Sometimes workers can perform very differently from what they said in the interview. Behavioral interview questions are designed for recruiters to avoid hiring the wrong people.

During the pre-employment process, interviewing candidates can be very frustrating. It’s not a secret that applicants predict the question and prepare a ‘model answer.’ Some candidates can even be very convincing and fake their way through the interview.

In light of this pattern, it was necessary to use behavioral interview questions. Indeed explains that asking behavioral questions during an interview can help the hiring manager assess the applicant’s actions and reactions in a specific situation.

This method is also known as the STAR technique: the Situation in which a problem occurs, the applicant’s Task in that situation, the applicant’s Action in response to that problem, and the Result of the applicant’s action.

Asking behavioral questions to the applicant is like asking them to tell a story about themselves, DDI states. It benefits all sides; the hiring manager can get to know how a candidate behaves and draw a better conclusion about their skills. On the other hand, the candidate will have a chance to flaunt what they have achieved in their previous job.

These questions will surprise you with informations you receive from the candidates.

“Tell me about the time you had a conflict with someone within the organization.”

Sometimes internal conflict is inevitable because there are many people with different cultures and behaviors in a workplace. The candidate’s answer to this question can evaluate their conflict management and resolution skills. It’s also a good question to find out how the candidate values their colleagues despite different opinions.

“Tell me about your experience in working on a challenging team project.”

This question evaluates the candidate’s teamwork and communication skills. To work in a company means the candidate will have to work with many different people, and it can be a problem if they cannot adapt well. Someone who handles a challenging team project well, even though the project isn’t a success, is always worth recruiting.

“Give me an example of a time you made a mistake at work.”

Even the most brilliant workers can make a mistake. However, recruiting someone who doesn’t admit their wrongdoing and learns from it will be useless for your team. Through this question, you can learn about the candidate’s integrity and resolution skills. It gives an insight into how well they handle an unfamiliar and unpleasant situation.

“Have you ever made a necessary decision but nobody liked it? How do you handle it?”

As the question implies, this is a way to find out how the applicant implemented an unpopular-but-necessary policy for the whole team. This is a crucial question for someone applying for a decision-making role. Because management struggles to benefit everyone in the office, and it is not easy to do so.

“Do you prefer working alone or with others?”

No matter what the business type is, this is a popular question to ask a candidate. This is the simplest way to find out whether the applicant fits the company’s culture or not. Besides, it’s always helpful to know whether the person is a team player and can work with minimal supervision at the same time.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, a company doesn’t only seek candidates with exceptional skills,  but more importantly, it needs to be complemented by a good work ethic. To find the most suitable person to join the team, companies can use behavioral interview questions. However, it’s easy to stray from the topic during a behavioral interview. Make sure all the questions were unbiased and within professional boundaries.

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