How should I prepare for a behavioral interview?
Lesa Edwards, MPA, CJSS, MRW, ACRW, CELDC
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Behavioral interviews are based on the premise that past performance is the best predictor of future performance. In other words, if you exhibited a certain behavior, completed a certain kind of task, addressed a certain kind of problem in the past…you will likely behave in the same way in the future.
Behavioral interview questions begin like this: “Tell me about a time when…” or “Tell me about a situation that…”
Behavioral questions simply can’t be winged. I’ve seen it over and over: unprepared candidates either speak in generalities (this is how I would handle that situation) or they speak in hypothetical 3rd person (which telegraphs to the interviewer that you are no longer speaking about yourself).
Here are 2 tips for preparing for a behavioral interview:
1. Develop your CAR stories.
CAR = Challenge, Action, Result
I recommend you develop 10 CAR stories; actually write them out and practice them.
There are at least 2 ways to approach CAR stories: You can either think about the competencies the employer is looking for and develop appropriate CAR stories for those competencies, or you can come up with 10 stories and trust that you have enough variety to answer any question they may ask.
2. Throw in an occasional “L.”
In addition to Challenge, Action, Result, the “L” stands for Lessons Learned. What did that situation teach you? How are you a better candidate because of that situation?
While I think you can overuse Lessons Learned, throwing in a few can be very powerful.