Behavioural Interview Questions And How To Give Great Answers

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Behavioural Interview Questions
And How To Give Great Answers!

During interviews we ask all candidates several behavioural interview questions (also known as situational interview questions).

And it's not just us who do this. Behavioural Interviewing is becoming increasingly common and is used by most large companies, especially in the financial sector, so it pays to be prepared.

We'll explain the types of questions you'll be asked, why you're asked them and how to give good answers.

What Are Behavioural Interview Questions?

Behavioural or situational interview questions are simply questions that ask you to give a real life example as evidence of a skill, knowledge or experience.

So instead of asking you:

"What would you do if someone disagreed with you?",
we ask:
"Tell us about a time when someone disagreed with you".

In other words they are simply open-ended questions about your behaviour in past situations. They will relate directly to the requirements of the job you are applying for, so your clue is in the advert!

For example, if the advert calls for someone who can handle difficult customers, you might well be asked a situational question about this. If it asks for influencing skills, expect a question asking you to give an example of when you have successfully influenced.

Why Do Interviewers Ask Situational Interview Questions?

We ask behavioral interview questions because we believe that how you actually performed in a situation is more of an indication of how you will perform than a theoretical answer!

In fact research we've carried out suggests that behavioural interviewing is FIVE times more accurate than traditional interviewing techniques.