Tell Me About A Time You Stepped Up To Fill A Position Of Leadership
This is another very common question during an interview, particularly with large companies and organizations. This one’s fairly straight forward in its intent because it all really comes back to teamwork. Most recruiters, when asking this question, are hiring for positions that involve some sort of team management and they need someone that can effectively direct them to meet goals.
Choose an example where you were entrusted with a responsibility or put in a situation and you took it upon yourself to find a solution. These examples can can include situations involving layoffs, company morale, performance, or taking on extra work when things get too busy or when short-handed. This question can easily be tied back to the “going above and beyond” question.
Customer Service Interview Questions
37. Can you describe the steps you take to develop a relationship with a customer?
38. Can you tell me about a time that you were unsure about a customers request? What did you do?
39. Can you talk about a time when you and a customer miscommunicated? What did you do to repair communication?
40. Can you talk about a time when you dealt with an upset or angry customer? What did you do? Is there anything you would have done differently?
41. Can you tell me about a time you convinced a customer to stay with the business? What steps did you take?
42. Can you describe a time when you went out of your way to please a customer?
43. Have you ever defended a customer? Why? How did your co-workers or boss react?
44. Was there ever a time when a co-workers customer was passed off to you? How did you let the customer know? How did you build relationship and trust with them?
Give Me An Example Of A Time You Made A Decision That Was Unpopular And Explain How You Handled Implementing It
Managers sometimes have to make difficult decisions that aren’t popular with all employees. The interviewer wants to know how you handle this situation and how you implemented the new policy or plan. A great answer is one where you show you moved forward with the decision but communicated your reasoning to garner the support of more of the employees.
Example:“I took over management of a gym where the trainers were allowed to cover one another’s shifts without the knowledge or approval of management. I didn’t like the uncertainty involved, because if someone failed to show up for a class, there was no way to know which trainer was supposed to be there. I implemented a new policy that required trainers to go through management to make schedule changes. I also explained the problem with the previous approach and how this would resolve any possible issues.”
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Tell Me About A Time When You Didnt Know The Answer To Something At Work How Did You Go About Finding The Information
How to answer:
Tell a story about a time when you did not know the answer. Explain step-by-step the action you took to find the information. Talk about the result of your actions.
As nurses, there is no way that we possibly can know everything. Knowing who to go for help is the first step. At the beginning of every shift, I identify a nurse that I can use as a resource such as the charge nurse, nurse educator, or unit resource nurse. This individual is generally someone that is more senior with an advanced skill set. If I am unable to get the answer from them or they are busy I look at the healthcare systems policy and procedure manager. If there is a concern regarding a medication dosage or interaction, I look to Lexi-Comp.
How To Answer Teamwork Interview Questions
Now that you have a solid idea of what teamwork is and why hiring managers are going to grill you about it lets take the next step. If youre going to shine during your meeting, you need to know how to answer teamwork interview questions effectively. That means its strategy time.
First, its important to understand that nearly all teamwork interview questions are behavioral interview questions. Hiring managers are going to ask you to tell them about a time or describe a time where Thats just whats going to happen.
Why? Because the hiring manager wants to hear examples. They are looking for insights into your capabilities and how you put your skills to work.
Luckily, that means you can develop a single approach that can help you showcase yourself as a great candidate. First, its time for the STAR method. That lets you take your example and craft it into an engaging story. Your answer will have the flow of beautiful prose without getting long-winded.
Thats a win.
But, if you really want to impress, integrate the Tailoring Method, too. With that, youll increase the relevancy of your responses, ensuring you are speaking directly to the needs of the hiring manager. Double win!
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How To Come Up With Great Success Stories
A great success story should mention details like who, what, when, where, and why. At the same time, its important to keep your story as concise and simple as possible during the interview.
The STAR Method can help you keep track of the information to include in your story. This trick helps ensure youre sharing all the details the hiring manager wants to hear.
STAR is an acronym:
- S- Situation- Set the scene. Who, what, when, where, and why?
- T- Task- What were you tasked to do? What was the goal?
