What is behavior-based interviewing?

The most prevalent interviewing style, behavior-based, requires candidates to draw upon past experiences to demonstrate knowledge or skill in a specific area. Potential employers will pre-determine the primary skills needed to successfully perform in a role, and then ask pointed questions to determine if a candidate has the necessary skills.

The logic behind this technique is that past behaviors are the best indicators of your future performance. Behavioral questions begin with “Tell me about a time when…” and focus on assessing business competencies such as (but not limited to) leadership, strategic thinking, analytical skills, and creativity.

Although candidates elect to improvise these stories during an interview, we would caution against this approach as unplanned examples tend to lack structure and focus. The ability to develop powerful and concise stories that will highlight your capabilities takes time and practice. To achieve optimal results, we recommend that you utilize the following technique to assist in structuring your examples.

In this section you'll learn about: