Behavioral Interview

Ability to Manage Change

The ability to successfully address and adapt to innovations, new technology, shifting customer demands, and other
business critical issues.
Tell me about a time when your direct manager changed. How did you cope with the change, and what impact
did it have on your ability to perform your role?
Describe a time when you had to learn a new set of skills to carry out your job duties. (Such as new technology or software.) How quickly did you become comfortable with the new skills and how did you feel about
learning the new skills?
Tell me about a time when the strategic direction of your group or company shifted unexpectedly. What steps
did you take to navigate the new direction, and how did it affect your motivation?
Tell me about a past experience where you were managing multiple high-priority assignments and had another
project put on your plate. How did you manage the additional workload, and what was the outcome?

Capability
Applies the education, skills, and experience required to fulfill the responsibilities of the role while establishing and
demonstrating subject matter expertise.
Tell us about a time when you were particularly effective at prioritizing tasks and completing a project on
schedule. What was the project and what impact did it have for the company?
Give an example of a time that you missed a deadline. What was the activity and what was the impact to
the company?
Tell us about the most effective presentation you have made. What was the topic? What made it effective?
Describe a situation when you were blocked from reaching a goal or non-negotiable deadline. What actions did
you take? What was the outcome?

Creative Thinking
Applies expertise and intuition to develop original ideas and simple solutions to complex challenges.
Describe a problem situation that you had to solve when you werent given enough instruction or guidance.
What specific actions did you take and what was the outcome?
Tell me about a problem a team member has recently called on you to help resolve. What were your contributions to solving the problem and what was the eventual outcome?
Give an example of a good decision you recently made. What were the alternatives? What was the outcome of
the decision?

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 Tell us about a problem that you solved in a unique or unusual way. What was the outcome? Were you satisfied with it?

Successfulness
Focuses on achievement of business results. Sets and pursues aggressive goals. Accomplishes tasks, projects, and
assignments on time and with quality.
Describe your level of achievement or success in your current position. How would your manager describe it?
Your peers?
Give an example of an important goal that you set in the past. What steps did you take to reach your goal, and
what was your success in reaching it?
Give an example of when you worked the hardest and felt the greatest sense of achievement. What did you do
to achieve your goal and what was the value to the company?
Tell me about a project that did not go well. What role did you play in the project and what steps did you take
to improve the outcome?

Capacity
Ability and desire to manage activities in a fast-paced environment, juggle multiple priorities, and be flexible enough
to change directions when needed
Tell me about a situation in which you had to adjust to changes over which you had no control. How did you
handle the changes and what was the outcome?
Tell me about a difficult performance review you had to give or receive. What made it difficult? How did you
present and respond?
Tell us how you keep your job knowledge current with the ongoing changes in the industry.
Tell me about a recent job or experience that you would describe as a real learning experience. What did you
learn and how did it increase your abilities in your role?

Collaboration
Establishes and develops cooperative, supportive, and collaborative working relationships with others. Solicits and
values the thoughts, opinions, feedback, and ideas of others.
Give an example of how you involve your team members in your decision making process. What is the criteria
you use for deciding whether or not to involve team members? To what extent do you incorporate their input?
Have you had any problems in getting others to accept your ideas or goals? Give an example including the
specific actions you took.
Give an example of a situation when your ideas were strongly opposed in a discussion? What steps did you
take to reduce the opposition? What was the outcome?

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 Tell me about a time when you were a team leader and had to mediate with members who disagreed with
each other. How did you bring about a resolution and what was the impact to the project or team?

Detail Orientation
To be adept at discovering and/or considering all aspects, including the most minute details, and how they relate to
the larger subject of a task, object, or subject. Capable of carrying out a given task with all details necessary to get
the task done well.
Give an example of a time when your attention to detail was key to your success. What about the activity or
project was rewarding to you?
Tell me about a time when your organizational skills were especially helpful to being successful on a project.
What skills did you implement and how did it affect your success?
Describe a time when you were responsible for preparing information for management reports. How did you
ensure that the document was error free?

Communication
Writes, speaks, and presents information effectively and persuasively, while remembering effective communication
begins with active listening.
Describe the most difficult one-on-one meeting you have had with a supervisor or subordinate. What specific
actions did you take? How did you bring the situation to successful closure?
Describe a specific time when you were able to effectively communicate a difficult or unpleasant idea to a
superior. How did you present your thoughts, and what was the outcome?
Tell me about a time when you were the leader of a team and the team disagreed with your decision. How did
you gain their buy-in?
Describe a situation when you did not effectively communicate your opinion or suggestion. How did you correct
the situation?
Describe a time when you have persuaded people through a document you prepared? What was the document, what did you include that was compelling, and how did people receive the idea?

Entrepreneurialism
Values and creates opportunities for innovative thinking that lead to the development of new processes, products, or
services. Works to drive value and reduce costs. Understands how to get things done with less.
Tell me about a time when you assumed greater responsibility, going above and beyond. What specific actions
did you take and what were your results?
What new or unusual ideas have you developed on your job? How did you develop them? What was the result?
Did you implement them?

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 Describe a project or idea that was implemented primarily because of your efforts. What was your role? What
was the outcome?
What is the riskiest decision you have made? What was the situation? What happened?
Describe a situation when you demonstrated initiative and took action without waiting for direction. What was
the outcome?

Customer Focus
Demonstrates empathy for the customer and has a view on our business model and strategy that keeps the
customer at the center of all decisions.
Give a specific example of a time when you had to address an angry customer. What was the problem and
what was the outcome? How would you assess your role in diffusing the situation?
What have you found to be the key ingredients to successful business relationships? Give examples of how
you made these work for you in the past.
Describe a situation when you exceeded a customers expectations. What specific actions did you take to do
so and what effect did it have for the customer and the company?
Give an example of a time you had difficulty establishing rapport with a customer. What did you do to gain
their confidence?

Trust & Integrity

Generates trust and credibility. Acts in a just, fair, and ethical manner and encourages ethical behavior among others.
Give examples of how you have acted with integrity in your job/work relationship.
If you can, tell about a time when your trustworthiness was challenged. How did you react/respond and what
was the outcome?
Tell us about a specific time when you had to handle a tough problem that challenged fairness or ethical
issues. How did you address the problem and what was the outcome?
Trust requires personal accountability. Can you tell about a time when you chose to trust someone? How did
you decide to trust them? What was the outcome?

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