How do you answer behavioral interview questions?

People who need to answer behavioral interview questions must familiarize themselves with their past experiences and how they relate to the job they are applying for. It is also important to anticipate the type of questions that can arise.

Behavioral interview questions assess when the candidate displayed certain behaviors during their past working experiences. They usually come in the format of "Tell me about a time when you ..." There are ways candidates can prepare for these questions:

• Become familiar with the job role and how past experiences relate to it.
• Anticipate the different question types.
• Practice answers in private.
• Attempt to use recent examples.
• Avoid using personal examples, such as situations relating to friends and family.
• Use the STAR approach: Situation, Task, Action and Result.
• Create a variety of experiences, rather than focusing on one job.

Typical questions candidates can face include:

• Describe a time when you worked under pressure and still met all your deadlines.
• Tell me about a project that required you to pay close attention to detail while still achieving the target outcome.
• Describe a time when you found it hard to communicate with your coworkers and how you overcame the challenge.
• Tell me about a time when you experienced conflict with a coworker and how you resolved it.
• Detail a day when you delivered excellent customer service.