Best Tips To Ace A Behavioural Interview

Interviews were a way for employers to assess a candidate. But today, they are not the only stepping stone to reach one’s desired position. Behavioural interviews are an essential part of the hiring process. Earlier, with the traditional interview practices in place, recruiters selected the wrong candidate. By incorporating behavioural interviews in the hiring process, recruiters can find better candidates. Hiring managers are interested in hearing about your actual job history because they’re trying to predict your future behaviour. Tell me about a time when you set a lofty goal at work and achieved it; for example, it would be another classic behavioural interview question.

Since these candidates tend to perform better in the long run, many companies adopt them. Let us look at some tips on how one can ace these interviews. After the common introduce yourself question, the interviewer may ask a lot of behavioural questions in the interview.

Prepare a list of competencies, attributes, and skills. In the behavioural interview, the interviewer checks if the person is competent enough for the company. Also, behavioural interviews allow the candidates to showcase their skills and talent. Therefore, it is crucial to prepare well for the interview. One must read the job description properly and think about the experiences demonstrated by their abilities.
A candidate should use the STAR method to structure their response. With the help of this method, one can create a story arc the interviewer can easily follow. Let’s look at how candidates can use this method:

Situation: Clearly state the details of the story. Tell the interviewer when and where the incident took place. Explain to them the story’s context and why it is relevant to the question.

Task: State your role and responsibility in the situation. It will show the interviewer the level of responsibility one had in the previous job.

Action: Explain what exactly one had to do in that situation. Tell the interviewer about the challenges faced and how one tackled them. A good answer will show how a candidate can add value to the problem and make the best decisions.

Result: Finally, at the end of the answer, explain the outcome a person has reached through their actions. A person can include quantifiable achievement and concrete examples of the effects of their efforts.

One should look at their past performance documents and appraisals. Going through them will help the person identify their achievements and situations that will help them develop examples for the behavioural interview.
The interviewer is looking for someone who has good communication skills. So, a candidate must present their answers clearly and confidently. They must maintain their calm and remain aware of their body language. Even during the virtual interview, one should follow these rules.
The interviewee shouldn’t be afraid to ask questions. One must understand that it is not just the interviewer assessing the candidate. The candidate must also ask questions and learn more about the company and the job role. Doing so will help them understand if the company or role is the right fit for them. Therefore, one should ask questions in the interview.

If one is a fresher or doesn’t have enough work experience, they would still be asked similar behavioural questions. However, their answers would be according to the situations they have handled in college or any organisation.

Easy Tips to Crack Behavioural Interviews

Find here some easy tips to crack behavioural interviews. Candidates are advised to keep it concise and not to ramble on. You should study the job description and revisit the earlier projects or job profiles you’ve worked on. Make a list of your professional accomplishments. Use a star and structure your response so that it fits the job description requirements. Be very open and honest with your answer. You should also practise your interview answers to ensure you correctly respond to the questions asked. Meanwhile, you can also learn the points to avoid during self-introduction in interviews.

Behavioural Interview Questions:

Let’s look at some behavioural questions an employer can ask in the interview. One must prepare and practice their answers for each of them.

Tell me about a challenging situation you overcame at work.
Did you face conflict with your colleague or manager? And how did you handle that conflict?
How do you accomplish tasks when you are given a tight deadline?
How do you handle a disagreement with any colleague? Tell me an instance when you successfully persuaded someone to see or do things your way.
What would you do if you were misunderstood at your workplace?
What is your biggest and proudest professional achievement? Also, tell me, why is it so?
Sometimes, clients can be challenging to work with. Can you tell me a situation when a client was wrong, and you had to explain things to them?
Give me an instance with your client or colleague about which you feel you should have handled it differently.
Tell about a time when you were given a task for which you had no prior experience. How did you do that task, and what did you learn?
Tell me about a time you handled a difficult stakeholder.
Tell me about a calculated task you were given where time was critical.
What product that you lead that you are proud of and why?
Tell me how you would tackle a problematic customer.
What is your biggest failure as a project manager? How do you handle failure or criticism?

Common Behavioural Answer Mistakes to Avoid

Meanwhile, also find some common behavioural answer mistakes you should avoid here. If you are ever asked a difficult question, never answer by saying you can’t think of any answer. You could say that while you cannot think of any similar situation from your past if ever you encounter it, this is how you would handle it. Do not make up a story without any basis of truth in it. And also, do not tell any unrelated incident or story just to answer any question. Make sure that the answer is related to the question asked.

Conclusion

These questions don’t have a wrong or right answer. The interviewer aims to understand the person better. They want to learn how a person behaves in the real world and check if they are competent and fit in the company’s culture. One way to prepare is to think of great answers ahead of various questions and practice hard. Only practising will help you avoid making mistakes during the interview process.

So, these are the main interview tips to remember,