On paper, a candidate might check all the boxes, but that doesn’t mean they’re prepared to handle all of the pressures and challenges that might come with the role. To help determine a candidate’s compatibility for a specific role, many interviews now include a behavioral component. Behavioral interviews provide insight on how the potential employee will handle the challenges they may encounter in the role based on evidence of skills and accomplishments from the candidate’s past performance and work behaviors. The philosophy behind behavioral questioning is that how someone has behaved in the past will help to predict how they will handle future work-related situations.

The STAR interview technique can help prepare job seekers to provide quality answers when responding to behavioral questions.  

Let’s break it down; STAR stands for situation, task, action and result. 

• Results: What results followed due to your actions?

How To Prepare for a Behavioral Interview

Interviewers use behavioral questions to gather insight into your ability to gage and respond appropriately to workplace challenges based on your past experiences, actions, and outcomes from those events. If you are not prepared, coming up with applicable scenarios on the spot can be challenging. The best way to prepare for a behavioral interview is to begin by studying the job description carefully. Many times, a job description will breakout the responsibilities, skills and abilities separately from the systems/technical knowledge and experience. Here are a few tips on how to prepare for a behavioral interview:

• Make a list of your skills and qualifications that demonstrate your expertise as it relates to the job’s requirements.

• Enlist a friend or family member to help you practice answering interview questions using your drafted S.T.A.R. stories. The more you practice, the more confident and prepared you’ll feel in the interview.

When preparing your responses to interview questions it’s important to be specific. Using specific events with quantifiable results is the best way to showcase your accomplishments that are a result of your efforts and hard work. You should also be prepared to provide examples of occasions when the end results were different than expected.

This article from Indeed.com, 13 Common Technical Interview Questions, provides some common behavioral interview questions you may be asked during a technical job interview. Review the questions and formulate your own responses so you'll be prepared to give a strong answer if asked them during your interview. While you may receive questions that you haven’t specifically prepared for, the past performance reflection and review will help make unanticipated questions easier to answer.

During the Interview

You’ve prepared and practiced your answers, now its game time! The interviewer will ask you questions to help assess your soft skills such as your ability to handle stress and if you’re a team player. Here are some tips:

• Make sure to listen to the questions carefully before responding. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification before you answer.

• Answer the questions truthfully.

 Conclusion

Preparation is key! Being well prepared to answer behavioral questions with real-life experiences and personal situations will increase your confidence in the interview and feature your accomplishments and skills. At Queen Consulting Group, our expert Technical Recruiters are available to help find the right role for you and prepare you to land the job!