Typical Behavioral Interview Questions And Some Suggestions For Answering Them

By Stephanie Fisher


Everybody dreads job interviews. They are almost always awkward and stressful. The applicants who are most successful at interviewing prepare carefully for them. They research the company and find out what kind of employee the company is looking for. This way they can be ready to answer the behavioral interview questions everyone has come to expect.

There are certain subjects you expect every interviewer to quiz you about. One of them involves stress. Saying that you're immune to stress is a lie, and the interviewer will know it. It is much better to admit that you get stressed just like everybody else, and then relate an experience that illustrates how well you handle it. Explaining that you try to learn something from every experience and how it can make you a more productive employee will be effective.

You might be asked how you handle challenges in the workplace. Your answer will depend on what kind of job you're interviewing for. If it is one where challenges are best met with measured and methodical responses, relay a story of an experience you had where you responded in this way. If the job demands someone who dives right in and isn't afraid to take chances, frame your answer to reflect that.

You might be asked about mistakes you have made in the workplace. Your interviewer is trying to figure out where you are weak and the way you deal with stress. The experience you relate needs to end with an explanation of what you learned and the ways it made you a more valuable employee.

Interviewers tend to ask entry level applicants about their goals and where they see themselves in the future. They want to know if you are ambitious and what your plans are for advancing your career. Whatever you tell them should be compatible with the position you are applying for. You need to convince the interviewer that you see this company as vital to your ambitions.

You may be asked a question about working with others. In this case, the interviewer wants to get a sense of whether or not you are a team player and can get along with supervisors and co-workers. You need to emphasize the skill sets you have, like communicating, delegating, listening, and acknowledging the accomplishments of others. You don't have to restrict yourself to a work related experience. Club, classroom, or volunteer projects will work just as well.

When you're asked about workplace problems and the ways you solve them, the interviewer is not giving you an opening to gripe about your former boss. You need to describe an actual problem and what you did to resolve it. This is an appropriate place to offer your personal philosophy about handling difficult situations and challenging personalities.

If you have to work, job interviews are probably going to be a fact of life. You will never look forward to them, but you can go in prepared. Over rehearsed responses to the questions you are asked won't impress the interviewer. You will have to practice hard enough to appear spontaneous.




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