---
title: Behavioral Interview Questions
sidebar_label: Behavioral Interview Questions
sidebar_position: 4
---

## What are Behavioral Interview Questions?

Behavioral interview questions are those that focus on how a candidate has handled various situations in the workplace and reveal character traits, abilities, and skills. These questions give an interviewer an idea of how someone would behave in a similar situation were to arise, the logic being that your success in the past will show success in the future.

Unlike traditional interview questions, behavior job interview techniques look for concrete examples of skills and experiences that relate to the position. Strong answers to these questions should provide a brief story that illustrates the skills and strengths if hired. 


## How to assess

When using behavioral interview questions, candidates should provide situations that are specific, personal, and professional. By asking behavioral interview questions, you will learn more about the thought process, and the strategies and skills the candidate uses to solve problems.



* Assessing using the STAR method: Use the STAR method to answer any question. STAR stands for situation, task, action, and result. For Situation, briefly share context and relevant details for the challenge or problem you were facing. For Task, describe your role in overcoming the challenge or handling the situation. For Action, explain what action was taken by you or your team, although it's important to focus on the role you played, specifically. For the Result, share the successful outcome. If possible, provide quantifiable results or concrete examples of the effect of your effort.


## **Behavioral interview questions**

Here are some common behavioral interview questions and suggestions for good answers. They are listed by competencies: 


### Time management

Interviewers ask questions about time management to gain an understanding of how someone handles multiple responsibilities, prioritizes time, and delegates tasks to meet deadlines. Listen for responses that include approaches, tools, and strategies on how they prioritize their to-do list. Consider highlighting your organizational skills as a tool that keeps you on track.



1. Tell me about a goal you set and reached and how you achieved it.
2. Tell me about the last time your workday ended before you were able to get everything done.
3. Give me an example of a time you had to prioritize certain tasks or projects over others.
4. Give me an example of a time when you had to handle multiple responsibilities at once. How did you prioritize your time?
5. Tell me about the last time you handle a long-term project. How did you keep the project on track?


### Adaptability

Plans may not always work as planned, but the ability to adjust an approach shows the resolve to succeed. Look for answers that demonstrate growth, even if they weren’t successful at the time.



1. Can you share about a time you had to be flexible or adaptable?
2. Tell me about a time when you had to be creative to solve a problem.
3. Tell me about a time you had to learn quickly.
4. Tell me about a time you made a difficult decision.
5. Tell me about how you work under pressure.


### Overcoming challenges

Employers ask questions about overcoming a challenging situation to gauge the level of perseverance. They want to gain a better understanding of how you handle stress and if you’re able to break down larger problems into smaller tasks. 



1. Tell me about a time when you handled a challenging situation.
2. Tell me about a time when you made a mistake. What did you do to correct it?
3. Give me an example of a time you made a decision that was unpopular and explain how you handled implementing it.
4. Tell me about a goal you failed to achieve.
5. Tell me about a time you felt you went above and beyond.


### Motivation and values

Asking questions about values and motivations allows employers to gain insight into what they are passionate about, how they stay focused and what makes them excited. 



1. Give me an example of how you set goals.
2. Tell me about the proudest moment in your professional career why it was meaningful to you.
3. Can you give me an example of a time when you felt dissatisfied with your work?
4. Tell me about a body of work you felt was most impactful for you or your company.
5. How do you stay motivated when a job requires you to perform repetitive tasks?


### Communication

The ability to communicate effectively is needed in and out of the workplace. 



1. Tell me about a time when you had to say “no.”
2. Give me an example of a time when you persuaded someone. How’d you do it and why?
3. Talk about a time when you’ve had to manage up.
4. Tell me about a time when you had to explain a complex topic to people with less subject knowledge. How did you make sure everyone could understand you?
5. Tell me about a time you had to build rapport with a coworker or client whose personality was different than yours?


### Teamwork

Whether working directly with other people or working with stakeholders, the ability to interact and communicate with others effectively is key. 



1. Tell me about a time when you collaborated with others who were different than you.
2. Tell me about the best presentation you’ve given. Why was it good?
3. Tell me about a time when you felt like a good leader.
4. Can you give me an example of how you’ve contributed to the culture of previous teams, companies or groups?
5. Share an example of how you were able to motivate a coworker, your peers or your team.


### Conflict resolution

To successfully answer questions about tension in the workplace, highlight a situation where they took the lead to resolve conflict—not their manager or coworker. Watch for how others are framed as a signal of how they interact with others. A disagreement with a coworker doesn’t always mean the relationship is damaged or that the other person is inherently wrong. These questions are meant to surface stories about how they can view an issue from someone else’s perspective to reach an understanding.



1. Tell me about a time you disagreed with a supervisor.
2. Tell me about a time you had to stand up for your beliefs.
3. Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your manager’s leadership style or team culture.
4. Tell me about a time when you were in conflict with a peer and how the situation was resolved.
5. Tell me about a time you wish you’d handled a situation with a coworker differently.


