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Here’s a window into what it’s like being a recruiter.  This is what almost any interview would sound like without behavioral interviewing:

RECRUITER:  How would you rate yourself on familiarity with Computer System X?

CANDIDATE:  Oh, I’ve used that for years.  I know it inside and out.

RECRUITER:  How about management?  Is that something that you’ve done before?

CANDIDATE:  Yep, I’ve managed folks.  They always recommend me highly.

RECRUITER:  Based on our conversation today, are you interested in this position?

CANDIDATE:  Absolutely.  I think this is ideal for me.

And so on, and so forth.

Everyone knows that their goal in an interview is to sound their own praises — to show  that they meet or exceed all of the job requirements, and that they can’t wait to start.  This may or may not be the facts, but when you’re asked it’s just so easy to say yes, and, well, what’s an expert anyways?

This has made behavioral interviewing the gold standard in recent years, as interviewers look to move past the surface and identify whether candidates actually have the skillsets they need to succeed.

Here’s the one thing you need to know about behavioral interviewing:  If you do not answer their questions according to the expected pattern, the interviewer will assume you are either lying or not qualified.

This is why learning the right way to answer a behavioral interviewing question is crucial to landing a job.

What is a behavioral interview?

Behavioral interviewing focuses on what you have actually done, rather than asking what you know or what you would do.  It seeks concrete, verifiable information that speaks to your readiness for the job.  Behavioral interview questions usually start with, or could be rephrased to start with, “Tell me about a time that…”

Sample behavioral interview questions include:

• “Tell me about a time that you had to give negative feedback to someone that you managed.”
• “Tell me about a situation where you worked with a challenging client to achieve client satisfaction.”
• “Tell me about a situation where you led a team on an important project.”

An effective behavioral interview will identify the key success factors for the position in question and ask questions to get at your experience in these areas.  This is why acing the behavioral questions is so key to doing well in the interview — it’s your chance to show you have done the major parts of the job successfully before.

How to answer a behavioral interview question: The CAR method

To make sure that you cover all of the information the interviewer needs to hear, your answer should conform to this general outline:

C is for circumstance/challenge

This section provides background for the interviewer.  Give specific details on the situation around the question.  What were you trying to achieve?  What problems arose?

A is for action

What specifically did you do to address the situation?  Make clear the actions that were yours vs. those of the team.

R is for results

The most important part — tell the interviewer that the goal was achieved, the problem was resolved, or the challenge was surmounted as a result of your participation.

A sample behavioral interview response

Let’s put it all together.  If the interviewer asks, “Tell me about a time where someone you managed was having performance problems.  How did you address it, and what was the outcome?”, your response might sound like this:

• Circumstance — At Company X I was responsible for the supervision of four customer service reps.  One rep had been there for several years with good performance, but I had noticed over the course of a month increased errors and complaints in her area.
• Action — I believe strongly in the benefits of weekly one-on-ones to develop dialogue with my staff, and I used one of these meetings to start a dialogue with the rep in question.  I was pleased to find that she was willing to acknowledge the change in her work and we discussed the origin of the problem.  In addition to some personal issues outside of the office, she was having difficulty with a new computer module that the reps were using.  I asked for her commitment that she would work to leave personal issues outside of the office and would come to me if she felt that she wasn’t able to eliminate the impact on her work.  Then I spent additional time with her over the course of a few weeks to train her on the computer system and monitor her work product.
• Result — It took three or four weeks, but I saw a marked decrease in errors, not to mention a stronger, more open dialogue in our weekly one-on-ones.

That’s the basics.  Keep this structure in mind when answering behavioral questions, and you’re sure to give the interviewer the information that they need.

Related posts:

1. Top 10 Interview Questions You’ve Gotta Be Ready For
2. Interview Question of the Week: What would your last supervisor say about you?
3. The Do-It-Yourself Behavioral Interview
4. Interview Question of the Week: Tell me about your last supervisor.
5. Interview Question of the Week: Communication and project success

Tagged as: behavior, behavioral interviewing, Career, interview, interview prep, job change, job hunt, job search, preparation