From 74449350480af25ace5ba5ed44652b253dc773e5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: vahagn Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2021 23:40:08 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] Add 'behavioural_interview.md' --- behavioural_interview.md | 188 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 188 insertions(+) create mode 100644 behavioural_interview.md diff --git a/behavioural_interview.md b/behavioural_interview.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a2d635f --- /dev/null +++ b/behavioural_interview.md @@ -0,0 +1,188 @@ + +- Tell me about the last time your workday ended before you were able to get everything done. + +- Can you share about a time you had to be flexible or adaptable? + +- Tell me about a time when you had to say “no.” +- Tell me about a time you made a difficult decision. +- Can you give me an example of a time when you felt dissatisfied with your work? +- Tell me about a time you wish you’d handled something differently. +- Can you give me an example of how you’ve contributed to the culture of previous teams, companies or groups? +- +- Tell me about a body of work you felt was most impactful for you or your company. +- +- Have you ever had a deadline you were not able to meet? What happened? What did you do? +- Have you ever gone above and beyond to help a customer? What did you do? +- Talk about a time where you had to make an important decision quickly. What did you decide? What were the results? +- Have you ever been in a business situation that was ethically questionable? What did you do? +- Have you ever had a project that had to change drastically while it was in progress? Why? How did you do it? +- Tell me about a major setback you’ve had. How did you deal with it? +- What have you done when colleagues have been stressed out by a project? + + +- Tell me about a goal you failed to achieve. + + + +## Decision making and problem-solving +- Describe a situation in which you used good judgment and logic to solve a problem. +- Give me an example of a time when you had to be quick in coming to a decision. +- Can you tell me about the last time you had to act and there was no formal procedure on how to do so? +- How do you approach a task that you’ve never done before? +- Can you tell me about a time when you had to deal with a customer that made unreasonable or stretched demands and how you created a win-win situation? +- We’ve all been asked on occasion to perform tasks to accomplish a goal where the instructions are really ambiguous. Can you tell me about a time that this happened to you and what you did to achieve the goal? + +- Tell me about a problem you solved in a creative way. +- Tell me about a difficult work challenge you’ve had. +- Talk about a time when you had to adapt to big changes at work. +- Tell me about a time when you handled a challenging situation. +- Tell me about a time when you made a mistake. What did you do to correct it? +- Tell me about a goal you set and reached and how you achieved it. +- Talk about a difficult problem you’ve had to solve. How did you solve it? +- Tell me about a time when you had to be creative to solve a problem. + +## Leadership + +- Have you ever had trouble getting others to agree with your ideas? How did you deal with the situation, and were you successful? +- Describe the most challenging group from which you’ve had to gain cooperation. +- Can you tell us about a time you took initiative on a project? +- How do you manage the outcomes of your team members? + +- Describe a time when you disagreed with your supervisor on how to accomplish something. +- Tell me about a time you disagreed with a supervisor. +- Have you ever had to convince your team to do a job they were reluctant to do? +- Tell me about a time when you felt like a good leader. +- Tell me about a time when you collaborated with others who were different than you. +- Talk about a time when you’ve had to manage up. +- Tell me about a time you had to stand up for your beliefs. +- Share an example of how you were able to motivate a coworker, your peers or your team. +- Give me an example of a time when you persuaded someone. How’d you do it and why? +- Tell me about the best presentation you’ve given. Why was it good? +- Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your manager’s leadership style or team culture. + + +- Tell me about a time when you stepped up into a leadership position. + +Two years ago, after the event manager of my a cappella group stepped down with little notice, I agreed to take her place. The group had a six-state tour coming up, so they needed someone to manage logistics and figure everything out. I made all the arrangements, from transportation to hotels, and put everything on a detailed spreadsheet. Our tour was a great success, and everything went off without a hitch—except for one canceled flight, which was beyond my control! At the end of the tour, I opted to step down, and we elected someone who really wanted the role. I’m glad I stepped up when we were in a pinch, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. + +- Who have you mentored or coached to achieve success? +- Describe a time when you led by example. + +## Motivation and Values + +- Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty. +- Give me an example of a situation in which you positively influenced the actions of others. +- Give an example of a goal you reached, and tell me how you achieved it. + +- Give me an example of how you set goals. +- Tell me about a time you felt you went above and beyond. +- Tell me about a time when you had to fight for an idea at work. +- Tell me about your proudest moment in your professional career why it was meaningful to you. + + +## Communication + +- Describe a situation in which you were able to communicate with another individual who did not personally like you (or vice versa). +- Describe a time you had to use written communication to convey an important argument or idea. +- Have you ever unintentionally offended or upset somebody? Can you describe the details? + +- Talk about a time when you’ve had to sell an idea to your colleagues. +- Give me an example of a time you made a decision that was unpopular and explain how you handled implementing it. + +## Handling Conflict Questions + + +- Give me an example of a time when you had to respond to an angry customer. + - I work at my local coffee shop in the summer, and I once had a customer get furious when I mixed up his order. I was definitely wrong—I just made the wrong drink. I spoke to him calmly, apologized profusely, and remade the drink as quickly as possible. I also gave him a coupon for a free drink when he next came in, which calmed him down. He told me he was having a