Every interviewer wants to know what lies behind those impressive achievements on your resume. What part did you play, and will you be able to replicate that success for them? How did your behaviors impact the result? How is your contribution any different to someone else's.
The only way to find out is to ask behavioral interview questions.
Behavioral interview questions can cover a whole range of work-related issues, but the formula for answering them is simple. Outline the situation and where your responsibilities lay, consider the specific actions that you undertook and your personal impact on the eventual results.
As behavioral questions will take up much of an interview, it is vital to explore this subject in depth.
In this blog, we look at the following:
- What are behavioral interview questions and why are they important?
- How do you use the STAR method to answer behavioral interview questions?
- What is the difference between behavioral and situational questions?
- 12 topics for behavioral questioning with 60+ behavioral interview questions.
Interviews tend to meander into irrelevance if candidates cannot give a clear and concise answer to an interviewer’s questions. Understand what they want to hear and how to share each aspect of your story. Sometimes what they want to hear is not entirely clear. Interpretation is often required.
What are behavioral interview questions?
Making the right hiring decision is difficult. The only way to assess a candidate’s future potential (aside from relying on gut feel) is to gaze into the past and pick out the experiences that could shine a light on what the applicant is capable of.
Saying “I am great at handling pressure” will not fill any hiring manager with confidence. That is why they will ask a specific behavioral interview question that will ask for evidence of the behavior and its impact. They want to know the context so they can translate the achievement into their terms.
This might sound complicated, but there is a very simple way of answering a behavioral question that enables a candidate to cover everything that a hiring manager might want to know.
It is called the STAR method. Here is a brief description of how it works:
How do you use the STAR method to answer?
The STAR method is a four-part technique for answering behavioral questions. While it is a common factor in most interviews, there is much scope for impressing an interviewer within its tight confines. When you are asked a behavioral question, there is a great temptation to ramble on about your brilliance. If you use the STAR method, your answer will be concise.
Tell a behavioral story in four parts:
Situation: Share the nature of the event, project or challenge.
Task: Describe your specific responsibility in the process.
Action: Steps undertaken to move towards an outcome
Result: End results of your individual involvement.
Every interviewer will want to find out about all sorts of aspects of your experience, so there will likely be an avalanche of behavioral interview questions coming your way. It is possible to interpret the demands of the job description to guess at potential questions during your job preparation, but you never quite know what an interviewer will ask. Deal with each question calmly and concisely and you will give them every reason to hire you.
What is the difference between behavioral and situational interview questions?
Behavioral interview questions are intended to understand how previous experiences might inform your future actions. If a question starts with the phrase: “tell me about a time when…” you can be sure that the interviewer is looking for evidence of specific behaviors. Behavioral interview questions always require an honest account of what happened.
Situational interview questions, on the other hand, focus on how you might react in a theoretical situation in the future. Interviewers understand that you may not have experienced every possible scenario, so they ask how you might react if a certain thing happened. Don’t worry that you can’t fall back on a real-life example in this case. Do your best to answer honestly.
60+ examples of behavioral interview questions
Every role will require a different mix of skills and experiences, so every interview will be different in terms of the mix of behavioral interview questions. We have chosen to list many of the most common questions across several areas. They are suitable across many functions and industry sectors.
When you are preparing for your interview, it is important to consider a broad range of potential questions. Don’t just fixate on the areas that you would like to talk about. Think about your candidature from the hiring manager’s point of view. What jumps out from your resume that might warrant further discussion? What would you ask yourself to make yourself sweat?
We are sure that many of these questions (or variations) have a chance of cropping up. Think about some examples from your own past. Which ones would you be able to answer?
Behavioral questions: Adaptability
When there are multiple different ways to solve a problem, it is often the most innovative and flexible approach that will win the day. You need to be adaptable and flexible because you never quite know what life will throw at you next – in a fast-changing business environment, adaptability means being able to change as the situation demands.
- Tell me about a time when you wish you had reacted differently.
- How did you organize your day when you were working on multiple projects?
- Describe a situation when you had to learn something new on the spot.
- Tell me about a time when you resolved an issue in an unorthodox way?
How do you handle interruptions when you have more pressing priorities?
"Just becase something isn't a priority for me doesn't mean that it isn't for someone else. I would typically ask a couple of clarifying questions to see how urgent it is and act accordingly. If it is urgent, I would explain my situation and try to come up with a timescale to get it done. If needed, I would maybe delegate other work or find someone else to help lighten the load. If the interruption isn't important, I would give gentle feedback to let the person know."
Behavioral questions: Teamwork
Teamwork is critical to the ongoing profitability of any company. When people work together, they grow together and there are so many issues that simply cannot be handled without the participation of a range of experts.
