[jsfg_cinti] Fwd: Behavioral-Event Interview Questions
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Subject: Behavioral-Event Interview Questions
Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 18:35:31 -0400
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Give me a specific example when you had to resolve a difficult team
situation?
Behavioral Event Interview questions have been used for over 20 years and
are widely used by skilled interviewers. In today's job market, you're
likely to encounter an interviewer asking this type of question. The
following is just one example of the value you'll get when you use
Interview Mastery. (www.interviewmastery.com)
Overview
During the interview, you are asked to describe how you dealt with a
difficult team situation in the past. Asking you about the past indicates
this is a most likely a behavioral-event interview (BEI) question.
Responding requires you need to recall an example when you dealt with a
specific situation. BEI have been used for over 15 years and is widely used
by skilled interviewers.
BEI questions focus on the past while theoretical questions focus on the
future. The response strategy for a theoretical interview question is
similar is structure but different in content. The response strategy for
theoretical questions will be covered in an upcoming article.
Behavioral-Event Interview Question
The purpose of BEI questions is to solicit evidence or examples of a
specific competency or skill you process.
BEI is based on the premise that a person's past behavior is the best
predictor of their future performance. Interviewers are tasked with
predicting your likelihood of success in a given position and use your past
behavior as one indicator of your future performance.
BEI questions have two parts, the introduction and the focus. The first
part of a BEI question (introduction) are phrases like the following:
- ?Tell me about a time when you ??
- ?Describe a situation when you ??
- ?Walk me through a situation where you ??
- "Give me an example of a specific situation when you?"
The second half of the question focuses on the situation with which the
interviewer is interested. For example, if the interviewer was seeking
information about your analytical skills they might ask the following
question.
"Give me an example of a specific situation when you had to formulate a
detailed analysis of a new product, new project or new market."
If the interviewer was seeking information about your ability to
collaborate on a cross-functional team under tight deadlines they might ask
you the following question.
?Tell me about a time when you participated on a cross functional team that
had to deliver project outcomes within a tight deadline.?
Interviewers asking BEI questions want to hear about actual events in your
past, rather than how you might handle a situation in the future.
Relevant Experiences
You have many experiences that you can discuss to demonstrate different
dimensions of your competencies and skills. Work experience is just one
form of experience. However, if you don't have work related experience,
you can highlight other experiences to demonstrate the skills the
interviewer is seeking.
Evidence of your talents can come in many forms. Projects done in an
academic setting, volunteer work, professional associations and other life
experiences each may provide relevant evidence of your abilities.
Whether you got paid or not is of secondary importance to the content and
context of your actions in a specific situation. For example, you may have
experience building and leading a six-person volunteer team that analyzed
how a local community funds recreational projects. During this summer
project, this team may have also formulated and presented recommendations
to local government officials on how to improve funding allocations. This
team experience is just as meaningful as any business-grounded team
situation.
Your response to BEI questions needs to be structured and easy to follow.
Interviewers are seeking a detailed and interesting story about your past.
Interviewers want to know what you did, obstacles overcome and results
achieved. They what to learn what you did versus what the team did, hence
you'll want to balance your description of what ?we (the team) did? versus
what ?I did.?
Response Strategy
It is suggested that you structure your response using the STAR technique.
The STAR response technique is as follows:
S T - Describe the Situation or Task
A - Describe your Actions and Approach
R - Describe the Results
What You've Learned
After you respond, it's effective to describe what you learned from an
event and what you may do differently in the future. Describing ?what you
learned? communicates that you reflect on past events and seek to identify
areas of improvement. The STAR structured response, coupled with ?what you
learned,? demonstrates your focus on constant learning and performance
improvement.
Immediate Feedback
You may also want to complete your response by asking a question to ensure
you have answered the interviewer's question effectively. To solicit
immediate feedback you can ask questions like:
?Was that the level of detail you were looking for??
?Was that the kind of example you were looking for??
Interviewer Follow-up Questions
Interviewers are likely to ask follow-up questions to get more details. For
example, interviewer might ask the following questions:
- What did you do? - What did you say?
- What were you thinking? - What was your role?
- Who else was involved? - What challenges did you face?
- What do you feel this event indicates about you?
Sample Response
The following STAR structured response demonstrates how to handle the
question covered in this module, when describing an academic project.
Interviewer:
?Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult team
situation??
Your Response:
Situation or Task: (ST)
?The situation was that our four-person team was tasked with developing
models for field operation of our company. The task was to identify
initiatives to improve efficiencies using different methods. Two team
members focused on one analysis approach while the other two members worked
on another method. We had to formulate three initiatives to improve
operations. ?
