Behavioral interview queries are tough to answer if you’re not prepared for this type of query. Behavioral interview queries are very particular, and inquire you to give a ‘detailed instance’ as part of your answer. Interviewers are using more and more behavioral style interview queries in order to understand how you’ll react in a very specific situation. It is considered that this is the best indicator of your future behavior.

For instance, if an interviewer knows their workplace goes through a lot of unexpected changes, they probably will not inquire you something simple like – How do you deal with change?

For them to comprehend how you would address with that particular environment, they would more likely ask you a targeted behavioral query like – Tell me about a case in which you have had to adjust to changes that were outside of your control. How did you manage it?

You can see our prepared answer to that specific query here:  Show You Can Adjust to Change.

As you can see, that second query is much tougher to answer if you don’t have an example already prepared. They key to answering behavioral interview queries with ease is preparation.

Getting Ready For a Behavioral Interview

Regrettably, there is no way of knowing for sure if you are going to face a behavioral interview. It is always best to assume you’ll face at least a few behavioral style queries. By preparing to give detailed answers with good instances you’re covered no matter what the question style. When preparing for a possible behavioral job interview you require to:

• Research the Company & Job Description

The first thing you need doing is thoroughly research the company, its products and its competitors. By doing this you’ll comprehend the problems the company faces, potential growth opportunities and get an idea of the company culture. This should give you some clues as to the kinds of behavioral queries you are likely to face.

• Analyze Your Work History

Once you’ve a good understanding of the company, you then need gathering together all your best achievements. To do this, sit down and consider all the primary competencies listed below. Think about your work experiences and write down any specific work instance where you have demonstrated these key skills.  Just list the projects for now. Once you have your list, go through and tick the most compelling examples that you’ll craft into answers.

Adaptable to Change

Teamwork

Problem Solving

Decision Making

Verbal and Written Communication questions

Leadership

Presentation Skills

Organisation & Planning

Customer Focus

Initiative

Stress Management

Creative Thinking

• Preparing Great Answers

Try and have one instance for each of the core competencies above that are relevant to your industry. The best way to turn your work instance into a great answer is to use the star method. This method initiates by explaining the situation you confronted then the task at hand. It then moves onto your specific action and finishes with the result.