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Whether you're preparing to interview for a new job, or looking to move up in your current role, you've probably come across behavioral interview questions. The overall trend is shifting toward “holistic evaluation” of prospective candidates, which lays emphasis on leadership skills and personality assessments, in addition to academic excellence.
We will help you understand the STAR method and provide you with key examples of how behavioral interview questions can be answered using this technique. This way, you can be better prepared to frame your responses, minimize nervousness, and increase your chances of success.
What Are Behavioral Job Interviews?
Behavioral interviews, also known as competency-based interviews, can provide insights into a candidate's strengths and weaknesses, and level the playing field for internal hires as well as external candidates.Behavior-based interviewing helps to analyze a candidate's past performance in similar situations to predict what they are likely to do in the future. They can help employers get a clearer picture of who you are and how you work in different situations.
Types of Behavioral Interview Questions
While it's impossible to predict every potential interviewer question, there are certain recurring themes that make up the majority of questions interviewers will ask. They can be divided into the following groups:Problem-solving: A potential employer wants to see the ways in which you have dealt with past problems and challenges, and how you have developed and implemented effective solutions. Some examples of such questions are:
- Describe a time when you implemented an improvement of some kind.
- Tell us about an incident when you had to analyze data and decide on a course of action.
Teamwork: Teamwork isn’t just about shining as an individual. Instead, you should work cohesively with your team to focus on the best outcome possible through cumulative efforts. Here are a few examples of teamwork-related questions that can help you frame your responses.
- Can you tell me about a time when you fostered teamwork? What did you do to help the group function well together?
- Tell me about a time when you helped a coworker with his project.
Leadership: Depending on the role you're applying for, you should expect to answer questions about your ability to lead and motivate others, to get things done under pressure, and to make decisions by considering all the options. A few examples are illustrated below:
- Have you ever been a mentor or coach to someone?
- In what ways have you helped others to meet their goals?
Stressful situations: Stress management skills are important for most jobs. The interviewer wants to find out if a person is organized, employs critical thinking to tackle challenges, and how he/she tries to maintain calm during difficult situations. Some examples are listed below:
- What has been the most challenging time at work for you? How have you handled it?
- How do you handle unexpected changes or challenges?
Preparing for Behavioral Interviews
If you've been invited to a job interview, congratulations! The interview is an important opportunity for prospective employers to assess how you will fit into their work and how your skills meet their needs. As you prepare for your behavioral interview, keep the following points in mind:1. Study the Job Description
You’ll increase your chances of success if you examine the job description carefully. It will often list the skills and traits they want you to demonstrate during the interview, so take time to understand what your prospective employer wants from you.Research your prospective employer or the organization online so that you understand their values and culture, and structure your responses accordingly.
2. Review Your Experience and Accomplishments
A well-crafted resume that focuses on your accomplishments and plays up your strengths is the key to unlocking job opportunities. Use bulleted lists to demonstrate relevant experience, accomplishments, and key skills. Try to include keywords from the job posting, and target your resume to the position you want by researching it online to make it stand out from the competition.You could even use resume builder apps to create a professional-looking resume with minimal effort. These apps also have powerful features like auto-suggestions, formatting tools, and sample templates for inspiration.
3. Use Interview Guides to Prepare for Common Questions
The interview is the most important step of your job search. You come to the table with strong skills, so it should be a fairly smooth meeting if you're properly prepared.The best way to prepare for your interview is to ask yourself questions that are based on typical interview guides or questions compiled by popular job search sites, or career-focused websites.
4. Write Down and Rehearse Your Responses
Don't be afraid to take a mock interview with a friend, or even practice in front of a mirror. This can help you prepare for any potential questions you might be asked and allow you to get comfortable with the pace of an interview.The STAR Interview Response Method: 4 Key Steps
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This is a framework that helps you illustrate past behaviors in specific situations where the interviewer asks about specific instances of accomplishments, behaviors, or actions. You’ll be able to clearly show how your skills and experience are exactly what the interviewer needs.1. Situation: Describe a Specific Project or Campaign
An effective response to a behavioral interview question starts by giving background context. This sets the stage for you to tell an effective story that demonstrates your problem-solving capabilities and leadership skills.The key is to describe a specific project or campaign with relevant details, while keeping it concise and accurate, so the interviewer can envision the situation and your role in it.
2. Task: Highlight Your Duties
For the second step, you would need to elaborate on the specific responsibilities and objectives allotted to you in that particular scenario. This can help interviewers understand the scope of your work as well as the outcomes expected from the project or task.3. Action: Describe How You Accomplished the Task
The third section is for the account of your actions. You need to explain what you did to steer the project towards a favorable outcome. This is all about highlighting your contributions and how your work made a difference to the team or project.4. Result: Focus on the Impact
The fourth section talks about the outcome or impact of resolving the problem. You can use success metrics to substantiate your previous work, or quantify your outcomes wherever you can. This will help build a strong foundation and help you stand out from the competition.Examples of STAR Responses
Let's take a look at how we can develop or structure responses using the STAR method.Example 1
Question: Tell me about a goal you reached and how you achieved it.- Situation: The number of new downloads for our brand's mobile app for the month was not on target. We needed more users to be able to drive growth and conversions.
- Task: I was tasked with increasing downloads of our mobile app.
- Action: I created a plan to use targeted Facebook advertisements and personalized email marketing efforts to bring in new customers.
- Result: Through these channel efforts, we were able to acquire and retain subscribers at a faster rate than before. By the end of six months, as a result of my efforts, we had grown our subscriber pool by over 50%.
Example 2
Question: Describe a time when you implemented an improvement.- Situation: I was tackling the issue of poor performance of a team, which was affecting the whole department.
- Task: After meeting with the key stakeholders, we agreed that I would start off with the smaller team and identify the reasons for their poor performance.
- Action: During the next few weeks, I identified the top 3 areas of concern: unrealistic goals, resource allocation, and time management. I worked out a weekly report template that everyone had to use, in order to progress both their own work and that of others.
- Result: By implementing a weekly report template, it ensured that everyone and every task was being tracked. That way, I could ensure my team was working efficiently, and we were able to move on to resolving issues, by allocating resources specifically to those who needed them most, as opposed to random allocation.
Get the Job You Want
Researching some typical behavioral interview questions and coming up with STAR-based responses is a great way to put your best foot forward when you walk into a job interview. You’ll be prepared to answer what are likely to be the most challenging questions, and you’ll present yourself as confident, knowledgeable, and prepared.It can be a powerful way to set yourself apart from the competition and land a job. Use our guide above as inspiration, and remember, practice makes perfect.
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