Understand The Star Method
During job interviews, many hiring managers ask behavioral questions to assess how candidates handle common situations in the workplace. To prepare for these questions, get to know the STAR method, which involves discussing the situation, task, action and result. To use this method, begin by explaining the context of the situation before discussing your role, or task in these circumstances. Next, reflect on the actions you took to handle the challenge and the result of your initiative.
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What Is A Behavioral Interview How To Prepare And Sample Questions
What is a behavioral interview? Candidates for employment often ask what the difference is between a regular job interview and a behavioral interview. What should you do to get ready if the employer is going to ask you behavioral based interview questions?
In many ways, a behavioral interview resembles other types of job interviews. There isn’t a difference in the actual format of the job interview. You will still meet with an interviewer and respond to interview questions. The difference is in the type of interview questions that they will ask you.
Review information on the difference between behavioral and traditional job interviews, examples of questions, and how to handle a behavioral interview.
Job Interview Etiquette: How Recruiters Want You To Behave
Have an upcoming interview? Youll need more than a polished resume to stand out as the top choice. This guide outlines proper job interview etiquette from start to finish, so youre ready at every step in the process.
Learn how to act in an interview so that you can conquer your fears and land that role.
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If Youre Interviewing With A Friend
Youve had drinks with this person and discussed your relationships and family matters in detail. Or, the two of you used to complain about your boss during coffee breaks at your old company. Now, hes the person taking notes on your resume and asking about your greatest weaknesswhich seems silly, because youre pretty sure he could answer that for you.
Muse writer Sara McCord experienced this exact situation with a close friend: I had an interview with a friend just weeks after a very difficult event in my personal life. I remember her starting the call by expressing her condolences and saying we didnt have to talk about it. However, I was prepared since I hadnt yet spoken to her. So along with thanking her, I weaved what was going on into my interview, saying things like how meaningful it was for me to delve into work I cared about, and how excited I was to throw myself into projects like the ones in the job description. That happened to be trueand genuinewhich is something friends and interviewers alike appreciate.
What she got out of this encounter was that you cantand shouldntignore the fact that you know each otherwell. Avoiding the elephant in the room makes the situation uncomfortable for both of you. With that said, nows not the time to rehash any drunken escapades, dating horror stories, or annoying statuses from a mutual Facebook friend. Prepare to bring the conversation back to the position at hand every time it starts to get off track.
How Not To Act In A Job Interview
Hiring managers appreciate job-seekers who come prepared for an interview. Yet a large number of potential employees go to interviews without basic preparation, such as researching the prospective employer, according to Accountemps, a worldwide temporary staffing firm. Lack of preparation before an interview can lead to mistakes and missteps during an interview. Take the time to adequately prepare to increase your chances of acing an interview and getting the job.
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Learn From Your Mistakes
A good interviewer views mistakes and failures as opportunities to improve. Here are a few things you can do to learn from your interviewing experience more deliberately:
- Keep records. Recording and filing your notes helps you as an interviewer since you can refer back to them any time. And your company can also use them in court, in the unlikely event that they face a lawsuit.
- Monitor results. Ask your teammates who are responsible for tracking recruiting metrics for information about candidate experience and quality of hire metrics. Its also a good idea to keep track of your companys online reviews on Glassdoor. Take constructive feedback to heart and work to improve on feedback you receive.
- Seek advice. Look for resources online and, if possible, ask more experienced recruiters or interviewers in your company for advice. If you plan to interview often, you could also make a case for attending interview trainings or workshops.
The Best Way To Prepare
What’s the best way to prepare? It’s important to remember that you will not know what type of interview will take place until you are sitting in the interview room. So, prepare answers to traditional interview questions.
Then, since you don’t know exactly what situations you will be asked about if it’s a behavioral interview, refresh your memory and consider some special situations you have dealt with or projects you have worked on. You may be able to use them to help frame responses.
Prepare stories that illustrate times when you have successfully solved problems or performed memorably.
The stories will be useful to help you respond meaningfully in a behavioral interview. You can research the STAR interview response technique, which offers a way of answering behavioral interview questions.
Finally, review the job description, if you have it, or the job posting or ad. You may be able to get a sense of what skills and behavioral characteristics the employer is seeking from reading the job description and position requirements.
