How to Have a Successful Behavioral Interview

    By Nikki Rennalls

    wece@ece.gatech.edu

Introduction

    Why host a behavioral interview workshop for the Women of ECE?

    ? Because your first job IS important

    ? Because of the economy

    ? Because you deserve the job of your dreams

    ? Because giving a good interview is easy with practice

    5 Quick Ways to Improve Your Interview

    ? Give a Good Handshake

    ? Make Eye Contact

    ? Sit up Straight

    ? Speak up, speak clearly

    ? Smile!

Traditional Interviews

    ? Hypothetical Situations

    ? Interviewers may probe, they may not

    ? Interviewees may generalize or provide theoretical answers

    ? Straight questions with straight forward answers

    o Ex. “What are your strengths and weaknesses?”

Behavioral Interviews

    ? Past Situations

    ? Interviewers WILL probe

    ? Interviewers will ask for details

    ? Questions with story answers

    o Ex. “Describe a time you had to work on a team?”

    How to Answer Behavior Based Questions Think

    ? What experience is most relevant to the question?

    ? Does this story show me in a good light?

    ? Did my actions directly impact the result?

    ? Is this story appropriate to share with an interviewer?

    ? Does this hurt anyone else?

    Describe the Situation

    ? Give a brief back story

    o Sometimes Unnecessary

    o “Do not begin with „When dinosaurs roamed the Earth‟” -ML

    ? The Problem/Challenge

Explain Your Actions

    ? Be clear about what YOU did

    ? Be honest!

    ? Go ahead, brag about yourself

    ? Watch out for embellishments and untruths

    ? Never lie in an interview

    Share The Outcome

    ? Be Honest

    ? Measurements of Success

    ? Rankings, Money, Grades, Stats, etc.

    ? What did you learn?

    ? How would you do things differently?

Role Playing

    Question 1: Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren't thrilled

    about? How did you do it?

    Question 2: Give me an example of when you took a risk to achieve a goal. What was

    the outcome?

Interview Do’s and Don’ts

    Do:

    … talk about yourself … take advantages of silences

    … be honest

    … express your interest … write a thank-you

    Don‟t

    … leave without asking questions

    …be too casual

    …bad-mouth past bosses or colleagues

    …bring anything but you‟re A game

    WECE Reminders

    ? FIRST Robotics Competition

    ? Career Fair next week

    ? Harris Dinner Tuesday @ 6pm

    ? Northrup-Grunman Lunch Thurs. @ 11

    ? New Service Projects

    ? Local Women‟s Shelter

    ? Relay for Life

    ? Free Donut Fridays

    Before You Interview

• Know yourself. An interview is about one thing, YOU. Advanced preparation is

    critical … inventory yourself so that you can competently express who you are,

    what you want and whether you are a fit for the job.

    • Recall recent situations that show favorable behaviors or actions, especially

    involving course work, work experience, leadership, teamwork, initiative,

    planning, and customer service.

    • Prepare short descriptions of each situation; be ready to give details if asked.

    • Be sure each story has a beginning, a middle, and an end, i.e., be ready to

    describe the situation, your action, and the outcome or result.

    • Be sure the outcome or result reflects positively on you (even if the result itself

    was not favorable).

• Be honest. Don‟t embellish or omit any part of the story. The interviewer will

    find out if your story is built on a weak foundation.

• Be specific. Don‟t generalize about several events; give a detailed accounting of

    one event.

• Know the interview process. If you don‟t know what to expect, you won‟t know

    how to prepare. Read a couple of books and speak with your Career office to

    learn everything you can about interviewing ... role-play with another person

    acting as the interviewer.

    • Make sure the interviewer knows about you. EVERYTHING is a reflection of

    you. If your resume or emails are laden with errors, an interviewer may conclude

    that you will also approach your job in this manner.

    • Know the organization. Research the organization and the position …

    it makes you stand out from candidates who haven‟t. Understanding the “culture”

    of the organization is also important.

    Practice Questions

    • Give me an example of a change you have made as a result of performance

    feedback.

    • When did you have to give a highly visible speech or presentation? How did you

    prepare?

    • Describe a recent failure/disappointments in your job (or academics/leadership

    positions) and how you handled it.

    • What are some of the most significant changes you implemented in your position;

    how did your team respond and how did you deal with that? • Can you give me an example where quick action in solving a business or school

    problem was critical?

    • Have you ever experienced a situation where a business plan or school project

    which you put a lot of effort into was rejected or substantially revised? How did

    you deal with that situation?

    • Describe a situation in which you had to reconcile conflicts in your group/team. • If your peers described your leadership style, what words would they use? Your

    clients? Superiors?

    • Give me an example of a time that you showed strong initiative. An example

    when you‟ve gone above and beyond.

    • What would you consider your most significant accomplishments? Why were

    these accomplishments important? What difficulties did you have to overcome? • When did you have a lead role in the project, a key role, a support role, etc?

    What specific challenges did you face as a leader? How did you have to adapt

    your leadership style?

    • What are the facets of this position in which you are the most confident? Which

    areas of the position are you the least confident? • Name a time you made a critical mistake within a team. How did you resolve it

    with your team members and what what the result?

    • Describe a decision you made that was unpopular with the group you were

    working with and how you handled implementing it.

    • Describe a time when your schedule is interrupted, like the change of a deadline?

    How you handle it?

    • Describe a time you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren't

    thrilled about. How did you do it?

    • Describe a major change that occurred in a job that you held. How did you adapt

    to this change?

    • Tell us about a situation in which you had to adjust to changes over which you

    had no control. How did you handle it?

    • Tell us about a time that you had to adapt to a difficult situation. • What do you do when priorities change quickly? Give one example of when this

    happened.

    • Describe a project or idea that was implemented primarily because of your efforts.

    What was your role? What was the outcome?

    • Describe a time when you made a suggestion to improve the work in your

    organization. Did you follow through? How did this improvement impact the

    organization?

    • Describe a time when you came up with a creative solution/idea/project/report to

    a problem in your past work.

    • Give an example of an important goal that you set in the past. Tell about your

    success in reaching it.

    • 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 reasoning behind your decision?

    • Give a specific example of a time when you had to address an angry customer.

    What was the problem and what was the outcome? How would you asses your

    role in diffusing the situation?

    • Have you ever worked in a situation where the rules and guidelines were not clear?

    Tell me about it. How did you feel about it? How did you react? • Some people consider themselves to be “big picture people” and others are “detail

    oriented”. Which are you? Give an example of a time when you displayed this.

    • Describe a situation when you were able to strengthen a relationship by

    communicating effectively. What made your communication effective? • Describe a situation where you felt you had not communicated well. How did you

    correct the situation?

    • Describe a time when you were able to effectively communicate a difficult or

    unpleasant idea to a superior.

    • Describe a time when you were asked to keep information confidential. • If you can, tell about a time when your trustworthiness was challenged. How did

    you react/respond?

    • On occasion we are confronted by dishonesty in the workplace. Tell about such an

    occurrence and how you handled it.

    • Describe a time where you had to make an ethical decision. What did you decide

    and what was the outcome?

    • Describe a time when you encountered unethical behavior in a superior or an

    authority figure. Did you confront this person/organization? How did you handle

    it?

    • Give an example of your ability to build motivation in your co-workers,

    classmates, and even if on a volunteer committee.

    • Have you ever been a member of a group where two of the members did not work

    well together? What did you do to get them to do so?