Facing a behavioral interview?

Facing Behavioral Interviewing? Read On

Author:

RL Stevens

'The most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in a similar situation.' That\'s the conclusion industrial psychologists came to when developing the behavioral style of interviewing. Many companies use this technique in varying degrees. Instead of asking:

- Tell me about yourself.

- What are your strengths and weaknesses?

- Why are you interested in working for us?

Behavioral interviewing emphasizes past performance and behaviors. Not preparing for this style of interview can take you out of the running. A word to the wise: simply practicing the list of common interview questions isn\'t enough.

Why should your prepare for a behavioral interview?

- Candidates who prepare for behavioral interviews also do better in traditional interviews.

- Using behavioral answers works well with inexperienced, traditional interviewers.

- Companies that invest the time and energy to develop behavioral interviews attract top candidates.

How do I prepare for a behavioral interview? Employers have analyzed exactly what skills they require for the position. These skill sets might include decision-making and problem solving, leadership, motivation, communication, interpersonal skills, planning and organization, critical thinking, team building and the ability to influence others. Job seekers also must go through this same detailed analysis process. To do that, you should consider questions such as:

- What are the necessary skills to do this job? Do I possess them?

- What makes a successful candidate? How can I translate my previous successes to this position?

- What would make an unsuccessful candidate? What criteria could eliminate a candidate?

- Why is this position available? Promotion, left the company, expansion?

- What is the most difficult part of this job? Have I handled similar situations and what stories do I have to express my success?

Once you have landed the interview, make your answers and examples detailed and specific. You should have developed three stories that illustrate accomplishments and successes in your past performance, remembering the interviewer will be focused on the assertion that 'past performance in a similar setting is the best predictor of future performance.'

The best way to accomplish this is to use the 3C Technique:

1. Circumstance (What was the problem?)

2. Conduct (How did you fix it or how did you get others to fix it?)

3. Conclusion (What was the result?)

For example, you might recount a time when communication within your work group had broken down (circumstance). Organizing lunch meetings designed to open the discussion of issues was a creative step toward resolving the problem. It inspired a more congenial atmosphere and resulted in a better flow of communication. Using this technique can present your accomplishments in a way that sends a powerful message to the employer.

While you can\'t control what is asked, you can control what you say. Listen carefully to each question. If you are unsure, ask for clarification. When you respond, be sure to recall your accomplishments in detail. Avoid lengthy rambling and tangents. Practice your behavioral stories using so they sound natural, not rehearsed. No one knows your accomplishments better than you do. Be confident about sharing them, enthusiastic about the results and proud to be able to bring these kinds of successes to a potential employer.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/self-improvement-articles/facing-behavioral-interviewing-read-on-3150489.html

About the Author
Provided by R.L. Stevens & Associates, Inc. - a full-service career firm. For more information, contact us at 1-800-721-9491, info@rlstevens.com or visit us online at http://www.interviewing.com

Behavioral Interviews- Outside the box interviews

Situational and Behavioral Questions
By Ken Sundheim


You want to play in the big leagues and interview with the best companies? Nobody is going to ask you about your past internships. It doesn't mean much to them. These companies need to know how you think. They need to know your thought process and how you would handle certain situations.

Thus, they give situational and behavioral questions. Below, you will find some questions to these tough and sometimes shocking interviewing tactics. Remember, there is no correct or wrong answer to these questions and you will not know how the interview went until they tell you after wards. Be prepared to use your head and think before you answer.

It is very imperative that you keep upbeat and remain excited about the position.

Situational Interview Questions:
Situational interview questions aim to see your thought process when it comes to solving problems that will occur in everyday or work situations. The jobs that pay a lot want a lot of talent in return. Again, there are no correct or wrong answers regarding these questions. They are not your typical "Yes" or "No" questions.

Below, you will find some sample questions and sample answers. During an interview, always be prepared for these types of inquiries.

Q: Let's say that a professor didn't like you and was going to fail you. You had one week to straighten things out. Since you could not convince the professor and you knew he had a strong case to fail you, how would you go about passing this class?

Q: Let's say that somebody took everything you had and left you on the street with $3,000. You could not go to family or friends; you could only use the money as a resource. What would you do?

Q: You win the lottery, what would you do next?

Q: You get a call from a client who yells at you and will not listen to your responses. Your boss threatens to fire you if you can't keep them on by the end of Monday. It is Friday, what do you do?

Q: You walk into an interview and the interviewer shakes your hand and says, "You have 1 week to convince me that you are right for the job. You cannot call me or email me." What do you do?

Behavioral Interview Questions:

Q: Give an example of a time when you had to persuade others? What did you do?

Q: How would you go about working if you were required to conform to a policy with which you did not agree?

Q: When it comes to dealing with conflict how do you handle it? Give me an example.

Q: Let's say your boss had to quit and his or her work that they left was crucial to the organization. You would not equipped to do all of the work yourself, nor are you qualified. What would you do?

Q: What do you consider to be a cut-throat environment? How would you act to keep your job in this type of situation?

Recruitment Agencies Chicago Marketing Recruiters

Marketing Recruiters Houston Headhunters Sales

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ken_Sundheim

Behavioral Interview questions: Communications

Communications is consdidered to be one of the top transferrable skills for any job seeker. No wonder behavioral interview quesitons many focus on communciations. As always, the best approach is to answer these with situational and contextual information. Here are some examples.


