+ Examples Of Behavioral Interview Questions
Every role will require a different mix of skillsand experiences, so every interview will be different in terms of the mix of behavioral interview questions. We have chosen to list many of the most common questions across several areas.
When you are preparing for your interview, it is important to consider a broad range of potential questions. Dont just fixate on the areas that you would like to talk about. Think about your candidature from the hiring managers point of view. What jumps out from your resume that might warrant further discussion?
We are sure that many of these questions have a chance of cropping up. Think about some examples from your own past. Which ones would you be able to answer? We share potential STAR method answers in a few of the areas. For more expansive examples, take a look at our standalone blog on the STAR method.
Types Of Interview Questions
Before digging deeper into what the STAR method is and how it works, it is important to understand the different types of interview questions that are commonly asked. Two of the most popular types of interview questions are situational interview questions and behavioral interview questions.
Situational interview questions are questions that place an interviewee in a hypothetical situation. These types of questions aim to help interviewers understand how you would react in a particular situation, even if youve never experienced it before. One such example would be the question, Youve made a mistake that no one else noticed. What would you do in such a situation?
These situational-based questions can be helpful for managers when interviewing applicants who have no prior experience in the industry that theyre seeking a job in. These are also considered to be future-oriented situations that interviewers anticipate you may face, should you be offered this role.
On the contrary, behavioral interview questions are part-oriented. Instead of placing interviewees in a hypothetical situation, you will be asked to describe a situation from your past experiences, often requiring you to describe situations from your previous job.
According to hiring managers we work with, most of their successful candidates adopt the STAR method of answering to tackle behavioral interview questions effectively.
Where Can I Find Free Samples Of Management Behavioral Interview Questions And Answers
If you are you looking for free sample behavioral interview questions and answers for management positions, below are a handful of sources to consider.
Be Prepared For These Common Questions
You May Like: How To Send Thank You Letter After Interview
Amazon’s 16 Leadership Principles: An Overview
- Customer Obsession
- Strive to be Earth’s Best Employer
- Success and Scale Bring Broad Responsibility
Naturally, your interviewer will be listening closely to the examples of past performance you give in response to their behavioral questions, and how you’ve demonstrated these leadership principles. As we mentioned before, behavioral questions at Amazon interview may hold more weight than at other companies.
Which is even more reason to prepare for them ahead of time.
Let’s review each in-depth.
Below, you’ll find the short explanation of each leadership principle given by Amazon on their careers page. Read each explanation thoroughly, as you’ll pick up clues as to how your answers to behavioral questions will be scored. When you’re ready, watch the expert mock interviews linked and then try your hand at a few sample behavioral interview questions compiled from past interviews.
Preparing Star Interview Answers If You Dont Have Industry Experience
If youve never held a job in the industry or position that youre interviewing for, then think back to anecdotes from previous school projects, jobs or internships. For example, that babysitting gig you had as a teenager might yield some relevant stories for a customer service interview. Similarly, your summer job as a cashier at an ice cream shop probably taught you many of the relevant skills you would use in a customer service position. Its important to always be honest in your interviews and never invent stories based on what you think the hiring manager wants to hear.
You May Like: Interview With Cfo
Using The Star Method To Answer Interview Questions
The STAR method comes in handy during interviews because many candidates have trouble focusing their stories on information that will help them impress the interviewer. Even if a candidate tells a story in which they were the hero, if it is not delivered well, the message may get lost in translation. A messy story could confuse, or even annoy, an interviewer, which is the opposite of an ideal outcome.
The STAR method helps candidates walk through their stories in a logical, clear manner. Here are questions to answer for each section of STAR:
Situation: Set the scene for what was happening in your example story.
- What happened?
- What was the main issue?
Task: Describe your responsibility in the situation.
- What responsibility did you take on to solve the problem?
- Did your manager assign this task to you?
- Did you take on this task on your own?
- Did others have tasks as well?
Action: Explain the steps you took to address the problem.
- What did you do first?
- How did the person/situation respond?
- What did you do next?
Result: Share the outcomes of the actions you took.
- What was the end result of the situation?
- Was your manager satisfied?
- Did you continue to handle this issue as time went on?
- Were you given new responsibilities because of this particular event?
