You may be a successful interviewer with many job offers in your professional past. However, times are changing. More popular than ever is the behavioral interview setting. Many employers prefer to change their approach to learn more about their potential hires by asking situational questions rather than hypotheticals that don’t give tangible insight. If you’re prepping for an interview, you need to be ready for behavioral questions.
Preparing for a Behavioral Interview
As with any interview, you need to review the job posting you applied to. Typically, descriptions will include what skills the hiring manager seeks, as well as the job duties performed in this role. Compare this with your resume and your personal professional experience and utilize as many keywords as you can to highlight similarities. Think of some situations that show your prowess on the job, and practice your answers. Keep it short and sweet, but make sure to get your point across to impress a potential supervisor.
The STAR Method
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Method. Interviewers employ this strategy to ask pose questions that will better inform how you will perform as a potential employee. You’ll provide context, describe your role and your actions, and how the situation turned out.
For more information on the STAR interview method, check out last month’s insights for our piece on this technique.
Why Behavioral?
As a job seeker, it can be frustrating to never receive a follow-up call. You can feel like an interview went well and not receive the job offer for a plethora of reasons. To give you some insight into why employers make these decisions, we’ll talk a bit about the behavioral interview approach.
When a candidate is posed with a situation, it gives the manager an inside look at their thought process. A quick answer can reveal someone who is fast on their feet, someone who will flourish in a fast-paced position. It’s also a great way to compare applicants. Everyone says they are a team player, but hearing a first-hand account of how a job seeker previously cooperated with staff members can clue them into your work style. Behavioral questions get as close as possible to a day in the life with you on the job, so it can be extremely beneficial on both sides.
Contact Us Today to Learn More
For more information on landing that coveted job, consult Job Store Staffing®. We work with qualified candidates throughout Colorado to help match talent with open positions. Check out our website to see what opportunities might be waiting for you!