Behavioural / Competency Based Interviews & S.T.A.R Statements

Most interviews these days will also include behavioral or competency-based questions.

In behavior-based interviews, you will be asked to give specific examples of when you demonstrated particular behaviors or skills. The employer will not be looking for general answers about behavior – you must describe in detail a particular event, project or experience, how you dealt with the situation and what the outcome was.

The "S.T.A.R." technique is a good approach to responding to these types of questions: Describe the Situation you were in or the Task you needed to accomplish; describe the Action you took, and the Result.

A) CREATING & USING EFFECTIVE S.T.A.R STATEMENTS

Employers are more interested in what you can achieve for them, than the skills you possess. The interviewer will try to establish what benefits you will bring to the company, and where your benefits might be greater than those of other candidates.

Therefore, when giving examples... use the S.T.A.R. Statement format:

1. S – Situation
2. T – Task
3. A – Action
4. R – Result

S.T.A.R. represents 3 ways to begin to demonstrate your achievements, or in other words how your key skills are applied in work. Your STAR examples should illustrate your depth of knowledge, level of ability and value for each key skill.

If you only decide to take any one single action after reading this, it should be to identify and write out at least 6 to 8 detailed personal S.T.A.R statements!!!

  • Situation: give an example of a situation you were involved in that resulted in a positive outcome
  • Task: describe the tasks involved in that situation

For the above, be very specific and give details, but keep it short and concise. Throughout your interview you'll want to make many S.T.A.R. Statements when using "FOR EXAMPLE."

  • Action: talk about the various actions involved in the situation’s task

For the above, 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 - not the efforts of the team. Don't tell what you MIGHT do, or WOULD do - tell what you DID do. Also try to incorporate Behavioural Competency keywords into the description of your action.

  • Results: what results directly followed because of your actions

In terms of Results, describe what you achieved. What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you learn? How did it make people feel? How did you feel? How did your boss feel? How much time and money did you save?

Take the time to develop and practice your S.T.A.R. Statements! You'll want to have AT LEAST 6 to 8 S.T.A.R. Statements at the tip of your tongue when you go into an interview. Create S.T.A.R. Statements from the jobs on your resume that you want to bring attention to. As you use the statements as examples, your interviewer will become familiar with the various positions you have held, and will get a good idea of your track record of success in those various positions.

B) BEHAVIOURAL / COMPETENCY BASED INTERVIEWING

Even if an employer has not told you that you will be involved in a "Behavioural," "Behaviour-Based," or "Situational" Interview, you are still likely to face "Behavioural Interview" style questions.

Traditional Interview questions ask you basic questions such as "Tell me a little bit about yourself." The process of Behavioural Interviewing is much more challenging. They will ask you about situations and try to pick your answers to see if your behaviours match up with the desirable Behavioural Competencies they are looking for.

They are trying to make a prediction of your future success by understanding how you have handled situations in the past. In a traditional interview, you can usually get away with somewhat vague, general answers - or just tell the interviewer what you think he or she wants to hear.

In a Behavioural Interview, on the other hand, they're going to be asking you for very specific examples. Be prepared to be asked for details, including names of people, dates, and outcomes. They'll ask you about lengthy projects you've been involved in - how your role evolved, how you handled deadlines, pressures and difficult personalities, how you went about thinking through problems, and how you determined what steps to take, and in what order. When you give examples from your work experience, the Behavioural Interviewer is going to probe you to try to understand how you think. The questions will start with "Tell about a time ..." or "Describe a situation ..." and then you might be encouraged to elaborate further with questions like "So what were you thinking at that point?" or "What was your decision making process?" or "Tell me how the meeting went with that Manager."

Remember, the core Characteristics /Competencies your future employers will be looking for are:

  • Courage / Persuasion
  • Beliefs / Ethics
  • Commitment
  • Work Orientation / Stamina
  • Interpersonal Skills / Charm
  • Discipline
  • Competitiveness
  • Focus
  • Big Picture Thinking

Additionally, they will be examining your critical thinking skills, willingness to learn, willingness to travel, willingness to sacrifice, self-confidence, team work habits, professionalism, energy, decisiveness, sensitivity, tenacity, work standards, risk-taking orientation, and more.

The following are a small selection of competency-based interview questions:

Interpersonal Skills

  • Tell me about a time when you worked with someone who had a different working style than you. Describe your styles and how they were different. How did you handle the situation?
  • Tell about a job in which working relationships were key to your success. How did you build the relationships you needed?

Negotiation and Conflict Management

  • Tell me about the toughest negotiation you've been in. Why was it so tough? How did you deal with it? What was the outcome?
  • Tell me about the last significant conflict that you needed to deal with. How long did the conflict continue? How was it resolved?

Strategic Thinking

  • Tell me about one of the most important business problems that you are currently facing. Why is it important? Why is it a problem? What are you doing about it?
  • What is the key business issue facing your group in the next ___ months?

Decision Making

  • Describe the worst decision you’ve made in the last 2 years. Why do you think the decision was poor? How would you handle it differently now?
  • Tell me about a decision you didn’t make and/or delayed or avoided making?

Team focus

  • Tell me about a time when you worked successfully as a member of a team.
  • Tell me of a situation in which you were a member of a team, and a conflict arose within the team. What did you do?

Developing People

  • Tell me about one of the most high-potential people you've had an opportunity to work with. What did you do to support the person's development?
  • Describe a time when you had to deliver tough feedback. How did you plan for it?
  • What did you do? What was the result?

These questions are just examples of hundreds of competency-based questions you could be asked at an interview.

It can be quite difficult to prepare for Behavioural Interview Questions because of the huge range of possible situational questions you might be asked. The best way to prepare is to arm yourself with lots of example stories that can be adapted to many Behavioural Questions. This is where those S.T.A.R. Statements become very useful! Just prepare and stay positive!


