Behavioral Analysis Interview
23 October 2013
Read by 2455 persons
When you are asked a typical question like "What would you do if a client wasn't interested in buying your product?", you can invent an answer. But when asked about your behavior, the interviewer expects specific examples of how you have overcome problems or managed situations in the past.
Behavioral questions usually start with phrases like, "tell me about a time when", or "give me an example of". The interviewer wants to hear your personal examples. When an interviewer asks you such questions, they expect examples of how you behaved in certain situations that could be repeated within their company. This is your chance to showcase your accomplishments. If you can demonstrate, with examples (preferably recent ones), that you have skills in certain areas, you will be a potential candidate for the future position. After all, if you have succeeded in a feat once in a company, you will probably repeat it in another.
Your success story must include the situation, the action taken, and the result. Here is an example of an interview for a sales position:
The situation: A customer didn't want to know anything about my merchandise because of an incident that happened with the company in the past.
The action taken: So I listened to the customer tell me about her incident and, most importantly, I took the time to understand her problem. I then explained to her how I would have handled the situation differently and how I could offer her better service. I demonstrated facts that changed her perception of the company and she regained confidence in our service.
The result: She not only bought the merchandise, she congratulated me on my service. She is now one of my best customers.
You can prepare for this type of interview by writing down your stories. Choose stories that would be relevant to the job based on the job description. If a position requires reliability, write a story where you demonstrated it and where it was recognized.
You can always mention the stories you have prepared even if the interviewer doesn't ask you for any behavioral examples. You can use them to answer an ordinary question by telling the interviewer that you can provide an example of a time when you demonstrated such a skill in a previous job.
By preparing for the interview and keeping your past accomplishments in mind, you will be able to provide good examples and will not be caught off guard. You probably can't predict what the interviewer will ask you, but you can certainly prepare what you want them to know about you so that they know what you are capable of.
Carole Martin.
Monster.ca
Posted on October 23, 2013.
Behavioral questions usually start with phrases like, "tell me about a time when", or "give me an example of". The interviewer wants to hear your personal examples. When an interviewer asks you such questions, they expect examples of how you behaved in certain situations that could be repeated within their company. This is your chance to showcase your accomplishments. If you can demonstrate, with examples (preferably recent ones), that you have skills in certain areas, you will be a potential candidate for the future position. After all, if you have succeeded in a feat once in a company, you will probably repeat it in another.
Your success story must include the situation, the action taken, and the result. Here is an example of an interview for a sales position:
The situation: A customer didn't want to know anything about my merchandise because of an incident that happened with the company in the past.
The action taken: So I listened to the customer tell me about her incident and, most importantly, I took the time to understand her problem. I then explained to her how I would have handled the situation differently and how I could offer her better service. I demonstrated facts that changed her perception of the company and she regained confidence in our service.
The result: She not only bought the merchandise, she congratulated me on my service. She is now one of my best customers.
You can prepare for this type of interview by writing down your stories. Choose stories that would be relevant to the job based on the job description. If a position requires reliability, write a story where you demonstrated it and where it was recognized.
You can always mention the stories you have prepared even if the interviewer doesn't ask you for any behavioral examples. You can use them to answer an ordinary question by telling the interviewer that you can provide an example of a time when you demonstrated such a skill in a previous job.
By preparing for the interview and keeping your past accomplishments in mind, you will be able to provide good examples and will not be caught off guard. You probably can't predict what the interviewer will ask you, but you can certainly prepare what you want them to know about you so that they know what you are capable of.
Carole Martin.
Monster.ca
Posted on October 23, 2013.
