Example Behavioral Interview Questions
How interviewees act in specific employment-related situations is the basis of behavioral interviewing. The assumption behind it is that how you will behave in the future depends on how you behaved in the past. It primarily focuses on job-related experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities. So how is it different from traditional interviews?
The Difference from Traditional Interview
Questions which normally have straight forward answers are asked in a traditional interview. Example questions asked in a traditional interview are “Describe a typical work week” or ”What are your strengths and weaknesses?” or “What challenges and problems have you faced? How did you handle them?”
In contrast, during a behavioral interview an employer decides what specific job/industry skills he needs in the person he is hiring and will ask questions to find out if the interviewee has those skills. In a behavioral interview, he will ask how you behaved instead of how you would behave. The interview is all about how you handled a situation rather than what you might do in the future.
Behavioral interview questions
Compared to traditional interview questions, behavioral interview questions will be more specific, more prying, and more pointed. Here are some behavioral interview questions.
- Have you made a decision that was unpopular in the workplace? How did you handle its implementation?
- Give an example of a situation where your schedule was interrupted. How did you handle it?
- Give an example where you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren’t enthusiastic about. How did you do it?
- Was there an occasion where you had to handle a difficult situation with a co-worker? How did you deal with it?
- How have you effectively worked under pressure?
- Describe a situation where you were faced with a stressful situation. How did you cope with it?
- Give an occasion where you developed preventive measures in anticipation of potential problems.
- Elaborate on a difficult decision you made in the last 6 months.
- Tell me about a time when you lead a group of coworkers onto a successful project.
- When dealing with conflict between coworkers, what is the first thing you do?
- If you have an employee that is habitually late, how do you handle the situation?
- How would you handle an issue between yourself and a superior?
- Explain a time when you successful sold a proposal to a boss.
- What is your technique for daily prioritizing?
You might be asked about how you reacted, how you felt, what you did or what you said in various situations. Follow-up questions can be even more detailed, so be prepared to give detailed answers.
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