Sample Behavioral Interview Questions
Judgment/problem-solving
- Recall a time when your education and experiences did not prepare you for a task. What did you do?
- Describe a problem you’ve recently been asked to solve.
- Give me an example of a good decision you have made recently.
Teamwork/collaboration
- Interacting with others can be challenging at times. Describe a situation when you wished you had acted differently with someone.
- Describe a situation when you were able to help a team member of peer.
- Describe the best/worst team of which you have been a member.
Initiative
- Have you found any ways to make your job easier?
- Give me an example of doing more than is required in your current job/class.
- Can you think of some projects or ideas (not necessarily your own) that were sold, implemented, or carried out successfully because of your efforts?
Adjustment/flexibility
- Tell me about a difficult situation you recently had to manage.
- Jobs differ in the extent to which unexpected changes can disrupt daily responsibilities. How do you feel when this happens? Why? Tell me about a time when this happened recently.
- Describe a situation that required several things to be done at the same time.
Leadership
- Tell me about a time when you were a leader.
- Describe a situation in which your efforts influence the actions of others.
Planning & organizing/work management
- Walk me through yesterday (or last week) and tell me how you planned the day’s (or week’s) activities.
- Tell me about a time when your course load was heaviest. How did you get all of your work done?
- How were you able to balance your school work with extracurricular activities/work?
Technical/professional knowledge
- Sometimes complex projects require additional expertise. Describe a situation when you had to request help or assistance with one of your projects or assignments.
- Describe how you’ve gone about learning a new technical skill.
- Describe a time when you solved a technical problem.
Customer facts
- When you think of companies who serve their customers well, which companies do you think of? Why?
- Can you describe a situation in which you were able to “win over” a “difficult” customer?
- What is good customer service? How have you given good customer service?
Motivational fit
- When were you most satisfied/dissatisfied in your work (school)? What was most satisfying and dissatisfying about that?
- (Achievement) Tell me about a time when you had a lot of challenge in your work. How satisfied were you with that and why?
- Jobs differ in the extent to which people work independently or as part of a team.
Which do you prefer? Why? Tell me about a time when you enjoyed working this way.