Describing your past behaviours
Tell me about a time when you... or Describe a situation where you...
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Delegated a project or job effectively
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Adapted to a new and difficult situation
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Had to make an unpopular decision
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Handled a difficult situation with a co-worker
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Made a bad decision
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Overcame what seemed to be an insurmountable obstacle
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Persuaded others to follow your suggestion
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Showed creativity in solving a problem
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Were disappointed by the way you handled a situation
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Worked effectively under pressure
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Anticipated potential problems and developed preventative measures
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Had to deal with an irate customer
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Prioritized the elements of a complicated project
These are called behavioural interview questions and the interview is looking to your past behaviour to be an indicator of future behaviour and how you might act in a similar situation in the available position. Or you may be asked similar role playing questions in future format asking you what you think you might do in a certain situation.
When answering this type of question, be sure to:
Describe the situation.
Describe how you reacted in the situation or how you might go about working in the given situation.
Describe the end result of your action and the resolution of the situation.
To determine which types of situations they may ask you to describe so you can practice and think of examples, take the skills or tasks you think are required for the position or those that are listed in the job posting.
These are a few more …..
A fellow employee told you what his/her salary is and wants to know yours. How would you react and what would you do? (situational)
Describe a conflict with an employee and how you handled it.
Describe a complex problem you solved.
Describe a work situation in which you were not proud of your performance. What did you learn from this mistake?
Describe an important goal you have set and tell me how you reached it.
Describe how you have been able to apply something you learned from your degree program to a real-life or work-related situation.
Describe a (recent) project in which you failed? What did you learn from this?
Describe a (recent) situation in which you asked for advice?
Describe a (recent) situation in which you asked for help?
Describe a (recent) situation in which it took several tries or approaches before you were able to figure out what was going on.
Describe a (recent) situation in which you had to quickly establish your credibility and gain the confidence of others. What did you do ?
Describe a (recent) situation when you didn't know who you needed to speak with in an organization too get something done. What did you do ?
Describe a (recent) situation when you were able to identify a conflict between two individuals and were instrumental in the solution to that conflict. (skills)
Describe a (recent) situation when you worked in a team environment.