Behavioral questions can be challenging if you are not prepared. Always try to be conscious of what the recruiter is trying to find out about you by asking a particular question. Setting up a mock interview with the MIT Careers Office is an excellent way to practice. Here are some examples:
Adaptability:
Tell me about a time when you had to adjust to a classmate's or colleague's working style to complete a project or achieve your objectives.
Analytical Skills/Problem Solving:
Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem. What did you do? What was your thought process? What was the outcome? What do you wish you had done differently?
Communication:
What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.
Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa). How did you handle the situation? What obstacles or difficulties did you face? How did you deal with them?
Creativity:
Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion.
Tell me about a problem that you've solved in a unique or unusual way. What was the outcome? Were you happy or satisfied with it?
Decision Making:
Tell me about a difficult decision you've made in the last year.
Describe a situation where you have had to overcome a problem or obstacle to move forward with something. What did you do?
Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision without all the information you needed. How did you handle it? Why? Were you happy with the outcome?
Flexibility:
Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.
Describe a time when you put your needs aside to help a co-worker understand a task. How did you assist them? What was the result?
Goal Setting:
Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.
What do you consider to be your greatest achievement so far and why?
Tell me about a goal that you set that you did not reach. What steps did you take? What obstacles did you encounter? How did it make you feel?
Initiative:
Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures.
What tricks or techniques have you learned to make school or a job easier, or to make yourself more effective? How did you learn that?
Describe a situation where you have had to use your initiative to solve a problem. What did you do?
What was the best idea you came up with during your professional or college career? How did you apply it?
Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed.
Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.
Integrity/Honesty:
Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem.
Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular decision.
Tell me about a time you had to fire a friend.
Describe a time when you set your sights too high (or too low).
Tell of the most difficult customer service experience that you have ever had to handle-perhaps an angry or irate customer. Be specific and tell what you did and what was the outcome.
Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty to get a job done.
Give a specific example of a policy you conformed to with which you did not agree. Why?
Leadership:
Give me an example of a time when you motivated others.
Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively.
What has been your experience in giving presentations to small or large groups? What has been your most successful experience in speech making?
Tell me about a team project when you had to take the lead or take charge of the project? What did you do? How did you do it? What was the result?
Interpersonal Skills:
Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem.
Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. How/why was this person difficult? How did you handle it? How did the relationship progress?
Planning and Organization/Time Management:
How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time? Give examples.
Describe a time in school when you had many projects or assignments due at the same time. What steps did you take to get them all done?
Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks.
How do you prioritize projects and tasks when scheduling your time? Give me some examples.
Teamwork:
Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).
Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker.
Describe a situation where you have had to work as part of a team to achieve a result. What was your role in this?
Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)
Amend(0)
39Adaptability:
Tell me about a time when you had to adjust to a classmate's or colleague's working style to complete a project or achieve your objectives.
Analytical Skills/Problem Solving:
Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem. What did you do? What was your thought process? What was the outcome? What do you wish you had done differently?
Communication:
What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.
Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa). How did you handle the situation? What obstacles or difficulties did you face? How did you deal with them?
Creativity:
Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion.
Tell me about a problem that you've solved in a unique or unusual way. What was the outcome? Were you happy or satisfied with it?
Decision Making:
Tell me about a difficult decision you've made in the last year.
Describe a situation where you have had to overcome a problem or obstacle to move forward with something. What did you do?
Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision without all the information you needed. How did you handle it? Why? Were you happy with the outcome?
Flexibility:
Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.
Describe a time when you put your needs aside to help a co-worker understand a task. How did you assist them? What was the result?
Goal Setting:
Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.
What do you consider to be your greatest achievement so far and why?
Tell me about a goal that you set that you did not reach. What steps did you take? What obstacles did you encounter? How did it make you feel?
Initiative:
Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures.
What tricks or techniques have you learned to make school or a job easier, or to make yourself more effective? How did you learn that?
Describe a situation where you have had to use your initiative to solve a problem. What did you do?
What was the best idea you came up with during your professional or college career? How did you apply it?
Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed.
Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.
Integrity/Honesty:
Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem.
Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular decision.
Tell me about a time you had to fire a friend.
Describe a time when you set your sights too high (or too low).
Tell of the most difficult customer service experience that you have ever had to handle-perhaps an angry or irate customer. Be specific and tell what you did and what was the outcome.
Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty to get a job done.
Give a specific example of a policy you conformed to with which you did not agree. Why?
