Behavioral Interviews

In a behavior-based interview, you are required to provide an in-depth response to questions by drawing on past experiences or knowledge of particular issues. The recommended practice in response to behavior-based interviews is using the S.T.A.R method:

S = Situation
T = Tasks Involved
A = Action Taken
R = Results

Keep this in mind: Your response must detail an important situation, followed by the tasks you were involved in, the actions you took and, finally, the results you achieved. This method will help you provide appropriately detailed answers to interviewers' questions and give you a substantial advantage over candidates who provide only general answers.

Sample Behavior-Based Interview Questions:

• How have you handled communicating with a variety of audiences/constituents in the past?
• Please tell me about an important decision you made and how you arrived at it.
• Describe a situation in which you had to deal with a professional disagreement or conflict.
• Describe a recent situation in which you successfully persuaded others of your point of view.
• Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
• Describe the most significant or creative presentation you have had to complete.
• Tell us about a time in the past when you had to deal with a difficult team member and describe what you did.
• Give a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
• Give an example of an important goal that you set and tell me about your success in reaching this goal.
• Describe a time when you were working on a project that suddenly changed in mid-stream.