What are
Behavioural Interviews?
Once reserved for the Executive, behavioural
interviews are now common place, used across all
employment levels.
Behavioural interviews help the interviewer
understand how you may perform in future situations
based on past on past performance. You will be asked
specific questions in which you are expected to
provide answers based on actual situations you have
faced.
How to
approach behavioural interviews
Don't be fooled into believing behavioural
interviews are like any other interview style and
that the same answers you normally use will
suffice. It's important that you focus on an actual
event and do not provide answers in a generalised
form.
A useful tip is to think of your responses as a type
of story - being careful not to ramble and sticking
to the facts, whilst ensuring your response focuses
on many of your positive attributes.
A preferred structure for providing answers is the
use of "S.T.A.R" as a model.
|
Situation
&
Task |
Provide specific
information on an actual event that took place
in which you were faced with a challenge. |
|
Action
you took |
Describe what action you
took to address the situation |
|
Results
and outcome |
Provide a positive overview
on what happened and what experience you gained
from this event. |
It is important that you provide a positive example
/ result - don't blame others for self gain, and
never provide answers that could be seen as a
negative influence.
Example
questions
- Sometimes management have very unrealistic
expectations. Can you describe a time when you had
to persuade a senior member to rethink their
expectations and help them consider alternatives?
Focuses on persuading, negotiating and
influencing skills.
-
We've all had occasions when
we were working on something that just "slipped
through the cracks". Give some examples of when
this happened to you? What was the cause and what
was the outcome?
This question can be a trap in which you may
apportion blame without taking appropriate action
for the problem at hand. Watch out for these and
similar questions.
-
Describe a time when you have
had to deal with a difficult team member or
customer. What was the outcome and, with the
benefit or hindsight, what would you have done
differently today?
Focuses on team work, customer service,
conflict resolution and relationship management
-
What has been the highest
pressure situations you have been faced with over
recent years? How did you cope with it?
Focuses on tolerance for
stress and potentially time management skills
-
Describe a time when you
haven't been able to meet a deadline? What was the
reasons behind this and what could have been done
differently?
Focuses on planning,
initiative and problem solving skills
Points to
remember
è
Always keep focused on a past situation (STAR) and
never provide generalised
answers - they aren't looking for what you "would
do" it's about what "you have done"
è
Answers can be tailored to provide excellent
examples of you value-add skills if you
practice you responses
è
It's impossible to practice for every question - but
if you understand and learn
the meanings behind competencies, then there's a
strong chance you'll
be able to pre-empt many requirements and
possible questions.
|
