In the last post, we talked about coding interviews. Most of the time, companies will embed behavior questions during the interview.

Behavioral (experience-based or patterned behavioral) interviews are past-oriented in that they ask respondents to relate what they did in past jobs or life situations that are relevant to the particular job-relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities required for success.The idea is that past behavior is the best predictor of future performance in similar situations. By asking questions about how job applicants have handled situations in the past that are similar to those they will face on the job, employers can gauge how they might perform in future situations.

cited from wikipedia – job interview

Behavior questions really give the hire manager and future colleagues insight into how you handle problems/tasks and communicate with team members. They are looking for candidates with the same value as the company’s culture.

With this concept bear in mind, that it’s time to do some preparation.

• Prepare stories from your previous experience. If you are not a natural storyteller, don’t improvise during an interview. An incomplete story can not convince others. So you need to retrieve some stories about different aspects of your past, including your school, your work, etc.
• Check the job description and study companies’ cultures. When we apply for a job, we are interested in the job responsibilities/work content we might have. However, the interviewee cares more about the job requirements. So they will assess these required skills of an applicant. Moreover, the company’s culture is the foundation for all positions. It’s easy to find the company’s cores on the website. After gathering topics, your stories should cover these topics.
• Construct stories using the STAR method. The S.T.A.R method is a powerful frame to help you to tell the story. S.T.A.R stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. For example, If the position you’re applying for involves working on tight deadlines, you may want to tell a story that demonstrates your time management skills. By applying the STAR method, your answer will be like this:

In my current position, I deal with deadlines daily. For me, teamwork and communication are key in these situations.

An example of such a situation recently was when a client requested a new feature and asked if we could deliver it within one week. Usually, releasing a new feature would take us at least 2 weeks.

At the first moment, we confirmed the user stories with the client. Then, I gathered our developing team to come up with a plan. During the meeting, we decided to reuse our existing components and do some modifications to match the client. This can save us 3 days. Next, we collaborated with our testing team and made sure they can put our jobs as the first priority. This saved us an additional two days that we needed to meet the deadline.

By adjusting the priorities and teamwork with others, we were able to ship the new feature in time and ensured that we met the client’s deadline.’

• Don’t forget the past mistakes. A big challenge or a mistake is often asked during an interview. Don’t avoid this kind of question and blame someone else for their faults. Stay positive and show how much you have learned from your own mistakes.

Behavior questions really can be well-prepared. By answering these questions, you show a detailed explanation of an experience from your past instead of some generic things you learned from the textbook. Your responses should always give the interviewer an indication of how you handle projects and issues at work in a professional way. Hope you can get some ideas from this post and good luck with each interview!