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Hiring Managers Share Their Top Behavioral Interview Questions which We Help You Answer Google search 'behavioral interview questions' to find no shortage of questions for job seekers. The sheer number of these "Tell me about a time when…" questions will make any head spin.With so many potential interview questions, it's hard to know how to prepare. That's why we went straight to the source for the inside scoop – we asked nearly 1,300 hiring managers from around the globe to rank their favorite (most revealing) behavioral interview questions*.Use these to jumpstart your interview prep and get focused on the questions that matter.Why hiring managers love behavioral interview questionsFirst, a little secret: Behavioral interview questions are the top tool hiring managers use to evaluate ‘soft’ skills – those important traits such as leadership, teamwork, and prioritization.More than 60% of hiring managers say that soft skills are critical but tough to reveal or assess, so no doubt you'll be getting behavioral interview questions in your next interview these behavioral interview questions - the results are in In our survey hiring managers ranked ‘adaptability’, ‘culture-fit’, and ‘collaboration’ as the top three most important soft skills in their candidates’ eventual success. Let's look at these three critical skills and some top-rated questions that screen for each. 1. AdaptabilityChange is inevitable in any workplace, so it's no surprise that adaptability is the top soft skill hiring managers look for. Their favorite questions to screen for adaptability are:Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something you had never done before.Describe a situation in which you embraced a new system, process, technology, or idea at work that was a major departure from the old way of doing things.How to answer: Come up with one or two significant (and real) stories from your work / life that demonstrate your ability to handle change. Think about times when you went outside your job description or figured out a different way to get things done better. Consider examples that demonstrate your problem-solving skills, creativity, resourcefulness, a willingness to learn, and/or a positive attitude in the face of change and/or difficulties.2. Culture-fitEmployees who mesh well with a company's culture are more likely to be productive and stick around, so hiring managers will look for alignment between your values and the company's. The most popular culture-fit questions are:What are the three things that are most important to you in a job?Tell me about a time in the last week when you've been energized, productive, and satisfied at work. How so? What were you doing? How to answer: Presumably you've already decided that your work values or desires do in fact align with your potential employer's, so focus on that overlap when brainstorming relevant experiences. If autonomy is a big part of the company's culture, for example, and you work well with little direction, brainstorm experiences that prove that. Again, the goal is to arm yourself with one or two stories that demonstrate how you will thrive in the employer's environment.3. CollaborationAlmost every job on the planet involves working with others, so having one or two teamwork examples up your sleeve is critical. Here are hiring managers' leading questions for discerning collaboration skills:Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with.Tell me about one of your favorite experiences working with a team and your contribution.How to answer: Think about both positive and negative experiences in which you've worked with others, dealt with conflict, negotiated, and/or compromised. Come up with one or two examples that show your range of playing nice, holding your ground, and working within a team to get things done that produced results and/or achieved targeted goals effectively / efficiently.You're on a roll, but don't stop there.These three themes above should help you focus your efforts, but be the more savvied candidate who further researches the traits your specific employer is looking for now. That means, at the least, reading the job description carefully – and then possibly talking to people who know the role to identify the particular skills you'll need and the key challenges you'll face. Then come up with examples from your past to prove that you have what that takes. If 'lead a team' is in the job description, you'd be wise to have a story in your pocket that demonstrates your leadership skills.Make sure your answers have 3 key reply elements.Regardless of topic, great answers to behavioral interview questions have demonstrated ‘substance’, ‘structure’, and ‘style’ (the three ‘S’s). Substance. Your answers can only come from your memory, so start by jotting down recent projects and events at work. Consider major accomplishments, conflicts, and challenges along with your role in them. Can any of those experiences fit into an 'adaptability' story? A 'collaboration' story? Invest in racking your brain for the richest examples so you can easily adapt your answers depending on the phrasing of the question.Structure. With behavioral interview questions, your task is simply to tell stories from your past that prove you have the skill your interviewer is after. Stories need a beginning, middle and end. The beginning explains the situation or problem you were in, the middle addresses the actions you took, and the end reveals the results and what you learned. You want to include