Resource Center

Behavioral Interviewing

The behavioral interview technique is used by employers to evaluate a candidate's experiences and behaviors in order to determine their potential for success. The interviewer identifies desired skills and behaviors, and then structures open-ended questions and statements to elicit detailed responses. A rating system is developed and selected criteria are evaluated during the interview. As a candidate, you should be prepared to answer the questions and statements thoroughly.
FOCUS AND DEDICATION TO THE INDUSTRY:

1. Why did you choose you’re major and career?
2. At what point did you make this decision?
3. Specifically, what attracts you to this industry as a career?

TECHNICAL AND PROFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE:
Your level of understanding of technical and professional information and your ability to apply technical and professional skills.
1. Sometimes it's easy to get in "over your head". Describe a situation where you had to request help or assistance on a project or assignment.

Situation

Action

Result

2. Give an example of how you applied knowledge from previous coursework to a project in another class.

Situation

Action

Result

TEAMWORK:
Working effectively with others in the organization and outside the formal lines of authority (i.e., peers, other units, senior management, and the like) to accomplish organizational goals and to identify and resolve problems. Considering the impact of your decisions on others.
1. Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?

Situation

Action

Result

2. Describe a situation in which you found that your results were not up to your professor's or supervisor's expectations. What happened? What action did you take?

Situation

Action

Result

3. Tell of a time when you worked with a colleague who was not completing their share of the work. Who, if anyone, did you tell or talk to about it? Did the manager take any steps to correct your colleague? Did you agree or disagree with the manager's actions?

Situation

Action

Result

4. Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or guide others to a compromise.

Situation

Action

Result

ANALYSIS:
Relating and comparing data from different sources, identifying issues, securing relevant information, and identifying relationships.
1. What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision?

Situation

Action

Result

2. We can sometimes identify a small problem and fix it before it becomes a major problem. Give an example(s) of how you have done this.

Situation

Action

Result

3. Describe a situation in which you had to collect information by asking many questions of several people.

Situation

Action

Result

4. In a supervisory or group leader role, have you ever had to discipline or counsel an employee or group member? What was the nature of the discipline? What steps did you take? How did that make you feel? How did you prepare yourself?

Situation

Action

Result

5. Recall a time from your work experience when your manager or supervisor was unavailable and a problem arose. What was the nature of the problem? How did you handle that situation? How did that make you feel?

Situation

Action

Result

6. Recall a time when you were assigned what you considered to be a complex project. Specifically, what steps did you take to prepare for and finish the project? Were you happy with the outcome? What one step would you have done differently if given the chance?

Situation

Action

Result

7. What was the most complex assignment you have had? What was your role?

Situation

Action

Result

ADAPTABILITY:
Maintaining effectiveness in varying environments, tasks and responsibilities, or with various types of people.
1. How was your transition from high school to college? Did you face any particular problems?

Situation

Action

Result

2. Tell of some situations in which you have had to adjust quickly to changes over which you had no control. What was the impact of the change on you?

Situation

Action

Result

WORK STANDARDS:
Setting high goals or standards of performance for self, subordinates, others and the organization. Experiencing dissatisfaction with average performance.
1. Compare and contrast the times when you did work which was above the standard with times your work was below the standard.

Above Standard

Below Standard

2. Describe some times when you were not very satisfied or pleased with your performance. What did you do about it?

Situation

Action

Result

3. What are your standards of success in school? What have you done to meet these standards?

Situation

Action

Result

4. How have you differed from your professors in evaluating your performance? How did you handle the situation?

Situation

Action

Result

JOB MOTIVATION:
The extent to which activities and responsibilities available in the job overlap with activities and responsibilities that result in personal satisfaction.
1. Give examples of your experiences at school or in a job that were satisfying. Give examples of your experiences that were dissatisfying.

Situation

Why Satisfying

Why Dissatisfying

2. What kind of supervisor do you work best for? Provide examples.

Type	Why this Preference?

INITIATIVE:
Making active attempts to influence events to achieve goals. Self-starting rather than passively accepting. Taking action to achieve goals beyond what is necessarily called for, originating action.
1. Describe some projects or ideas (not necessarily your own) that were implemented, or carried out successfully primarily because of your efforts.

Idea

Role in Implementation

Outcome

2. Describe a situation that required a number of things to be done at the same time. How did you handle it? What was the result?

Situation

Action

Result

3. Have you found any ways to make school or a job easier or more rewarding?

Situation

Action

Result

ABILITY TO LEARN:
Assimilating and applying new job-related information promptly.
1. What tricks or techniques have you learned to make school or a job easier, or to make yourself more effective? How did you learn that?

Situation

Action

Result

PLANNING AND ORGANIZING:
Establishing a course of action for yourself (and/or others) to accomplish specific goals. Planning proper assignments for personnel and appropriately allocating resources.
1. How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time? Give examples.

Priority

How Determined

Result

2. Describe a time in school when you had many projects or assignments due at the same time. What steps did you take to get them all done?

Situation

Action

Result

COMMUNICATION:
Clearly expressing ideas in writing-including grammar, organization, and structure.
1. Tell of a time when your active listening skills really paid off for you-maybe a time when other people missed the key idea being expressed.

Situation

Action

Result

2. What has been your experience in giving presentations to small or large groups? What has been your most successful experience in speech making?

Experience

Steps to Presentation

Result

CUSTOMER SERVICE ORIENTATION:
Making efforts to listen to and understand the customer (both internal and external), anticipating customer needs and giving high priority to customer satisfaction.
1. Tell of the most difficult customer service experience that you have ever had to handle-perhaps an angry or irate customer. Be specific and tell what you did and what was the outcome.

Situation

Action

Result

SENSITIVITY:
Acting out of consideration for the feelings and needs of others.
1. Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. Why was this person difficult? How did you handle that person?

Situation

Action

Result

2. Describe a situation where you found yourself dealing with someone who didn't like you. How did you handle it?

Situation

Action

Result

TABLE OF PERFORMANCE SKILLS

EVALUATION SYSTEM
An example of a simplistic rating system that may be used to evaluate you while other rating systems are very sophisticated with multiple grading and evaluation systems components:
5. MUCH MORE THAN ACCEPTABLE:
Significantly above criteria required for successful job performance
4. MORE THAN ACCEPTABLE:
Generally exceeds criteria relative to quality and quantity of behavior required.
3. ACCEPTABLE:
Meets criteria relative to quality and quantity of behavior required.
2. LESS THAN ACCEPTABLE:
Generally does not meet criteria relative to quality and quantity of behavior required.
1. MUCH LESS THAN ACCEPTABLE:
Significantly below criteria required for successful job performance.