- A- Actions- Share specific actions you took. Try to match your actions to their job needs.
- R- Results- What happened? What was the outcome? Be specific and share numbers when possible .
Begin by explaining the ituation. Provide all necessary context. What was going on? Set the stage for your interviewer.
Then share the ask, which should always be followed by the ctions you took to complete the task. End your story with the esults. What happened and why?
Always think about what additional information you can include to make your success story more powerful. As long as it is relevant to the story and demonstrates your job-related ability, include it. Then cut anything that feels like fluff or filler. Include all the necessary details, but keep it simple.
Resist the urge to embellish your story or make something up. The best stories are authentic. Plus, its difficult to remember a false story that could later come back to bite you.
Give An Example Of An Important Goal You Set For Yourself Did You Accomplish That Goal How Did You Ensure That You Accomplished It
How to answer:
Make sure the goal you share is related to your career. Explain the steps you took to accomplish your goal. What challenges did you face? How did you feel once you accomplished your goal?
I set the goal to earn my pediatric certification. I made a list of things that must be done to achieve that. I signed up for the exam and paid the fee so that way I had to take the exam. There was no backing out.
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Adapting To The Environment
- Tell me about a situation in which you had to get around a major obstacle to complete a project.
- Tell me about a time you had to work on several projects at once. How did you handle this?
- Describe something you did in your last job that showed your ability to be flexible.
- Under what conditions do you work best? What changes have you experienced in your current position?
- Give me a recent example of a stressful situation on the job. What happened? How did you handle it?
Ethics And Integrity Behavioralinterview Questions
1. Is their a time when a teammate or client questioned your honesty? How did you react?
2. Tell me about a time when it was difficult to be honest because of the situation. What was your thought process?
3. Can you describe a time when you followed a rule that you didnt agree with?Why did you follow it? Explain how you felt.
4. Tell me about a time when a co-worker was doing something wrong. What did you do?
5. Have you ever been in a challenging situation at work where you were dishonest? What happened?
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Mastering The Rest Of The Interview Process
Now that youve adequately prepared for the behavioral round, its time to triumph over the rest of the interview process. From tips on auditing your digital footprint to preparing for video interviews, we are here to help you with every step of your journey. Visit our 2020 Job Search Guide to continue your expedition.
Kforce is a professional solutions firm specializing in building and managing elite teams within Technology and Finance & Accounting with top employers nationwide. Merging your vision and our expertise, we help you achieve powerful results.
Common Behavioral Interview Questions
1. What makes an ideal coworker in your eyes?
2. How do you prioritize projects under pressure?
3. How would handle your schedule when its interrupted?
4. Have you ever bent company policy to satisfy a client?
5. How have you handled setbacks at work?
6. How do you handle job training if its going poorly?
7. Have you ever calmed down an angry client? How?
8. Tell me about some regrets in your previous job?
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Behavioral Interview Questions You Should Be Asking
Earlier today we dove deep into behavioral interview questions. In the post, career expert Leslye Schumacher explained what behavioral interview questions are, why theyre more effective than traditional interview questions, and how behavioral interview questions should be asked and answered within a job interview.
Because we want you to ask this type of question correctly, we thought it would be a good idea to share more examples of behavioral interview questions in action. With that being said, here are more examples from the expert:
Client Focus / Customer Orientation
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How To Ask Behavioral Interview Questions
The key is to determine the skills, attributes, behaviors, etc. that are important for the job.
Then ask questions that give job candidates the opportunity to share examples of how they’ve demonstrated those skills, attributes, and behaviors.
Need employees willing to challenge the status quo? You might ask, “”Tell me about a time you had to raise an uncomfortable issue with your boss.”
Need employees willing to take risks? You might ask, “Tell me about a goal you failed to achieve.”
Need employees willing to not only embrace authority but also responsibility? You might ask, “Tell me about a major mistake you made, and what you did to correct it.”
As with any other interview question, evaluate a candidate’s answer on the basis of your company’s organizational and cultural needs.
