Be Prepared for Behavioral Job Interview Questions

By Barry Lawrence

As a job seeker, you may have come across the topic of "conquering the behavior-based interview." This is a favorite technique of many recruiters and HR managers. In short, it is a line of questioning that helps a recruiter discover an applicant's working knowledge and real examples of how they go about solving day-to-day challenges.

The HR Specialist recently published a list of 20 questions that recruiters can use to "zero in on a candidate's skills, knowledge and temperament." BM believes this is a great list of job interview questions that, as a job seeker, you can expect to get.

Practice! Practice! Practice!

That is the best way to ace the job interview. Writing your answers down and practicing with friends are great ways to prepare. Keep in mind that the best answers to job interview questions have a "show and tell" ring to them. In other words, don't just tell them you're an excellent leader. Show them examples such as: "I have excellent leadership skills. In the past year, I have led (or helped lead) 15 marketing programs that led to a 30 percent increase in revenue."

There's an old HR saying that "past performance is the best indicator of future performance." Fair or not, this is the golden rule of recruiting. Don't just list your skills. Bring your tangible accomplishments to the table: work samples, reports, awards, recognitions, etc.

Providing specific examples of how you've met past goals is the best way to win the job. And by having these show-and-tell stories planned out ahead of time, you'll be able to pass the job interview with flying colors.

Here are four of the top 20 job interview questions mentioned by The HR Specialist to practice and a few suggestions (BM would also like to hear from it's readers on some of their best answers). Don't forget to add your own tangible examples of accomplishments with each answer.

How can we best reward you for doing a job well done? (Answer suggestion: "My reward is helping my team achieve important company goals. Last month, I led a team that did xyz.")

What have your mistakes taught you? (Answer suggestion: "I'm not sure I'd call them mistakes. I stress to my team that unexpected challenges are important learning experiences that teach us what is working and what isn't working. We recently tried x to increase the sales of our widgets. We quickly learned that it wasn't working. When then adjusted the program and sales immediately increased by y percent.")

What frustrates you at work and what do you do about it? (Answer suggestion: There are many ways to answer this one. The key is not to dwell on the negative — lack of sales results, for example — and get to an example that shows how you put a new process in place to reach sales goals.)

How do you like to be managed? (Answer suggestion: "I like to be managed in the same way that I manage other people." Then show examples of the way you have gotten the best results in working with people, including awards, recognitions and other kudos you have received.)

Hopefully, you get the point BM is trying to make here. Turn each question into an opportunity to showcase past achievement (those things that HR people are convinced will lead to future success). It's OK if some of your accomplishments are team goals versus personal goals. Just be honest about it and be able to explain your important contribution to the team achievement.

It's so important that it requires repeating!

Always frame your answers in ways that not only showcase your skills and attributes, but your accomplishments — especially those that are well suited to the job.

Here are some additional behavior-based queries (with BM asides to help get you thinking):

What kind of supervisor brings out your peak performance? ("Self-motivated, but always team and goal oriented.")

What is the most useful criticism you've ever received? Given? ("Criticism, I believe, is a very important part of day-to-day dialouge for continuous improvement.")

What one area of your performance do you struggle with? (The classic: "I often take on too much in my zeal to perform the job well." If you go this route, make sure to explain how you solved this challenge via communication with your supervisor, prioritizing, etc.)

Tell me about a time when you had to adapt quickly to change? (This one cries out for an example. So, give one!)

In your position, are you a risk taker or do you play it safe? (Examples of both are in order. In business, there is a time and place for both behaviors.)

Describe a time you had to sacrifice quality to meet a deadline? (Perhaps an example here when C-level leaders and other supervisors were made aware of the quality risks, were given time to weigh them and decided to move ahead anyway. An A+ answer would also include a follow-up description of how you help fixed those quality issues after the deadline.)

Again, please share your thoughts.

