Interview Behavioural Questions Guide

1. Tell me about yourself?

This may be the first question you are asked in an interview. This is not an invitation to recite
your entire life story or even to go bullet by bullet through your resume. Instead, it is probably
your first and best chance to pitch to the interviewer(s) on why you’re the right person for the
job.
A useful strategy is the Present-Past-Future formula. First you start with the present –
where you are right now. Then you segue into the past – a little bit about the experience you
have had and the skills you have gained through previous positions. Finally, finish with the
future – why you are excited about this specific opportunity.
Remember through your answer to focus on the experiences and skills that are going to be
most relevant for this particular position and company/organisation. Don’t be afraid to relax a
little bit, tell stories and anecdotes. The interviewer(s) already has your resume so they also
want to know more about you than what is on the resume.

2. Tell me about a time when you were required to?

Example: when you were faced with a conflict at work and how you dealt with it.
In asking this question, the interviewer(s) want to get a sense of how you will respond to
conflict and pressure situations. Anyone can seem nice and pleasant in a job interview, but
what will happen if you are hired and someone who works in another team starts ‘getting in
your face’. Use the S.A.O technique (situation, action, outcome), begin to focus how you
would handle the situation. Include strategies you would use to ensure the situation is
handled professionally and productively and ideally close with a ‘happy’ ending, i.e. how you
came to a resolution or compromise.

3. How would your colleagues describe you as a team mate?

First of all, be honest – remember if you get this job, the interviewer will be contacting your
former boss and co-workers. Try to pull out the strengths and traits you haven’t discussed in
other aspects of the interview, such as strong work ethic or your willingness to ‘pitch in’ on
other projects where needed.

4. What do you believe are your key strengths?

When answering this question, be accurate – share your true strengths, not those you think
the interviewer(s) wants to hear. Be relevant – that is, choose strengths that are most
targeted to this particular position. And, be specific e.g. instead of ‘people skills’, choose
‘persuasive communication’ or ‘relationship building’. Then follow up with an example of how
you’ve demonstrated these traits in the workplace.
 5. What do you believe are your weaknesses?
This is one of the most popular questions asked at interviews. It is also the most dreaded
question of all. Handle it by minimising your weakness and emphasising your strengths. A
weakness can be an area of improvement rather than a negative trait.
Avoid personal qualities and concentrate on professional traits. For example, “I am always
working to improve my communication skills to be a more effective presenter. I recently
joined TOASTMASTERS which I find very helpful”.
What the interviewer is trying to do with this question, beyond identifying any major red flags,
is gauge your self-awareness and honesty. You cannot say “I can’t meet a deadline to save
my life”, nor can you say “nothing, I’m perfect”. You need to strike a balance by thinking of
something that you struggle with but that you’re working to improve. For example, you’ve
never been a strong public speaker but have recently volunteered to run meetings to help
you become more comfortable when addressing a crowd.

6. Why did you leave your last job?

State your reason for leaving in a positive context. This is often seen as a question to gauge
your attitude towards previous employers which is an indicator of your future behaviour. If
you are employed, focus on what you want in your next job and how you plan to progress
your skills. For example, “I managed to survive two rounds of corporate down-sizing, but the
third was a 20% reduction in the workforce, which included me”, “after relocating to South
Australia, I made the decision to look for a company that is team focused, where my
experience can make a positive contribution”.

7. Where do you see yourself in the next 2-5 years?

Your response provides a good insight into job fit, which is one of the biggest predictors of
job performance and retention. Explain what your real motivation for applying for this job is.
You can discuss how you see yourself progressing into more senior roles – this is a good
indicator of personal drive and a desire to learn which provides some good clues around
how to motivate and manage you once you are hired. There is no right or wrong answer to
this question, as it is all about the fit between the individual and the culture of the business
and the role.

8. Why should we hire you?

It may seem like an obvious question; however, many applicants have not had a hard think
about what really sets them apart from other applicants. Employers want to know the ways in
which you have demonstrated your unique skills and experienced in the real world to
understand how that could benefit the company.
Employers want to know what ideas you had and how you executed them on a project that
lead to a tangible (and positive) business result.

9. Do you have any questions for us?

You should always prepare at least 2-3 questions you could ask about the company or the
job. What do you want to know about the position, the company, the department, the team?
For example, “what can you tell me about your new products and plans for growth?” Or,
“when can I expect to hear back from you?”