How to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions

In addition to the questions about work experience, most interviewers will also ask you several behavioral interview questions (a.k.a BDI or BBI interviews). These behavior-based interviews are non-technical and focus on how you react and behave in a professional setting. Thus, hiring managers can get a much better understanding of you as an employee. Keep in mind that behavioral interview questions are different from situational ones.

What Is a Behavioral Question?

Behavioral job interview questions are generally concerned with a specific situation in the past. BBI interviews require you to share concrete examples of difficulties or situations you have dealt with in the past. Situational-based interview questions, on the other hand, are designed to see how you would behave in a hypothetical situation.

Oftentimes, interviewers prefer to ask these kinds of questions in order to assess how you conduct yourself in a professional environment and what your skill level is. They inquire about the following information:

• How did you react or responded to that issue
• What action did you take to handle that
• What result did you achieve eventually

Therefore, your answers to these behavioral interview questions demonstrate your strengths, skills, and abilities as an employee.

How to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions Using the STAR Method

The secret of performing well in behavior-based interviews is knowing how to address STAR behavioral questions. The STAR technique for interviews allows you to provide a clear, concise, and specific response by using real-life examples. Below are the key 4 elements in the STAR methodology for interviews:

• SITUATION - the context of an event, problem, or challenge you encountered at work
• TASK - the tasks and responsibilities you were in charge of in the last position
• ACTION - the steps you took in that context to resolve the issue
• RESULT - the outcome of your actions

Dos and Don’ts for Answering Behavioral Interview Questions

5 Dos: Best Practices

• Think before answering to show your prudence. Especially for STAR behavioral questions, you need some time to recall the memory and arrange your points logically. However, make sure you don't pause for more than 60 seconds before giving your answer.
• Walk the interviewer through your process of thinking. Your response should present your thought process behind a difficult choice or in a tough situation, including how critical thinking skills are applied to determine your options and find the right solution.
• Organize your ideas, which demonstrates your critical thinking skills. It means that all the points in your answer should be laid out in a logical and well-structured way.
• Keep your answer brief, less than 2 minutes long. In order to do this, you need to review both the required qualifications and your skills carefully before the interview.
• Ask for clarification if you’re not clear about the question. Below are some polite ways to ask the recruiter to repeat their questions: "Excuse me, would you mind repeating that last question please?" or "Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that, can you ask again, please?"

5 Don’ts: Common Pitfalls

• Don’t say “I can’t think of any” even though you don’t know how to respond. Instead, stay calm, professional, and try saying something like: “That’s an interesting question. Could you please give me a few minutes to think it over?”
• Don’t lie or make things up. This could give you a bad reputation in that company and potentially the industry you want to work in. Keep in mind that the employer will figure it out if you were lying eventually.
• Don’t talk about irrelevant things. The golden rule is to keep the conversation strictly professional and straight to the point, avoiding topics like relationship woes, financial status, family plans, political affiliation, or religion.
• Don’t ramble. If you don't want it to reflect that you're not good at handling stressful situations, avoid long, unfocused answers.

Understanding Common Interview Questions

Being prepared to answer common job interview questions will boost your confidence. Below is the point of some frequent inquiries:

• Tell me about yourself: It serves both as an icebreaker, a way to get to know you, and it can provide the interviewer with a direction in which to take the interview.
• What is your greatest strength? When asking you this question the interviewer wants to see how you evaluate yourself and which of your strengths you value the most in yourself.