Tell Me About A Time You Demonstrated Leadership Skills
Answer: When I was in my previous company, we had a few weeks to complete a significant project. There were about 12 of us involved in this project. And our team felt a little uneasy about the fact that we didnt have a strong grasp of the project’s needs. We continued forward and, unfortunately, made a few mistakes. The management team wasnt entirely pleased with our team performance. I was one of the first to take the onus on our performance and say there are a few things we can improve next time. I wasnt scared to admit that we tried, did our best but learned some lessons that made the rest of the employees follow suit. Management respected us for taking ownership and gave us another shot on another project. We crushed that one.
Related: Tell Me About A Time When You Demonstrated Leadership Skills
You May Like: Questions To Ask A Cfo During An Interview
Talk About A Time When You Had Not Communicated Well How Did You Correct The Situation
How to answer:
No one is perfect, we all have flaws. Discuss a time when you experienced miscommunication at work. What were the circumstances? How did you know you did not communicate well? What did you learn? What were the results?
This often happens when there is a language barrier. I learned that it is always better to ask for an in-person interpreter or utilizing a computer translation software. This ensures there is no miscommunication of information. Unfortunately, hand gestures and speaking louder doesnt always work.
Get Star Interview Questions And Learn How To Use The Star Method To Answer Competency And Behaviour Questions Like A Pro
Have you been asked STAR interview questions at a competency or behaviour interview question and failed to answer successfully?
Dont worry you are not alone.
We have been coaching clients to success in job interviews for the past 15 years and we see so many candidates who struggle to give top scoring answers to these tough interview questions.
As we will see below there is a range of reasons for this however the most important fault is lack of structure. In this guide we will show you some tough STAR interview questions and we teach you all about the STAR method, a powerful and well recognised technique for answering not just competency but any interview question like an expert.
But first lets start by looking at the basics.
Recommended Reading: Best Interview Attire For A Woman
Tell Me About A Time When You Took The Lead On A Difficult Project
Im going to include the Success Story I have and use the STAR method to deliver a succinct, yet detailed answer that highlights the fact that I can bring good leadership qualities to the table.
Take a look at my answer:
A few years back I was working as a Service Advisor at car dealership. One morning in our department staff meeting the Service Manager announced that we had been receiving an unacceptable amount of negative reviews for the service we had been providing our customers. His solution was to create a committee that would analyze the situation and put forth actionable improvements, and for this he asked for volunteers.
I had been looking for an opportunity to show that I was capable of taking on more responsibility, and being a person who enjoys working in group situations, I was the first to volunteer. My Service Manager was quick to make me the leader of the committee, which put me in the position of the leader of a group of 4 other people who were tasked to come up with a solution.
Over the next three weeks we analyzed each of the customer services reports and discovered that the vast majority of negative reviews were a result of lengthy wait times for customers. Knowing that we had to come up with a solution to decrease the amount of time our customers were left waiting, I then lead brainstorming sessions to find a way to fix the problem. We zoned in on changing the way our mechanics worked on each work order.
What Is The Star Interview Response Method
The STAR interview response method is a way of answering behavioral interview questions. Behavioral interview questions are questions about how you have behaved in the past. Specifically, they are about how you have handled certain work situations. Employers using this technique analyze jobs and define the skills and qualities that high-level performers have exhibited in that job.
Since past performance can be a good predictor of the future, interviewers ask these questions to determine whether candidates have the skills and experiences required to excel in the job.
For example, employers might be looking for proof of problem-solving skills, analytical ability, creativity, perseverance through failure, writing skills, presentation skills, teamwork orientation, persuasive skills, quantitative skills, or accuracy.
Examples of behavioral interview questions include the following:
- Tell me about an occasion when you had to complete a task under a tight deadline.
- Have you ever gone above and beyond the call of duty?
- What do you do when a team member refuses to complete his or her quota of the work?
Some interviewers structure their questions using the STAR technique. However, job seekers can also use the STAR interview method to prepare for behavioral interview questions.
Don’t Miss: How To Prepare System Design Interview
The Star Method: Answer Behavioral Interview Questions Like A Pro
- Understand when and how to use the STAR method to answer behavioral interview questions.
- Know mistakes to avoid when using the STAR method.
- Be prepared to craft your own STAR stories to impress the interviewer.
Preparing for a job or internship interview can be a nerve-wracking process. Wouldnt it be great if there was a way to make it less stressful? Happily, there is, and were going to walk you through it from start to finish. Its called the STAR method, and it will allow you to craft the perfect response to any behavioral interview question. With our help, youll be able to get inside your interviewers head and stand out from the crowd, putting you one step closer to landing your dream role.