enough details to keep it interesting, but nothing extraneous. Think one-minute answers, not five-minute.Style. While your primary goal is to prove you have a particular skill, speaking with confidence, humility, candor and even humor can set you apart from other candidates. The best ways to polish your answers are to practice, practice, and practice some more, and take the time to think before you start to respond. Use this triple 'S' framework to prepare your adaptability, culture fit, and collaboration stories, along with stories for key traits specific to the job, and that behavioral interview will be a breeze. What situational stories can you tell? People love stories because they can relate to them. A concise, results-focused story will enable you to emotionally and intellectually connect with your prospect, and define your value proposition(s) at the same time. If you are prospecting for a job, here is a template that might help you develop a business story from a previous work engagement:“When I worked at [name of employer], we had the recurring issue of [identify the problem here], which led to [what did this problem cost in terms of time, money and/or resources]. After some evaluation, I/we [state the solution you created or identified, and thus implemented] which then involved [describe the action or outcomes that were so created]. This resulted in [the ‘measurable’ benefit (and on-going contributions) it produced for your employer and/or other stakeholders].”How many success stories or scenarios from your employment history can you develop and share? What would all of these stories then have in common? The principle is the same for sales professionals, systems analyst, consultant, business owners, etc.:“Not long ago, one of our clients was facing the problem of [identify the issue here], and it was causing [articulate, in measurable terms (time, money, lost sales, etc.), what the issue was costing them]. We assess their situation and then sat down with the client to focus in on what the real issue was, and thereby recommended (decided) to [describe the solution that was thus implemented], which led to [state your measurable, positive results, and the impact it had/has on all stakeholders].”Again, how many stories or scenarios from your service history can you develop and share? Develop three and then compare and determine what all of these stories have in common as to your key skills. SOAR Model for behavioral interviews is also often referred to as the SAR (or STAR) Technique: Situation and/or?Task: Describe a situation that you were in or a task that you needed to accomplish. You must describe a specific event or situation or (preferably) a problem needing a solution, not a general 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 (you took): Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you doing such. 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 actually did and why so. Results (achieved): What happened? What did you accomplish? What did you learn? How did it end? – How is it progressing now (what ways, tools or metrics are conveying / monitoring such to management)?For example: (S) "While I was working at McDonalds as a shift supervisor, (T) I noticed that the over-all performance of the employees seemed to be deteriorating. (A) I decided, in order to try and improve staff performance, I would start leading by example rather than speaking to individual staff members about their performance. (R) As a result of this initiative, the staff on my shift raised their customer service performance and survey satisfaction scores (as well as ROIs). I was subsequently rewarded with a Manager of the Month Award." The following are examples of behavioral questions for using the STAR model to frame answers: "Tell us about the last time you were complimented on your work." This question probably refers to an employment situation. If you have no previous paid work experience, consider using a volunteer or school example. "There are times on all jobs when things get slack and someone is not standing right there to tell you what to do. Has this ever happened to you?" This is a closed question (you could answer it with a simple yes or no) so most interviewers would not ask it in that way. If they do, it is up to you to expand your answer as though it had been asked as a Behavioral Descriptive question (regarding your initiative or ad-hoc leadership). "Tell us about a leadership role you have undertaken. If you can, include in your answer your greatest sense of accomplishment while in this leadership role." "There are many times when you have to be a good ‘time’ manager. (Times where you have to keep things organized and balanced.) Tell us about a project that illustrates your ability to organize and schedule people or tasks." "We are interested in how you show initiative to go beyond everyday requirements. Give us an example of when you've done this." "Describe your learning ability by giving us an example of what you have done to help yourself learn a new task." "Sometimes when things are hectic and there deadlines to meet, people have to miss their breaks or work late just to get the work done. Tell us about the last time this happened to you." "Tell us about an admirable goal you set for yourself and successfully achieved.""Tell us about a goal you set for yourself and did not achieve to your satisfaction.” — “What should you have done differently to improve performance or reach your expectation.” ................
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