Tell me about a time when you had to present a proposal to a person in authority and were able to do this successfully.
Answer: When I worked for ABC inudstries, I was convinced we should seek outsourcing to devleop our instrucitonal systems supports. I wrote a detaile proposal which was accepted by the company

TeTell me about a situation where you had to be persuasive and sell your idea to someone else.
Describe for me a situation where you persuaded team members to do things your way. What was the effect?
Tell me about a time when you were tolerant of an opinion that was different from yours.

Microsoft interview questions

Many of these questions, as you can see, cannot be answered without thinking carefully or critically. As with the regular behviorial interview questions, your best strategy to answer these requires that you give anecdotal information. Think of a Situation, of Tasks, Actions, and Results. There's the STAR method again!

What types of projects (academic or otherwise) have inspired you in the past?
What are some self-directed missions that may have influenced your career direction?
Did you have a moment of epiphany when you KNEW what you wanted to be when you grew up?
How does Microsoft fit into your vision?
What are some things that excite and motivate you?
What are some examples of poorly/well-designed software? What makes the software this way and how would you change it?

(Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Behavioral interview questions for Social service specialist or Child Welfare Case worker

Each profession has its own set of competencies and situation specific skills and experience that will make an applicant successful. The social services profession is no exception. Here are some possible scenarios that could occur in an interview question. Try to imagine the worst challenges of the job. To answer the question, think of your own real life experience, or the best hypothetical answer of what you would do in that situation.


Confrontation will be a strong part of your challenges. How would you manage to maintain a professional demeanor under suggested circumstances.

In this line of work you will have to inquire about delicate subjects with parents. How would you be interesting or inventive when querying inquiring about private family matters of finance, sex, communications between parents and children.

In this job you may have to uncover problems that are readily evident or aren't as obvious to someone who is close to a situation. How might you probe or investigate potential hiddent problems such as an uncle too interested in his young niece, or an introverted son with a greater than normal interest in watching people.

Some questions could follow a "What if..." format in several different situations, single mother, single dad, foster parent, dysfunctional nuclear family.

The only ways to answer these are to use the STAR method (speaking from experience, or to answer the questions, hypothetically, as best you can.

Sample Behavioral interview questions from monster

I found these behavioral questions on Monster.com today. How would you answer these interview questions? Be authentic of course, and use the STAR Method, (Situation, Task, Action, Result).


• Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback. How did you handle it?
• What is your greatest failure, and what did you learn from it?
• What irritates you about other people, and how do you deal with it?
• Who has impacted you most in your career, and how?
• What do you see yourself doing within the first 30 days of this job?
• If you were interviewing someone for this position, what traits would you look for?
• What is your greatest achievement outside of work?
• If I were your supervisor and asked you to do something that you disagreed with, what would you do?
• What's the most difficult decision you've made in the last two years?
• Tell me one thing about yourself you wouldn't want me to know.
• If you found out your company was doing something against the law, like fraud, what would you do?
• Describe how you would handle a situation if you were required to finish multiple tasks by the end of the day, and there was no conceivable way that you could finish them.
• What techniques and tools do you use to keep yourself organized?

More Behavioral Interview questions

Behavioral Interviewing Questions

By: Charles Bentson King

Behavioral interviewing is the most effective way to hire a qualified employee. It takes gut feelings, stereotypes and biases out of the process and allows you to look at candidates in more scientific terms. The process is called behavioral because it uses behaviors presented in the past to predict future behaviors. The process sounds easy but it takes practice and persistence. You need to know the exact behaviors that are critical for the job you are interviewing for and then you need to prepare questions that will illicit the responses you need to analyze the candidates behaviors. When you ask behavioral interviewing questions it is imperative that you probe and allow the candidate time and silence to answer the questions.

1. Give me an example of a time you where you had a particularly difficult customer and how you handled the situation.

2. Describe for me a situation where you didn't agree with a company policy and learned to work within the confines of that policy.

3. Give me an example of a time when you were given instructions by your manager that you didn't agree with and how you handled the situation.

4. Tell me about a time when you had conflict with a co-worker and how you were able to resolve that conflict.

5. Give me an example of a time when you provided extraordinary service and please be specific with the steps you took to achieve this result.

6. Describe for me a time when you didn't understand how to complete a task and what you did to finish the work.

7. Tell me about a time that you had to use creativity to solve a problem at work.

8. Tell me about a time when you were not feeling well or in a bad mood and had to motivate yourself at work.

9. Describe for me a time that you had a co-worker with a bad attitude and how you handled that situation.

10. Give me an example of a time you made a mistake when working with a customer and how you handled the situation.

Remember to research the behaviors needed for the position you are interviewing for and prepare your questions carefully. Also, use silence and probe further so you can get the information needed to make an informed hiring decision. Behavioral interviewing will take the gut feelings, stereotypes and biases that we all have out of the equation and you will make better hiring decisions.

About the Author

Charlie Bentson King is a writer and producer of training videos for TrainingABC. TrainingABC is a distributor of behavioral interviewing video programs such as More Than a Gut Feeling.

(ArticlesBase SC #2188770)

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/ - Behavioral Interviewing Questions

Answering Behavioral interview questions-video

This video on behavioral interview questions gives a good capsule summary of what behavioral interviewing is all about, and examples of nasty and uncomfortable questions

Behavioral Interviewing-the employer's perspective

Here is an article written for employers and how to conduct a behavioral interview


by Jennifer Selland



Behavioral interviewing is a relatively new mode of job interviewing. Employers such as AT&T and Accenture (formerly Andersen Consulting) have been using behavioral interviewing for 15 years, and because increasing numbers of employers are using behavior-based methods to screen job candidates, understanding how to excel in this interview environment is becoming a crucial job-hunting skill.