?One team members wasn't showing up for meetings, despite constant
reminders and encouragement. His lack of participation was affecting team
efforts and needed to be resolved quickly.?
Action and Approach: (A)
?My approach was to meet with the problem team member in private and
explain the team's frustration and how his actions were affecting the
project. I asked if there was anything I could do to help. Before taking
this action I discussed my intentions with the other team members to get
their consensus. ?
?The problem team member told me he was burdened with another difficult
project. I proposed we find resources to help him with the other project.
He agreed. I also asked him to commit to specific actions toward our
project and to attend team meetings.?
Results: (R)
The results were: after I found other resources and employees to assist him
with his other project, he was able to invest more time on our team's
project and focus on specific milestones. The final team result was that
we finished our project on time, and presented our recommendations to the
company's operations leadership team.?
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<font style=3D"color: #8E3826; font-weight: bold; font-family: verda=
na; font-size: 16px;">Behavioral-Event Interview Questions</font><p><font st=
yle=3D"font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px;"><P><SPAN><STRONG><FONT color=
=3D#000000></FONT></STRONG></SPAN></P><SPAN>
<P><FONT size=3D2></FONT></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#004080 size=3D2>by: Michael R. Neece, C=
EO Interview Mastery</FONT></SPAN></P><SPAN><STRONG><FONT color=3D#004080>
<H2><A name=3D_Toc90438297></A><A name=3D_Toc82408951><SPAN><FONT face=3DAri=
al color=3D#800000 size=3D2>Give me a specific example when you had to resol=
ve a difficult team situation?</FONT></SPAN></A></H2></FONT></STRONG></SPAN>
<P><SPAN><FONT color=3D#000000 size=3D2>Behavioral Event Interview questions=
have been used for over 20 years and are widely used by skilled interviewer=
s. In today's job market, you're likely to encounter an interviewer as=
king this type of question. The following is just one example of the v=
alue you'll get when you use <A class=3D"" href=3D"http://www.interviewmaste=
ry.com/?broadcastID=3D685" target=3D"">Interview Mastery</A>.</FONT></SPAN><=
/P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2><FONT color=3D#000080><STRONG>Overview</STRONG><BR><=
/FONT>During the interview, you are asked to describe how you dealt with a d=
ifficult team situation in the past. Asking you about the past indicates thi=
s is a most likely a behavioral-event interview (BEI) question. Responding r=
equires you need to recall an example when you dealt with a specific situati=
on. BEI have been used for over 15 years and is widely used by skilled inter=
viewers.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>BEI questions focus on the past while theoretical qu=
estions focus on the future. The response strategy for a theoretical intervi=
ew question is similar is structure but different in content. The response s=
trategy for theoretical questions will be covered in an upcoming article. <B=
R><BR><STRONG><FONT color=3D#000080>Behavioral-Event Interview Question</FON=
T></STRONG><BR>The purpose of BEI questions is to solicit evidence or exampl=
es of a specific competency or skill you process.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>BEI is based on the premise that a person's past beh=
avior is the best predictor of their future performance. Interviewers are ta=
sked with predicting your likelihood of success in a given position and use=20=
your past behavior as one indicator of your future performance. <BR>BEI ques=
tions have two parts, the introduction and the focus. The first part of a BE=
I question (introduction) are phrases like the following:</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>- =93Tell me about a time when you =85=94<BR>- =93De=
scribe a situation when you =85=94<BR>- =93Walk me through a situation where=
you =85=94<BR>- "Give me an example of a specific situation when you=85"</F=
ONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>The second half of the question focuses on the situa=
tion with which the interviewer is interested. For example, if the interview=
er was seeking information about your analytical skills they might ask the f=
ollowing question.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>"Give me an example of a specific situation when you=
had to formulate a detailed analysis of a new product, new project or new m=
arket."</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>If the interviewer was seeking information about you=
r ability to collaborate on a cross-functional team under tight deadlines th=
ey might ask you the following question.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>=93Tell me about a time when you participated on a c=
ross functional team that had to deliver project outcomes within a tight dea=
dline.=94</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>Interviewers asking BEI questions want to hear about=
actual events in your past, rather than how you might handle a situation in=
the future.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2><FONT color=3D#000080><STRONG>Relevant Experiences</=
STRONG> <BR></FONT>You have many experiences that you can discuss to demonst=
rate different dimensions of your competencies and skills. Work experi=
ence is just one form of experience. However, if you don't have work r=
elated experience, you can highlight other experiences to demonstrate the sk=
ills the interviewer is seeking. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>Evidence of your talents can come in many forms.&nbs=
p; Projects done in an academic setting, volunteer work, professional associ=
