The Behavioral Interview
Leslie Coward
Program Manager, ISIP
Engineering Career Center
713-743-4230
www.egr.uh.edu/career
Traditional vs. Behavioral
Interviews
Traditional: you are asked a series of
questions which provide straight forward
responses about work performed
Behavioral: based on a predetermined skill
set needed for the position, the interviewer
wants to know how you handled the
situation
Behavioral Interviews
Behavioral interviewing asserts that
“the most accurate predictor of future
performance is past performance in a
similar situation.”
43% of all organizations use
behavioral interview to some degree
Behavioral Interview
The employer attempts to gain specific
information about your past performance as it
relates to the skills and qualifications needed for
the job
The employer’s questions are aimed at revealing
job-related skills
You may use experiences from work, activities,
hobbies, volunteer work, school projects, family
life
Behavioral Interview
Success
Preparation is the key to succeeding in
a behavioral interview
Candidates who prepare for behavioral
interviews are better prepared-even
for traditional interviews
Preparing for the Behavioral
Interview
Identify 3 selling points about yourself that is
important for the interviewer to know and
determine how you will convey the points
throughout the interview
Keep a personal diary of your projects or tasks
that were met with success and challenges
Analyze the type of position for which you are
applying, review job description
Preparing for the Behavioral
Interview
Know your resume. Review your background,
inventory your skills
Identify examples form your past experiences that
demonstrate skills needed for the job
Quantify your results, the outcome of your tasks (if
possible)
Be prepared to provide examples of when you did not
meet a task with success
Answering the Behavioral
Interview Question
Answer the questions by describing a
specific situation
Explain the situation, how you
handled it, and the overall outcome
Utilize the STAR technique when
answering questions
STAR Technique
S = Situation: find and describe a situation that
ties into the interview question at hand.
T = Task: further delineate a specific task you had
to complete in this situation.
A = Action (s): discuss the approach you took to
deal with the task, breaking down your actions one
by one.
R = Result: conclude be describing specific,
concrete outcomes of your actions; making
mention of accomplishments, improvements made
as a result of your actions.
Responding with Success
Know what skill sets the question is
evaluating
Be detailed and specific in your response
Always answer the question in the STAR
format
Behavior Based Questions
Decision Making and Problem Solving
Give me an example of a time you had to keep
from speaking or making a decision because
you did not have enough information
Give me an example of a time when you had to
be quick in coming to a decision
Behavior Based Questions
Leadership
What is the toughest group you have had to get
cooperation from?
Have you ever had difficulty getting others to
accept your ideas? What was your approach?
Did it work?
Behavior Based Questions
Communication
Tell me about a situation when you had to speak up
in order to get a point across that was important to
you.
Have you ever had to “sell” an idea to your co-
workers or group? How did you do it? Did they
“buy” it?
Behavior Based Questions
Interpersonal Skills
What have you done in the past to contribute
toward a teamwork environment?
Describe a recent unpopular decision you made
and what was the result?
Behavior Based Questions
Planning and Organization
How do you decide what gets top priority
when scheduling your time?
What do you do when your schedule is
suddenly interrupted? Give an example.
Evaluation System
5. MUCH MORE THAN ACCEPTABLE:
Significantly above criteria required for successful job performance
4. MORE THAN ACCEPTABLE:
Generally exceeds criteria relative to quality and quantity of behavior required.
3. ACCEPTABLE:
Meets criteria relative to quality and quantity of behavior required.
2. LESS THAN ACCEPTABLE:
Generally does not meet criteria relative to quality and quantity of behavior
required.
1. MUCH LESS THAN ACCEPTABLE:
Significantly below criteria required for successful job performance.
Points to Remember…
Understand the job description
Know your resume
Conduct a skills inventory for the
position
Respond in the STAR format
Provide details and be specific
Engineering Career Center
www.egr.uh.edu/career
