Successfully Answering Behavioural Interview Questions

Getting ready for an interview? Wondering how to best answer those tricky behavioural questions that start with “tell me about a time…” or “give an example of… ?” Here are some pointers to help you out! 

1. Research the company – learn about its core values, workplace culture, and belief systems. What do they look for in a candidate? What philosophies or messages do they emphasize?  Balance Career suggests seeking coffee chats or informational interviews with people at the same company or within the same industry to learn more about what the employers value and look for in candidates. Coffee chats are also a great way to build and strengthen your network - recruiters will be impressed by your initiative to make and maintain connections!

2. Research common interview questions and try to figure out how they can be tied to the industry, company or job you are applying for. The Muse has an extensive list of common interview questions and what your interviewer may be looking for in your answers.

3. Once you've modified the questions, try to answer them using the STAR method! The STAR method is a way of breaking down your answer into four fundamental sections: Situation, Task, Action, and Results. Typically, you would use the STAR method to tell a story in order to answer a behavioural question where you are asked to relay your experience regarding a time that you handled or encountered a certain situation/obstacle. The ‘Situation’ component of the STAR method is where you would give some background information before introducing the main highlights of the story. For the ‘Task’ component, you would introduce the problem you needed to solve or the issue(s) that you encountered and faced. Next, you would explain the ‘Action’ you took in order to fix/solve the problem. Here is where you would tie in the skill or asset that your interviewer mentioned in the question they asked. Finally, discuss the ‘Results’ of the action you took and the outcome of the scenario. Were you successful? Why or why not? Explain how you solved the problem and any lasting impacts or effects that occurred as a result. Were you commended by your supervisor? Is the solution you offered still in place today? 

4. Did you know that lessons/skills you've learned in a scenario you've dealt with in the past can be applied in different ways? A good strategy to tackle most behavioural questions is to keep a few stories on hand that you can use or modify to answer questions with. Balance Careers recommends creating a list of 7-10 assets that employers may look for that you possess and have anecdotes or stories to illustrate so. There is more than one dimension to each of your experiences—you can even use the same story to highlight more than one! Be sure to vary your stories though, you wouldn’t want to use the same story to answer more than one question!

5. To strengthen your response you can discuss key takeaways! This would add an extra element to the STAR method and make it the START method. The final ‘T’ stands for ‘Takeaways’. You can use this section to discuss what you have learned from the actions and their results in order to grow as a person. Discussing the takeaways gives you a chance to convey that you have a growth mindset and are open to learning from feedback and experience- this is an incredibly attractive and important quality to have!