Guideline Of

Behavioural Interviewing Techniques

Compilation By

VLAD316

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 Table Of Contents

Abstract......................................................................................................................................... 4
What is a Behavioural Interview?..................................................................................................4
Example......................................................................................................................................... 5
Adaptability................................................................................................................................... 6
Ambition........................................................................................................................................ 6
Analytical Thinking....................................................................................................................... 7
Building Rapports..........................................................................................................................7
Business Systems Thinking........................................................................................................... 8
Caution.......................................................................................................................................... 8
Challenge....................................................................................................................................... 8
Communication............................................................................................................................. 8
Conflict Resolution........................................................................................................................ 9
Customer Orientation.....................................................................................................................9
Decision Making..........................................................................................................................10
Delegation....................................................................................................................................10
Detail-Oriented............................................................................................................................ 10
Employee Development...............................................................................................................11
Evaluating Alternatives................................................................................................................11
Follow-Up & Control.................................................................................................................. 11
Initiative.......................................................................................................................................11
Interpersonal Skills...................................................................................................................... 12
Innovation.................................................................................................................................... 12
Integrity....................................................................................................................................... 12
Introducing Change..................................................................................................................... 13
Leadership................................................................................................................................... 13

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Listening...................................................................................................................................... 13
Motivating Others........................................................................................................................14
Negotiating.................................................................................................................................. 14
Planning & Organizing................................................................................................................ 14
Performance Management........................................................................................................... 14
Personal Effectiveness................................................................................................................. 15
Persuasion.................................................................................................................................... 15
Presentation................................................................................................................................. 15
Pressure....................................................................................................................................... 16
Problem Solving.......................................................................................................................... 16
Project Management.................................................................................................................... 16
Sales............................................................................................................................................ 16
Self Assessment........................................................................................................................... 17
Selecting and Developing People................................................................................................ 17
Sensitivity.................................................................................................................................... 17
Setting Goals............................................................................................................................... 17
Sound Judgment.......................................................................................................................... 18
Stress Management......................................................................................................................18
Teamwork.................................................................................................................................... 18
Toughness.................................................................................................................................... 18
Variety......................................................................................................................................... 19
Values Diversity...........................................................................................................................19
Evaluation System....................................................................................................................... 19

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Abstract

This guideline consists of the most essential aspects of Behavioural Interviews

demonstrated in an alphabetical order. It facilitates the selection process by
providing crucial questions about different areas each employer should test the
candidates on.

Furthermore, it includes a Rating System to evaluate the candidate future

performance, depending upon his/her responds to the employer’s questions.

What is a Behavioural Interview?

A Behavioural Interview is one the most effective methods to select the right
candidate. It covers various topics such as employee behavior, employee
performance, discipline, delegation, motivation and leadership. Also, it assists the
employer in making predictions about a potential employee's future success. In this
case, interviewers ask very specific questions about real situations and it gives
them the chance to have details about the candidate’s experiences and
accomplishments in a particular event or project.

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 Example

The following example illustrates a question that has been answered by two
different candidates shortlisted for the position of a Marketing Manager:

Question: How much experience do you have working with a small budget?

Candidate 1 Candidate 2

“I’ve
“You had tothe
know do film
that a“Nightmare”?
lot in my previous companies.
I created I’m very
the campaign goodthat
around in those
moviesituations
with Dhs.and I always
15,000 find Iacreated
budget. way to amake
cool things ha
website

General answer! No details provided

Brilliant Answer!
Full details

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Candidate #1 has given a general answer that has not shown his capabilities in Marketing,
while Candidate #2 has given a very good answer stating his previous experience in
marketing a movie with a small budget that brought millions.

Behavioural Interview Questions

Adaptability

 Describe a situation where you had to adapt to a major change in your

job?

 What was the impact of the change on you?

Ambition

 Where do you find yourself 3 years from now, if employed by the Sultan
Group Investment?

 Have you ever worked on a project being your own idea or proposal? What
was your role? What outcome have you got?

 Tell me about a time when you suggested an idea to improve a certain thing
in your organization?

Have you ever put a goal in the past and made up your mind to reach it? If
yes, what was it and how did you reach it?

 Can you give us some examples of previous work that showed your
willingness to work hard?

 Tell us how you keep your job knowledge current with the on going changes
in the industry.

