2017 MSOE Career Guide

Behavioral interviewing is commonly used by most employers today. They can be difficult to answer if you haven’t prepared yourself for them. So what are behavioral questions?  They are questions that usually start with “Tell me about a time when… or describe a situation… or how would you handle…?”  You have the opportunity to share the skills you have used in the past to be successful in various situations.  The premise behind “Behavioral Interviewing” is that past experiences, behavior, and success can help predict future behavior and success.

Past Behavior

Future Behavior

Past Successes

Future Successes

 A good way to answer these types of questions is to remember the STAR method:

S ituation: Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. You must describe a specific event or situation. T ask: Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand. This situation can be from a previous job, a volunteer experience, or any relevant event. A ction: Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you are discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did to contribute to the project. Don’t tell what you might do, tell what you did.

R esults:

What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you achieve and/or learn?

Get your stories ready and practice telling what makes you a ‘ STAR ’ candidate for the position.

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