What is Behavior-Based Interviewing? Behavior-based interviewing focuses on your past experiences, behaviors, attitudes, personal skills and capacities that are job-related. It is based on the belief that past behavior and performance predicts future behavior and performance. You may use work experience, outsides activities, hobbies, volunteer work, school projects, family life as examples of your past behavior. However we suggest to focus on job related performance as much as possible.

Behavioral Interviewing Questions. This is the key to matching behavioral interviewing questions with specific soft sills or competencies. Below is a short list of 22 competencies with their definitions, suggestions for effective interviewing hints and a sample question for each.

Conflict Management: Addressing and resolving conflict constructively.

•Listen for proactive identification and resolution of concerns and issues.
•Sample question: "Describe the most difficult conflict you've ever had to manage."

Employee Development/Coaching: Facilitating and supporting the professional growth of others.

•Listen for a belief in the potential of others and promoting of learning and development.
•Sample question: "Describe your personal experience with a mentor or coach."

Interpersonal Skills: Effectively communicating, building rapport and relating well to all kinds of people.

•Listen for self-awareness, understanding and an ability to communicate effectively with others regardless of differences.
•Sample question: "Describe the most difficult working relationship you've had with an individual."

Teamwork: Working effectively and productively with other.

•Listen for a strong commitment and contributions to team members working towards a specific goal.
•Sample question: "Give me an example of one of the most significant contributions you made as a member of a high performing team."

Self-Management: Demonstrating self-control and an ability to manage time and priorities.

•Listen for composure, assertiveness and emotional stability.
•Sample question: "Give me an example of when you were able to meet the personal and professional demands in your life, yet still maintained a healthy balance."

Empathy: Identifying with and caring about others.

•Listen for genuine caring, compassion and initiative in assisting others without expectations of rewards.
•Sample question: "Give me an example of when you identified with someone else's difficulties at work." Planning/Organizing: Utilizing logical, systematic and orderly procedures to meet objectives.

•Listen for logical, organized and systematic approaches.
•Sample question: " Describe the most complex assignment or project you've worked on."

. Customer Service: Anticipating, meeting and/or exceeding customer needs, wants and expectations.

•Listen for extraordinary efforts in responding to customer needs and wants to insure satisfaction.
•Sample question: " Give me an example of when you went out of your way for a customer."

. Written Communication: Writing clearly, succinctly and understandably.

Look for clear and understandable knowledge or written communication.
Sample question: "Give me an example of something you wrote for work that was effective in achieving a communication goal."

Presenting: Speaking effectively to small and large groups.

•Listen for awareness, accuracy and composure.
•Sample question: " Describe a situation when you had to give a presentation to a group of people you have never met."

Persuasion: Convincing others to change the way they think, believe or behave.

•Listen for persistence, determination and a "never-give-up" attitude in efforts to meet goals.
•Sample question: "Describe a situation where you were able to convince others to your way of thinking."

Goal Orientation: Energetically focusing efforts on meeting a goal, mission or objective.

•Listen for the ability to maintain their direction in spite of obstacles in their path.
•Sample question: "Give me an example of the most significant professional goal you have met."

Flexibility: Agility in adapting to change.

•Listen for a positive attitude towards lots of activity, multi-tasking and change, in general.
•Sample question: "Give me an example of when you were forced to change priorities or direction."

Continuous Learning: Taking initiative in learning and implementing new concepts, technologies and/or methods.

•Listen for a positive attitude towards self-improvement, learning and the application of knowledge.
•Sample question: "How do you keep current on what's going on in your field?"

Personal Effectiveness: Demonstrating initiative, self-confidence, resiliency and a willingness to take responsibility for personal actions.

•Listen for a strong sense of self, personal responsibility, courage and resilience.
•Sample question: "What do you think has enabled you to meet your goals?"

. Problem Solving: Anticipating, analyzing, diagnosing and resolving problems.

•Listen for an analytical and disciplined approach to solving problems.
•Sample question: "Describe a situation when you anticipated a problem."

Negotiation: Facilitating agreements between two or more parties.

•Listen for seasoned expertise in negotiating "win-win" agreements.
•Sample question: "Give me an example of when you were able to facilitate a "win-win" agreement between two or more adversarial parties."

Management: Achieving extraordinary results through effective management of resources, systems and processes.

•Listen for shrewd business sense, understanding of operational issues and an ability to improve the bottom line.
•Sample question: "Describe the largest budget you've ever developed and had responsibility for managing."

. Leadership: Achieving extraordinary business results through people.

•Listen for an ability to obtain the trust, commitment and motivation of others to achieve goals and objectives.
•Sample question: "If you have held a leadership position in the past, draw the organizational chart above and below your position to illustrate the scope of your leadership responsibilities."

. Decision Making: Utilizing effective processes to make decisions.

•Listen for an ability to make timely decisions under difficult circumstances.
•Sample question: "Give me an example of when you had to make a quick decision when the risk of making an error was high."

Futuristic Thinking: Imagining, envisioning, projecting and/or predicting what has not yet been realized.

•Listen for optimism, predictions and a commitment to future possibilities.
•Sample question: "Describe a situation when you were correct in seeing a future trend that others didn't."

Creativity/Innovation: Adapting traditional or devising new approaches, concepts, methods, models, designs, processes, technologies, and/or systems.

•Listen for "out-of-the-box" thinking and unusual approaches.
•Sample question: " Describe a work situation when you adapted a concept, design, process or system to meet a need."

Be sure to probe for as many details and specifics as possible such as names, dates and other verifiable information. Skilled interviewers will also ask candidates for their thoughts or feelings about a situation to gain further insight.