Heres what well cover in this guide:
Tell Me About A Time When You Disagreed With Your Supervisor
Disagreements are common, especially in team settings. You may be opposed to someones approach to things or their management style. However, that does not mean that there must be bad blood between you. Mention an experience where you disagreed with your supervisor by highlighting what happened, how you tackled it and the end results.
Sample Answer
My supervisor once asked me to do something that went against the job policies. I declined, citing that I was not allowed and would lose my job if I got caught. He kept on pressing me and issuing threats, which I did not like. I reported to the overall supervisor, who took the necessary action. He never came back with such requests again.
Don’t Miss: Interview Questions To Ask A Cfo
What Is The Star Method And When You Should Use
So, first things first – what is the STAR method, exactly?
In short, the STAR method is a structured answer that can be used to answer most behavioral interview questions.
Heres what it stands for:
- Situation – Whats the context? Describe the situation or the background first.
- Task – Talk about your responsibilities or the tasks you had to complete
- Action – How did you fix the situation? Describe your process and the steps you took.
- Results – Describe the results of your actions. If possible, use numbers or hard data .
While you can use the STAR method for ANY interview question, its most useful for answering behavioral interview questions.
So, what ARE behavioral interview questions, exactly?
In short, theyre just like any interview question, but their main focus is on real-life work situations.
Interview Question
- Whats your #1 strength?
Behavioral Interview Question
- Give us an example of how you used your #1 strength at work, and what kind of results did it drive?
Makes sense, right?
Now, here are a few examples of what those questions might look like:
- Can you give me an example of when you had to take charge in your previous position? What happened and how did you react?
- Tell me about a time when you were faced with a tight deadline. Did you still manage to complete your tasks? How?
- Have you ever set specific goals for yourself at work? How did you make sure you would meet your objectives?
Practical Example
Behavioral Interview Question:
Sample Answer:
How To Make The Best Impression
Before you head out to your interview, review these tips and strategies for behavioral interview success. Be sure youve got the appropriate interview attire ready to wear, have questions of your own ready to ask the interviewer, and are prepared to follow up after the interview with a thank-you note.
Don’t Miss: Questions To Ask The Cfo In An Interview
Task: Explain Where You Fit In
Describe the task you had to complete and what your involvement was.
Similar to the situation portion of your answer, this part should also be brief and to the point. For example, it can be a simple sentence, like this one:
As the customer experience manager, it was my responsibility to resolve the clients concern at the first point of contact.
How To Answer Any Star Interview Question With 100% Confidence
Answering STAR interview questions is a skill that anyone can learn and this is how the InterviewGold online training system will help. You get detailed lessons on each behaviour PLUS over 40 STAR template sample answers you can use for inspiration and guidance. Best of all these are tailored to your job and level.
Also, with just a few clicks you can start creating your own brilliant examples using the competency answer builder tool. Its all online and you get access in seconds so no need to wait or delay. Start today and answer any STAR, competency or behaviour interview question with 100% confidence
Recommended Reading: Interview Attire Women
What Is One Professional Accomplishment That You Are Most Proud Of And Why
How to answer:
Tell a story about one of your most noteworthy accomplishments at work. What was the accomplishment? What steps did you take to achieve it? Who else was involved in this accomplishment? What happened as a result of the accomplishment?
Earning my advanced pediatric certification is something I worked very hard for and something that validates the years I have spent at the bedside.
Tell Me About A Time When A Patients Family Was Dissatisfied With Your Care How Did You Handle That Situation
How to answer:
Make sure to explain the situation in detail including both perspectives . Never talk badly about patients or their families. Take ownership if you indeed did something wrong. Share any positives that came from this – what did you learn? What would you do differently now? How did you turn this into a positive?
I once was floated to a unit that I had never worked in and wasnt sure where supplies were located. The mother of the patient did not recognize me as a regular floor nurse on the unit and this already made the family leery of me from the start of the shift. I continually had to prove myself throughout the day because as nurses we all do things slightly differently. There is not always a wrong way or a right way to do things but in this case, there was a policy to be followed. I followed it and apparently my dressing change was slightly different than previous ones. I communicated regularly with the charge nurse and she came to check in with the family to address any issues in real-time.
Recommended Reading: Questions To Ask Cfo In Interview