- What is the most surprising thing that you have learned about teamwork?
- Tell me about a time when your team was storming and performing as one.
- Have you ever worked with a manager who was pulling in a different direction?
- Tell me about a time when you had a personality clash with a team member?
Tell me about how you would react if a team member isn't doing their job?
“At the end of every quarter one of my colleagues was consistently late submitting their reports. It was my job to collate all the financials, so I asked them why and it transpired that they weren’t confident with Excel and ashamed to mention it. I persuaded them to take a certification and they are now running beginner’s courses for others.”
Behavioral questions: Stress management
The importance of mental health cannot be underestimated in any effective workplace. If you are not in the right state of mind, work is disrupted, and everything seems so much more difficult than usual. Learning to manage your stress and the stress of those around you is a critical pressure release valve that can be pulled when times get tough.
- Describe a time when you were presented with an impossible deadline.
- Tell me about a time when you worked effectively under pressure.
- Share a time when you had to complete a project without the required resources.
- Describe a time when you felt that you were in a professional crisis.
Tell me about a time when you felt that you couldn't cope
"On my return to work after parental leave I felt overwhelmed by the change of pace and the pressure to perform after a year away. I felt comfortable enough to discuss with my boss and I decided to visit a psychologist to talk through my concerns. I managed to ramp up my workload gradually and although there were a few low moments I got through the tough period with the support of my colleagues and clients. Being vulnerable when your mental health takes a hit allows those around you to help however they can."
Behavioral questions: Time management
Time is a finite resource, and it easily slips through our fingers or is wasted on mindless chatter or unimportant tasks. To be a master of time at work you need to be hugely disciplined and mindful of exactly what can move you a step (or two) closer to your goals. Prioritize what is important and keep everything and everyone ticking along.
- Tell me about a time when you had to handle your routine being disrupted?
- How do you prioritize what needs to be done within a project schedule?
- Describe a time when it was clear that you wouldn’t meet a deadline.
- Tell me about a time when you struggled to keep a long-term project on track.
What did you do when your to-do list became unmanageable?
“I agreed to take on the work of a colleague during a period of sick leave, which meant that 30% of my tasks were either delivered late or not delivered at all. I talked with my CEO and agreed on prioritizing the tasks that were most critical. The rest I delegated to colleagues or outsourced to external providers. The colleague subsequently left, and we found that workflows were organized in such a way that we didn’t need a replacement.”
Behavioral questions: Personal development
Every employer wants to hire someone who is self-motivated and who is still on a journey of improvement; As an employee gets more skilled, their work will simultaneously improve. Striving for continuous development is the hallmark of someone who wants to get promoted, make an impact on the bottom line and make a difference to those around them.
- Have you ever been passed over for promotion? How did you react?
- Tell me about the biggest development opportunity that you have ever enjoyed.
- Describe a time when you set your sights too high (or too low).
- Tell me about a time when your development was stalling. What did you do about it?
- What was the biggest setback in your career and how did you bounce back from it?
Behavioral questions: Motivation & values
Simply describing what makes you tick and why you do what you do is not as evocative as telling a story about what moves you. When you talk about how your personal values once made a difference to your employer, your eyes will light up and your future boss will sense a passion that could serve them. If your values and their values match up, the job is yours.
- How do you find motivation when you are not interested in a project?
- Have you ever been asked to do something that goes against your personal values?
- Have you ever convinced someone to do something they didn’t believe in?
- Tell me about a time when you felt dissatisfied with your work.
How did you approach helping someone who was struggling?
“My colleague was a new father who was having a difficult time leaving his wife at home with his young son. He seemed distant at work and was finding it hard to switch off from his home life. Having been through this myself, I offered to be his sounding board at work so that he could offload his worries and get on with work with a clearer head. His performance improved and he remains a valued colleague and friend to this day.”
Behavioral questions: Goal orientation
People who set their sights on the loftiest ambitions may not always get there, but they will achieve far more than the average person who is happy with a mundane life. Setting and resetting goals as you progress along your career is a rewarding way to ensure professional growth. Few employers want an employee who is happy to sit still.
- Tell me about an occasion when you failed to do what you had promised.
- How do you go about setting goals that are achievable for you and your team?
- Tell me about a time when you had to align your colleagues behind your ideas.
- Describe an occasion when you have given up on a goal – for the right reasons.
Share a time when you went above and beyond what was expected of you.
"I worked on a project with a colleague from another department and discovered that they were struggling to manage their workload. I asked them whether they would like me to share some insights from a recent course that I had attended, and I introduced them to some time management techniques that had revolutionized my working day. We probably only spent 4-5 hours on this, but they remembered my intervention for years afterwards."
