Give me an example of or Tell me about a time when, questions starting with these kind of sentences are behavioural interview questions where the interviewer is wanting to know how you would handle certain specific situations. Behavioural questions have gained a lot of importance during interviews as they help the interviewer get a more realistic indication of how you work. It also demonstrates to the interviewer what you are capable of achieving on the basis of your past experience of handling similar situations. It reflects the use of your skills say in real time.
Let me offer you 3 tips to handle behavioural interview questions effectively:
1] Listing down your skills and success stories:
Make a list of all your strengths in terms of soft skills as well as hard skills. Next write down your success stories. Identify which skills you used that gave you positive results in each of the stories. Was it your product knowledge and project management capability (hard skills) along with your adaptability and team mentoring ability (soft skills) or was it your understanding of technology (hard skill) backed by ability to learn (soft skill) which got you the outcomes. This list is like your raw data. Next what you need to do is pick and choose the most relevant success story which will cut ice with the interviewer for the specific job that you are going to be interviewed for. You can do that by understanding what is the pain point of the job and present only those stories which are representative of you being a solution provider.
2] Format for developing success stories:
Keep this format in mind while developing your success stories – What was the challenge – what action did you take – and – what was the result. These 3 components in the story make it engaging for the listener.
3] For situations where you do not have direct experience:
There will be questions related to situations which you have never handled or have never been into. Ask yourself this one question – What skills and abilities is the interviewer trying to assess? And remember to also focus on your soft skills as they are useful in such situations. For example for a behavioural interview question like – What would you do if you reached 30 minutes early for an interview at the employer’s office? – you will need to present your qualities like goal orientation, being focused and a positive attitude by sharing how you spent your time productively by doing further homework on the company by observing the work culture and regarding the role and studying the job’s requirements while you were waiting.
Remember that to get success with this approach, practice is the key. So prepare well for behavioural questions before the interview.
P.S: You can download our FREE Checklist here – 10 Common Mistakes To Avoid In A Resume
Best of luck!
Sarabjeet Sachar
Seasoned Career Coach, Founder & CEO, Aspiration