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Greet The Interviewer Correctly
Your greeting is likely to be your first face-to-face contact with your interviewer, so it’s vital that you get it right. William says you should aim for a “firm not limp, but equally not too firm” handshake. You should only use your right hand, leaving your left hand dormant by your side. Eye contact is essential throughout the interview process, so remember to look the interviewer in the eye when shaking hands. You should introduce yourself by saying your name clearly, followed by “How do you do?”
Be Ready For The Small Talk
Getting the small talk right can have big consequences. Its a way for people to build rapport and affinity, and start to generate that elusive, intangible quality of chemistry that characterises all effective business relationships.
So as part of your interview preparation, its a good idea to think ahead to some likely topics that might come up, so as to help keep the conversation flowing smoothly. The key is to come up with topics where you have a shared interest, so that youre able to both ask and answer credible questions.
For example, if you see a picture of your interviewers family, perhaps you could ask about them and be ready with a family anecdote of your own. Or if youre a sports fan and you spot signs that your interviewer is too, perhaps you could ask a suitable question that youve also got an interesting answer to .
Think, too, about topical themes. For example, has your potential employer been in the news recently? Or could you ask about the potential impact on the company of a recent development, such as Brexit or falling share prices or a serious malware attack? In each case, make sure you have an interesting thought of your own to contribute too.
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Review The Job Description
Study job listing so you are prepared to explain your fitness for the jobs roles and responsibilities during your interview. Pay attention to keywords such as required skills and experience, and focus on the responsibilities that a successful candidate will have. Consider how your qualifications and goals align with the description so you can discuss relevant examples with the hiring team.
The Best Way To Respond To Interview Questions
When you respond to interview questions, listen carefully to the questions, take time to phrase your responses, and ask the interviewer to repeat the question if you’re not sure what they are asking.
Be brief and don’t ramble when you respond. However, do be sure that your responses answer the questions, are focused, and highlight the skills you have that are relevant to the job. Do your best to get the hiring manager on your side during the interview.
Keep in mind that your responses are your sales pitch. You’re selling the interviewer on yourself as the best candidate for a second interview and the job, so be sure you focus on your relevancy, i.e., why you are a good candidate, how you can do the job, what you can contribute, and how you will benefit the company if you’re hired.
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How Much Detail Should You Give
As you tell the story you need to provide detail about how you achieved something, but dont provide so much detail that you lose track of what you are talking about. Give enough to be credible which will reassure the interviewer you have the skills they are looking for. If you are confused, remember interviewing does not need to be a one way interaction. You can always ask the interviewer if they need more detail or how much detail they need.
If you think you are providing too much detail, check with the interviewer. Or use your cue from the body language of the interviewer. If they stop writing, then its a good idea for you to stop talking, and check back in.
How To Ace Your Next Interview: Tips And Examples
Whether you are applying for an entry-level position or a senior role, you will probably have to interview with a potential employer before receiving a job offer. Since a job interview gives you a chance to show your qualifications and make a good impression on the hiring team, you will want to perform at your best during this important meeting. In this article, we discuss how to ace an interview, including preparation tips for common job interview questions.
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How To Behave In An Interview
Burhan Khadbai gets an exclusive guide from leading etiquette expert and Manchester graduate William Hanson
If you’ve got yourself an interview with a leading graduate recruiter, it’s not enough to have a sparkling CV and all the key facts about the company and the role you’re applying for at your fingertips. You’ll also need to know how to conduct yourself correctly to ensure you make a good impression. Step forward William Hanson.
Just 22 years old, William is widely regarded as the UK’s youngest authority on etiquette, which can be defined as the principles of good manners and accepted protocol. William’s interest in etiquette began when, as a young teenager, he was given a copy of Debrett’s Guide to Etiquette and Modern Manners by his grandmother. His interest in and knowledge of the topic grew, and since graduating last year he now works full time as an etiquette consultant. He’s advised some of Britain’s leading brands, from easyGroup to Fox’s Biscuits, and regularly appears in the British and international media as an etiquette expert and commentator on modern behaviour.
When To Get To A Job Interview
It’s important to arrive a few minutes early, or on time, at the latest, for a job interview. Know where you’re going, how much travel time you need, and how to get to the interview location. Check out the logistics ahead of time, so you ensure that you’re not late.
You also may want to confirm the interview ahead of time, so you’re sure about where and when you need to arrive.