And keep in mind you may have to guide the candidate through the process. The goal is to get an answer that fits into the STAR framework:
- Situation: Background, setting, etc.
- Task: What needed to be done
- Action: What the candidate actually did
- Result: How it turned out
For example, say you ask, “Tell me about the last time your workday ended before you were able to get everything done.”
I might say, “I stayed late to get things done.”
That doesn’t reveal much, so probe for details. Ask for specifics: What was going on, what needed to get done, what deadlines were in jeopardy, etc. Then ask for details that reveal what the candidate did. Not other people, not the team, what the candidate did.
Whats A Mistake You Made At Work
You could have just said, Tell me about your greatest weakness, but then you might get one of those pat answers like, Im too dedicated. To avoid the commonplace response, place your question in a real-life scenario where they must relate the answer to their own experience.
How they respond will tell you how self-aware they are. Everyone makes mistakes, but what youll be listening for is how they define the thought process that lead them to the error, and how they learned from that mistake so as not to repeat it.
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Behavioral Interview Questions & Answers: Top Tips & Samples
- Post author
Interviewers often use behavioral interview questions in job interviews today to learn about how job candidates behave.
The reason employers ask behavioral questions is to understand how the job candidate handles different often difficult situations, demonstrating their soft skills.
Behavioral questions typically start with, Tell me about a time when youorDescribe how you have handled or Give me an example of or even Walk me through
While these questions may feel like a trap when you are asked, thats really not the employers intent .
They are looking for insight into the job candidates behavior beyond the questions traditionally asked .
Business Analyst Behavioral Interview Questions And Answers
Business analysts require soft skills and technical skills, which can be difficult to interview for. Ideally, youll want a candidate who has a blend of soft skills as well as the technical know-how to lead a company in the right direction, using hard facts and statistics. Heres what to ask:
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Closing Questions That Check Level Of Interest
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how interested are you in this job at this point? What interests you most? Least?
- Why should I offer you the job?
- What can you do for us that someone else cannot do?
- What reservations do you have about working here?
- How far along are you in the interview process with other organizations?
You Have Two Teleportation Devices Where Do You Place Them And Why
This gem of an interview question comes from David Lortscher, founder and CEO of Curology. Heres why he loves this question:
Questions that are open ended test for critical thinking, instead of pure knowledge. One candidate told us theyd place one device in their home and one on the moon because they want to explore space and make new discoveries. That may translate into someone who displays expansive thinking, is curious, and is hungry to learn.David Lortscher
This question might feel irrelevant or sillyand it is a little out of the box. But thats a good thing! How does your candidate do when put on the spot? How creative can they be? What does their answer tell you about their priorities? This is also a great opportunity to lighten the mood in an interview: give your own answer and have a laugh.
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Describe A Time You Were Faced With A Patient Who Chose Not To Communicate Or Disclose Important Information How Did You Handle The Situation And What Was The Outcome
How to answer:
Tell a story about a patient you worked within a similar situation. What step-by-step actions did you take to obtain the information from the patient? What were the results of your actions?
A parent once didnt disclose that the father of the child was not her current boyfriend. This was important as the patient was going to need consent forms signed and legally, this boyfriend was not able to sign the consent forms. Additionally, there was a man calling the unit claiming to be the father of the child. Social work and the nurse manager were notified. Through an open conversation, the mother disclosed the correct identity of the father. While I personally did not discover the information, it is essential to know the resources that are available to you and utilize them to the best of your ability.
Customer Service Behavioral Interview Questions
According to a recent report by Microsoft, 96% of consumers say customer service is an important factor in their choice of loyalty to a brand. So if youre looking to hire a customer service rep to represent your company, look no further to find these essential questions:
Bottom Line: Every answer is a behavioral clue. Listen closely to your candidates answers AND watch how they answer.
Research shows that nonverbal cues are a minimum of sixty percent of our communication. Even if someone has a perfectly scripted answer, pay attention to their body language, tone of voice, their nervous gestures. Behavior is words, actions, and signals. Take them all in!
To your success,
Vanessa
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