 Tell me about a time when you had to work without supervision and work
was done perfectly.
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  Have you started any projects on your own recently? What encouraged you
to get started?

 How have you improved as a manager over the years?

Analytical Thinking

 Tell me about a project which demonstrates your analytical skills.

 Give us an example of a situation when you made a good judgment in order

to solve a problem.

 Have you ever taken a risk to reach a certain goal you put? What was the
result?

 Tell us in details about a time when you had to make changes to improve a
certain thing at work. How did you propose your idea and who was involved
in that change? What was the reaction of the concerned persons?

 Tell us about a time when you had to analyze information and make a
recommendation. What kind of thought process did you go through? What
was your decision and why have you come up with that decision?

 Some tasks we perform require alerting to details. State a time when you
needed to do that to finalize an assignment given to you.

 Tell us about a disciplinary action you had to take against a subordinate?

What were the steps and how did you start the conversation with the
employee? What was the outcome of your disciplinary action?

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Building Rapports

 Describe a time when you had to handle a very difficult customer. What was
the problem and how did you try to handle the situation and satisfy him/her?

 At work it is very essential to have a good rapport with others, but

sometimes it is difficult to get along with everybody. Have you ever
encountered that?

 Tell us about a time when you built rapport quickly with someone under
difficult conditions.

 In your view, what are the key elements that lead to successful business
relationships? Give some examples of your previous experience.

Business Systems Thinking

 How does your current position contribute to your employer’s goals and
mission statement?

Caution

 Companies have their rules and guideline, but sometimes they are not clear
to their employees. Tell us about encountering such situation and how did
you feel and react?

Challenge

 What is the riskiest decision you have made? What was the situation? What
happened?

 What sorts of challenges did you face during you working experiences? How
did you overcome these challenges?

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  What challenges have occurred while you were coordinating work with
other units, departments, and/or divisions?

Communication

 What do you do when you disagree with your manager? Give an example.

 Describe a situation in which you were able to effectively “read” another

person and guide your actions by your understanding of their individual
needs.

 When you go for business meetings, how do you make an effective

communication with people you meet?

 Have you ever felt that you have not communicated well with a certain
person or group of people? How did you correct the situation?

 Have you ever tried to successfully communicate with an individual that

may not have personally liked you, or vice versa? How did you handle the
situation?

 How do you keep subordinates informed about information that affects their
jobs?

 Tell us about a recent successful experience in making a speech or

presentation. What preparations did you make? What were the obstacles?

 Have you ever disagreed with your manager and found a way to convince
him of your thoughts? How did you do that?

 Tell us about a time when you had to present complex information. How did
you ensure an effective method for a successful delivery of information?

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  Tell us about a time in which you had to use your written communication
skills in order to get an important point across.

 What have you done to improve your oral communication skills?

 What are the most challenging documents you have prepared? What sorts of
schemes have your written?

 How do you prepare for written communications?

Conflict Resolution

 Describe a time when you took a personal accountability for a conflict and
initiated to solve the problem. What did you do? What outcome have you
got?

Customer Orientation

 How do you handle customers’ complaints? Give an example.

 How do you build a good rapport with a customer? What have you done to
gain their confidence? Give an example.

Decision Making

 Discuss an important decision you have made regarding a task or project at

work. What factors have you considered?

 We sometimes make poor decisions that do not turn out right. Have you ever
faced that at work? How did you manage it?

 Have you ever made a quick decision that helped in avoiding a bad ending?

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  Give me an example of a time when you had to avoid speaking or making a
decision because you did not have adequate information.

 How rapidly do you make decisions? Give an example.

 Have you ever made a decision that others were against it? How did you
manage them?

 What types of decisions take more time? Give examples.

 What was your hardest decision over the last 6 months? What made it hard?

Delegation

 How do you delegate responsibilities to your subordinates? Do you brief

them on the task or spend sometime to clarify more about it?

 How do you make the decision to delegate work? Do you consider any
aspects before delegating your staff?

 What was the biggest mistake you have had when delegating work?

Detail-Oriented

 It is obvious from your resume that you held a lot of jobs. Did they require
little, moderate or a great deal of attention to details? Give some examples.

 Tell us about a difficult experience you had in working with details.

Employee Development

 Can you tell me about a subordinate that became successful as a result of

your management? Explain about your role in that development process?

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  Tell us about a training program that you have enhanced.