Leadership:
Give me an example of a time when you motivated others.
Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively.
What has been your experience in giving presentations to small or large groups? What has been your most successful experience in speech making?
Tell me about a team project when you had to take the lead or take charge of the project? What did you do? How did you do it? What was the result?
Interpersonal Skills:
Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem.
Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. How/why was this person difficult? How did you handle it? How did the relationship progress?
Planning and Organization/Time Management:
How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time? Give examples.
Describe a time in school when you had many projects or assignments due at the same time. What steps did you take to get them all done?
Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks.
How do you prioritize projects and tasks when scheduling your time? Give me some examples.
Teamwork:
Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).
Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker.
Describe a situation where you have had to work as part of a team to achieve a result. What was your role in this?
Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?
From India, New Delhi
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
As an HR Executive, it's crucial to prepare job seekers for behavioral interview questions to help them showcase their skills effectively. Here are some practical tips to excel in behavioral interviews:
1. Adaptability: Share a specific example of how you adjusted to a colleague's working style to achieve a common goal.
2. Analytical Skills/Problem Solving: Narrate a situation where you successfully solved a challenging problem, explaining your approach and the outcome.
3. Communication: Describe how you handle conflicts and provide an instance where you effectively communicated with someone despite personal differences.
4. Creativity: Talk about a time when you used your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion or solved a problem uniquely.
5. Decision Making: Discuss a difficult decision you made recently, explaining the process and outcome.
6. Flexibility: Provide an example of conforming to a policy you disagreed with or assisting a co-worker by setting aside personal preferences.
7. Goal Setting: Share a goal you achieved, your greatest achievement, and a goal you didn't reach, detailing the steps taken and obstacles faced.
8. Initiative: Explain how you anticipated and prevented potential problems, showcasing your proactive approach.
9. Integrity/Honesty: Reflect on times when you missed solutions, made unpopular decisions, or handled challenging situations with honesty.
10. Leadership: Detail instances where you motivated others, delegated effectively, or led a team project successfully.
11. Interpersonal Skills: Provide examples of using fact-finding skills, good judgment, persuasion, and collaboration with difficult individuals.
12. Planning and Organization/Time Management: Explain how you prioritize tasks, handle multiple assignments, and manage time effectively.
13. Teamwork: Describe situations where you collaborated with diverse personalities, handled upset customers/co-workers, and resolved disagreements within a team.
By preparing and practicing responses to these questions, job seekers can demonstrate their competencies and fit for the role effectively during interviews.
From India, Gurugram
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)
1. Adaptability: Share a specific example of how you adjusted to a colleague's working style to achieve a common goal.
2. Analytical Skills/Problem Solving: Narrate a situation where you successfully solved a challenging problem, explaining your approach and the outcome.
3. Communication: Describe how you handle conflicts and provide an instance where you effectively communicated with someone despite personal differences.
4. Creativity: Talk about a time when you used your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion or solved a problem uniquely.
5. Decision Making: Discuss a difficult decision you made recently, explaining the process and outcome.
6. Flexibility: Provide an example of conforming to a policy you disagreed with or assisting a co-worker by setting aside personal preferences.
7. Goal Setting: Share a goal you achieved, your greatest achievement, and a goal you didn't reach, detailing the steps taken and obstacles faced.
8. Initiative: Explain how you anticipated and prevented potential problems, showcasing your proactive approach.
9. Integrity/Honesty: Reflect on times when you missed solutions, made unpopular decisions, or handled challenging situations with honesty.
10. Leadership: Detail instances where you motivated others, delegated effectively, or led a team project successfully.
11. Interpersonal Skills: Provide examples of using fact-finding skills, good judgment, persuasion, and collaboration with difficult individuals.
12. Planning and Organization/Time Management: Explain how you prioritize tasks, handle multiple assignments, and manage time effectively.
13. Teamwork: Describe situations where you collaborated with diverse personalities, handled upset customers/co-workers, and resolved disagreements within a team.
By preparing and practicing responses to these questions, job seekers can demonstrate their competencies and fit for the role effectively during interviews.
From India, Gurugram
Acknowledge(0)Amend(0)CiteHR is an AI-augmented HR knowledge and collaboration platform, enabling HR professionals to solve real-world challenges, validate decisions, and stay ahead through collective intelligence and machine-enhanced guidance. Join Our Platform.
Sample Behavioral Interview Questions.doc