Preparing for Behavioral Interviews

Because behavioral interviews are so very subjective and personal, there are an infinite number of questions and answers. Consequently, there are few "canned" answers that you can practice in advance. Answers must spontaneously come from within you, based on your personal experience. That's the whole idea. However, there are some preliminary steps you can take to prepare for behavioral interviews.

? Study your resume and cover letter. The skills, education, accomplishments, experience and other qualities you've listed will likely become fodder for behavioral interview questions.

? The job description too will likely become fodder for behavioral interview questions.

? Study the job description (e.g., from the job ad) and try to anticipate questions based on the skills, education, experience and other qualities it requires.

? Based on the above, create brief, true "stories" that highlight your competencies and other qualities. Focus on specific, work-related situations when you had to rely on your qualities to demonstrate desirable behaviors or actions, such as planning, problem solving, leadership, teamwork, initiative and customer care.

? Make sure each of your stories has a logical beginning, middle and end. A good "formula" to follow is Situation + Action = Result. For example, if you had a problem to resolve, say how you identified the problem, how you went about resolving it, and what the outcome was.

? Natch, you'll likely tend to favor only situations with positive results. That's good, because it's what interviewers typically want to hear. But, just in case an interviewer asks a question to the contrary, also prepare a story with a negative outcome if you have one to tell. But not too negative and try to put a positive spin on it, by explaining how well you coped, kept chipping away at it despite obstacles, and so on.

? Be specific and detailed, and prepare examples if appropriate. Even if an interviewer doesn't ask about something you've "rehearsed," your story-crafting practice will still help you to better answer any behavioral interview question.