CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – DECEMBER 23, 2021
How to Prepare for a Behavioral Job Interview
The Best Way to Prepare
What’s the best way to prepare? It’s important to remember that you will not know what type of interview will take place until you are sitting in the interview room. So, prepare answers to traditional interview questions.
Then, since you don’t know exactly what situations you will be asked about if it’s a behavioral interview, refresh your memory and consider some special situations you have dealt with or projects you have worked on. You may be able to use them to help frame responses.
Prepare stories that illustrate times when you have successfully solved problems or performed memorably.
The stories will be useful to help you respond meaningfully in a behavioral interview. You can research the STAR interview response technique, which offers a way of answering behavioral interview questions. (More on this in a moment.)
Finally, review the job description, if you have it, or the job posting or ad. You may be able to get a sense of what skills and behavioral characteristics the employer is seeking from reading the job description and position requirements.
Tips for During the Interview
During the interview, if you are not sure how to answer the question, ask for clarification. Then use the STAR technique, being sure to include these points in your answer:
- A specific situation
- The tasks that needed to be done
- The action you took
- The results, i.e., what happened
It’s important to keep in mind that there are no right or wrong answers. The interviewer is simply trying to understand how you behaved in a given situation.
How you respond will determine if there is a fit between your skills and the position the company is seeking to fill.
So, listen carefully, be clear and detailed when you respond and, most importantly, be honest. If your answers are not what the interviewer is looking for, this position may not be the best job for you.
The Bottom Line
BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEWS HAVE THE SAME FORMAT AS STANDARD INTERVIEWSThe key difference is that in a behavioral interview, you will be expected to provide an anecdote illustrating your past behavior.
USE THE STAR TECHNIQUE TO ANSWER BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONSDescribe the situation that you were in; explain the task you had to complete; describe the action you took; close with the result of your efforts.
LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEWER AND ASK QUESTIONS IF YOU NEED TODon’t be afraid to ask for clarification before you answer.
REMEMBER THAT THERE ARE NO RIGHT ANSWERSAnswer truthfully and don’t obsess over being “wrong.”
