Behavioral And Situational Interviews

You need to be prepared to handle two types of questioning formats that are commonly used:

1.   Behavioral Interviews focus on how you have handled situations or problems in the past that you can expect to encounter in the new job.  For example, if meeting deadlines is required, you might be asked, “Give me an example of a time when you had to meet a tight deadline while handling constant interruptions.”  Your response should include specific information about a similar situation or problem you’ve encountered, the action you took, and the outcome of your action.  Your examples can come from paid experience, volunteer activities, school projects, or responsibilities at home. 

2.   Situational Interviews are similar to behavioral interviews, but questions are future-oriented and are framed as “What would you do if . . .”   Occasionally, situational interviews require completing a task related to the job to help the employer gauge your performance if you were hired, such as typing a report, driving in adverse weather, or prioritizing items in an in-box.