bad morning, and even said, ‘Everyone makes mistakes’ as he walked out. He came back the following week to use his coupon, and he seemed much happier. He even gave me a generous tip! + +- Tell me about a time when you had a difference of opinion with a teammate. +- Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your supervisor. How did you handle it? + + +## Failure Questions + +- Tell me about a decision you regret making. +- What is your biggest professional mistake? How did you handle it? +- Tell me about a time you failed. + + - For me, failure is about not living up to others’ expectations, but also not meeting my own expectations for myself. In my marketing class last year, we were assigned a group project, and each person had his or her individual assignment. I had a ton of papers due, and I got behind—and I didn’t want to burden my team by giving them more work. I met the deadline, but it wasn’t my best work. If I had communicated that I was behind, my team could have worked with me to ensure everything was done well. We did fine on the project, but I knew I could have done better on my end. Now, I always communicate from day one on any project, scheduling regular check-ins and providing frequent updates. + +## Work Ethic Questions + + +- What are you most proud of? Why? + - I previously worked as a project assistant at a leadership development firm, and the project manager had to drop out of a big engagement one week beforehand due to a family emergency. Because I’d been supporting the team closely, they asked me to take over that role and manage the engagement as the key organizer and client liaison. I flew to Texas for the delivery, and I managed the engagement from start to finish. The lead consultant was so happy that she asked me to come back for the remaining sessions. This was outside of the original scope of my job, and I was able to support the client with a successful engagement. Afterwards, my supervisor put me on track for a promotion to project manager. + +- Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond to get the job done. +- Share a time when you had to juggle multiple important projects at the same time. How did you deal with that? + + +## Teamwork + +- Talk about a time when you had to work closely with someone whose personality was very different from yours. +- Give me an example of a time you faced a conflict while working on a team. How did you handle that? +- Describe a time when you struggled to build a relationship with someone important. How did you eventually overcome that? +- We all make mistakes we wish we could take back. Tell me about a time you wish you’d handled a situation differently with a colleague. +- Tell me about a time you needed to get information from someone who wasn’t very responsive. What did you do? + + +- What’s the most successful team project you’ve worked on? +- Tell me about a time when you had to work on a team and felt disappointed in the outcome. + - I took an anthropology class last year, which I absolutely loved. For the final project, we broke into teams of three, with each team given a different area to research and present on. My team decided to divvy up each aspect of the project. I was responsible for writing the text for the poster, another teammate was responsible for making the images and graphs, and another for writing our speech. + - I didn’t want to micromanage and was focused on my own work, so I just forged ahead. I checked in with my teammates two days before the presentation, and one had done absolutely nothing. I was furious. However, I took a deep breath, and the three of us met up. We worked all night long to make those graphs and get the poster designed. In the end, it wasn’t great, but it was something. It taught me that on a team, everyone needs to work together to ensure a great outcome. Now, I always schedule regular check-ins with team members, making sure that we’re on the same page and moving forward in a timely manner. +- Share a time when you had to work with a teammate who wasn’t pulling their weight on a project. What happened? + +## Interpersonal skills + +- Give me examples of what you’ve done in the past to nurture teamwork. +- Give an example of an unpopular decision you’ve made, what the result was, and how you managed it. +- What was your relationship with the best boss you ever had? +- Can you tell me about a time that you let someone down? How did you handle it? + +- Tell me about a time when you were in conflict with a peer and how the situation was resolved. +- Talk about a time when a co-worker was not doing their share on a project. How did you handle it? +- How have you dealt with an angry or upset customer? +- Tell me about a time your co-workers had a conflict. How did you handle it? + +## Ability to Adapt + +- Tell me about a time you were under a lot of pressure. What was going on, and how did you get through it? +- Describe a time when your team or company was undergoing some change. How did that impact you, and how did you adapt? +- Tell me about the first job you’ve ever had. What did you do to learn the ropes? +- Give me an example of a time when you had to think on your feet in order to delicately extricate yourself from a difficult or awkward situation. +- Tell me about a time you failed. How did you deal with the situation? + +- Tell me about how you work under pressure. +- Tell me about a time you had to learn quickly. + +## Planning and organization + +- When scheduling your time, what method do you use to decide which items are priorities? +- Describe how you’ve handled a sudden interruption to your schedule. +- Give me an example of a time you had to prioritize certain tasks or projects over others. +- How have you prioritized being assigned multiple projects? + +## Time Management Skills + +- Tell me about a time you had to be very strategic in order to meet all your top priorities. +- Describe a long-term project that you managed. How did you keep everything moving along in a timely manner? +- Sometimes it’s just not possible to get everything on your to-do list done. Tell me about a time your responsibilities got a little overwhelming. What did you do? +- Tell me about a time you set a goal for yourself. How did you go about ensuring that you would meet your objective? +- Give me an example of a time you managed numerous responsibilities. How did you handle that? + + +## Professional feedback + +- What’s been the toughest criticism you received so far in your career? What did you do with it? +- Can you describe the details of a time you were unfairly criticized? +- When was the last time you got constructive feedback? What was it? What did you do with it? + +- Tell me about a stressful situation at work and how you handled it. + + + + + + + +