Behavioral Interview Questions

1. Describe a time when you were faced with problems or stresses at work that tested your coping skills. What did you do?
2. Give an example of a time when you had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision.
3. Give an example of an important goal you had to set and tell me about your progress in reaching that goal.
4. Describe the most creative work-related project you have completed.
5. Give an example of a problem you faced on the job, and tell how you solved it.
6. Tell about a situation in the past year in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or co-worker.
7. Give an example of when you had to show good leadership.
8. Give an example of a time when you had to keep from speaking or making a decision because you did not have enough information.
9. Give an example of a time when you had to be quick in coming to a decision.
10. What is the toughest group that you have had to get cooperation from?
11. Have you ever had difficulty getting others to accept your ideas? What was your approach? Did it work?
12. Give an example of a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty.
13. Describe a situation when you were able to have a positive influence on the actions of others.
14. Tell about a situation when you had to speak up (be assertive) in order to get a point across that was important to you.
15. Have you ever had to "sell" an idea to your co-workers or group? How did you do it? Did they "buy" it?
16. What have you done in the past to contribute toward a teamwork environment?
17. Describe a recent unpopular decision you made and what the result was.
18. How do you decide what gets top priority when scheduling your time?
19. What do you do when your schedule is suddenly interrupted? Give an example.
20. Give a specific example of a policy you conformed to with which you did not agree.
21. Give me an example of an important goal which you had set in the past and tell me about your success in reaching it.
22. Describe an instance when you had to think on your feet to extricate yourself from a difficult situation.
23. Sometimes it's easy to get in "over your head". Describe a situation where you had to request help or assistance on a project or assignment.
24. Give an example of how you applied knowledge from previous coursework to a project in another class.
25. Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?
26. Describe a situation in which you found that your results were not up to your professor's or supervisor's expectations. What happened? What action did you take?
27. Tell of a time when you worked with a colleague who was not completing their share of the work.
28. Who, if anyone, did you tell or talk to about it? Did the manager take any steps to correct your colleague? Did you agree or disagree with the manager's actions?
29. Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or guide others to a compromise.
30. What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision?
31. We can sometimes identify a small problem and fix it before it becomes a major problem. Give an example(s) of how you have done this.
32. Describe a situation in which you had to collect information by asking many questions of several people.
33. In a supervisory or group leader role, have you ever had to discipline or counsel an employee or group member? What was the nature of the discipline? What steps did you take? How did that make you feel? How did you prepare yourself?
34. Recall a time from your work experience when your manager or supervisor was unavailable and a problem arose. What was the nature of the problem? How did you handle that situation? How did that make you feel?
35. Recall a time when you were assigned what you considered to be a complex project. Specifically, what steps did you take to prepare for and finish the project? Were you happy with the outcome? What one step would you have done differently if given the chance?
36. What was the most complex assignment you have had? What was your role?
37. How was your transition from high school to college? Did you face any particular problems?
38. Tell of some situations in which you have had to adjust quickly to changes over which you had no control. What was the impact of the change on you?
39. Compare and contrast the times when you did work which was above the standard with times your work was below the standard.
40. Describe some times when you were not very satisfied or pleased with your performance. What did you do about it?
41. What are your standards of success in school? What have you done to meet these standards?
42. How have you differed from your professors in evaluating your performance? How did you handle the situation?
43. Give examples of your experiences at school or in a job that were satisfying. Give examples of your experiences that were dissatisfying.
44. What kind of supervisor do you work best for? Provide examples.
45. Describe some projects or ideas (not necessarily your own) that were implemented, or carried out successfully primarily because of your efforts.
46. Describe a situation that required a number of things to be done at the same time. How did you handle it? What was the result?
47. Have you found any ways to make school or a job easier or more rewarding?
48. How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time? Give examples.
49. Describe a time in school when you had many projects or assignments due at the same time. What steps did you take to get them all done?
50. Tell of a time when your active listening skills really paid off for you-maybe a time when other people missed the key idea being expressed.
51. What has been your experience in giving presentations to small or large groups? What has been your most successful experience in speech making?
