HOW TO ANSWER BEHAVIOURAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS?
The question arises when you are asked, 'tell me about a time you had to persuade someone to believe in your idea'. Behavioural interview questions are designed to help the interviewer see a fit between the candidate and the job.
The questions are asked to help you prove the answers, not just the answer.
Tips to Answer Behavioural Interview Questions
- Before you begin to prepare an answer, identify what kind of behavioural question it is. Is the interviewer asking for a specific example from your career or asking how you would react in certain situations?
- The next step in preparing a winning answer is to match one of your past experiences with the employer's job requirements. For example: if an interviewer asks, 'tell me about a time when you had to work on a team, and you have been working as a manager, then link your previous experience into this example.
- If necessary, rephrase the question so it becomes clear where you should start talking about yourself. In other words, don't just start talking.
- The third step in preparing to answer a question is to make sure you are ready to give the interviewer an example that they will be interested in. How do you do this? Start when something exciting happened, and then remember what it was about that event that sparked your interest. It would help if you showed why you were involved and how you got personally involved.
- In answering behavioural questions, always try to position yourself as a team player by linking your experience into real-life experiences of others (you can even go so far as saying 'I feel like I would add value' or 'It's important for me to know I'm contributing')
- Don't just reply with words like "Yes," or "No;" add some strength to your answer by explaining your position. For example: say, 'I would try to win her over by giving her the pros of my idea.'
- Your body language is telling, so make sure that you are paying attention to it and what you are saying. Your body language can communicate whether you are honest or if you have been rehearsed (rehearsing may be seen as unnatural).
- In answering a question, don't worry about getting every single detail right because this will show that the interviewer has pressured you into a mistake.
- Always give yourself time before answering, although employers love someone calm and not under pressure when working with people. However, they don't want to hear about how you are 'running out of time' because this shows that they have not given you enough time to prepare.
Examples of Behavioural Interview Questions
The key to answering behavioural questions is thinking back over situations you have been in and finding the common factors that come up.
For example: 'Tell me about a time when you had to persuade someone.'
If there are no specific examples that jump out at you, think about how would you describe yourself as a person or what it would mean for your role. Think of examples that have happened when on a team or by yourself. If something has happened recently, then speak about it rather than an old example. Think of recent projects at work where you have seen things through from start to finish, maybe even project meetings or client calls which were part of getting the job done.
1) Describe what was going on (setting the scene) – try to include details that convey the situation at work. Did your co-worker/client become convinced of the idea? What did you say or do?
2) Describe what was needed (the outcome) – explain why convincing them was important. If it involved a colleague, then make sure to mention how much time you gave them to think about it and if they were happy with the idea after selling it to them. For a client, detail what meant it made a difference for them regarding time or money saved/gained.
3) Explain what action you took (what you said or did) -usually mentioning how this helped achieve the goal, not just what happened as a result of your actions. For example, the client decided to go with new software because of how you described its benefits.
4) What happened as a result (conclusions and outcomes) – include anything that helped make your point. For example, 'We now have a great relationship with our customers' or 'we are still working together on different projects. You could mention things like savings of time and money and improvements in quality, which lead to better results for your clients.
5) How did you feel about the situation? - This gives the interviewer an idea of what drives you in work situations. It's OK to admit you don't mind being persuasive if it's key to getting things done.
6 ) Why do you want this job? - Put into words what the company can expect from you. Include how on top of your work, it would be easy for you to promote the company differently, e.g. at social events or online.
Conclusion
Behavioural questions can be tricky to answer; however, by thinking about how you behave and your past experiences, you can quickly answer them. If there are too many examples that come to mind, try to pick one of the most memorable ones.
This is a handy tool for employers because the questions can help them understand how well suited a candidate would be for a specific role. Many companies ask behavioural questions before giving out applications, so make sure to brush up on them beforehand!
We hope this helps a little in preparing the answers to behavioural questions, and remember if you need any help with your interview, why not contact us for my one-to-one coaching services?
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