Common behavioral questions in job interviews

3 mins read

1. Getting to Know You

• What motivates you at work?
• Describe what your preferred supervisor—employee relationship looks like.
• What two or three things are most important to you in your work?

2. Knowledge & Interests

• What do you think are the most pressing issues in this field?
• What challenges does this position present for you?
• What do you think it takes to be successful in this organization?
• What do you know about our company?

3. Readiness & Experience

• What is your greatest strength/weakness?
• Tell me about a problem you have encountered and how you dealt with it?
• Tell me about a mistake you made and what you learned from it.
• What experience do you have in this field? How have you prepared yourself to switch fields?

4. Goals, Motivation & Values

• Why do you think you will like this field?
• Describe a time when you saw some problem and took the initiative to correct it rather than waiting for someone else to do it.
• Give me an example of a time you were able to be creative with your work. What was exciting or difficult about it?
• Tell me about a time you were dissatisfied in your work. What could have been done to make it better?

5. Teamwork

• Describe a time when you worked closely with someone who had a very different personality than you.
• Tell me about a time you faced a conflict while working on a team. How did you handle the conflict?
• Describe a time when you struggled to build a relationship with someone important.
• Tell me about a time you needed to get information from someone who wasn’t very responsive. What did you do?

6. Ability to Adapt

• Tell me about a time you were under a lot of pressure. What was the situation and how did you get through it?
• Describe a time when your team or company was undergoing change. How did it impact you, and how did you adapt?
• Tell me about your very first job. What did you do to learn the ropes?
• Tell me about a time you failed. How did you deal with this situation?

7. Time Management Skills

• Tell me about a long-term project that you managed. How did you keep organized and make sure everything was moving along as planned?
• Tell me about a time you set a goal for yourself. How did you ensure that you would meet your objective?
• Give me an example of a time you managed multiple responsibilities. How did you handle it?

8. Communication Skills

• Tell me about a time you successfully persuaded someone to understand your perspective at work.
• Describe a time when you were the primary “expert”. How did you ensure that everyone understood you?
• Describe a time when you could only use written communication to get your ideas across to your team.