Giving yourself a bit of extra time will provide you with an opportunity to stop in the restroom and freshen up, if need be, to make sure you don’t have any hair, makeup, or wardrobe malfunctions.
A few extra minutes will also give you an opportunity to catch your breath and stay calm. An interview is even more stressful than normal if you’re rushing to get there on time.
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What Are Behavioral Interview Questions
Behavioral interview questions ask you to describe how you have dealt with real-life work situations you’ve experienced. They help interviewers assess what kind of worker you are and how you respond to difficult scenarios you’re likely to encounter on the job.
You’ll typically encounter behavioral questions in the second interview for a position. The initial screening phone interview usually asks for more general information about your work history.
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Don’t Get Caught Unprepared
Don’t get intimidated or appear completely oblivious when the interviewer runs you through a battery of hard questions. Hiring managers ask in-depth questions because they want to make sure the most qualified candidate is chosen for the job. Fall back on the answers that you rehearsed before the interview. Ask the manager to repeat a question, if necessary. Avoid giving answers that are obviously off the top of your head or incorrect. Some managers will understand and respect candidates who say, “I don’t know the answer.”
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Job Interview Tips: How To Make A Great Impression
Related video: Ultimate Job Interview Guide – What to Expect Plus Top 6 Tips
You have your job interview scheduledcongratulations! Now its time to prepare, and weve got you covered. Below, we provide an overview of how to succeed in an interview along with a detailed discussion surrounding each point.
How To Close An Interview
Toward the end of the interview, let the hiring manager know that you think the job is an excellent fit and that you are very interested in the job.
It’s appropriate to ask what the next step in the hiring process will be and when you might expect to hear.
Finally, thank the interviewer for the time they spent interviewing with you.
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Practice Answering Interview Questions
While your conversation may include several company- or job-specific topics, most interviews include at least a few standard questions. To prepare, review a list of the most popular interview questions, and practice how you would answer. Focus your responses on the organization, the position and your relevant qualifications and goals.
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Consider The Style And Number Of Interviewers
Interviews can happen via video, over the phone, or in person, so consider what style of interview is best and plan accordingly. You can also determine how many people you need to hold an interview, like a panel of colleagues for a prominent role or multiple rounds of interviews for a high-level position. Involving other relevant leaders in the interview process can also be useful to get different perspectives on the candidates experience and abilities.
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Behavioral Vs Traditional Interviews
In a traditional interview, you will be asked a series of questions which typically have straightforward answers like “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” or “How do you handle a challenge?” or “Describe a typical workweek.”
In a behavioral interview, an employer has in the person they hire and will ask questions to find out if the candidate has those skills. Instead of asking how you would behave, they will ask how you did behave.
The interviewer will want to know how you handled a situation, instead of what you might do in the future.
Plan Your Journey To The Job Interview
When preparing for a job interview one of the most important things to consider is how you are going to get there. A failure to plan is a plan to fail. If you are planning on driving to the interview, make sure you fill your car with fuel the night before. You dont want to be filling up on the way dressed in your suit.
Make sure you arrive on time, or better yet, at least 15 minutes early. Ensure this by knowing the address and if you can, have a trial run a couple of days before. The morning of the interview, check the traffic reports and have a backup route planned just in case. If you are travelling by train or bus, make sure you check the weather report the night before and keep an eye on the public transport websites for any delays. Look out for track works or traffic conditions that can potentially delay your train or bus trip.
Go to bed early the night before and wake up early to give yourself plenty of time.
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Do You Have Any More Questions
At every job interview, there will be a time when you will be asked âDo you have any more questions?â This is an opportunity that you should definitely take advantage of! By asking questions about the company, the cooperation or the actual job, you show interest, prove that you are well prepared and, in the best case, find out more about your possible future employer.
You can think about this in advance. What would you like to know about your future employer? Ethical backgrounds, special products, locations or payment show that you are interested and that you have already informed yourself extensively in advance!
At the end of every interview, you should say âthank youâ before you even say âgoodbyeâ. A goodbye directed at every person and a confident handshake will always leave a good impression. You can also ask about the next steps in the application process before saying goodbye!
After the interview, take a moment to reflect on the interview for yourself. What went well? What did you do very well and what could you have done better? This self-reflection helps you to improve yourself and even if it didnt work out this time, it gives you tips and ideas for your next interview!
We wish you a lot of success, we know you can do it!
Questions?
