Behavioural-based Interviews
Background
Once used to assess senior and executive candidates, behavioural-based interviewing is now used to assess candidates at all levels and across a range of industries.
Most employers today ask behaviour based questions in their interviews. They want to know how you would think and act in certain situations, and whether you would demonstrate the skills and qualities they are interested in.
The questions will be centered around a number of key competencies that are relevant to the position. The client will also be reviewing your resume in detail and as such will be discussing your technical background relevant to this role.
Behaviour based interviewing is becoming more common. It is based on the premise that a candidate's past performance is the best predictor of future performance. Rather than the typical interview questions on your background and experience, you will need to be prepared to provide detailed responses including specific examples of your work experiences.
Please note that behavioural interviews aim to evaluate specific behaviours and as such, the interview questions will ask you to describe specific situations that you have been directly involved in. Behaviours tend to be linked to competencies. An example of a behaviour would be co-operative and a competency to working well in a team.
Be a STAR
Essentially, a good way to keep on track when answering behavioural questions is to use the star model. It will assist you with most behavioural questions.
S - is for 'situation' - introduce the occasion you are about to describe
T - is for 'task' - describe your responsibilities and what you were required to do
A - is for 'action' - describe what you did to fulfill your responsibilities
R - is for 'results' - summarise the outcomes
Examples
You are asked: 'Can you tell me about a time when you had to organise and produce a new design system?' Using the STAR model, your answer might be something like this:
Situation - 'Yes - earlier this year I had to design attachments for a Front Bumper Fascia.’
Task - 'To do this, I was required to research and benchmark the current systems used locally and internationally. I also had to organise the documentation including the drawings and specifications. Prototyping and Lab tests were required to validate the design.’
Action - ... Describe each of the other tasks for which you were responsible.
Results - 'We achieved a new design system that saved 15 minutes in the assembly of each Bumper Fascia, reduction in parts and weight and it passed all the relevant design rules.'
Traditional Interview vs. Behavioural Interview
In a traditional interview, you will be asked a series of questions which typically have straight forward answers like "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" or "What major challenges and problems did you face? How did you handle them?" or "Describe a typical work week."
In a behavioural interview, an employer has decided what skills are needed in the person they hire and will ask questions to find out if the candidate has those skills.
Instead of asking how you would behave, they will ask how you did behave. The interviewer will want to know how you handled a situation, instead of what you might do in the future
Questions in a Behavioural Interview
Behavioural interview questions will be more pointed, more probing and more specific than traditional interview questions:
- Give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem.
- Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.
- Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you handled implementing it.
- Have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? If so, how?
- What do you do when your schedule is interrupted? Give an example of how you handle it.
- Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren't thrilled about? How did you do it?
- Have you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker? How?
- Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.
Follow-up questions will also be detailed. You may be asked what you did, what you said, how you reacted or how you felt.
Preparation for the Potential Behavioural Interview
What's the best way to prepare? It's important to remember that you won't 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 behavioural 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 behavioural interview.
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 behavioural characteristics the employer is seeking from reading the job description and position requirements.
During the Behavioural Interview
During the interview, if you are not sure how to answer the question, ask for clarification. Then be sure to include these points in your answer: (Refer to the STAR model)
- 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 aren't what the interviewer is looking for, this position may not be the best job for you anyway.
Want more help?
If you wanted any further details on behavioural interviews, an internet search would provide you with more information - the best starting point would be Google (or a similar search engine) - typing in "competency based interviewing", "behavioural interviews" or "STAR technique". There are a wide variety of careers-based websites that will outline what a competency is and the suggested format for answering behavioural interview questions.