Self Practice: Behavioral Interview Questions

Behavioral questions are very open-ended and sometimes it's hard to know how to respond; it's hard to know where to start.

I've organized a list of typical behavioral interview questions by high-level categories. Please use this resource to practice your answers independently.

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.

Through practice you can become comfortable with the types of behavioral questions you are likely to encounter.