How to Ace The Behavioral Interview: Top Questions You May Be Asked

How do you feel about interviewing when looking for a new job? Many professionals and executives feel uncomfortable, nervous, and anxious with the interview process. As you prepare yourself for an interview, consider possible behavioral interview questions that you may be asked, and role-play with a career coach or friend can be beneficial. Behavioral interview questions are probably the most utilized and popular interviewing style today. During your conversation, your interviewer is looking for examples of your past behavior to predict future success in a new role. It can leave you wondering how to ace a behavioral interview.

Some refer to this interview style as “storytelling interviews” because they can put you in a situation of telling the story about a specific circumstance and how you acted or performed. The interviewer is typically looking for you to explain your thought process and your actions to achieve success and have a list of unique interview questions to ask an employee. Often, a behavioral interview question is not technically a question at all. They can be statements designed to have you provide specific feedback. When facing a behavioral interview, the STAR method is a popular way to plan your answers once you know the questions. Here are some of the top behavioral questions to prepare for to help you ace the behavioral interview!

Behavioral Interview Questions

1. Tell me about when you had to successfully navigate deadlines.
2. Can you tell me about a period when things didn’t work out well?
3. How do you handle setting goals? Can you give me an example?
4. Tell me about the most challenging project you’ve handled.
5. Tell me about a period when you had a task to accomplish with a close deadline.
6. What is your reaction when a team member doesn’t follow through and complete their assigned work?
7. Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond what was asked of you.
8. How do you balance work and home life?
9. Tell me about your experience in client management.
10. How have you handled change and uncertainty in the past?
11. Tell me about a situation at work where you led a team well.
12. Tell me about a problem at work in which you experienced conflict and how you resolved it.
13. How do you behave in groups?
14. Tell me about a moment when you took the initiative.
15. How do you deal with stressful situations within the workplace?
16. How do you motivate your subordinates?
17. Tell me about a period when you solved a fundamental issue at work.
18. How do you ensure that your subordinates meet project deadlines?
19. How do you deal with demanding clients?
20. Tell me about your most significant professional failure. How did you turn things around?

If you’re planning a job search soon or currently pursuing a change in your career, understanding how to ace the behavioral interview can be critical. After seeing some of the top professional and executive behavioral interview questions, do you feel confident in your answers and delivery? Can you identify specific scenarios, projects, and circumstances that show you in the best light? Take a moment to consider them and write out some possible answers to the questions. What else could you do to prepare yourself for a behavioral interview?

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