Behavioral questions. You’ve heard about them. You might’ve even been asked a few of them in your past job interviews, without necessarily knowing what they were. Behavioral questions are becoming increasingly favored by hiring managers and interviewers—to the extent that they’re nearly as common as the ubiquitous, initial “tell me about yourself” query that kicks off most interviews.
Since you’re likely (I’ll even go out on a limb and say very likely) to encounter a behavioral question or two in your next job interview, let’s examine what they are, why they’re popular and useful to interviewers, and how best to respond to them. Here we go…
What’s a behavioral question?
Simply put, a behavioral question is what’s sometimes called an “open-ended question,” meaning that the question can’t be answered with a simple “yes” or “no” and must be elaborated upon. However, it’s an open-ended question with an extra twist. Not only does a behavioral question require that you answer with more than one or two words, but a behavioral question is also designed to investigate, evaluate, and analyze your past behavior to make a prediction about your future behavior in a similar situation. Sound a bit clinical? Well, it is. This practice comes straight out of behavioral psychology (I’m a behavioral psychologist, so this is directly within my wheelhouse), and it's actually a very valuable component of a comprehensive interview.
Here’s a universal truth: the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. And thus, a behavioral question is an excellent way for an interviewer to check you out, above and beyond what’s on your resume, to determine whether you’ve got what it takes to do the job you’re applying for.
What the heck is the STAR method for answering behavioral questions?
You’ve probably already heard that acronym. I’m not a huge fan of acronyms in general, but this one might prove beneficial if you tend to get nervous and forgetful in job interviews. STAR stands for “situation, task, action, and results.” Basically, it’s a simple format or framework by which you can create a narrative about something you accomplished in a former job. Let’s break it down:
Situation: You describe a past work situation, and “set the scene,” as if you are beginning a story. Think of it as the “once upon a time” component. Here’s an example:
One time, I was working in the costume jewelry department at Macy’s over the holiday season. Three people called in sick in my department on a busy Saturday—and there were only five of us in our department to begin with. We were missing 60% of our workforce on our busiest day of the year!
(It’s OK to add a tiny bit of drama and suspense here. In fact, it’s a good idea, because it’ll make your story more memorable. Just don’t overdo it—unless you’re applying for a position at the local melodrama theatre!)
Task: Next, you describe the task you were challenged to handle. You do this by adding to the narrative you began in the “situation” portion of your story. We’ll continue with the same example:
I realized that two of us couldn’t possibly handle hundreds of holiday customers, and I needed to come up with a solution before the doors opened at 10am.
(This is a real cliff-hanger of a story! You want your interviewer to be thinking, “Wow—and what happened next?”)
Action: And now, you describe whatever action or actions you took to solve the problem. Example:
I found the floor manager and described our predicament. I asked whether she had anyone who was assigned to “float” among departments that day. She had two people floating, and one of them had even worked in costume jewelry a few months back! I explained that this was the busiest Saturday of the year for our department, and I also pointed out that the costume jewelry department was by far the busiest department on the first floor. I asked whether she could possibly send the floater—the one with costume jewelry experience—to our department to help us out. And guess what? She agreed! And she assigned the floater to our department for our entire shift.
(Nice! You look like you can take charge, think for yourself, and solve problems.)
Results: Finally, you describe the results or outcome of the action you took and how your quick thinking “saved the day.” (Humbly, of course!) Our story concludes:
So, before the store even opened, I was able to welcome the extra team member, orient her to the awesome sales we were having, and show her how to invite customers to take advantage of our “today only, free giftwrapping” deal. We ended up serving all our customers in a timely fashion, working our entire shift without any problems or complaints, and we even met our sales goals for the day.
(Yay! You brought it home with a happy ending. Mission accomplished.)
Great story, huh? OK, but what if you suddenly forget what STAR stands for? Trust me, it happens. Then you simply remember what your high school English teacher taught you: tell your story by applying the “five w’s and an h” method. Using “who, what, when, where, why and how” will also produce a skillful answer to your behavioral question.
How can I tell when I’m being asked a behavioral question?
Simple. The interviewer is most likely going to use one of two phrases (or a close variation). You’re going to hear, “Tell me about a time when,” or “Give me an example of.” There’s your cue! Jump right into the story you’ve prepared for this exact moment—the one that highlights your ability to solve problems, or think on your feet, or smooth the rumpled feathers of an angry customer.
Also, as we’ve already discussed, a behavioral question can’t be answered with a “yes” or “no,” so if you find yourself doing some detailed explaining in a job interview, you’re probably answering a behavioral question.
How long should my behavioral answer be?
It’s a “Goldilocks” sort of thing. You don’t want your story to be too short, or you’ll look like you don’t care enough about the interview to demonstrate adequate effort. However, yammer on and on (and on), and your interviewer will take a “mental vacation” and stop listening. Instead, you want the length of your story to be just right…
How do you accomplish this? With out-loud practice! Use the handy stopwatch feature on your mobile device and time yourself. Ideally, your story should run about one minute. You might get away with 90 seconds if you’re an expert storyteller and your story involves alien abduction or Hollywood celebrity intrigue, but let’s face it: most of us don’t have stories that are quite that exciting. Best to keep it short, and as they say on Broadway, “Leave ‘em wanting more.” (Your interviewer always has the option to ask follow-up questions.)
Let’s summarize.
First and foremost, you want your story to be on target—meaning, your story should illustrate exactly what the interviewer is attempting to learn about you. For this reason, it’s best to have several different narratives prepared for the interview, so that you can match the appropriate story to the question you’re being asked. Next, you want your story to have a logical structure, one that keeps you from rambling or adding extraneous details, which is why the STAR method is such a valuable tool. And finally, keep your story short. One minute is a good goal.
That’s it for today. If you have interviews coming up soon, good luck! Please keep in touch and let me know if you have any suggestions for future topics. Or just say hi! I would love to hear from you.