How Can I Prepare for A Behavioral Interview?
•Be familiar with the type of positions for which you're applying.
•Reflect on your own background. What skills do you have that relate to the job you are applying for?
•Think of examples from your past experience where you demonstrated those skills. How can you give an example about your use of particular skills or knowledge?
•Be prepared to provide examples of when results didn't turn out as you planned. What did you do then? In hindsight, what would you do differently?
•Identify two or three of your strengths and determine how you will convey these assets during the interview.
•Once you land your desired position, keep a personal achievement diary to help document demonstrated performance.

How Do I Prepare For a Behavioral Interview If I Am The Interviewer or Company Hiring?

•If the job could talk; what would it say? About:
oThe behaviors of the person who will always be able to deliver superior performance?
oThe attitudes of the people doing the job?
oThe attributes or soft skills needed for superior performance?

•Job Benchmarking with a system such as Trimetrix, reveals why, how and what an individual can contribute to a job.

•It identifies a complete hierarchy of competencies or personal skills. It allows you to clarify any position issues. It prioritizes and validates the competencies required.

•This can be done for any:
oLeadership/Management Exempt position
oProfessional Exempt position
oHourly non-exempt position

•Anytime you need an unbiased opinion about whether someone is right or wrong for the job, the computer will analyze the input of up to ten respondents to identify the importance of the 23 soft skills competencies.

•Where can you do this...through the Internet! Have up to ten respondents identify the importance of the 23 soft skills competencies and then see how your candidate matches up.

For more information about the Trimetrix Process or how to benchmark a job, please feel free to call Well-Run Concepts at 877-566-2900, email us at Success@Well-Run.com or visit us on the Web at www.Well-Run.com

The premise behind behavioral interviewing is that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations. Behavioral interviewing, in fact, is said to be 55 percent predictive of future on-the-job behavior, while traditional interviewing is only ten percent predictive.

Good luck with the process of Behavioral Interviewing and Well-Run Concepts encourages you to use the Behavioral Interviewing questions provided in this article to get you started.
Retrieved from "http://www.articlesbase.com/human-resources-articles/behavioral-interviewing-41559.html"



Jennifer Selland is the Founder and President of Well-Run Concepts, a Human Resource Consulting Firm based in Ocala Florida, founded in 1997, whose mission is to Help Organizations Define and Develop Top Talent. Jennifer has over 15 years of Human Resource Management and Executive Operational hotel experience

Well-Run Concepts
"Helping Organizations Define and Develop Top Talent."

303 S.E. 17th St. Suite 309-170
Ocala, FL 34471
Toll Free:877-566-2900 Tel:352-624-2684 Fax:352-624-2689
Website: www.well-run.com Email: Jennifer@well-run.com

Behavioral Interview Questions and Answers - Tips and Advice

By Damen Choy

Behavioral interviews are becoming more and more popular in this highly competitive job market. The main reason that employers like the behavioral interview is that it can predict the future actions of candidates quite accurately. What do we mean by this?

Traditional interview questions - the ones you may be more used to - typically call for highly objective answers and can be based on misperceptions. For instance, how you answer the question, "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" is based on your own perception of yourself. Since the employer does not yet know you, he or she cannot judge the accuracy of your answers.

However, behavioral interview questions provide the interviewer with much greater insight into how your mind works. As the name implies, behavioral questions focus on just that: your actual behavior - and not your perceptions. In this type of interview, the interviewer has targeted several specific behaviors and attitudes that the job requires, and has designed behavioral interview questions that will shed light on whether you might be a good fit for the position.

Behavioral questions examples

Here are some typical interview behavioral questions:

*Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision without sufficient information. How did the situation work out?

*Tell me about a time when you had to work with someone who did not like you. How did you deal with the situation? What was the outcome?

*Describe a decision you made that was unpopular. Why did you make the decision? How did you sell your decision? What was the outcome?

*If you are given an assignment that you don't know how to handle, what would you do?

*What would you do if a customer complains about you to your boss?

*Tell me about a time when someone's interruptions were in danger of causing you to miss a deadline. What did you do?

Notice how much more specific and detailed this type of question is than traditional, straightforward interview questions. The idea behind the success of behavioral questions & answers is that a person's past performance is a good indicator of his or her future performance.

Navigating behavioral questions & answers

While answering this type of question may seem more difficult than traditional questions, actually, with a little practice, you may find that the answers come more naturally since you're simply recalling your past experiences. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind for answering behavioral questions in a way that will help your interviewer the most:

*Always relate the question to a specific instance in your career.

*Describe the tasks that were related to the instance. What was the expected outcome?

*Describe your actions in relation to the task or instance. What did you do? Why did you decide to do it?

*Always describe the actual outcome of your actions, even if it wasn't favorable. What did you learn from the experience? What might you do differently if faced with a similar situation?

In answering interview behavioral questions this thoroughly, you show that you understand what the interviewer is looking for and that you're willing to offer up the information to help them make the best decision.


Additional tips

*Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. Just answer the question as honestly as you can, while focusing on describing your actions during the situation.

*Don't feel attacked by the interviewer's follow up questions, which may feel very probing. The interviewer is simply trying to understand how and why you've acted in situations he or she believes related to the job, and is not personally attacking you.

*Relax and take a deep breath before answering. It's ok to take a few minutes to think of your answer.

*If you're describing a stressful situation, avoid the temptation to get upset all over again. Detach yourself from the emotions of the situation, and describe the details as factually as possible.

*Smile! Speak smoothly and confidently.

With some practice and preparation, you'll find that you can handle the more difficult behavioral interview questions successfully and with confidence.


