Behavioural interview questions
What are they?
Behavioural interviews are a common style of interview - particularly for graduate roles. A behavioural interview consists of questions that require you to reflect on your past experiences and present specific real-life examples to demonstrate your skills.
Why do employers use them?
Research suggests that past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour and performance. Therefore employers prefer to hear evidence of how you used your skills in the past so that they can make an informed prediction as to how you will perform in the role for which you are applying.
What do behavioural questions sound like?
Behavioural questions will generally begin with the following phrases:
- Tell me about a time when...
- Give me an example of...
- Describe a situation when you...
You can see that all of the above phrases prompt you to tell a story about a time when you have used a particular skill.
The most common mistakes people make are:
- Failing to be specific and telling the interviewer what you would do, rather than what you have done.
- Not talking about their particular role/action/tasks - but speaking generally about the group/team/organisation.
- Not taking the time to prepare interesting examples. Imagine how many times a graduate recruiter has heard a teamwork example about a group assignment
- Not giving enough detail and making assumptions that the interviewer is following your example
How do I prepare for behavioural interviews and avoid these mistakes?
The good news is that you can easily prepare for behavioural interviews by following these steps.
1. Review the key selection criteria. (That's the skills they have listed as essential or desirable for the job.)
- You can use a position description if you have one, the job ad or sometimes the organisation's website.
- Common skills or competencies that are tested include: Teamwork ; Communication/Interpersonal; Leadership; Client service; Problem solving; Time / task management; Goal setting.
2. Prepare examples.
- Using the skills as your guide, think of examples from your past experience that demonstrate each skill.
- Try to think of a different example for each skill so that you have a variety of responses prepared for the interview.
- Most of your examples will come from Uni or work, but don't be afraid to draw on volunteer work, participation in sporting teams or community activities if they provide a good demonstration of your skills.
- Keep the examples recent and relevant
- Use the STAR model (see below) to prepare you responses.
3. Practice responding to questions.
- This will help you become confident in using your examples.
- A large part of your success is in the delivery of your response.
- Use the examples below and visit the Careers Resource Centre
Examples of Behavioural questions:
Time / task management- Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritise your tasks.
- Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively.
- Tell me about a time when you had to use your communication skills to influence someone's opinion.
- Give me an example of a time when you had to deliver a difficult message to an individual or team.
- Give me an example of a time when you have been part of a successful team.
- Tell me about a time when you have had to work with a difficult team member.
- Describe a situation in which you recognised a potential problem as an opportunity.
- Tell me about a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures.
STAR model
Careers and Employment recommend preparing your examples using the STAR structure - Situation, Task, Action, Result. This structure allows you to provide a concise, well structured response and helps you avoid drifting off-track if nerves get the better of you!
The STAR method involves these four steps:
Example Question: Can you tell me about a time when you have solved a complex problem? What steps did you take?
|
Situation |
Outline what problem or instance you were faced with. |
During my final year I was doing some volunteer work with a local charity, helping them build a database to keep a record of their volunteers. |
|
Task |
Explain what your task was within the situation. |
The night before we were to launch the database and train the staff on its use, it stopped functioning. |
|
Action |
Explain in sequential steps what your response was to the situation. What did you do? |
I called a meeting to brainstorm, talk through our options and allocate tasks. As the person with the highest level of IT knowledge, I spent most of the night working through the program, trying different options (provide a few examples...) and testing and re-testing the system, I kept a list of what I had tried as I went through it and kept regular updates flowing through to the others who were completing other tasks. |
|
Result |
Explain the outcome or the learning. |
Everything worked as it should the next day at our roll-out and training. The organisation could start data entry of the volunteer information on time and I received great feedback about my contribution. |
Links and Resources
- Online Career Tools (has some DVDs on graduate interviews)
- Skills 4 Work Seminars & workshops (attend a lunchtime session on interviews during semester).