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Behavioral Job Interview
Sample Questions For a behavioral screening:
- What type of opportunity/position are you looking for? Describe
your ideal job.
- What are you looking for in this position?
- What is your ideal work environment?
- How would your current teacher/co-worker describe your work?
- What are your top three priorities or motivators?
- What areas in your career are you interested in further
developing?
- Tell me about a time when you had to create something new, or
look at something from a different perspective.
- Where do you see yourself next year? Next five years?
- Can you give me an example of a time when you worked in a team?
- How do you incorporate diversity into your professional
practices?
- Tell me about the toughest customer (internal or external) you
had to win over and how you did it.
- Describe examples of how you acquired experience in X and how
you have used this experience?
- Identify two accomplishments that you are most proud of.
- Why should I hire you?
- What else would you like me to know about you?
More Sample Behavioral Interview Questions:
- Tell me about a time when your work or an idea of yours was
criticized.
- Describe a difficult problem that you've had to deal with and
how you resolved it.
- Describe a situation in which you were required to work under
pressure and how you reacted.
- Describe a time that you showed initiative.
- Tell me about a time when you put your foot in your mouth.
- Describe a situation when you found yourself challenged. How did
it work out?
- Give an example of how you contributed toward a team project in
school or work.
- What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an
example.
- Tell me about a difficult decision you’ve made in the last year.
- Give me an example of a time when you went beyond the call of
duty in order to get the job done.
- How do you determine what gets priority in scheduling your time?
- Tell me about a time when you had to coordinate the work of
others.
- Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment
and logic in solving a problem.
- Tell me about a time when you used your written communication
skills to convey an important message.
- Describe a significant or creative project that you completed.
- Tell me about a time when you had to adapt to an uncomfortable
situation.
- Describe for me a time when you failed at something and how you
responded.
- Think about a time when you felt overwhelmed or stressed out.
How did you handle it?
- Describe the most difficult professor or supervisor you have had
and tell me how you dealt with that individual.
- Tell me about the last time you recognized a problem in an
organization in which you were involved.
Sample Behavioral Interview Answers:
- “Give me an example of an important goal you had to set
and tell me your progress in reaching that goal.”
As a budget analyst, I was responsible for monitoring our ever
changing budget situation. At one point, my supervisor told me that
while we had three more months in our fiscal year, our budget was
set to run out in two weeks. I then had to identify the amount
necessary to survive till the end of the fiscal year, as well as set
a higher goal of what the division would like to have. I then met
with the department heads to look over individual budgets to see
where some money could be cut. Through this meeting we identified an
issue with our supply ordering. Each individual department ordered
supplies separately, which meant we were paying shipping and
handling charges for five different departments. Each department
also tasked their lead administrative assistant with the supply
tasks. Through consolidating the supply issues throughout the
division, we were able to save a couple thousand dollars. Because of
the crunch time, many in the division were working overtime. I
worked with HR to devise a plan to pull us through the end of the
fiscal year. Instead of employees receiving pay for overtime, comp
time was given, with the understanding that it would not be taken
until after the start of the next fiscal year. The department heads
then called me back in to discuss the possibility of combining all
the comp leave into an extended holiday break. Employees are now
able to take off the full week between Christmas and New Years. This
change in comp leave versus overtime has been adopted company wide
so employees can choose to bank their comp time and after
accumulating enough to cover that extra week off, then they are
eligible for overtime.
- “Tell me about a time when you had to use a persuasive
argument to help someone see things your way.”
I had been interested in obtaining my MBA for a number of
years. After doing research on George Mason University, I decided
that I was going to go for it. The one prohibitive factor was the
cost. The company I was working for did not have a very liberal
tuition reimbursement program, in fact, it only covered $1500 a
year. I then put together a proposal for my manager, including a
Return-On-Investment analysis, and presented it to him after my
yearly review. I included information on the program curriculum,
cost, time commitment, as well as the anticipated outcomes. After
impressing my manager with my presentation, I gave the same
presentation to the director of human resources as well as the vice
president of my business unit. In the end, not only was I able to
get the company to pay for my education, but I was also able to work
out a flexible schedule to accommodate my studying needs. I stayed
with that company for another four years after my MBA until a merger
resulted in my layoff.
- “Describe for me a time when you had to deal with a
difficult person.”
I was moved to a new functional team within my
organization. The team I was moved to had been together for quite
some time, but had not been able to achieve any of their objectives
for a couple of months. I was moved into the situation because I was
a subject matter expert relating to one aspect of their new
objective. As with most teams, there was a leader. This person
exhibited open hostility to my being added to the team. She felt
that the reason why their objectives had not been achieved was due
to management’s inability to trust their decisions. After a week or
two of being consistently left out of vital communication, I
requested a meeting with the team leader. She still exhibited
hostility, so I told her I was there to assist her and the team with
achievement, not failure. I then suggested we work together to
identify the teams previous barriers to success. After identifying
the key issues, I asked the team leader to identify what she wanted
to do to improve the team’s success. Her response was she would like
to have access to subject matter experts because the team was made
up of mostly generalists. She then recognized that management did
what she wanted, she just didn’t get the chance to ask for it first.
After that initial confrontation, I was acclimated to the group and
we began not just succeeding, but exceeding all expectations.
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