Behavioral Interview Questions
Behavioral Interview Questions

Behavioral Interview Questions are questions about how you handled difficult situations at work.

These questions are designed to assess how you reacted in the past, as your past performance is a strong indicator of how you will behave in the future.

Be sure to prepare for the following behavioral interview questions below, and you will do great in your next interview.

Behavioral Interview Questions and Answers

1. Name a time you disagreed with a coworker or manager and what was the outcome?

It is only natural to have conflict at work.  What is important is how you and your colleague come up with a positive outcome.

Don’t

  • Discuss negative conflicts (for example, don’t mention how you would argue with your boss for being late).
  • Discuss a situation where the outcome wasn’t positive.

Do

  • Make the conflict about something positive like a conflict on how to make a business process better.

Example

“In my last job, I worked in retail. I presented the inventory in the store differently from what my manager had instructed, as I believed my approach would benefit the customers. However, my manager informed me that the head office required all stores to display inventory in a specific manner. Although I disagreed with him initially, he explained that extensive studies had been conducted to optimize sales. I acknowledged my mistake and have since been adhering to the layout mandated by head office.”

2. What was your greatest accomplishment in your last job? 

There should be minimal hesitation when answering this question. If you hesitate, the interviewer may perceive it as a lack of interest. However, during an interview, it is natural to feel nervous, and it is possible to draw a blank when responding to this question.

Below are some examples I came up with:

  • Perhaps you saved money for your last/current company.
  • Maybe you improved the quality of your work and that of your colleagues.
  • Perhaps you provided personal assistance to a co-worker, enabling them to continue their work.

3. Can you tell us about a time when you went out of your way for a customer?

Remember, the customer is always right, and if the customer is not happy, a company cannot survive. However, if you go out of your way to assist a customer, they will share their positive experience with others, contributing to the flourishing of the business.

Example: “I recall an instance at a restaurant I worked for, where we would offer kitchen tours to children, providing parents a much-needed 10-minute break. The parents always expressed gratitude for this gesture. Another example that comes to mind is when we didn’t have an item on the menu, we would reach out to a neighboring restaurant to see if we could obtain it for the customer.”

4. Could you tell me about a time your punctuality or attendance impacted your work?

  • Everyone misses work from time to time but make sure you have a good reason. Also, explain what you did to reduce the impact of your absence.
  • For example, I worked at a popular fast-food chain and I was unable to attend my shift due to an illness. I phoned several team members and I was able to find someone to cover my shift.

5. Tell us about a time you have felt overwhelmed at work and how you dealt with it. 

Everyone gets overwhelmed from time to time. What is important is how you deal with being overwhelmed. 

Try to provide an example of when you were overwhelmed at work, and then explain how you prioritized your tasks and completed them. If you were unable to finish your tasks, describe how you sought assistance from your colleagues or manager. 

6. Can you tell us about your previous experience on how you dealt with a difficult customer or client?

  • Listen and let the customer vent.
  • Show the customer you care.
  • Don’t blame the customer or the company.
  • Try to solve the problem or find someone who can.
  • Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
  • Finally, one must not take it personally.  If you get upset, you will take it out on future customers.

Behavioral Interview Questions for Managers

7. Have you ever laid off or fired an employee?  If so please explain the process. 

Part of being a good manager is knowing when to let an employee go. State you would deal with the employee in the following steps.

  1. Mention you would put the individual on a performance improvement plan or have a one-on-one meeting and let the employee know where he or she could improve. 
  2. Then say you would evaluate the employee after two weeks. 
  3. If the employee does not improve then you would go through the appropriate HR channels and let the individual go.

8. Can you give an example of how you have motivated your employees?

Motivation is key to any business and if you can motivate others you will be a great asset to the organization you are applying for.

  • I always believed that a simple thank you goes a long way. When someone performs a task or helps me out I usually thank them but I also tell their boss what a great job they did — I find this motivates employees.
  • You can always state you don’t believe money is a great motivator and a pat on the back can do wonders.

Behavioral Interview Tips

  • Many professionals recommend using the star technique to answer behavioral interview questions.  S.T.A.R stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Response.  Basically, you first describe the situation, describe your task, what action you took,  and what was the result.
  • Take time to review your resume and think of situations where you were given a problem and played a lead role in solving the problem.
  • Don’t blame anyone as you will come off as negative.
  • Keep your answers short and to the point.
  • Keep your answers positive.
  • Carefully listen to your interviewer.

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