Behavioral questions: Overcoming obstacles
Problems and obstacles are a normal part of working life, but when a few come along at once and you haven’t dealt with the ones from last week, suddenly everything grinds to a halt. Overcoming obstacles is key to moving on with what you need to do, and you never know – you might learn a thing or two about yourself along the way.
- Tell about how you got your team to buy into an unpopular decision.
- Tell me about a time when you had to escape a difficult situation.
- Tell me about a time when you owned up to one of your mistakes.
- When did you anticipate potential problems and develop preventative measures?
What has been the biggest failure in your career? What did you learn?
“I spent six months running my own marketing consultancy and spent over $10k on flights and accommodation while chasing potential big-ticket clients. This outlay was not recouped in revenue, and I understood that in any new venture it is best to start small and build on a solid base before ambitions take over. I went back into a corporate role, but this learning has stayed with me ever since.”
Behavioral questions: Decision-making
In a life of endless possibilities, the ability to make informed decisions often makes the difference between success and failure. How you go about making decisions will be of great interest to your future employer, so a few stories about your risks and rewards in this area will be a fascinating addition to your career story.
- Talk me through when you used logic to overcome a problem.
- Tell me about the riskiest (correct) decision that you have ever made.
- Describe a situation when you had to make a decision with insufficient data.
- Tell me about a time when you went with your gut feeling and it was wrong.
Tell me about a time when you persisted with a decision that was unpopular
"I decided to fire my top performing sales manager becuase he was having a toxic affect on the wider team. The company leadership thought that this was a soft decision and were scared that his oversized contribution to the bottom line would not be replaced. In reality, the overall sales numbers increased by 15% and we retained 40% more people over the next three years due to his departure. Rotten apples should be discarded."
Behavioral questions: Communication
Sharing expectations, explaining processes, illuminating ideas and building relationships - vital working practices that cannot take place without effective communication. If we can get our message across – spoken or written – we have a chance of finding like-minded collaborators and influential sponsors. Without communication we achieve nothing.
- How did you go about communicating an idea that no one understood?
- Tell me about a time when you didn’t listen – and what happened next.
- Describe a time in your career when you had to say “no” to a colleague.
- Share a time when you had to present in front of a large audience.
What did you do when you had to explain a complicated process?
“We implemented a new EDI ordering process that we needed to roll out to our 40 retail stores. The store staff would be managing the process, so my role was to run training sessions and select in-store champions who could manage the rollout. I wrote a user manual that was specific to how stores work and product availability improved by 3.5% points.”
Behavioral questions: Leadership
Leadership skills do not always have to include a relationship with a subordinate. You can lead your peers, your clients and even members of senior management. Leadership is about stepping out there and showing the way – then getting down with everyone else and forging a path towards it. Which career stories allow your leadership qualities to shine through?
- Tell me about a time when you convinced upper management to change their mind.
- Tell me about how you overcame your greatest challenge as a leader?
- Tell me about a time when you tried to view an issue from another perspective.
- Describe a time when you showed initiative and caused others to follow.
- Have you ever deputized for your boss and what did you learn about leadership?
Behavioral Questions: Conflict resolution
In a world of competing priorities and heated opinions, conflict is never far away. Many companies seek to foster an element of healthy competition as a way to achieve optimal results. Conflict resolution is an important skill for someone who is the glue of their team.
- Have you ever had to mediate a conflict between two colleagues?
- Describe a situation when you had a lasting disagreement with a coworker.
- Tell me about a time when you have worked with others who thought differently.
- Describe a situation when you had to stand up for your beliefs at work.
Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an angry or dissatisfied customer.
“Our service level for one particular customer had dropped below the agreed level and mistakes were disrupting their customer service. Upon investigating, we found that human error was to blame, so we worked together to improve processes at both ends. In addition, we agreed to a stricter penalty clause so that we stood behind our promises.”
And, lastly, one more behavioral question for luck. Maybe the most infamous of all: “ Tell me about your greatest weakness.” Use the tips in this guide to answer it and you’ll be fine.
Once you’ve reviewed behavioral interview questions, it’s time to practice your responses. Use our interview prep tool to refine your answers and build confidence. Be fully prepared, all within our career tools dashboard.
Key takeaways
- The candidate who answers an interviewer’s behavioral questions in the most impressive way will get the job.
- Take the time to think about exactly which behaviors each interviewer will be looking for – then consider the types of questions they might ask and how you will answer them.
- Using the STAR method to help structure your behavioral interview questions will allow you to offer full and concise answers that will satisfy the most curious of hiring managers.
Good luck with the behavioral interview preparation and don't forget to write a thank you email after a job interview!
