Behavioral Questions

It is estimated that 80% of the interview is made up of behavioral questions. This type of interviewing is based on the philosophy that a detailed analysis of the way you acted in certain circumstances in your previous job will give a reliable indication of the way you will act in your new job too.

Behavioral questions will be experience-based and you need a lot of practice to be able to answer them in a satisfactory manner.

STAR Technique

To answer Behavioral Questions, employ the STAR technique −

• S = Situation − (recall an incident in your life that suits the situation)
• T = Task − (recall an incident in your life that suits the task)
• A = Action − (mention the course of action you opted to address the situation or task)
• R = Result − (mention the result of your action and the outcome)

Q − Tell me about an incident where you worked effectively under pressure.

Remember that these are only sample interview answers meant to give a general idea on the approach to Behavioral Interviews. You need to formulate your own answers to suit the context and scenario asked in the question.

Sample Behavioral Interview Questions

Q1 − Describe a bad experience you had working with your ex-employer

Q2 − Describe how you handle disagreement.

Q3 − Explain a situation when you explained a complex idea simply.

Q4 − Describe a time when you had to adapt to a change at work.

Q5 − Describe a time when you made a mistake.

Q6 − Describe a time when you delegated tasks to team-mates.

Q7 − Describe when you were blamed for somebody else’s mistake.

Q8 − Describe a difficult situation that you faced and how you handled it.

Q9 − Describe a new suggestion that you had made to your supervisor

Q10 − Describe when you had to take a judgement on a difficult decision.