Behavioral Interviews

What is a Behavioral Interview?

The concept of behavioral interviews was developed by industrial psychologists in 1970s. A behavioral interview allows an individual to demonstrate knowledge, skills and abilities that are collectively known as competencies. The individual has to provide specific examples from his past experiences to justify what he has said. In these interviews, the interview is more concerned as to how an individual would get a piece of work done.

Prior to the interview, the interviewer determines the competencies that are required for a particular position and develops a series of questions that allow them to find out if the interviewee possesses the necessary competencies to perform the job. The main premise of these interviews is that the past performance of the interviewee is an excellent was of predicting the future performance.

In a behavioral interview the interviewee will typically be asked questions that begin with ‘Give me an example of when…’ or ‘Tell me about a time when…’ The interviewee will have to respond with examples in which they used their skills, knowledge or abilities to meet the requirements that the situation demanded. Another example question could be ‘Describe what you have done when the people you were working with did not get along well with you?’ This question could be posed if the competency required for the job position requires interaction with difficult people.

Preparing for Behavioral Interviews

Although many candidates are intimidated by behavioral interviews, it gives one the opportunity to demonstrate as to how well they are suited for the job. Here, you get to explain as to what you did in a situation rather then making up a hypothetical situation.

Preparing for a behavioral interview is rather complex. One has to determine as to what competencies the employer is looking for. The best source for this would be the job description. A little bit of research will also help. Some of the common competencies that any employer looks for are communication, team building, flexibility, leadership, personal attributes, skills, knowledge, decision making capabilities and enthusiasm.

If you have to undergo a behavioral interview then you need to come up with examples as to how and when you have demonstrated these competencies. Remember not to blurt out the situations as soon as you are asked the question. Take time and compose the answer in your mind and make the entire situation appear as though you have just thought of the answer. This should impress the interviewer who will get the picture that you have a good presence of mind rather than him thinking that you are overly prepared for the interview.

Using the ‘STAR’ technique is an excellent way of handling behavioral interviews. Here you need to Describe the situation you were in or the Task that you had to accomplish. Next describe the Action that you took and the Results that you achieved. Do not give general or vague answers. Be precise and to the point.

Behavioral Interviews – Sample Questions

Here are some sample behavioral interview questions that you can prepare for:

• Give an example of when you had to display leadership skills.
• Give an example when you had to deal with an extremely irate customer.
• Describe the most creative work related process that you have introduced in your team or current organization.
• Describe a situation where you were under a lot of personal stress but had to deal with a difficult deadline at work.
• Give an example of a situation when you had to make a quick decision under a lot of pressure and stress.
• Describe a situation where you had to handle two members of your team whose conflict with each other was destroying the healthy work area scenario.

At the end of the day remember that it is after all an interview and if anybody deserves the job it is you. Leave all your qualms and nervousness outside the interview room and enjoy the entire process of giving the interview. If you do not clear an interview you should consider it as a loss of the interviewer and not yours. Your being relaxed can play a major factor in your interview when the interviewer gets a chance to witness that difficult situations do not stress you out.

All the best!