Behavior-Based Interview Questions
Behavioral interviews are one of the routine procedures done by employers when screening candidates. They consist of questions designed to know how you behave in particular situations through your past experiences and scenarios. Ultimately, the goal is for employers to assess whether you are fit for a particular position in their company. Hiring managers will usually be looking for particular characteristics or traits, so they use the interview to select potential candidates.
Essentially, behavioral interviews operate with the logic that your behavior in the past is an indicator of how you will behave in the future–that is, in the company you are applying for. They shine a light on your ability to adapt to changing situations, manage your time, and work with a team. They also give a glimpse of your values and motivations when it comes to working.
Preparing for your interview is important to leave a good impression of yourself and ensure that you develop appropriate examples and scenarios. Below, you will find tips and tricks to help you ace your interview.
Do Your Research
When preparing for any job interview, it is important to get yourself acquainted with the company and job position you are applying for. Knowing what the company is looking for can help you think about the skills, qualifications, and competencies that you may possess to show how you are fit for the job.
Use the STAR Method
The STAR method can serve as a guide for you to respond to behavioral interview questions. It stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Results. You start by assessing a situation in the past, then define the task that you had to do in it. After, you identify the specific actions and steps you took to perform the task and discuss how the situation turned out.
When used correctly, the STAR method can be immensely helpful in your behavioral interviews. Ideally, the goal is for you to get used to the framework when telling your story, so you do not necessarily have to write everything down on a script.
List Down Career Moments
Self-Mad Millennial, a YouTuber who offers tips for answering interview questions, discusses her signature approach known as a story toolbox. Essentially, it serves as a collection of stories that highlight your career moments, which you can use to answer behavioral interview questions. It could be a time when you delivered good results in a big project or a time when you had to make last-minute changes due to conflicts–pretty much any time when you were able to show your skills and strengths.
As mentioned earlier, the STAR method is a framework that you can use to organize your answers. However, before you can apply this method, you will first need an arsenal of stories from which you can pull appropriate scenarios, and this is where your story toolbox comes in.
Practice
Even with your stories listed down and information ingrained in your mind, it can be easy to get caught up with your nerves once you get to the real interview. Without realizing, you can easily omit important details or stutter and forget what you wanted to say. As such, the best way to get used to the feeling is to practice with people you know. Ask them to give you a mock interview, so you can practice telling your stories and figure out what you may need to work on.
In general, job interviews can be daunting, especially since your performance can affect the probability of you landing the job. Thus, with several companies using behavioral interviews to screen candidates, you must take the time to prepare so that when the time comes, you will be able to answer the questions that come your way confidently.
If you are ready for a job change or are hiring for your team, be sure to contact me to see if I may be able to assist you!
Sources: https://www.forbes.com/sites/juliawuench/2020/07/16/good-star-stories-matter-especially-in-virtual-interviews/#544488ea7418