Damen Choy Author and Editor http://InstantCareerAdvice.com a career advice website providing free ebooks, articles and software for career advancement, job interviews and resume writing advice. Damen has also written a book about job interview available at Amazon.com. Access the ebook version here at http://www.a-better-job-interview.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Damen_Choy

Behavioral Interview video-tips for sales interviews

Check this behavioral interview video out

Behavioral interview tips

Here are some behavioral interview tips for preparing for the interview.
*First, realize that behavioral interviews don't have a correct answer. The interviewer is expecting you to think on your feet.

*Prepare for questions such as "tell me about a time when something went wrong, and how you handled it". "tell me when..." or "describe a situation where you had to..." or "give me example of how...". "What would you do differently in that situation?

*Next take a good look at the position description. See if you can match your skills and attributes to what the the job requires.

*Then, examine work-related experiences and accomplishments. Did you solve difficult problems? Which of those best illustrate the skills and attributes required by the position?

*Then, think like an interviewer . Design your own questions. See if you can identify times when things really didn't go well and how you handled it. How well did you think on your feet?

*Be sure to develop some examples and stories. . for your answers. Be specific. Point out the skills you demonstrated during these events and the actions you took that made a difference.

*Finally, don't forget to use the use the STAR technique when answering your questions. STAR is short for "Situation" "Task" "Action" "Result"

Situation - When and where did this happen? What your role did you play ? What problems occured ? Task-What had to be done? Was there a deadline or crisis? Action- What actions did you take ? (Describe in detail). How did it all end ( crisis averted? increased sales?)?

How to prepare for a behavioral interview - video

Video by Debbie Benami-Rahm (DBR Consulting)

Behavioral Interview sample questions: West Jet

Here are some more sample behavioral interview questions--ones that are used by WestJet in Canada



• Tell us about a time you made a decision you took sole responsibility for?

• Give an example of something in the past that you had to accomplish using specific steps. What was the task that you were trying to complete? What were the specific steps? What was the final outcome of using these steps?

• Unwritten rules are a part of every operation. Give a specific example of a situation in the past where you had to use unwritten rules. What was the unwritten rule? How did you use it? What was the outcome from using this rule?

• Give an example of some time in the past where you disagreed with existing policy. What was the policy that you disagreed with? What did you do instead? What was the end result?

• Give an example of a time when you disagreed with something, but continued through with it for the good of the other team members. What was the thing you disagreed with? What was the end result?

• Decision-making is part of the business. Tell us about a time you had to make a decision that affected a flight?
• Here are some more Behavioral Interview sample questions: West Jet



• Tell us about a time when you contributed to the well being of the team? How did you do it? What was the end result?

• Tell us about a time you had to give a specific set of instructions that had to be followed to get the job done?

• Tell us about a time you had to correct a problem a customer had. How did you correct it? What was the end result?

• 19. Name a time you helped a customer?


• Tell us about a time you saw an unsafe procedure and what did you do about it?

• Tell us about a time you went on a fact-finding mission to get the job done?

• What was the most UNFUN place you worked for? Why?

• What was the most FUN place you worked for? Why?

• Name a time you spent a significant amount of time helping another crewmember?

• Name a time you had to make an unpopular decision? What was it? Impact?

• Most difficult crew/crewmember you ever had to work with?

• Difficult encounter with co-worker (not necessarily another crewmember)?

• Name a time you had to deal with a fellow crewmember following an unsafe procedure/practice (as consistently outside the bounds of safety/sop) and how did you deal with it?

• Define SOPs? Have you ever broken SOPs? When? Why?

• Name a time you saw a safety issue that had potential negative consequences, long or short term?

• Name a time you had a conflict with a fellow worker? How did you resolve this?

• Name a time you had to deal with a conflict with a customer? What was the outcome?

• Name a time you had to convince someone to change his or her mind or course of action? How did you go about it?





• Name a time a crewmember wasn’t pulling their weight? What did you do about it?

• Name a time you had to deal with a technical problem in the aircraft?

• Name a time you came up with a new idea at work?

• Name a time you had to deal with an unethical crewmember? How did you go about it

• Name a time you had to deal with a crewmember NOT getting a long? What did you do about it?

• Name a time you had to stand your ground and voice your opinion, even though you knew it would not be a popular one?

• Name a time you demonstrated leadership qualities?

• Define customer service?

• Name a time you made a mistake?

• Name a time you used decisiveness in your role as a pilot?

• Name a time you saved the company money?

• Name a time you had to go above and beyond the call of duty?

• Describe a time in which you felt it was necessary to modify or change your actions to respond to the needs of another person?

• Name a time in your last job when you contributed to creating a team environment?

• Name a time you were able to build motivation in your co-workers or subordinates at work?

• Name a time you used common sense to complete a task even though the procedure may have been telling you to do it a different way?

• Name a time you supported a decision even though you may not have agreed with it?

• Name a time you had to keep the energy or enthusiasm up in the crew? How did you go about it?

• How do you deal with complacency?

• How do you feel about sitting in the “RIGH SEAT”?

• Name a time you missed an obvious solution to a problem?

• Name a time the Flight Attendant felt comfortable enough to raise an issue with you?

• How should you respond to the question, "where do you see yourself in five years?"

Behavioral interview questions from the online trenches

Here are some behavioral interview questions from an online discussion forum. These look nasty and uncomfortable.

Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.

Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.

Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.

Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.

Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion.

Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.

Please discuss an important written document you were required to complete.

Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.

Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks.

Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision.

What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.

Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).

Tell me about a difficult decision you've made in the last year.

Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed.

A Sample behavioral intervew question and answer-the "difficulty" questions

"Tell me about a difficult work related situation that you have faced in your previous job and how you handled it?". You can certainly expect some variation of this question to show up in a behavioral interview
This kind of question will test your communication and problem solving skills, as well as your ability to resolve situation. And, of course, you will also have to think carefully on your feet as you answer that.

To answer this: Try to recall ard work situations

•These could be resolving issues with an angry customer
•Trouble shooting delicate issues with co-workers

Your answer should illustrate your abilities dealing with difficult situations effectively.
Keep the followng segments in mind as you describe your answer. (Remember the STAR formula-situation, action, result)

1.Describe the situation you encountered in details.
2.Tell how you’ve used your skills to analyze the problem before you considered next actions (i.e. solutions).
3.Explain the solution that you selected and your approach – why did you decide to take this particular resolution.
4.Finally, describe the outcomes/results and what you have learned from that situation.

Be prepared for this type of behavioral interview question. If you have successfully handled complex situations with strong professional and interpersonal skills, you will be an asset to any company.

How to flunk a job interview

With all the interviewing advice out there, why would anyone need any words of wisdom about how to flunk a job interview? It's easier than you know. Yet, more often than you think candidates sabotage themselves with their inattention or bad attitudes. Here are some things to watch for.

Mistake #1: Being nasty to the receptionist
Yes, the interview is stressful, and you may just want to explode. But don’t. The worst place to ventillate is front of the secretary. Your interview begins the second you cross the threshold into the company offices. Any negative impression the receptionist has of you based on any obnoxious or inappropriate remarks will quickly be conveyed. Employers know that job seekers interact with receptionists and other support staffers — often with their guards down. Beware! Employers routinely ask these employees for feedback.

Mistake #2: Saying too much
Try to avoid personal topics such as health care problems, relationship problems, drug problems or family problems.This is not the time to let it all hang out, especially, if you are trying to close an employement gap.

Mistake #3: Assuming your resume speaks for itself.
Your resume may have opened the door for the interview, but you will need to back up your words by relating what you accomplished in each role, and how it is connected to the current postion you are interviewing for. Explain any obscure acronyms, and clarify what certain job titles meant in previous employment. Don't just rattle off the facts on your resume and assume the employer will get it.


Mistake #4: Showing the interviewer how important you are.

The interviewer has taken the time to see you. Turning the off the cellphone, the BlackBerry or the I-phone is a courtesy you need to offer in return. You will certainly sabotage the interview if you think you are so important that you can't give him/her your undivided attention and have to take phone calls or send texts during the interview. Younger job candidates, especially, may not have an awareness of what a turn off being perpetually plugged in during the interview can be. Your goal is to ace the interview, not show how important you are.


Mistake #5: Harassing the recruiter.

There’s a fine line between enthusiastic persistence and desperation. Phoning the potential employer incessantly, hanging up on the person's voice mail (most places have caller ID) is unprofessional and will not get you the job.


Mistake #6: Treating social media communications casually.
People are lax in their online writing. They neglect proper spelling and punctuation. They use loose casual language. If you are using such electronic venues as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, treat all writing as professional business communication. Proofread your work before you hit “send.”

What employers want

I've just paid a visit to http: JIST's career blog and found some interesting information that pertains to interviewing. Behaivoral interviewing plays a part in this, but employers want the follwoing three things

Appearance: Do you look the part?
I've heard of people being disqualified because their shoes weren't shiny or their hair was messy. First impressions offen stick on employers, so dress the part, dress better than the part.

Dependability: Can you be counted on?
Small things count. What's your track record at showing up? How well do you work with others, how well do you follow directions, participate, or act as a team player? Sometimes you may convey your answers to these by leaving unconscious clues. So, be sure to show up on time to the interview. And be sure you want the job. I have seen people go the interview (because they had to, they needed the money). But, their hearts and head were not in the same place, so they unconsciously sabotaged the interview. They didn't use STAR method in the behavioral interview, and they tended to be more self-centred and less employer-centered.



Credentials: Do you have what it takes? (Answer with Behavioral interview answers and the STAR method--situation, task, action, result)

Credentials not only mean your certifications and degrees but a demonstration of what you can do based on your performance at past jobs. Here's where behavioral interview answers come in.

Few good jobs go to people who cannot describe the skills they have and how they have used them to impact the bottum line. Most people are weak in presenting their accomplishments and value-add (at least 80%). By mastering behavioral interview answers, you can be in the 20% who do well in any interview.

Hone your skills in behavioral interviewing to improve your chances of getting the job.

Some questions to ask the interviewer

So, we'll talk of questions to ask the interviewer for a change. The interviewer certainly will be focusing on you, but take the opportunity to size up the situation too. These questions come courtesy of Forbes Magazine.

How would you describe the ideal candidate?

What this question does is enable the hiring supervisor to imagine you actually in the role. Then, your job is to sell yourself to that image. You can use some of the same techniques (The STAR) to address this as you would in behavioral interview. Describe yourself doing the very things the interviewer outlined by using past experiences.

Also try What are the top three qualities you’re looking for–take notes, and focus your answers to fit the interviewer's vision, if that works for you

How do you envision this position supporting you?
This will convey to the employer that you're at their service. You've already said everything else to sell yourself

How does this position fit into the company’s long-term plans?

This will open the door to discuss the position and overall business strategy. Ask about the person who is leaving (left or promoted?) or why the position was created. Also ask about its specific challenges and goals as they relate to the company's mission and vision.

