Behavioral-based interviewing focuses on experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics necessary to be successful on the job. It is based on the belief that past behavior and performance predict future behavior and performance. Most organizations use behavioral-based interviewing to some degree.

Tips on Behavioral-Based Interviews

1. Research the employer/job and identify critical job elements.
2. Prepare short descriptions of situations that demonstrate positive behaviors or actions related to those elements
3. Be detailed and give specific examples
4. Make sure that every story has a beginning, middle and an end

The best way to accomplish this is to use the STAR process:

1. Situation - describe a specific situation that relates to the question
2. Task - what was your task, what goals did you have
3. Action - what action you specifically took
4. Result - the positive result or outcome of the situation

Using the STAR process is a productive way for you to structure your experiences and accomplishments for the interviewer. For example: (the situation) My department had been doing all their reports manually, which was very time consuming. I was confident that we could (the task) save time and money by automating the process. Therefore, (the action) I developed a computer program that would help expedite the report workload. Since then, (the result) our staff have cut their report workload in half, creating time to implement new projects that we did not have time to work on in the past.

Behavioral-based questions usually begin with such phrases as:

1. Describe for me...
2. Tell me about...
3. Give me an example of...

Example Behavioral Interview Questions

• How have you demonstrated initiative?
• How have you motivated yourself to complete an assignment or task that you did not want to do?
• Think about a difficult person that you have worked with in the past. What made him or her difficult? How did you successfully interact with this person?
• Think about a complex project or assignment you have been given. What approach did you take to complete it?
• Tell me about the riskiest decision you ever made.
• Describe when you or a group that you were part of was in danger of missing a deadline. What did you do?
• Tell me about a situation when you had to learn something new in a short time. How did you proceed?
• Describe your three greatest accomplishments to date.
• Walk me through a situation where you had to do research and analyze the results for one of your classes.
• What leadership positions have you held? Describe your leadership style.
• Have you generated any new ideas or suggestions while at school or at work?
• Summarize a situation where you successfully persuaded others to do something or to see your point of view.
• Give an example of when your persistence had the biggest payoff.
• How have you most constructively dealt with disappointment and turned it into a learning experience?
• Describe a situation in which you effectively developed a solution to a problem by combining different perspectives or approaches.