There are many different types of job interview questions. One popular type is called a behavioral question, because, as the name implies, it is about your behavior and what you did in a certain situation. The interviewer is interested in knowing how you responded on the assumption that this will give some window into how you will behave in the future.
If you find yourself confronted with these questions during an interview, how should you approach it?
The first thing to keep in mind is that when asking these types of questions, the hiring manager is interested in finding out about something particular. They want to see how you demonstrated a particular quality, such as leadership, analytical thinking or problem solving.
You respond to those questions with stories and anecdotes from your past work experience. In order to provide great answers, you need to be prepared. So, you need to have the stories you will use ready to go when you walk into the interview.
The question is, how do you know what stories to come up with? Here you have to do a little thinking. When someone asks a behavioral question, they are interested in certain kinds of qualities, as mentioned above – your leadership skills, your problem-solving skills, your skills working with people, how you handle stressful situations. Knowing that you will need stories, show how you demonstrated these particular skills in your real-world examples.
Also, from your research of the company and the job you are applying for, you can probably get some idea of the kinds of things the company is looking for, which will also guide you in developing your stories.
Now that you have some idea of what the stories should be about, how do you go about telling them? For this, you should use the STAR method. Begin by giving the particular circumstances or situation (S), the who, what, when, where and how. Then talk about the task (T) you had to complete and any obstacles to completing the task. Then describe what action (A) you took to do the task, making sure to highlight the particular quality the company is looking for. And finally, talk about the results (R) of your action.
When you tell your story, it is best to be as specific and concrete as possible, as these stories will carry more weight. Give facts and figures wherever you can to back up your story.
If you are looking for work in the Inland Empire, go with the Inland Empire staffing agency that has the in-depth knowledge, stability, and personal touch to find the right job for you, one that has been delivering superior service for more than 40 years. That agency is Arrow Staffing. Give Arrow a call today.
