He is an expert in candidate trends, business development, the recruitment process, behaviors in business and communication skills. Contact Mark at mkrajnik@hotmail.com.