ONCE AGAIN –IF YOU ONLY DECIDE TO TAKE ANY ONE SINGLE ACTION AFTER READING THIS, IT SHOULD BE TO IDENTIFY AND WRITE OUT AT LEAST 6 TO 8 DETAILED PERSONAL S.T.A.R STATEMENTS!

MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THEM BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS IN GREAT DETAIL!

Use examples from several different jobs. Also consider using examples from community service, hobbies, or other areas that you think will be relevant to the job at hand. Use examples of any accomplishments, or awards you might have received, and try to QUANTIFY your results. Be specific about numbers, dates and durations!

Keep in mind that many Behavioural Interview questions are related to stressful or negative situations – you’ll need to be ready with examples of negative, difficult experiences, but try to choose negative experiences that had a positive outcome.

In order to prepare:-

1) Write down six to eight example situations from your past experience where you demonstrated desirable behaviours and skills that employers look for. What was the Situation? What Action did you take? What was the Result? Add as much detail as
possible. Edit and rewrite your examples. This is your Arsenal! Take the time to make it strong. You want to get hired, don't you?

2) Don't be bashful - think of examples that highlight your strongest skills.

3) Half of your accomplishment statements should be totally positive, such as large achievements or accomplishments. The other half should be situations that started out negatively but ended positively.

4) Have some variation in your examples. Don't take them all from just one job. Don't make them all relevant to just one theme.

5) Use fairly recent examples, if you can.

6) In the interview, listen carefully to each question. Pause, and then choose an example story. If you practice, you can learn to tailor a relatively small set of 6 to 8 examples to respond to almost any type of question.

For Example:

Situation: - I was working as Project Manager for an IT Company:

Task: - I was responsible implementing a research project for a new product development group.

Action:   - I developed a team of researchers, conducted research, wrote survey reports, and chaired focus groups.

Result: - All goals and requirements established by the customer were met and product was abandoned saving the company £750k.

 
When you are finished, go back to each job and think about the things you may have done above and beyond the call of duty:

  • What did you contribute to each of your jobs?
  • Did you exceed sales quotas each month?
  • Did you save the company money?
  • Did you solve a problem?
  • Did you develop a new procedure?
  • Did you promote a new product?
  • Did you expand business or attract / retain customers?
  • Did you improve the company's image or build new relationships?
  • Did you improve the quality of a product?
  • Did you do something that made the company more competitive?

Convince your employer that you will be able to generate a significant return on their investment in you. You are selling yourself so stress the benefit and contribution you can make to your prospective employer.

 C) INTERVIEW “DON’Ts"

Important Advice to avoid at your peril!!

  • Don't take your accomplishments for granted. No matter how small, or how few, your accomplishments are important. Package them and position them so that they demonstrate your desirable Behavioural Competencies and show that you will be successful at your new job. Don’t forget to make your accomplishments measurable in terms of saving time and money, or making your colleagues, clients, and superiors feel more secure, respected and admired.
  • Don't be too modest. Job interviews are not the time to be modest. By all means, don't be cocky or overbearing, but DO make flat out statements like "Based on my skills, and experience with "X," I really do think that I would be a great addition to your team." If anywhere, the job interview is the right time and place to toot your own horn.
  • Don't be constrained by official job descriptions. Your role and responsibilities are often more than your past or future "official titles" may indicate. Think of yourself as equally as important as the Vice President or CEO within your sphere of influence. If you think of yourself as an important person who has a job to do, then others will think of you in the same way. Indicate that you are willing to take on tasks outside the official job description as necessary and appropriate.
  • Never volunteer any negative information about yourself.
  • Don't testify against yourself. If asked your greatest weakness, reply with a weakness you have conquered, or tell the interviewer about a weakness that may actually indicate strength, like "sometimes I get impatient with teammates who are not as organized as I am." Don't ever describe any job requirement or task that you did not like.
  • Don't criticize your former boss or employer. Talking negatively about past jobs, bosses, colleagues or clients never pays off – in interviews and life in general. It is better to be a person who does not gossip about other people.
  • Don't ever lie. Don't be dishonest in an interview. It will come back around and get you. You can, however (within reason) exaggerate, omit, be ambiguous if necessary, and talk in superlatives. You are trying to sell yourself, after all. Advertisers have no qualms about making strong claims about their product or service. Do the same for yourself. Put your best foot forward and pump yourself up – but never lie.
  • Don't inquire about salary, holidays, or other benefits until after you've received an offer, or when you are close to the offer stage. It makes sense that you should build your own perceived value as high as you can before you ask for the money. You will be able to price yourself higher this way. However, you must be prepared for a question about your salary requirements. Some interviewers may even ask this up front. Go into every interview with an idea of the probable salary range for the position. Be prepared with an understanding of the market rate for the type of position you are interviewing for. If the subject of salary is brought up and you must address it, then ask for the highest number. ALWAYS ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT, or you won't get it. You will regret low-balling yourself, so ask for the high number, but make sure it is within the right range so you don't appear stupid or greedy – or price yourself out of the job.
  • Don't feel pressured to answer every question. Sometimes the best answer is "I don't know." If you don't know the answer, say so. You can't know everything. Use times like these as an opportunity to demonstrate your willingness to learn. By all means, do not try to make up a story about something that you know nothing about. Change the subject or answer with a different S.T.A.R. story if applicable.

Besides these bullet points, just use common sense. Dress and groom appropriately, don’t be late, bring a copy of your CV, don't smell like smoke or food, get a good night's sleep, eat the right meal at the right time, be polite, be relaxed, don't talk about politics or religion, don't stress out excessively, and most importantly – work with this
Guide and PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! You are going to ace it!

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