Top 20 Behavioral Interview Questions – When interviewing candidates, it’s important to ask questions that will help you assess their skills, knowledge and experience. By understanding their behavior in the workplace, you can make the best hiring decisions.
An effective evaluation process involves examining candidates’ behaviors and ways of thinking in specific situations. Although you can give them a communication skills test before you do the interview, it’s still important to ask about how they resolve team disagreements or how they communicate their ideas at work.
Top 20 Behavioral Interview Questions
Are you interested in behavioral interviewing but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry – we’ve created a definitive list of 50 behavioral interview questions you can ask candidates.
Behavioral Interview Questions
Find out how your candidates respond to common workplace dilemmas by asking them 20 general behavioral interview questions.
Below are some answers to the most common behavioral interview questions. You can refer to them as you listen to how candidates respond.
Candidates must provide examples of how they resolve conflict in the workplace. Everyone has a unique approach to team conflicts, so it’s important to determine if their approach aligns with your company.
For example, the candidate may discuss how they used communication and problem-solving skills to understand a colleague’s frustration. Their answers should always relate to work-related conflicts rather than personal matters.
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According to research, more than 36% of employees often face conflict in the workplace. Therefore, you should hire candidates who are ready for disagreements and can resolve them peacefully.
When candidates are honest about managing stress, they are more likely to consistently meet deadlines in the workplace. A detailed answer can show that they are open about their struggles and that they struggle to meet specific deadlines.
Candidates should provide examples of their thought processes during stressful situations and how they eliminated distractions to finish on time.
If you want to learn more about your candidates’ ability to meet deadlines, send them a Time Management skills quiz to better understand how they prioritize, plan, and complete projects.
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Decision making is a critical activity for many employees. More than half of respondents to a McKinsey & Company survey reported that they spent more than 30% of their time making decisions, and more than a quarter reported that they spent most of their decision making time.
In addition, candidates with strong decision-making skills often have the skills and knowledge to become dedicated leaders. They can lead projects and make difficult decisions that other team members may struggle with.
In their answer, the candidate should provide a clear example of the challenge they faced and how they arrived at their final decision.
This question allows candidates to discuss their creativity and how they take initiative when completing tasks. They should give an example of a project or task that they found difficult in the workplace.
Top 20 Common Job Interview Questions And Answers
For example, they may not have received training on how to use the project’s resource software when starting work. By investigating their ability to think quickly, you can also learn more about their ability to adapt to a busy work environment.
Everyone deals with obstacles and setbacks in projects. You can’t always avoid them, but you can overcome them when meeting tight deadlines. Candidates should have a tougher mindset for these situations.
A candidate might talk about a time when his boss got sick before an important client meeting. They can discuss the thought process behind organizing and leading this meeting. This type of response shows how strong their leadership, critical thinking and communication skills are in challenging situations.
Test candidates’ Critical Thinking skills before the interview to understand their answers to inductive and deductive reasoning problems.
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Workplace communication is important because it improves employee cooperation and morale. More than 34% of managers also prefer personal communication when it comes to solving problems. Therefore, candidates need strong communication skills to succeed in your team.
The candidate’s response should include an example of how they would communicate with their manager about the problems. For example, they can organize a face-to-face meeting or write a list of notes to help them express their ideas. Communication is not always verbal and may mean different things to different candidates.
This question requires candidates to walk you through their thought process. Some candidates may have more presentation experience than others. They should explain how they planned the presentation and how they communicated clearly with other team members.
Candidates with detailed answers are likely to have the most relevant experience and knowledge for the role in your organization.
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The ideal candidate should provide a step-by-step answer on how he or she will communicate with challenging customers or clients.
The best applicants will describe a real situation and use the STAR method to answer your question. This means they will explain the situation, think of a suitable task, describe the actions they took to complete the task, and communicate the results.
The ability to communicate positive and negative information is important in the workplace. Candidates should understand how to discuss problems or personal news with their manager.
The key word in this question is “prepare,” so make sure the candidate mentions how they will create a plan that will allow them to communicate openly and remain transparent.
Of The Top Interview Questions And Answers
A passion for self-improvement is one of the best qualities a candidate can possess. If they know their unique skills, they are more likely to develop them in a career-oriented environment.
The candidate should explain how they developed their communication skills in previous jobs. For example, they may attend regular teamwork sessions or group meetings that require individual presentations. Candidates who request additional training also have the extra motivation and dedication needed to perform their duties.
You can use teamwork questions in your behavioral interview to learn more about the candidate’s collaboration skills.
The candidate should be open about his views on teamwork. Candidates value transparency at work if they believe a team succeeds with honesty. Other job applicants may say that strong communication and goal-oriented thinking help teams succeed on large projects.
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Research suggests that 75% of employees consider teamwork to be the most important aspect of their job. A strong support system can motivate everyone on the team, so try to hire a candidate who fits your company’s approach to teamwork.
To determine if the candidate is a strong team player, you can also give them a personality test. Personality tests identify salient personality traits of applicants and how they are likely to behave in the workplace.
This question helps you learn more about your candidates’ teamwork and leadership skills. They should tell you more about their independence and whether they prefer to work alone or as part of a group. Their answers can be a good reflection of their attitudes towards teamwork.
Perhaps the candidate will give an example of how they would lead a team. For example, they can help assign team roles or work with new members who need extra guidance. If the candidate does not like teamwork, they may not be suited to a collaborative environment.
Behavioral Based Job Interview Questions
A diverse team can play many roles – leaders, challengers, thinkers and supporters can all contribute to the success of the project.
A leader is more advanced than others and tends to seek more opportunities for personal career growth. Challengers and thinkers are more creative in achieving positive results. Supporters help avoid conflict and promote unity within the team.
The candidate’s answer should help you decide if they can work successfully on your team or if they will have difficulty working with other team members.
Look out for candidates giving specific examples in their answers to this question. Their answer should tell you exactly when they use teamwork skills and how they plan to develop them.
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They can, for example, describe how they handled a major setback in a project. A team leader may be absent due to illness, so the candidate must fill his role and regularly communicate with other team members to ensure that everyone is on duty.
This question may be simple, but it is great for getting a better insight into the candidate’s personality. You can determine how friendly they are or what steps they will take to make a new team member feel comfortable.
It’s worth giving candidates a Culture Add test before the interview to see how their values and behaviors align with your organization.
Check out our 12 behavior-based interview questions related to leadership, and decide which one best suits your interview style.
Strategic Interview Questions To Ask Candidates
Being a coach or mentor requires leadership qualities. Candidates with experience in this area can lead others by providing them with a new project and valuable company resource. This question is important for roles that require leadership qualities. The candidate must use a real example to show how they can take on greater responsibilities.
Research has found that only 48% of employees believe their organization has quality leadership, so look out for candidates who have the ability to develop their skills and learn in an open environment.
Tell me about a time when you led a project and guided others through your processes.
This question will allow candidates to speak from their experience. They can describe their own leadership processes and how they help lead broader projects. An ideal candidate could be