Behavioral responses
World Unemployment Graph
A few posts back we wrote about behavioral interviews and questions. Some times interviewers do not ask behavioral questions on purpose. They might not be familiar with the technique, which is quite common when not dealing with a human resources specialist but rather a manager of some sorts.
That does not however mean that you should not try and gain an advantage over your less informed competitors by answering the questions as if they were part of a behavioral interview. The effect is still the same: by acing a few well thought-out behavioral answers, you are going to impress the interviewer enough to at least get them remember you for your analytical train of thought.
Employers are looking for more than just the words that you use in answering their questions; rather they are looking for both the content of your answer and the subtext in your responses. Using these ‘behavioral based’ responses will help to control the perception of your responses.
Describe a situation in which you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem and/or give an example of a time when you had to be quick in coming to a decision.
- Leadership
Have you ever had trouble getting others to agree with your ideas? How did you deal with this situation? Describe the most challenging group from which you’ve had to gain cooperation.
- Motivation
Talk about a time when you went ‘above and beyond the call of duty’. Give an example of a time you had to use written communication to convey an important argument or idea.
- Communication
Describe a situation in which you were able to successfully communicate with another individual who did not personally like you (or vice versa).
- Interpersonal Skills
Give examples of what you’ve done in the past to contribute to a teamwork environment. Give an example of an unpopular decision you’ve made, what the result was, and how you managed it.
- Planning and Organization
When scheduling your time, what method do you use to decide which items are priorities? Describe how you’ve handled a sudden interruption to your schedule.
Typically interviewers want you to add to their questions. Using the above format for your responses will enable the interviewer to glean more about you.
For more interview tips, including what the biggest interview mistakes are, how to phone interview and typical interview questions (and answer recommendations) click here and get our interview eBook which is a 20 page expose on how-to interview.
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