The use of behavioural questions during an interview is becoming increasingly popular. This makes it extremely important as a job seeker to know how to answer them.

Companies and employers like to use behavioural questions during an interview to ascertain whether a candidate is suitable for the position. Studies have shown that a good predicator of future job performance is past job performance. 

These types of questions are very useful in helping an employer ask important questions that really dig deep. They are used to assess a candidate’s abilities, thought-patterns and behaviours.  Behavioural questions are especially good in determining a candidate’s soft skills. Successful employees all have similar qualities. Companies like to hire employees who have good teamwork capabilities, client-facing skills, leadership skills, and communication skills. Companies also like to work with employees who know how to cope with failure and other stressors.

Behavioural questions are different from situational questions in that they focus on what has been done in the past. As an interviewee, it is important for you to be careful when answering these questions. Employers want to hear about specific examples of your work. They do not want to hear what you would hypothetically do in such a situation. A good rule of thumb when answering behavioural type questions is to use the S-A-R method. This method stands for Situation, Action, Result and is a good tool in helping formulate your answer.

Communication

Since communication is an integral skill to have for pretty much any job, employers need to make sure that their employees can communicate effectively with coworkers and clients. One type of communication-based, behavioral question could be: Give me an example of a time when you had to explain something fairly complex to a frustrated client. How did you handle this delicate situation?

Teamwork

Employers like to know that all members of their company get along. A team that works well together also leads to increased productivity. One type of teamwork question might be something like: Describe a time when you struggled to build a relationship with someone important. How did you eventually overcome the problem? For these types of questions, you want to describe a good story where there was some sort of team conflict and clashing personalities.

Customer Service

Many roles are customer service oriented,  so if your role is one in which you are helping people and selling a service you can expect to get asked some behavioural questions. One such example of a client facing behavioural question can be: When you’re working with a large number of customers, it’s tricky to deliver excellent service to them all. How do you go about prioritizing your customers needs?

Leadership

Being an effective leader requires a lot of soft skills that cannot necessarily be taught. If applying for a leadership role, then you can definitely expect to be asked a behavioural question. An example of a leadership based behavioural question could be something like: Tell me about a time that you took the lead on a difficult project? Leaders and Managers at work are expected to upkeep morale and help with encouraging and motivating employees.

Perseverance

Failing and being disappointed is inevitable. Bad things happen to everyone, and they also happen at work. Employers prefer to hire people who are better at handling disappointment and who don’t get discouraged easily. One example of a question an employer can ask is: What was your biggest mistake and what did you learn from it?