How can you prepare for a behavioral interview in a partnership role?

1 Research the role and the partner

Before the interview, you should research the role and the partner you are applying to work with. Find out what their goals, values, culture, and expectations are, and how they relate to your own. This will help you tailor your answers to show how you can align with their vision, mission, and strategy, and how you can add value to their partnership.

2 Review your resume and portfolio

Another step is to review your resume and portfolio, and identify the most relevant and impressive examples of your partnership skills. Think of situations where you initiated, developed, maintained, or improved partnerships with different stakeholders, such as clients, vendors, colleagues, or other organizations. Prepare to describe these situations using the STAR method, which stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. This will help you structure your answers in a clear and concise way, and highlight your actions and outcomes.

3 Practice common questions

You should also practice responding to common behavioral questions that are likely to be asked in a partnership role. For example, you could be asked to describe a time when you had to negotiate with a difficult partner, collaborate with someone from a different background or culture, or persuade a partner to adopt a new approach. Additionally, you may be asked how you measure the success of your partnerships and what metrics or indicators you use. To practice these questions, you can use a friend, mentor, or mock interview service as a feedback provider. When answering, use the STAR method and provide specific, honest, and positive responses that focus on your contributions and achievements. Avoid vague or generic answers.

4 Prepare your own questions

The last step is to prepare some questions that you can ask the interviewer at the end of the interview. This will demonstrate your interest, curiosity, and enthusiasm for the role and the partner. You may inquire about expectations and goals of the partnership role, challenges and opportunities that the partner is facing or anticipating, culture and values of the partner and how they align with yours, as well as the next steps in the hiring process and timeline. It's important to avoid asking questions that are too personal, trivial, or negative, or that can be easily found online. Instead, make sure your questions are relevant, respectful, and insightful. By following these steps, you can prepare for a behavioral interview in a partnership role and leave a lasting impression on the interviewer with your skills, personality, and fit.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?