15 Interview Questions You Need to Be Ready For: Part 3

Until the AI overlords seize control and begin wiping out humanity, humans run the world and by extension they run every business on it.? No matter what field you are in, your success or failure can hinge on how you navigate the human terrain in your workplace.? Employers understand this all too well.? Apart from a few pursuits that depend solely on the efforts of the individual contributor, most of the workforce depends upon team work for success.?

Behavioral based questions are designed to uncover how you will respond to challenging situations in human terrain.? Things like interpersonal conflict, poor communications and misaligned priorities can hurt a company more than any fluctuations in the markets.? The following 5 questions, the last in the series of 15, are common behavioral based interview questions used in job interviews and some tips on how to answer them.? Master these and you are well on your way to a job offer.? One last this, don’t forget to use the S.T.A.R method to formulate your responses!

“Tell me about a time in which you had a conflict with a team member and how you handled it.”? Conflict in the workplace is often the result of miscommunication and misunderstanding.? Answering this question well includes highlighting the need to listen actively and empathically and to gather information without escalating conflict.? Military populations are used to authority-based power and influence being at the center of the leadership dynamic.? This may have no place in a civilian workplace where teamwork and collaboration are highly valued.? Research the tenants of emotional intelligence and influence to inform your answer.

“Give me an example of a time you failed.? What did you learn from it?”? Failure happens.? Failure is often the best teacher.? Repeating mistakes, however, is unacceptable.? Have a story of a professional experience ready. Be prepared to describe the situations, tasks, actions, results and most importantly what you learned from it.? A failure or an inability to achieve a stated goal demands attention. Be prepared to discuss root cause analysis, gathering lessons learned and incorporating those into the organizational learning model.

“Tell me about a time when you had to manage many tasks with limited time.? How did you handle it?”? This question is an attempt to ascertain how people manage their time, their priorities and whether they can delegate and supervise.? The answer should also contain thoughts on how to “lead up” and communicate to management that you may lack time or resources needed to accomplish all the tasks that have been assigned.? Consider using an example of an organizational tool such as an Eisenhour Matrix to illustrate how you prioritize a busy schedule.

“Tell me about a time you disagreed with a management decision.? How did you handle it?” Diverse ways of thinking and willingness to question the status quo are often valued by modern companies to encourage innovation and creative problem solving.? On the other hand, sometimes management just expects the team to follow instructions.? This question is about how you navigate that dynamic.? Some room for consideration exists for the inviolable nature of safety, ethics and moral standards.???

“Tell me about a time you had to do something you were never trained to do.? How did you handle it?”? The answer to this question incorporates how you communicate with your management team, how you solve problems, how you gather information and how you learn new skills.? You will want to communicate to the interviewer that you have the ability to address challenging situations and navigate through to a solution without being micromanaged.

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If you have studied all three of these articles carefully and prepared thoughtful answers to all 15 questions, you are now more prepared than 90% of all candidates walking into an interview. So, stand up straight, smile, make eye contact, deliver a firm handshake and get ready to demonstrate to your future employer that all the other interviews they conducted were a waste of time… because you are the person they have been looking for!

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