Evaluating Alternatives

 Tell me about a time when you had several alternatives to choose from?
What did you choose at the end?

 Have you ever chosen an alternative and disclosed that you should have
chosen another one?

Follow-Up & Control

 How did you keep track of delegated assignments?

 How do you evaluate the productivity/effectiveness of your subordinates?

 How do you keep track of what your subordinates are doing?

Initiative

 Tell us about a project you were involved in and it entailed a lot of initiative.

 Give me examples of projects/tasks you started on your own.

 What changes did you develop at your most recent employer?

 Are you a type of person that will go beyond his job description? Give
examples.

 Can you mention any project or ideas that were successful because of your
efforts?

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Interpersonal Skills

 Tell us about the most difficult individual that you have had to work with?
What did you do to overcome that difficulty?

 Tell me about a time when you disagreed with the actions or decisions of
your manager or supervisor.

 How do you handle staff conflicts? Do you have any real examples?

 If I go to your current employer and I ask your manager about the 3 most
essential factors that make you an effective worker, what respond will I get?

 If I ask your reporting staff to describe your relationship with them, what
would they say?

 How do you get along with new working environments when it comes to
rapport building with new colleagues and/or superiors?

Innovation

 Tell me about a time when you demonstrated your innovation to perform a

certain task.

 Describe a time when you came up with a creative

solution/idea/project/report to a problem in your past work.

 Describe the most creative work-related project you have done.

 Give me an example of when you decided to break a routine job. How did it
assist to get a better result?

 When was the last time that you thought “outside of the box” and how did
you do it?

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Integrity

 Describe a time when you were asked to keep information confidential.

 Give examples of how you have acted with integrity in your job/work
relationship.

 Describe a situation when you had to handle a tough problem which

challenged fairness or ethnical issues.

Introducing Change

 How do you start introducing a policy change to your work group?

 Have you ever met resistance when implementing a new idea or policy at
work? What was the reaction of others?

Leadership

 In your opinion, what makes a successful leader?

 Have you ever had difficulty getting others to accept your ideas? Tell in
details.

 Have you ever had two members of your team not working well together?
How did you solve this problem? What was the outcome?

 Tell me about a time when you had a tough team to lead.

 Have you ever been a member of a successful team? If so, how did you
contribute in that success?

 If I go to your current reporting staff, and I ask them about your leadership
style, what would they say about it?

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  Have you ever used your leadership skills to get a support from people that
do not report to you, in order to work on a certain project or event? What
made you capable of obtaining that?
 As a leader, what are the 3 most important things you can give to your
subordinates?

Listening

 In your view, why is listening a very important factor for any successful
leader?

 What do you do to show people that you are listening to them?

 When is listening important to you at work? When is listening difficult?

Motivating Others

 How do you deal with a subordinate whose work is exceeding your

expectations?

 How do you motivate your staff to reach their peak potential?

Negotiating

 Describe a situation where you had to use your excellent negotiating skills to
make a certain deal? What was the outcome?

 How do you prepare before negotiating with somebody?

 What was the hardest part?

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Planning & Organizing

 Describe a time when you had a plenty of projects having the same deadline.
How did you manage all of them?

 What have you done to enhance your organization and planning skills?

 Give me an example of a project that best describes your planning and

organization skills.

 How do you decide on prioritizing tasks in a full schedule?

 What do you do when your schedule suddenly gets interrupted? Give an

example.

Performance Management

 How do you coach your reporting staff when it comes to unsatisfied

performance?

 Can you give an example of somebody that you supported to enhance his/her
skills to perform a specific task?

 What is your method to monitor the performance of your subordinates?

 How do you start a dialogue with a staff member whom you are not satisfied
with his/her work?

Personal Effectiveness

 Have you ever been in a situation where others were intense and you were
capable of maintaining your composure? Tell in details

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  How do you keep your superiors updated of the work or tasks you are
performing?

 What was your recent project that you consider a great learning experience?

 Have you ever taken responsibility for a mistake and were held personally
accountable? What was the reaction of the other party?

 Tell me about a time when you had to accept your supervisor criticism?
What were the comments? What was the outcome of the criticism?

 Describe a time when you had to stay calm and composed in a demanding
situation.

Persuasion

 How have you persuaded people through a document you prepared?

 Tell us about a time when you had to use your persuasion skills to convince
a peer or manager to accept an idea that you knew they would not like?
What outcome have you reached?

