Behavioural interview questions. What are they & how should you answer them?

As the name suggests, behavioural interview questions are open ended questions designed to learn more about the candidates behaviours.

The reason they are commonly asked at an interview is based on the assumption that your past behaviours and reactions can predict your future behaviours and reactions. Therefore, by asking you questions about how you handled certain tasks and situations in a prior role, the interviewer hopes to reveal and ascertain how you might handle a similar situation within the role you are interviewing for.

Behavioural questions will generally start with phrases such as:

“Tell me about a time when...” 

“Describe a time when...”

“Give me an example of...” 

“Have you ever...?”

“How did you handle…?”

The key to handling these types of questions is to be well prepared by anticipating which skill sets you may be asked about and having answers ready. You will therefore want to establish in advance a selection of concrete examples you can share in the form of compelling short stories, to demonstrate and illustrate that you have the skills, strengths and experiences the interviewer will likely be looking for in relation to the position you are applying for. People remember stories and examples more frequently than simple responses, which is why a storytelling strategy is so worthwhile.

Two popular techniques for effectively sharing these stories are the CAR and STAR methods. 

The CAR method gives you a structured way to respond to behavioural questions, by giving Context to the situation, then describing what Action you took and the Results you achieved. Context, Action, Results. 

The STAR method provides a similar structure, and stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result. 

By taking the time to prepare possible responses using this type of structure, you will certainly be at a competitive advantage to the many candidates who show up unprepared in the hopes of “winging it” at the interview by giving whatever answer comes to mind at that time.

However, to really take your answers to the next level and stand out among even the high caliber candidates, you may want to follow the CARL framework, in which the L stands for Learning. 

The basic method here is to provide an example of an experience in which you were in a similar situation to the one being asked about, and provide a short, objective summary of the details (following the CAR structure outlined above). However, now you can add a level of depth to this frequently used method by summarizing what valuable professional skill or critical information you LEARNT as a result of that experience, and then closing with an outline of how you have grown professionally from the experience and can apply this knowledge and added value to the benefit of your new employer. 

By going on to share what you learnt from any particular situation, you shift your answer from descriptive to reflective. Below are some questions you can ask yourself to help you describe and reflect upon the situation you wish to speak about.

Context:

What was the context of the situation? What was the situation? Where was it? Who was there? What was I hoping to accomplish?

Action:

What did I do? What else happened? Why did I choose this action? What other actions could I have chosen?

Results:

Did I accomplish what I wanted? Did my actions accomplish what I wanted in the way I expected? What are the implications of my actions on myself, others and similar situations in the future? Could different actions have given me the same or a different result? Is there a way I could improve my results or actions?

Learning:

What did I learn from the experience? Would I do the same thing again or would I change something? What should I do next time in a similar experience? Should I change anything about the way I do things and if so what?

If you want additional guidance on how to prepare for an interview or any other aspect of the job seeking process, please feel free to:

• Connect with me on LinkedIn & DM me for a free 30 minute consultation,
• Follow my business page and/or join my FB community for more tips & resources on how to get hired and find a fulfilling job,

• Download my Behavioural Interview Preparation Toolkit, which includes a list of example questions, questions by category, tips and a workbook,
• Sign up for my 2 week interview preparation program.

You may also want to read:

• Why you're not making it past the first interview
• Take control of your interview by understanding why recruiters love to ask the question "tell me about yourself"
• Video interview top tips
• Tips for a successful screening interview (aka phone interview)
• How to talk about getting fired in a job interview