Your ultimate guide to ace the most common interview questions
Summary | Save 9 min
Behavioral interview questions are designed to determine how you will handle specific situations in a work environment. They often ask you to use your experience as an example and focus more on soft skills rather than technical aspects of the job. This allows a potential employer to understand how your past work experience has prepared you for future tasks and challenges
Why are these important now?
The number of job openings in the United States is at a record high of 11.5 million
With so many jobs available, workers can be more particular about where they work and employers are taking notes and adjusting their interview process to reflect the desires of workers
How to prepare
Think about what stories you can draw from to answer these questions
All questions are about your experiences
If you don’t plan ahead, you could easily be asked a question you’re not prepared for and if you try to wing it, things can get ugly
How to answer “What is your biggest weakness?”
The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
Situation: Describe the situation where everything happened
Task: Task you had to complete to solve the problem/issue at hand
Action: Explain what actions you took to complete the aforementioned task
Results: Talk about the results of your actions and try to be as detailed as possible
How to answer teamwork questions
Showcase your ability to work with others under difficult circumstances
Recognize all teams can have problems
Work well with different personalities
Communicate effectively with others
Be a good listener
Act with care and consideration for your team
How to answer questions about serving customers
Employers will want to understand how you positively represented the company and how you overcame challenges to deliver exceptional customer service
Describe a time when you had to interact with a difficult client or customer
Explain the context of your interaction, the type of customer or client you were dealing with and the lesson you took from this experience
How to answer time management questions
Most employers want to hear how you balanced multiple things at once, prioritized, remained organized, and got the job done by the deadline
Tell me about a time your responsibilities got a little overwhelming
Highlight any industry-specific tools you used to stay on track
Emphasize how you communicated throughout the process IF it was necessary
How to answer questions about how well you communicate
Tell a story that highlights thoughtful preparation and logical thought process
Be able to describe how you manage to communicate across numerous different mediums
Different methods of communication you excel at
If you struggle with communication, emphasize your strengths and show improvement in areas of weakness
How to answer questions about your ability to adapt to different situations
Tough times don't last, but tough people do
Use adaptability questions to talk about
How you set and stick to goals
Specific methods of dealing with stress that are healthy and promote long-term success
How to answer questions about motivation and values
Motivation and values questions are an excellent opportunity to:
Highlight any special skills or passions you have that you haven't talked about yet
Talk about what keeps you excited about your job
Share where you see yourself in the future
Practice, practice, practice