 Have you ever tried to persuade a customer to purchase a certain product?

How did you do that?

Presentation

 How do you prepare for a presentation to a group of technical experts in

your field?

 How much experience do you have presenting topics to a group of experts in

your field?

 How do you prepare for a presentation? What difficulties do you face?

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  Describe the most effective presentation you had to prepare for? What was
the topic? What supported you in that?

Pressure

 Describe a time when you had to work under pressure in a hectic period and
how you could overcome this difficulty successfully?

 How do you handle working on project or tasks having similar deadlines?

Problem Solving

 Describe a major problem you had during any of your working experiences.
What was the issue? How did you handle it?

 What are the steps you follow when any problem exists at work? Give an
example.

 Tell me about a situation when you had a conflict with a colleague. How did
you deal with it? What was the outcome?

 Have you ever identified a problem and resolved it before it became serious?
Tell in details.

Project Management

 How can you manage projects successfully? What points do you consider?

 Give an example of an outstanding project outcome that resulted because of

your Project Management Capabilities.

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Sales

 Tell me about your Sales Techniques. Give some examples

 What have you done to enhance your sales skills over the years?

 Describe a difficult sales experience you had. How did you manage it?

 Tell me about a time when you had to reach a specific target in sales. What
was the required figure? How could you reach that target?

Self Assessment

 Describe a time when you were unsatisfied with your performance. What
have you done to improve it?

 Do you have any areas of improvement (weaknesses)?

 Tell me about the 3 most significant professional strengths you have and are
supporting you in your career.
 Have you ever received a useful criticism? What was it? How did it help
you?

Selecting and Developing People

 What do you look for when you hire people?

 How do you support your subordinates to improve their abilities?

Sensitivity

 Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult
to get along with. Why was this person difficult? How did you handle that
person?
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  Describe a situation where you found yourself dealing with someone who
didn't like you. How did you handle it?

Setting Goals

 Tell me about your recent strategic plan that you prepared at work? Did you
share the plan with your staff? What comments did you get?

 Tell us about some goals you have put and reached? What supported you in
that?

 Tell us about some goals you have put and have not reached? What has
hindered you?

 Do you think that your goals are relating to the organization’s goals? Explain
the relation.

Judgment

 Recall a time when you were asked to make a rapid decision. What was the
result?

 If we ask you to interview a candidate for the same position you have been
shortlisted for, what would you look for in the interviewee?

Stress Management

 How do you overcome stress at work?

 How do you react when a job have lots of changes?

 What sorts of tasks cause you stress on the job?

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  Tell me about the most stressful situation you have encountered at work?
Was it successfully overcome?

Teamwork

 Do you believe in teamwork? Why?

 Are you a successful team leader? What makes you so?

 Describe a team experience you found disappointing. What would you have
done to prevent this?

 Have you ever had a disappointing team experience? How did you manage
it? How did it affect the outcome?

 Tell us about a rewarding team experience? What was the outcome?

 Describe a time when you had to lead a team. What were you roles?

 How do you empower the team members to reach a high standard of work?

 Have you ever had to work in a team that had a member who did not share
the same ideas as yours? How did you solve the problem?

Toughness

 Tell me about the most difficult task you had to do? What facilitated
performing it?

 Describe the most difficult decision you have made.

 Describe a time when you were asked to do a task which you have never
done before. What was your reaction? What resources did you use to support

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 you? What was the outcome? What comments did you get from your
supervisor?

Variety

 How many projects do you work on at once? Please describe.

Values Diversity

 Do you have any difficulties adapting to a multi-cultural working

environment? Give examples.

 What have you done to add your knowledge about diversity?

End Of Questions!

Evaluation System

In order to appraise the candidate’s answers, you may use the below Rating System
which states different grades from 1-5:

1 = MUCH LESS THAN ACCEPTABLE:

Significantly below criteria required for successful job performance.

2 = LESS THAN ACCEPTABLE:

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Generally does not meet criteria relative to quality and quantity of behavior
required.

3 = ACCEPTABLE:

Meets criteria relative to quality and quantity of behavior required.

4 = MORE THAN ACCEPTABLE:

Generally exceeds criteria relative to quality and quantity of behavior

required.

5 = MUCH MORE THAN ACCEPTABLE:

Significantly above criteria required for successful job performance.

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