ations and other life experiences each may provide relevant evidence of your=
abilities. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>Whether you got paid or not is of secondary importan=
ce to the content and context of your actions in a specific situation. =
For example, you may have experience building and leading a six-person volu=
nteer team that analyzed how a local community funds recreational projects.&=
nbsp; During this summer project, this team may have also formulated and pre=
sented recommendations to local government officials on how to improve fundi=
ng allocations. This team experience is just as meaningful as an=
y business-grounded team situation. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>Your response to BEI questions needs to be structure=
d and easy to follow. Interviewers are seeking a detailed and interest=
ing story about your past. Interviewers want to know what you did, obs=
tacles overcome and results achieved. They what to learn what you did=20=
versus what the team did, hence you'll want to balance your description of w=
hat =93we (the team) did=94 versus what =93I did.=94 </FONT></SPAN></P=
>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2><FONT color=3D#000080><STRONG>Response Strategy</STR=
ONG><BR></FONT>It is suggested that you structure your response using the ST=
AR technique. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>The <STRONG>STAR</STRONG> response technique is as f=
ollows:<BR><STRONG>S T</STRONG> - Describe the Situation or Task <BR><STRONG=
>A</STRONG> - Describe your Actions and Approach <BR><STRO=
NG>R</STRONG> - Describe the Results</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2><STRONG><FONT color=3D#000080>What You've Learned</F=
ONT></STRONG><BR>After you respond, it's effective to describe what you lear=
ned from an event and what you may do differently in the future. Descr=
ibing =93what you learned=94 communicates that you reflect on past events an=
d seek to identify areas of improvement. The STAR structured response,=
coupled with =93what you learned,=94 demonstrates your focus on constant le=
arning and performance improvement.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2><STRONG><FONT color=3D#000080>Immediate Feedback<BR>=
</FONT></STRONG>You may also want to complete your response by asking a ques=
tion to ensure you have answered the interviewer's question effectively.&nbs=
p; To solicit immediate feedback you can ask questions like:</FONT></SPAN></=
P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>=93Was that the level of detail you were looking for=
?=94<BR>=93Was that the kind of example you were looking for?=94</FONT></SPA=
N></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2><FONT color=3D#000080><STRONG>Interviewer Follow-up=20=
Questions</STRONG><BR></FONT>Interviewers are likely to ask follow-up questi=
ons to get more details. For example, interviewer might ask the following qu=
estions: </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>- What did you do? &nbs=
p; &n=
bsp; - What did you say? <BR>- What were you thinking? &nbs=
p; - What was your rol=
e?<BR>- Who else was involved? &nbs=
p; - What challenges did you face?<BR>- What do you=20=
feel this event indicates about you?</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2><STRONG><FONT color=3D#000080>Sample Response</FONT>=
</STRONG><BR>The following STAR structured response demonstrates how to hand=
le the question covered in this module, when describing an academic project.=
</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2><FONT color=3D#004080><U>Interviewer:</U> <BR></FONT=
>=93Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult team situatio=
n?=94</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2><U><FONT color=3D#004080>Your Response:</FONT><BR></=
U><STRONG>Situation or Task: (ST)</STRONG><BR>=93The situation was that our=20=
four-person team was tasked with developing models for field operation of ou=
r company. The task was to identify initiatives to improve efficiencie=
s using different methods. Two team members focused on one analysis ap=
proach while the other two members worked on another method. We had to=
formulate three initiatives to improve operations. =93 </FONT></SPAN>=
</P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>=93One team members wasn't showing up for meetings,=20=
despite constant reminders and encouragement. His lack of participation was=20=
affecting team efforts and needed to be resolved quickly.=94</FONT></SPAN></=
P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2><STRONG>Action and Approach: (A)</STRONG><BR>=93My a=
pproach was to meet with the problem team member in private and explain the=20=
team's frustration and how his actions were affecting the project. I asked i=
f there was anything I could do to help. Before taking this action I discuss=
ed my intentions with the other team members to get their consensus. =93</FO=
NT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2>=93The problem team member told me he was burdened w=
ith another difficult project. I proposed we find resources to help hi=
m with the other project. He agreed. I also asked him to commit=20=
to specific actions toward our project and to attend team meetings.=94</FONT=
></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><FONT size=3D2><STRONG>Results: (R)</STRONG><BR>The results were: a=
fter I found other resources and employees to assist him with his other proj=
ect, he was able to invest more time on our team's project and focus on spec=
ific milestones. The final team result was that we finished our projec=
t on time, and presented our recommendations to the company's operations lea=
dership team.=94</FONT></SPAN></P></SPAN><BR><BR></font></td>
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