Behavioural interviews are the brainchild of industrial
psychologist, Tom Janz. They are often tricky and since
being introduced in the 1980s, studies show that 30% of
employers ask behavioural interview questions. If you are
ready to make those much needed career changes, this
article will show you simple yet powerful ways to outshine
your competitors at behavioural interviews.
1. Be a STAR - Whilst preparing for the behavioural
interview, do remember that interviewers want to hear
thorough descriptions of past events. To properly answer a
behavioural interview question, you must include the
following three components (characterised by the acronym
STAR): the Situation or Task you were involved in, the
Action(s) you took in order to make changes and the
Result(s) that were achieved by those actions. For
instance, if asked to narrate how you turned an angry
customer into a happy one, it is not enough to say that you
apologised to the customer. You must describe what led to
the customer's dissatisfaction, how you stepped into the
situation and how, as a result of your timely intervention,
the customer who was previously threatening to take his
business elsewhere happily purchased new products and
services from the company.
2. Lighten Up - Resist the temptation to base all your
narratives on job related proficiencies. If you are a
talented musician, say so at the interview. If you are a
former Olympic contestant who climbed Mount Everest
barefoot, let your interviewers in on the secret too. If
you've written a book, bring an autographed sample copy or
two along. The truth is that employers want to interview
and hire talented people. Be interesting if you want to
stand out amidst the dozens of candidates who claim they
can do the job. Frankly speaking, it is not enough to get
the job done; one must also bring valuable talents to an
organisation. If you want to make a good impression, show
off your star qualities to advantage. Varying your
narratives will also enhance your credibility because
capable people tend to put their talents to work in their
everyday lives - not just within the four walls of an
office. For example, if you are an effective time manager
during working hours then you should be demonstrating those
time management skills at home also.
3. Practice Makes Perfect - Practice likely behavioural
interview questions with the help of family and friends,
co-workers and career counsellors, mentors and managers.
Everyone has unique perspectives and nuggets of wisdom to
offer. If possible, get your current line manager to go
through likely questions with you as he or she is likely to
know what hirers look out for in a candidate. Who knows,
your boss might even be an expert behavioural interviewer.
4. Be Confident - Even the most talented actors and
actresses experience stage fright so it's natural to feel a
little nervous before your behavioural interview. A good
way to keep calm whilst waiting for the interview to begin
is by focussing on the talents and activities you enjoy
tremendously e.g. singing, painting, or playing golf. When
you walk into the interview room, be sure to smile, make
eye contact and shake hands firmly. It also helps to create
rapport by making small talk. For instance, ask your
interviewers what talents and activities they enjoy in
their spare time and draw emphasis on common interests
during conversation. Remember that people respond more
favourably to those who are like them and behavioural
interviewers are no exception.
5. Listen Up - Make sure you listen to each question
carefully and stop to think before you answer. For
instance, many behavioural interview questions are multi
faceted i.e. several questions merged into one. For
example: 'What do you do when priorities change quickly?
Give one example of when this happened' OR 'There are times
when we work without close supervision to get the job done.
Tell us about a time when you found yourself in such a
situation and how things turned out'. If you fail to listen
attentively, you may forget to answer certain parts of such
questions! A good way to keep track is by discretely
holding out multiple fingers before attempting multi
faceted questions, dropping a finger after each
sub-question has been answered.
6. Speak Up - Speak clearly and confidently, in keeping
with your natural style. For instance, if you are a slow
talker don't try to talk fast just because you want to
sound really keen on the job and if you are the serious
sort don't try to be funny either. Maintain eye contact
with your interviewers throughout the behavioural interview
as this will make you come across as honest, confident and
intelligent. Just be your best self and you'll make a
positive impact at the interview.
Behavioural interview questions are not difficult for those
who have taken the time to find hidden talents and discover
their purpose in life. By passionately communicating how
your talents, skills and behaviours benefit your
prospective employer, you can put yourself miles ahead of
your competitors and make the career changes you desire.
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Ogo Ogbata is the founder of leading lifestyle and career
design website CreativityandSense.Com. She empowers
individuals and businesses to discover, develop and
maximise hidden assets. Are you ready to get more
fulfilment and profit out of work? Then visit
http://www.creativityandsense.com for tips and strategies
guaranteed to help you create purposeful lifestyle and
career changes.