More sample behavioral interview questions

These sample behavioral interview questions are so uncomfortable. They often ask about things that went wrong. See if you can anticipate these and reflect on the behaviors needed for the position you are interviewing for.

1. Tell me about of a time you where you had a particularly difficult customer and how you handled the situation.

2. Describe a situation where you didn't agree with a company policy and but then learned to work within that policy.

3. Tell me of an instance when you did not agree with instructions given to you by your manager. How did you handle the situation.

4. Tell me about a time when you had conflict with a co-worker and how you were able to resolve that conflict.

5. Tell me about an instance where you provided extraordinary service. What steps did you take to achieve this result.

6. Describe a time when you didn't understand how to complete a task and what you did to finish the work.

7. Tell us about a time when you had to use your creativity to solve a work problem

8. Tell me about an occasion when you did not feeling well or were not in the best spirits and then had to motivate yourself to work.

9. Describe for me when might have had a co-worker with a poor attitude and how you managed that situation.

10. Tell us of an instance when made a mistake with a customer and what you did to manage that situation.

Behavioral interview questions and sample answers part 1-Creative problem solver

Here is a creative problem solver behavioral interview question and sample answers.

-Tell me about one your porjects (or school assignments) that fell seriously behind?
-What was that assignment?
-What were the major obstacles that you encounatered?
-How did you attempt to overcome these obstacles?
-What was the outcome of your efforts?
-What effect did the delay have for the person requesting the project/assignment?
-What steps did you take to avoid future delays of this type?
-How often did projects fall behind schedule last year?

What's going on here? Why would you want to talk about something that didn't demonstrate a stellar achievement?

Sample Answer:
-First be clear and specific in outlining the event. Use the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
-Don't worry that the event doesn't portray an ideal scenario.
-What the employer wants to hear is how you resolved a problem despite its difficulties.
-Be very specific with describing your actions, and try to portray yourself as someone who is calm under fire, who can improvise, or think quickly on your feet.

Behavioral interview questions and sample answers

Bob Firestone's "The ultimate Guide to Job Interview answers" contains a healthy dose of behavioral interview questions and sample answers. Here is one uncomfortable question that you could be asked in an interview according to this book:

"Have you ever had a difficulty with a supervisor or co-worker? How did you resolve this conflict?" Ouch, who wants to talk about that. Hint: the answer to this behavioral question is not that you never have conflicts. These are an inevitable part of working. We often have different styles, ideas, customs, outlooks. In posing this question, the interviewer according to Firestone is looking for a few things:

• That you always work to a productive solution when in a conflict.
• That you can nevertheless stick to your guns, but in a non-emotional, non-confrontational ways.

Answer this question with a lot of direct eye contact, advises Firestone. Suggesting that you leave your ego out of it, that you forgive people, that you stress that you are always willing to find the source of the misunderstanding without blaming people and focus on finding a productive solution. The action in the moment is important. The fact that you strive for a peaceful resolution and mutual understanding is important when answering this behavioral interview question.

Here is more information on the Ultimate Guide to Job Interview Answers

More behavioral interview tips

When interviewers start questions with


*Tell us about a time when you...
*Give us an example of a situation where you...
*Describe a situation in which...

They're trying to find out:

* How you react in a given situation
* What thought processes you go through
* How you reach decisions
* What action you take
* How you monitor your results

To probe further, they'll ask "why"?

Bae prepared for further questions from the interviewer, in response to the answer you give, such as:

* How did you reach that decision?
* Would you do anything different next time?
* Did your actions work?

Behavioral interview questions-tough questions I've been asked in the past

Behavioral interview questions are tough. They make you squirm because the answer isn't written in stone, and you sometimes can't tell what the interviewer is looking for.

Here are some behavioral interview questions (and answers) I've been asked in the past.

1. (For a telemarketing job). Tell us about a time when you had to persuade someone one to buy something. I answered with the time I sold magazine articles to a publication. This apparently wasn't good enough. I didn't get the job.

2. (For a teaching job). Tell us about a time when something went wrong in the classroom (now pretend it hasn't happened, it has happened to all of us). My answer-- I told the committee about my experience with a group of medical secretarial students who were difficult to teach. I explained what I did that didn't work, and why I thought that. Then I further detailed what I learned and what I would do differently. (I did get that job).


3. (For another teaching job) "Tell us about your greatest accomplishment". I said that my greatest accomplishment as a teacher was the students who wrote to me and told me that they learned something. I think they wanted to hear that I had develop some amazing program that changed the world. Perhaps I gave an example that was too low key, or perhaps, I hadn't thought more thoroughly about my accomplishments. I didn't get that job.

Sample behavioral interview questions and answers-Self starter

Some interviewers want to know just how much of a self-starter you are, to what extent you would take initiative in a given situation. Here are some actual questions from an HR department.

1. Just as there are busy times, there are also also slack time. Tell me about the most recent slack time you faced.

To answer this questions consider theses details:

*When this happened
*Just how slack it was compasred to the normal flow.
*What you did during this period
*What your peers were doing.

consider: Did you ever ask for assignment during slack times?

Here's another self-starter behavioral interview question and sample answer guideline


2. Tell me about a time you showed the most initiative



Here you would go into your STAR (situation, task, action, result) answer. Describe the situation the problems that you had to tackle, the action and the result. In particular, consider the following:

*What did you do that was beyond your normal duties?
*How often have you shown this kind of initiative?
*Interviewer here could ask for another example or a more recent example. Tell me about the most recent example of where you showed initiative.

To prepare. Reflect on examples where you took initiative that you are particularly proud of. Avoid any kind of descriptions that attach blame to anyone or protray events negatively.

