Behavioural Interviewing

Behavioural interviewing is a growing mode of job interviewing. The premise behind behavioural interviewing is that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations. As a candidate, you should be equipped to answer the questions thoroughly. Obviously, you can prepare better for this type of interview if you know which skills that the employer has predetermined to be necessary for the job you seek.

One strategy for preparing for behavioural interviews is to use the STAR Technique (often referred to as the SAR and PAR techniques as well.) Included in this document are some examples of behavioural based questions.

STAR

Situation or Task

Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you have done in the past. Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand. This situation can be from a previous job, from a volunteer experience, or any relevant event.

Action

Action you took Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you are discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did -- not the efforts of the team. Don't tell what you might do, tell what you did.

Results

Results you achieved. What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you learn?

Sample Questions

Initiative

Can you give me an example of when you have used your initiative to get something done?

Sit : I was working as a temp mailroom assistant for a company who serviced the supply of banking information to its customers. They placed me in the role without providing a training orientation to help me get familiar with the resources, the end of day quotas that had to be met nor was there any written