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A Guide to Behavioural Based Interviews

Currently, the majority of interviews will include an element of behavioural based questions. In fact,
some interviews will consist nearly entirely of this form of questioning.

These behavioural based questions use the premise that ‘past behaviour is the best indicator of future
performance’, as such they ask you to provide specific examples from your experience to
demonstrate you have the skills required for the position.

In order to prepare for a behavioural based interview, you should first aim to understand the required
competencies or ‘soft skills’ required for the role you are applying for. These are often listed on the
Position Description document, however company websites and further discussion with your
consultant can help uncover more about these competencies.

The next step is recall specific examples that demonstrate these skills. Examples should be given in an
organised and detailed manner, do not presume that the interviewer knows about your previous
employers or has been in a similar situation themselves.

Most Clients will use Competency Style Interview techniques and a Skills Matrix to determine the
suitability of a candidate.

Competency 1 2 3 4 5
Teamwork
Influencing Skills/
communication skills
Resistance to Change
Customer Service
Driving Innovation
Conflict Resolution
Tenacity and
resilience
Conflicting Priorities

If a candidate doesn’t give a specific example they will score a Zero for that competency

Structured Answers
 C Ircumstance
 A ction
 R esult

Examples of behavioural-based interview questions:

 Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince
someone to see things your way.
 Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your
coping skills.
 Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a
problem.

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+612 8252 8888 ABN: 88 093 901 841
www.tardis-group.com

 Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.

Preparing a number of relevant and real life examples before interview can ensure that you are able
to adequately cover all competencies required for the role.

Finally, some common downfalls in a behavioural interview situation to avoid include:

 Candidates often do not complete the example, leaving the interviewer unsure of the
outcome or whether the candidate has the ability to follow a situation through.
 Giving an example that is not specifically relevant to the competency in question.
 Using ’we’ instead of ‘I’. This can cause an interviewer to question the part that you played in
a situation.