These sorts of interviews are based on the premise that past performance will inform and influence future performance. In a behavioural interview, the interviewer is focused on discovering how the candidate has performed in previous work related situations with a view to ascertaining future performance and fit for the organisation.
For a behavioural interview, based on the job profile a recruiter knows what specific skillsets and competencies needed to succeed in the role and they create questions that seek to discover whether the candidate possesses these particular skills and competencies. The candidates’ response should therefore not be centred on future performance but rather should leverage on past performance as an indicator of future success.
Some sample questions that may be asked in a behavioural interview are listed below:
• Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.
• In your last role, what achievement are you the most proud of and why?
• Describe a decision you made that wasn't popular and how you handled implementing it.
• Tell me about a time, when you had to handle a difficult colleague at work and how you managed it?
• Give an example of how you worked in a team.
• What do you do if you disagree with someone at work?
• Have you ever made a mistake? How did you handle it?
• Share an example of how you were able to motivate employees or co-workers.
• Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.
• When you worked on multiple projects how did you prioritize?
How to handle a behavioural Interview?
As mentioned earlier, behavioural interview questions call for concrete examples of skills and experiences that relate directly to the position.
It is advisable for the candidate to take the time to review the job requirements in advance, and make a list of their own skills and competencies that are closely aligned with these requirements. A good follow up would be to come up with examples of scenarios when these skills and competencies were put to good use during a work related situation.
It's important to note that one can never predict the exact behavioural question that will be asked during an interview so it is advisable to practice with answering multiple kinds of behavioural interview questions. The candidate would do well to recall some special situations where they excelled in projects and assignments and try to structure a story around that using the STAR model.
Use the STAR model:
During the interview, it is advisable for the candidate to structure their response to behavioural questions using the STAR model:
• Describe the specific situation
• Itemize the tasks that needed to be done
• Describe the actions you took
• Describe the positive results that ensued from your actions.
Using the STAR model, the candidate will be better able to provide a comprehensive response without missing the pertinent details. The STAR model enables the candidate to provide detailed background information on the situation, the actions taken and the value that was created by virtue of the actions taken.
One last word of caution: while it is useful to highlight individual effort in the success of the project or task at hand, be careful to not exaggerate as this will reduce credibility and reputation.