Post by Jovana Cvijanović 
October 15, 2024 | 
What are Behavioral Job Interview Questions?
Behavioral interview questions are specific questions designed to give recruiters & hiring managers insight into your behavior, personality, and character. The idea behind this approach is the assumption that “past behavior is the best predictor of future performance.” Those kinds of questions focus on real-life examples. The responses provide valuable context about the candidate’s experiences and how they may fit into the company culture and contribute to the team.
Common Types of Behavioral Interview Questions and How to Answer Them:
As mentioned, behavioral interview questions are planned to see how you’ve handled various situations in your past work experiences. They often focus on key skills like teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, adaptability, and conflict resolution.
For example, you might hear questions like:
1. Can you describe a time when you had to overcome a major challenge at work?
2. Tell me about a situation where you had to collaborate with a difficult team member. How did you handle it?
Other common questions include:
1. Give me an example of when you had to meet a tight deadline and how you managed it. (we will use this example for the next paragraph)
2. Can you share a time when you had to adapt to a significant change in your job?
These questions motivate you to share specific stories that highlight your skills and how you approach challenges. By preparing answers, you can effectively show interviewers how your experiences make you a great fit for the role. Take the opportunity to present yourself in the best possible way by using your professional examples and the method we will explain in further text.
STAR method
Candidates are often encouraged to use the STAR method when answering behavioral interview questions. The key is to briefly describe the situation you were in, then explain the task or challenge you faced. Next, focus on the actions you took to handle it, and finally, highlight the result of your efforts, ideally with a positive outcome. Or if it’s easier for you, take a look at the example below:
Situation: Set the scene by describing the context.
Task: Explain what your role or responsibility was.
Action: Detail the specific steps you took.
Result: Share the outcome of your actions.
Real-life answering example by using the STAR method:
Behavioral question: “Tell me about a time when you had to lead a project under a tight deadline.”
Situation: “In my previous role as a marketing coordinator, we had a last-minute project to launch a new product.”
Task: “As the project lead, I had to manage the team and guarantee all deliverables were met within two weeks.”
Action: “I organized daily stand-up meetings, delegated tasks based on strengths, and used project management software to track progress.”
Result: “We successfully launched the product on time, and it generated 20% more sales in its first week than expected.”
Answering tips
When answering behavioral interview questions, it’s important to stay clear and structured. Rather than giving vague or incomplete responses, highlight specific situations from your past experiences to provide a complete and compelling answer.
Example Question: “Can you share an experience where you faced a significant challenge at work?”
Tip: Instead of saying, “I had a challenging project,” describe the project, explain what made it difficult, and share how you successfully handled it.
Show recruiters what you learned through your career:
Example Question: “Can you describe a time when you made a mistake at work?”
Tip: Share an honest mistake while emphasizing the lesson learned and how it helped you grow. Example: “Early in my career, I missed an important deadline for a client report because I didn’t coordinate effectively with my team. This taught me the value of clear communication and setting achievable deadlines. Since then, I’ve introduced regular team check-ins and proactively share updates, leading to more seamless project management.”
Conclusion
By preparing specific, detailed responses that highlight your skills, experiences, and behaviors in the workplace, you can approach behavioral interview questions with confidence. Avoid general answers that don’t point to a specific situation, as these often lead to more follow-up questions from the recruiter. Instead, focus on practicing these tips so you feel comfortable and ready the next time you sit down for an interview.
