How to answer behavioural interview questions
How to answer behavioural interview questions
5 minutes
Behavioural-based interviewing allows the interviewer to discover how you acted in specific situations. The logic behind it is how you behaved in the past will predict how you will behave in the future.
Behavioural interview questions are always aligned with the key selection criteria or responsibilities. By asking you for this information, the interview remains focused on the competencies that are relevant and allows the interviewer to gather ‘evidence’ of how you behaved in different situations, your ability to overcome problems, make decisions and achieve optimal outcomes.
By asking each candidate the same questions, the interviewer can then make a fairer comparison of the experience individuals have and their relative skills.
Look at the job description. This will be your guide as these details determine the competencies the interviewer will be interested in.
Don’t overlook more subtle cues in the wording like a ‘challenging environment’ or a ‘flexible individual’. These hint at the type of skills you might need to be successful in the role.
Once you’ve determined what’s important in the role, you can then identify the situations you’ll use to demonstrate your expertise.
Behavioural interview questions are best answered using the CAR technique. This technique structures your answer to allow the interviewer to understand the situation you faced, the actions you took and the outcome you achieved.
CAR stands for Context, Action and Result.
Ready to try out the CAR technique? Check out our activity sheet below!
