Answers to Behavioral Job Interview Questions

by Robin Ryan

There are three key components to successfully answering interview questions: 

• being well prepared in advance of your appointment
• giving short, concise, specific answers that never exceed 60 seconds
• demonstrating your ability to perform the job

My clients say these type of interview situational questions are the hardest questions, especially if you are not ready for them. You don’t want to make a fatal error by offering something that is vague and poorly phrased or that might hurt your candidacy.

You're unlikely to know in advance who will use this format, so be prepared. Typically, human resources personnel and recruiters are the ones most likely to use this style. More and more college students are being asked these questions, but so are managers, senior executives, professionals, and administrative staff. Everyone can expert to be asked these situational interview questions at some point in their job search. A Human Resources Manager at a Fortune 500 company explained it this way: “We are so worried about lawsuits, we now instruct ALL of our managers and HR people to ask only work-related questions that require specific examples. Every interviewee gets the same set of questions designed to evaluate their skills to perform that specific job, based on the examples they give us.”

More tips on how to effectively answer these kinds of questions:

• Review the questions beforehand and jot down your answers before the interview starts. (In the book "60 Seconds &  You’re Hired!" you’ll find answers to many of the hardest and trickiest questions.)

• Give answers that encourage a conversation and exchange of information.  Don’t babble but demonstrate your self-confidence and retain their interest with brief, but effective answers. 

• Offer  a specific example of how you’ve successfully operated in the past.  Employers want assurances you’ll be able to do the job.  Offer explanations that include examples of how you solved a problem, saved money, or added to the bottom line. It’s wise to have specific examples to illustrate positive results you’ve achieved whether it’s reorganizing the filing system or trimming production costs through a process change.  Examples can also include the results of volunteer jobs and activities outside the typical work environment.  These are skills you have acquired and perfected and that you will use on the job.

• Use descriptive words that paint a picture of how well you’ve performed the task in the past, for example: I created a task force to problem solve a declining revenues branch. Changes in marketing approach resulted in a 15% increase in sales the first six months of the new program.

• Impress the employer - Include how willing you are to take on new tasks as needed.  Your willingness to learn and be a value-added asset, keeping the company’s needs in the forefront, will make you a very appealing candidate to the employer.

© Copyright 2008 Robin Ryan. All rights reserved.

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Robin Ryan has appeared on Oprah and Dr. Phil and is considered to be America’s top career coach. Robin has a busy career counseling practice providing individual career coaching, resume writing services, interview preparation, salary negotiations, and outplacement to clients nationwide. She is the best-selling author of : "60 Seconds & You're Hired!," "Soaring On Your Strengths," "What to Do With the Rest of Your Life," "Winning Resumes," and "Winning Cover Letters." A dynamic national speaker, Robin has spoken to over 1200 audiences sharing her insights on how to improve their lives and obtain greater success. Contact Robin at: 425.226.0414, or email: robin@robinryan.com, or visit her website: http://www.robinryan.com

Reprints release: Newspapers, magazines, online websites are granted permission to reprint this in part or whole but are required to credit the author including author's bio, book credits, and include author's website information (with link if online); PLUS email author at robin@robinryan.com and state when and where reprint publication will occur. Questions: contact author at robin@robinryan.com or 425.226.0414.