## **Example Behavioral interview answers:**


### 1. Tell me about a time when you handled a challenging situation.

Example: _"My manager left town unexpectedly when we were in the middle of pitching large sponsors for an upcoming conference. I was tasked with putting together the slide decks for the presentations to secure these sponsors but all I had was a few notes left behind by my manager. Because he was unavailable, I called a meeting with members of our team and we generated a list of the biggest selling points that would be most impactful with potential sponsors. After creating the slide deck, I presented the presentation successfully and we got the sponsorship. I'm incredibly proud of the results we achieved when we worked together."_


### 2. Tell me about a time when you made a mistake. What did you do to correct it?

Example: _"When I was working at a printing company, I misquoted the fees for a particular job. I realized the mistake, I went directly to my manager and explained what happened. He said he appreciated my honesty and suggested that we waive the setup fee for the job as an apology to the customer. I spoke to the customer directly and explained what happened and that the quoted price was actually higher than my original estimate, but that we would be happy to waive the setup fee. The customer understood and appreciated the effort to make the situation right. After that happened, I printed our price sheet to have it quickly at hand and implemented a new process for quoting estimates, one in which I double-check the final estimate before sending it."_


### 3. Tell me about a time when you were in conflict with a peer and how the situation was resolved.

Example: _"I had a sales manager who was great about stepping in to help when members of our team were struggling with meeting goals. However, she had a single approach that didn't work for everyone and members of our team were getting frustrated and felt they were being micromanaged. I suggested that I sit down one-on-one with our manager, having heard the frustrations of the team. I avoided us all sitting down because I didn't want her to feel ganged up on and become defensive. After talking, we decided that she would let team members know her door was open if they needed help but that she would let them be in charge of the strategy they used to meet their goals. We also implemented a monthly, optional training program where we had different team members present what was working for them in order to offer a variety of approaches."_


### 4. Tell me about how you work under pressure.

Example: _"I had been working on a large project that my team committed to turning around for the client in 60 days. My manager came to me and said that the client wanted it back in 45 days and that we would need to speed up our work without losing momentum on our other projects. I met with our team and we reviewed the calendar. We eliminated team meetings and shifted lower-priority tasks until the end of the 45-day period to add extra hours to our workweeks. I challenged my team to complete the project in 45 days or left and as a reward promised two days of extra PTO time. Our team got the job done in 42 days."_


### 5. Give me an example of how you set goals.

Example: _"Within a few weeks of beginning my job as a server at a restaurant, I knew I wanted to work in the foodservice industry as a chef. I decided I would learn all I could in my current position until an opening became available in the kitchen, even for less pay. I wanted the experience of working in a restaurant kitchen environment. I also started saving up money at that time to go to the culinary academy. I knew that by the time I finished school, I would have been working in the kitchen for a number of years and would be highly competitive as a candidate for chef roles."_


### 6. Give me an example of a time you made a decision that was unpopular and explain how you handled implementing it.

Example: _"I took over management of a gym where the trainers were allowed to cover one another's shifts without the knowledge or approval of management. I didn't like the uncertainty involved, because if someone failed to show up for a class, there was no way to know which trainer was supposed to be there. I implemented a new policy that required trainers to go through management to make schedule changes. I also explained the problem with the previous approach and how this would resolve any possible issues."_


### 7. Share an example of how you were able to motivate a coworker, your peers or your team.

Example: _"I noticed that one of my coworkers was having a hard time meeting her sales quotas each month. I told her that not every sales technique works for every personality and that it can take time to figure out what will work best for her. I suggested we find time over the next day or two and I would show her some techniques I was using that I found highly effective. And it worked! After a couple of weeks of practice and trial and error, she was consistently hitting her quota."_


### 8. Tell me about a goal you set and reached and how you achieved it.

Example: _"In my last role, I managed all social media content. One quarter, I set a stretch goal to increase conversions to our website by 75%. I broke it down into weekly goals and researched what other brands were experimenting with. I noticed they were using videos and seeing great engagement from their customers, so I asked my boss if we could do a low-budget test. She agreed, so I produced a video cheaply in-house that drove double the engagement we normally saw on our social channels during the first week. With the new strategy, I not only met my stretch goal, but I also exceeded it by 5% increasing total conversions by 80% over the quarter.”_


### 9. Tell me about the last time your workday ended before you were able to get everything done.

Example: _"We had a client who wanted us to deliver new social media content to them by Wednesday of each week to get it scheduled for the following week. One week they requested double the content in order to increase their online activity in advance of a big launch. I decided to stay late the night before the deliverable was due. I also let the manager know that we might be a few hours behind for our content that week. A coworker and I went in early the next morning, together, made our deadline."_


### 10. Tell me about a goal you failed to achieve.

Example: _"I was working on a start-up where our goal was to create content that would educate parents about why it's important to spend time as a family around the dinner table. Unfortunately, we were never able to figure out a way to monetize the business. We polled our audience and tried many different ideas, but after a year we had to move on. However, I learned so much from the process. I developed numerous skills and realized I'm incredibly good at shifting direction when something isn't working. I realized I don't let defeats discourage me for long. Each time something didn't work, I picked myself back up and moved forward."_
