How to Nail Behavioral Interview Questions

As one of the leading job agencies in Houston, Murray Resources knows that during an interview, you’re going to be asked a lot of questions. Why do you want to work for us? What do you know about our company? How do you see yourself contributing in this role? But beyond these common questions about the basics, you’ve also got to be prepared to answer behavioral interview questions.

These are the questions that dig deeper and require you to give specific examples of your past experience. For instance:

  • Tell me about a career goal you set for yourself and how you achieved it.
  • What’s the biggest mistake you ever made on the job? How did you handle it?
  • What career success are you most proud of? Why?

These questions can certainly take more thought to answer and make candidates more nervous as a result. But here are some tips to help you answer them more effectively:

Understand why they’re asked.

The purpose of asking behavior based questions is that employers believe past success is a predictor of future success. And in many cases, they’re right. So if you can demonstrate with your answers that you have a track record of positive results, an employer will feel more confident in hiring you.

Do your homework to prepare for them.

Preparation is essential to get your answers right. But how can you prepare if you don’t know what you’re being asked? A few ways:

First, learn all you can about the company – their history, vision and mission, products and services, key company players, and industry trends affecting them. That way, you’ll have a better chance of tying in your background with their specific needs.

Second, re-read the job description and focus on the key essentials the company is looking for. Make a list of them and think through how your background fits in. For instance, if the company is looking for someone with experience with a software program and you have five years working in it, you’ll want to highlight that.

To prepare even further, you can also research common interview questions associated with the requirements they’re looking for. This will not only help you prepare, but also feel more confident walking into the interview.

Have numbers ready to go.

Did you increase sales? Save money? Save time? Manage a team? Acquire new clients? Whatever your past roles, think of the numbers associated with your accomplishments in them so you can quantify your track record. Solid numbers to back up your answers always goes a long way in impressing an interviewer.

Create a stockpile of examples.

What work accomplishments or projects are you most proud of? Think of three to five and then flesh them out. Consider the problem you were tasked with solving, how you went about doing it and why you chose that method, and the results it produced. This is a surefire way – with a beginning, middle and end – to effectively answer interview questions.

Need more help preparing for interviews or finding job leads?

Call the experts at Murray Resources. As one of the top job agencies in Houston, Murray Resources can not only help you locate the opportunities that best match your skills and interests, but also prepare for interviews. Contact us today to learn more, or search our Houston jobs now.