Behavioural interview questions - one word answer?

Can you answer a behaviorial interview questions be answer with a one word answer?
The answer is no! A one word answer, especially a yes/ no answer, will stifle the converstaion. Remember, the purpose of the interview is to have a focussed conversation with a potential employer to demonstrate how might be of value to the company. The inherent nature of the behaviorial questions requires more than one word answers.your answers to these questions should be

1)Descriptive - use the five w's and the h in your STAR ()to set the scene.
2)Anectdotal - focused on a story with a beginning, middle and end
3)Action oriented - you can't demonstrate action by answer yes or no. You can only answer be giving examples.

Behavioral interview :Important tips

 

Here are some more tips to answering behavioral interview questions

 

FOCUS AND DEDICATION TO THE INDUSTRY:

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

ANALYSIS:

1. What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision?
 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.
 3. Describe a situation in which you had to collect information by asking many questions of several people.
 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?

JOB MOTIVATION:

 Give examples of your experiences at school or in a job that were satisfying. Give examples of your experiences that were dissatisfying.

INITIATIVE:

 Describe some projects or ideas (not necessarily your own) that were implemented, or carried out successfully primarily because of your efforts.

Courtesy of cb prjapati

Sample behavioral Interview questions

Adaptability:

Tell me of a a time when you adapted to  fellow workers style or ideas to complete project project.

Analytical Skills/Problem Solving
 Think of a situation that required problem solving skills.  Use the STAR Method.
 


Communication:
How do you deal with conflict? Give an example. Give an example of a situation when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even if that individual did not personally like you How did you handle the situation?

Creativity:

Tell about a problem that solved in a unique or unusual way. What was the outcome?




Goal Setting:
Tell a time when you set a goal and were able to achieve it. What do you consider your greatest achievement so far and why? Tell us  about a goal that you did not reach. How did you feel about it?
What would you do differently? 

Categories of behavioral interview questions

There are different categories of behavioral interivew questions that interviewers can ask. Each category represent a key transferable skill that an employer wants you to explain through anecdotes how you demonstrated it.  Some areas they are interested in:

Adaptability
Ambition
Analytical thinking
Building relationships
Communication
Conflict resolution
Customer focus
Decision making
Delegation
Detail orientation
Employee development
Creative thinking/problem solving
Flexibility
Initiative
Interpersonal skills
Innovation
Integrity
Leadership
Listening
Motivating others
Motivation
Negotiation
Organization
Performance Management
Personal effectiveness
Persuasion
Planning
Presentation
Project management
Relating well


In my future posts I will start detailing different behavioral interview questions and their answers.

Preparing for behaviorial interviews

Preparing for behavioral interviews  means a little soul searching. Here are some steps.

1. Examine  a  job desription for the positions. Pay close attention to key qualifications,
kskills and attributes that the position is asking for.  A skill is something that you do very well. Hard skills are the technical skills that you possess. Attributes are soft skills, even characteristics and they are transferable from different jobs. .

2/ Next, reflect on your work-related experiences and accomplishments.Hhow you may have handled difficult situations. Which ones best illustrate the key hard and soft  skills required by the position?

3. Think like an interviewer and create your own questions. Rember to start your  own question with
"Think of a time when..." or
"Give me an example of how you ..."
or describe a time when...

4. Keep relevant anecdotes or stories at your fingertips.  What skills did you demonstrate during these events? What actions did you take that made a difference, or helped solve an important problem?

Answering behavioral interview questions questions-the STAR Technique

When answering behavioral interivew questions,  the STAR technique. STAR is an acronym that stands for "Situation"  , "Task" , "Action"  "Result".

Situation - When and where did this take place? What was your role? What problems occured in this situation that you had to face?
Task-What needed to be done? Was there a deadline? Was there a crisis?
Action- What specifically did you do in this situation? (Describe in detail).
Result-What was the result ( crisis averted? increased sales?)


When answering,  be explicit, so the emploer has a clear picture of what you can actually do.
Give examples, and  tell stories. Describe how  you demonstrated certain key skills in a specific situation. Illustrate concretely that you are ready to do the job and can take on different situations.

Mastering tough interview questions

Succeeding at behavioral interviewing is about mastering tough interview questions. These are the questions that make you squirm. They go beyond such old standards as "tell me about yourself", and "what are your strengths". A behavioral question doesn't "have" a right answer except the one that is right for you.

In mastering these tough questions, expect ones that start like this:

• Tell be about a time when..."
• Give me an example of how you..."
• Describe a situation where you..",
• Think of situation where something didn't work out. What did you learn?

When you answer, it's not what you say, but how you say it.  Once I was asked: "tell me about a time where something you did backfired in a class (I teach)". Whoa! Why would I tell the interviewer about my failings. I described a time where I misread the class needs, but then explained what I learned from it.

Like anything else, the more experience you have with behavioral interviews, the better you get.

What is behavioral Interviewing

In behavioral interviewing, a candidate is asked about his/her response in a past situation. The theory is that past behavior will predict future actions.

Practicing how to answer behavioral interview questions will make you more comfortable and more adept when addressing them.

Employers usually think first about behaviors that are needed in the open position, and based on that develop questions to elicit responses that might demonstrate the candidate's performance in those areas. Some examples of behaviors employers might want to know about are: flexibility, independent thinking, presentation and listening skills, planning ability, team participation, attention to detail, handling change, professionalism, and dealing with frustration. The interviewer will typically ask questions that start off sounding like an opportunity to converse or to share about yourself.

Greetings

This blog is dedicated to behavioral Interviewing to give you information to help your job search