Behavioural interviews
Behavioural interviewing is a technique commonly used by graduate recruiters. Surveys of graduate employers have shown that more than 90% of respondents used behaviour-based questions during interviews - ie. “behavioural interviewing”. Even if you don’t encounter this technique in an interview, the very process of preparing will help you perform well in any interview situation.
What are behavioural interviews?
Behavioural interviewing is based on the assumption that past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour. Before entering into any interview - behavioural or otherwise - an employer must identify what skills and qualities they seek in an employee. The ability to transfer skills learnt in one environment into a different setting will be sought after by employers, so you’ll need to be able to articulate your capability when responding to interview questions.
top of pageHow do you respond?
A strong answer outlines the context in which events took place, the action taken by the interviewee in this situation, and the result or outcome of these actions. If you think of your response as retelling a story that you have been involved in, then answering behavioural questions in a structured way will in fact be the easiest way to convey information about yourself and subsequently the skills you have developed.
Because of the level of detail required, preparation - reminding yourself of a range of experiences you can talk about if appropriately questioned - is essential. Make sure you don’t refer to the same experience in order to answer all questions. Try to draw upon your work experiences – part-time, voluntary, and professional; your University academic and extra-curricular involvement, and other life experiences where you have developed the skills been sought after by the employer.
How should you prepare for a behavioural interview?
Find out as much as you can about the skills and qualities the employer is seeking. This kind of information is sometimes revealed in the advertisement, the position description, or in the general literature provided by the company including their website.
Tap your memory for stories that illustrate your skills and successes.
Think through each situation, remembering who was involved, what your role was, and what the order of events were. Practice out loud explaining your role in the situation as though you were telling a story to someone.
Remember… it is important that you LISTEN to the question in the interview.
Use the above process to remind yourself of situations you may call upon, but only use them if they are appropriate.
Resources and useful links
- Download the Behavioural Interviews flyer (141KB | PDF)
- Wise Up For Work publication (see Wise up for Interviews section)
- Resources in the blue Preparing for Work section of the Careers Resource Centre