CONGRATS!
Behavioural
You have been invited to a Behavioural Based Interview. Your resume and
cover letter were impressive, and you are now preparing for the next step of
Based Interview
the process. This guide will help you prepare and polish your examples for
your face to face interview. Take the opportunity to showcase your skills Guide
and highlight your experiences that will show that you are a great fit for the
role. Some key transferrable skills include client service, communication,
relationship building and critical thinking.
WHAT IS A BEHAVIOURAL BASED INTERVIEW?
This is a great question. You will know going into an interview if it is
behavioural based. Don’t be afraid to ask! There are 3 types of interview
questions:
o Behavioural based
o Information based
o Technical
Behavioural questions are used to focus on past performance as the best
indicator of future performance. The questions in a behavioural interview
relate to the requirements and competencies that have been identified for
the role you're applying for. If the question was around communication for
example, you will want to think about specific examples of times when you
communicated with someone. You are probably thinking, “I communicate
with people every day”. Exactly! Think of all the amazing times you were an
effective communicator and select the strongest examples.
Information based questions are designed to allow the candidate to express
their values, motivations, career goals, preferred working style and more.
These questions are designed to evaluate if a candidate is a good cultural fit
for the organization. Technical questions ask candidates to solve a
problem/challenge. In this guide we will be focusing on behavioural based
methods.
TABLE OF CONTENTS STAR METHOD
Intro to Behavioural Based Questions .......................................................... 1
How to Answer a Behavioural Based Interview Question
STAR Answering Method .............................................................................. 2
Behavioural based interview questions are not a secret, the Recruitment team
Example .................................................................................................... 2 genuinely wants to see you succeed! So, you have your unique experiences and
situations you have worked through. This is your opportunity to highlight these
Make it your Own ..................................................................................... 3 experiences, learnings and accomplishments.
How to Prepare............................................................................................. 3 Using the STAR technique to answer interview questions ensures your examples are
thorough and easy to follow. STAR stands for:
Situation- Provide specific details about a situation or task that you faced
Task- Tell what led to the situation or task?
Action- Walk the interviewers through the steps you took to get to the result. Who
was involved?
Result- What happened? How did it end? What did you accomplish? What did you
learn?
Here is an example: Specific vs General Answers for the Skill: Customer Service
General: I often provide excellent customer service. My customers are always happy.
Specific: A few weeks ago, there was a customer that required assistance with an
item in our store and they seemed as if they were going to return something
(situation). I wanted to provide them with excellent customer service and turn their
return into a sale (task). I approached them and asked if there was anything, I could
help them with (action). They told me they were looking for a gift and they did not like
what they initially purchased. I was able to help them pick something else, as well
upsell a few items that were a great pairing with the gift including gift wrap and tissue
(action). They thanked me and were happy with their items (result). They sent in a
positive customer service review which was shared with my team (bonus result).
MAKE IT YOUR OWN HOW TO PREPARE
YOUR EXPERIENCES ARE UNIQUE
1. Do your research on the Company
Think about your unique experiences. Every candidate brings a unique perspective Have a look through the company website and be prepared! This is one of the
and you are encouraged to highlight this in the interview. most important preparation first steps. You will begin to understand the
Mission and Values of the company you are interested in, and it will help you
The key is: make it your own. Use the Behavioural Based interview technique to
practice answering your unique examples to paint a picture of what skills YOU can form your examples.
bring to the role.
2. Review the Job Posting and Identify Skills
You will want to highlight the skills, competencies and experiences from the
job posting, likely you will be asked questions to demonstrate these skills. Have
an example prepared that shows how you demonstrated that skill, practice this
using the STAR method!
3. Smile & Practice
Practice makes perfect and will help you to gain confidence. You are prepared
for your interview...so relax and smile - you are going to do great!
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