What is behavioural interviewing?

In behavioural (or behaviour-based) interviews applicants are asked to talk about situations at work where they've had to employ particular skills or abilities, and describe their actions and the outcome of the situation. The theory behind behavioural interviewing is that past behaviour is the best indicator or future behaviour.

In behavioural interviews interviewers are less interested in general information about where you've worked and what your title was, rather they concentrate on personality-type and assessing your attitude and skills through examples from past experiences. Employers are most concerned with how you're going to perform for THEM, not what positions you've previously held.

How do behavioural interviews work?

In behavioural interviews you're asked to describe in detail a particular event, situation, or experience, how you reacted to or managed that situation, and what the final outcome was. Invariably referred to as Problem-Action-Result (... or Situation-Action-Result ... or Situation-Task-Action-Result), this is a very useful format to employ when considering and giving answers. P.A.R. technique very quickly allows you to condense or expand answers as required, which is exactly what you need in the changing circumstances of interviews.

Examples of behavioural interview questions...

The range of questions you could be asked in a behavioural interview is endless, but there are key qualities that interviewers want to hear about, according to what the role is. As well as the qualities below, these might include your ability to work independently; creativity in your work; flexibility in your attitude, ability to deal with conflict, leadership and people-management.

Some examples of behavioural interview questions (and the qualities employers might be looking for) are:

• "Give me an instance of feeling challenged by a new a new role or task you've had to take on" (Learning, adaptability, stress-management)

• "Tell me about a time you've had to communicate complex information." (Communication, interpersonal skills)

• "Describe a situation where you found it difficult to persuade others to your point of view." (Influence or persuasion techniques)

• "Tell me about a particular project or idea you initiated" (Initiative)

• "Tell me about a time when your work was criticised." (Objectivity, Adaptability, Resilience)

• "Tell me about a time when a problem was not solved the way you would have liked" (Problem-solving, negotiation skills, adaptability)

Many behavioural questions will include words like "challenging" or "difficult". This is because interviewers want to hear about HOW you reacted under pressure and WHY you found it difficult, as much as what you did to resolve or deal with the situation.

Preparing for a behavioural interview...

Research as much as you can about the organisation and the role you're applying for. Think about experiences you've had that challenged you and ended (in one way or another) with a successful result. Apply the P.A.R method and look at what qualities are demonstrated. Some experiences will show proof of numerous qualities, but the key is to highlight the qualities you think the role requires.

Knowing what the interviewers are looking for is essential to answering behavioural questions. You may have a great story about the time you initiated an exciting new project at work which led to increased sales figures, but if the interviewer has just asked you about an example of your communication skills, well, you're missing the point.