Behavioral Interview

Research Company

Website

  • Core values
  • Mission statement
  • Tone used in the statements

Social Media

  • Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
  • Does their social media mimic the same voice as website?
  • Do they post a lot or not at all?

LinkedIn

  • Organization's LinkedIn
  • Interviewer's LinkedIn
  • Shared Connections
  • Shared Interests

News

  • What they have done new?
  • Product announcement
  • Changes in senior leadership
  • Shifts from private to public
  • Research breakthrough

Job Description

  • Independently work?
  • What are the responsibilities?
  • Is it teamwork or leadership position?

Answers to find

  • What industry does the organization operate in?
  • Who are the competitors?
  • What share of the market do they have?
  • What are the aspects of their brand? Do they have a logo? Colors? Tagline(s)?
  • What is their mission and values?
  • What are the most important products and services?
  • What do customers say?
  • Is this an old industry or new industry?
  • What is the size of the industry with respect to the national or global economy?
  • Does the organization compete on price or quality?
  • How do they differentiate their products or services?

Method

  • S: Set the Situation
  • T: What was the Task
  • A: What was YOUR Actions
  • R: What was the Business Results

Topics

  1. Customer/Client Obsession
  2. Leadership
  3. Ownership
  4. Teamwork
  5. Problem-solving
  6. Decision making
  7. Communication
  8. Inter-personal skills
  9. Conflict resolution
  10. Negotiation skills
  11. Creativity
  12. Personal strength and weakness
  13. Mentorship
  14. Taking a stand
  15. Working with a deadline
  16. Learn and be curious
  17. Disagree but Act as one
  18. Right a lot of times
  19. Think big
  20. Earn Trust
  21. Deliver Results

Sample Questions

  • Tell me about yourself
  • What was the last project you led, and what was its outcome?
  • Give me an example of a time that you felt you went above and beyond at work.
  • Describe a time when your work was criticized, how you responded, and what happened as a result.
  • Have you ever been on a team where someone was not doing their part? How did you handle it?
  • Tell me about a time when you had to give someone difficult feedback. How did you handle it?
  • How do you handle working with people who annoy you?
  • What was the most difficult period in your life, and how did you deal with it?
  • Give me an example of a time you did something wrong. How did you handle it?
  • Tell me about a time when you had to deal with conflict on the job.
  • What assignment was too difficult for you, and how did you resolve the issue?
  • Give me an example of a difficult decision you had to make. How did you come to that decision?
  • Give an example of an idea you implemented.
  • Describe a mentor who has impacted you in a positive way.
  • Was there a person in your career who really made a difference? In what way?
  • Tell me about your proudest achievement.
  • Tell me about your proudest achievement.
  • What was the most difficult period of your life, and how did you deal with it?
  • What assignment was too difficult for you, and how did you resolve the issue?
  • Where do you see yourself in x amount of years?
  • What are your weaknesses?
  • Why should we hire you?
  • Tell me about a time you worked as part of a team to overcome an obstacle.
  • Describe a time you worked effectively under pressure.
  • Describe a time you worked effectively under pressure.
  • Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.
  • Tell me about a time you made a mistake at work. How did you resolve the problem, and what did you learn from your mistake?
  • Describe an occasion when you had to manage your time to complete a task. How did you do it?
  • Tell me about a time you took the initiative in your career. What was your motivation for doing so?
  • Describe a time when you used your leadership skills to motivate your team or colleagues.
  • Describe a time when you were responsible for a task you didn't receive training on and were unsure how to complete. How did you handle it?
  • Share an example of a career goal you had. What steps did you take to achieve it?
  • Describe your process for solving problems. What steps do you take to resolve important issues at work?
  • Give an example of how you set goals.
  • Describe a decision you made that wasn't popular, and explain how you handled implementing it.
  • Give an example of how you worked on a team.
  • How do you handle meeting tight deadlines?
  • Have you worked on multiple projects? How did you prioritize?
  • How do you handle it when your schedule is interrupted?
  • What do you do if you disagree with a co-worker?
  • Give me an example of when you did or when you didn't listen.
  • What do you do if you disagree with your boss?
  • What is your most important career accomplishment? Why?
  • Give me an example of when you used logic to solve a problem
  • Describe how you used your problem-solving skills to benefit a team or company.
  • Tell me about a time when you used creativity to overcome a dilemma.
  • Name three improvements you made in your most recent position.
  • Give me an example of when you worked well with a team.
  • What role do you assume when you work within a team?
  • What is your biggest regret at work?
  • Tell me about a decision that you’ve regretted and how you overcame it.
  • How do you handle unexpected changes or challenges?
  • Have you ever been lied about? How did you handle that situation?
  • Tell me a time when you had to work unexpectedly on your own.

Hypothetical Questions

  • Your team is giving a presentation in two hours and one member just called in sick. What do you do?
  • If you had to choose between a work environment that was always in chaos and one in which nothing ever changed, which would you choose?
  • If you inherited so much money that you never had to work again, how would you spend your time?
  • If you could create a fictional company to make the world a better place, what would that company do?
  • Imagine that you are the product manager for a consumer device that just launched, but 20% of the devices are breaking in the first week from normal use. What do you do?
  • Describe how you would handle a situation if you were required to finish multiple tasks by the end of the day, and there was no conceivable way that you could finish them.

References