BEHAVIOR-BASED INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Behavior-based Interviewing has some unique elements to it.
- The questions ask for specific examples of your behavior in past work experiences. Instead of asking how you WOULD behave in a particular situation, the interviewer will ask you to describe how you DID behave.
- The format of the questions is usually something like "Can you give me an example?", "What did you do or say?", "What were you thinking?", "How did you feel?", "What was your role?", "What were the results?", etc. See Sample Behavior-based Questions.
- Expect the interviewer to question and probe (think of "peeling the layers from an onion"). They will ask for details and will not allow you to theorize or generalize about several events. Most interviewers will take notes throughout the interview.
- The interview will be more structured with the focus being on areas that are important to the interviewer, rather than allowing you to concentrate on areas that you want to focus on.
- You may not get a chance to deliver any fully-prepared stories. Prepare short descriptions of several specific situations, and be ready to give details if asked. Be sure each description has a beginning, middle and end. Be ready to describe the situation, your action, and the outcome or result. BE HONEST. Don't embellish or omit any part of the story.