Career
What is a behavioral interview (and how to prepare for it!)
Many people asked the question, what is a behavioral interview? Let's go over the core concepts surrounding this hiring tool and understand how to be prepared for it!
Get ahead with these tips for behavioral interviews
This concept eludes many people, especially if it’s the first time you’ve come across this term. Let’s tackle this confusion and solve the question: what is a behavioral interview?
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It’s imperative to understand such types of interviews before tackling them, to truly have a chance of success. This post exists to provide you with the tools to beat this interview with no issue!
What is a behavioral interview and why do companies use them?
Behavioral interview questions aim to examine your previous conduct to predict your future behavior.
Hiring representatives often use them in job interviews. However, they may appear in different questionnaires, such as behavioral interviews for graduate school admittance.
Typical behavioral interview questions encourage you to recall when you confronted a difficult scenario and how you handled it.
“Tell me about a moment when you had to cope with a tough customer/coworker/boss” is one of the many questions asked during this interview stage.
Traditional interview questions tend to concentrate on your knowledge, skills, and talents and vary from behavioral interview questions.
Behavioral interview questions concentrate on your prior conduct.
Behavioral interview questions are especially beneficial when the position you’re seeking needs certain talents that can reveal via your prior conduct.
If you’re looking for a job that needs exceptional customer service abilities, a behavioral interview question can help the interviewer understand how you’ve handled such things in the past.
When preparing for a behavioral interview, go through your previous experiences and discover concrete occasions when you displayed relevant abilities.
Preparing yourself to share the achievements and failures of your previous conduct is also critical. This provides a complete picture of how you cope with difficult circumstances.
Answering behavioral interview questions may be tough, but you can succeed if you prepare ahead of time.
Providing the interviewer with the information they need to make an informed judgment about whether or not they are the suitable candidate for the position will prove very valuable!
5 tips to prepare for your interview
Some people can be very hard to prepare for a job interview. Even though they can sometimes be pretty stressful, they're still necessary. That's why this post exists!
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What types of questions can you expect?
Many behavioral questions could show up during an interview. Therefore, it would be impossible to list them all. However, some of them are more usual than others:
- How do you prioritize projects under pressure?
- How would you manage an interruption to your schedule?
- Have you ever broken company policy to please a customer?
- How have you dealt with setbacks at work?
When preparing to respond to behavioral questions, it is critical to understand the types the hiring representatives ask.
There are three categories of behavioral questions: situational, interpersonal, and self-management. Each type focuses on a different aspect of behavior.
After you understand the different behavioral questions that hiring reps could ask, you can begin practicing your answers.
It is also helpful to prepare a few examples of different behavioral situations to discuss with the interviewee.
You can improve your chances of getting the job and impress the interviewer if you prepare yourself for questions about your past behaviors.
How to answer behavioral interview questions?
Firstly, be sure you understand the question thoroughly. Don’t speedrun the interview. Ponder away if it means replying brilliantly.
Consider what applicable replies could fit within the scope of the question. Play with the words in your head, if you will, but ensure you’re eliciting your response as clearly as possible.
Then, be honest and offer specific examples of what you mean.
It is imperative whoever is interviewing you doesn’t become confused with the answer you’re giving. Digressions are strongly discouraged.
Finally, make sure you prepare appropriately for the interview by practicing your answer out loud.
Answering behavioral questions in a way that sets you apart from other candidates and demonstrates that you have the necessary skills might help you get the job.
Prepare for a behavioral interview with these 3 tips
Now we’ve gone to lengths to thoroughly explain a behavioral interview and how to better prepare for it.
Valuable tips we’ve not mentioned exist, though, and the internet might have even more scattered here and there. The best three we could think of are:
Have peace of mind
Having clarity and peace of mind will allow you to respond as effectively as possible. When preparing, recall specific historical instances that demonstrate the desired conduct.
Additionally, be cool and concentrated during the interview. Taking a few deep breaths before responding might help you retain your calm.
You’ll be able to provide the interviewer the knowledge they need to make an educated judgment if you’re prepared and present to tackle the obstacles that may present once you’re hired.
Be honest and thorough
When responding to behavioral questions, it is essential to do so precisely and honestly. Provide specific examples of how you handled situations similar to the one in question.
Include positive and negative experiences to provide the interviewer with a more well-rounded picture of your skills and capabilities.
If you prepare in advance and be honest when answering questions, you will leave a positive impression on the interviewer.
Avoid overcomplicating
While answering behavioral questions might be tough, avoiding overthinking or overcomplicating your answers is critical.
The best method to prepare for behavioral questions is to reflect on your previous experiences.
Consider a period when a difficult scenario presented itself to you at work. What exactly did you do? What was the outcome?
You’ll be able to deliver a thoughtful, well-informed response to behavioral inquiries if you reflect on your prior conduct.
What’s next?
Now that you understand behavioral interviews better, you can be better prepared. However, what if the interview you’re taking is done virtually?
Check out our next post on how to behave and succeed in a Zoom interview.
It’ll prove very important to those seeking to better prep themselves for these difficult, necessary hiring steps.
Prepare for a job interview on Zoom: a 101 guide
Being professional from the comfort of your home can be tricky. This post teaches how to prepare for a job interview on Zoom and become efficient in virtual interviews!
About the author / Pedro Pansutti
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