Job Interview

Behavioural questions

They are based on the assumption that past behaviour is a good predictor for future behaviour. The interviewer will ask you to describe a situation in the past where you demonstrated a quality or skill that is required for the position for which you are interviewing. The emphasis is on gaining real life examples. They are often used to evaluate employability skills. Companies attract better candidates using the behavioural approach.

How to prepare and respond to behavioural questions :

• Identify the skills the employer is seeking from the job description or statement of qualifications.
• Choose a situation or incident that best demonstrates a particular skill.
• Be honest and specific and give a detailed account of an event.
• Prepare your response including the situation or problem, the action you took and the outcome or end result (S.A.R.).

Sample behavioural question:

1. Can you give me an example of a situation in which you effectively used your time management skills?

Response: Situation : As a student, I find that my time management skills are constantly being challenged. Last semester, for example, I had to submit three final papers within the span of one week. That made me quite nervous because writing papers always takes me longer than studying for exams. Action: Since I learned about the assignments at the beginning of the semester, I developed a work plan to complement my schedule. Essentially, I established priorities based on the difficulty and involvement of each paper. For instance, I knew that my paper on the Romanticism period for Art History class would require more in-depth research than my paper on anxiety, since I knew less about that topic. As a result, I reserved more research time at the beginning of the semester for my Art History paper. I also set deadlines for myself where each month, I would have to complete certain sections of my papers by specific dates. Results : By prioritizing my work and sticking to my deadlines, I succeeded in submitting all the reports on time and was pleased with the results.

Behavioural interview questions:

1. Describe a situation in which you played a key role in helping your team succeed. What did you contribute? What was the outcome?
2. Describe the most significant or creative presentation that you have had to complete.
3. Can you provide me with an example of a time when you had to meet a tight deadline?
4. Give me a specific example of a time when you failed to complete a project on time, despite your best efforts.
5. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult client and how you handled it.
6. Give me an example of an instance when you had to think on your feet to extricate yourself from a difficult situation.

Situational questions

The interviewer will provide you with a hypothetical situation that you may face in the work environment and ask how you would respond. Your response should include your intended action and result.

Sample situational question:

You are working on a team project and one of your teammates is not co-operative. How do you resolve the conflict?

Response:
Action : My first reaction would be to assume that there may be some sort of problem, either personal or work-related, that is affecting his or her performance. Then I would meet with my teammate in private, tell him or her what I had observed, and ask if there was anything I could do to help resolve the situation. If the individual identified a problem, then we would work together to find a solution. I would then follow up with the individual and my teammates the following week to ensure that the situation had improved and that we were once again working efficiently as a team.

Result: I hope that by following these actions the lines of communication between my teammate and the rest of the group would open and morale would improve.

Situational Interview Question.

A client tells you he or she is dissatisfied with the service you have provided. How would you respond?

Questions to ask the interviewer

At the end of the interview, you are usually given the opportunity to ask some questions. It is important to prepare some questions for the interviewer in advance. It shows that you are well prepared and allows you to clarify any questions you have about the position you are seeking or the company.

Some examples:

About the position

• What is a typical workday like and what would my main duties include?
• What are some short- and long-term goals you would like to see met?
• What are the biggest challenges in this position?
• What would you consider to be a successful employee in this position?
• What freedom would I have in establishing my own goals and deadlines?
• How does this position contribute to the overall goals and objectives of the department?

About the organization

• How does the company contribute to its employees’ professional development?
• What are the company’s plans for future growth?
• How do industry trends affect this company?
• What makes your company different from its competitors?
• What are the company’s strengths and weaknesses?
• What is the corporate work culture?
• What do you (the interviewer) like most about working here?
• About career advancement Does the company promote from within?
• What is a typical career path for this position?

Job Interview Checklist