52. Tell of the most difficult customer service experience that you have ever had to handle-perhaps an angry or irate customer. Be specific and tell what you did and the outcome.
53. Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. Why was this person difficult? How did you handle that person?
54. Describe a situation where you found yourself dealing with someone who didn't like you. How did you handle it?
55. Tell me about a time when you displayed excellent customer service?
56. What has given you the greatest sense of achievement at work? Why?
57. All jobs have frustrations, can you describe some examples of your job which frustrate you?
58. What standards have you set for yourself in your current position? How well have you done about meeting these standards?
59. Tell about 3 situations in which you did not succeed and explain why.
60. Have you ever introduced a new idea? Can you describe what it covered, the steps you took to implement it and why you saw the need to introduce it?
61. Tell about a time when you were confronted with an unexpected problem? How did you deal with it? What happened?
62. Tell about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in getting a job done.
63. Give an example when you were able to successfully communicate to another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or visa-versa).
64. Tell about a time when you dealt with a difficult person? How did you handle it and what happened?
65. Give an example of a deadline you have had to meet?
66. Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.
67. Describe an instance when you had to think on your feet to extricate yourself from a difficult situation.
68. Give a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
69. By providing examples, convince me that you can adapt to a wide variety of people, situations, and environments.
70. Tell about a time in which you had to use your written communication skills in order to get an important point across.
71. Give a specific occasion in which you conformed to a policy with which you did not agree.
72. Give an example of an important goal that you had set in the past and tell me your success in reaching it.
73. Describe the most significant or creative presentation that you have had to compose.
74. Has there been a time when you improved a process? What was it? How did you go about making the changes (step by step)? Answer in depth or detail such as "What were you thinking at that point?" or "Tell me more about meeting with that person", or "Lead me through your decision process".
75. How have you demonstrated initiative?
76. How have you motivated yourself to complete an assignment or task that you did not want to do?
77. Think about a difficult boss, professor or other person. What made him or her difficult? How did you successfully interact with this person?
78. Think about a complex project or assignment that you have been assigned. What approach did you take to complete it?
79. Tell about the riskiest decision you have made.
80. Tell about an occasion where you needed to work with a group to get a job done?
81. Describe when you, or a group that you were a part of, were in danger of missing a deadline. What did you do?
82. Tell about a time when you worked with a person who did things very differently from you. How did you get the job done?
83. Describe your three greatest accomplishments to date.
84. Tell about a situation when you had to learn something new in a short time. How did you proceed?
85. Tell about a complex problem that you solved? Describe the process you utilized.
86. Describe a challenge that you successfully met.
87. Walk through a situation where you had to do research and analyze the results for one of your classes.
88. What leadership positions have you held? Describe your leadership style.
89. Have you generated any new ideas or suggestions while at school or at work?
90. Summarize a situation where you successfully persuaded others to do something or to see your point of view.
91. Give an example of when your persistence had the biggest payoff.
92. Describe a situation where class assignments and work or personal activities conflicted. How did you prioritize? How did you manage your time? What was the outcome?
93. How have you most constructively dealt with disappointment and turned it into a learning experience?
94. Describe a situation in which you effectively developed a solution to a problem by combining different perspectives or approaches.
95. Give an example of how you reached a practical business decision using an organized review of the facts and weighing all options.
96. Tell about a business problem you have had to solve. How did you get started? Who else was involved? How large was the team? What was your specific role in the process? What was the solution you arrived at and why?
97. Describe a recent success you have had in dealing with a customer. How did you accomplish it?
98. Tell about the most difficult client (or manager, or user) you have ever dealt with. Describe the relationship and how you handled it. What would that client say about you now? Would you handle things differently if faced with a similar situation in the future?
99. When you start a project, what kind of detail do you want and need from the boss, and what do you supply on your own?
100. Think of a project during which you had to gather information from others. How did you determine who you would ask for the information? What process did you use to collect the information? What were the results?
101. Give an example of something you started and finished at work that was all yours and that you did with little or no urging or help from others.
102. Describe a time when you thought of a way to better handle your daily tasks or improve your group's procedures. What did you do to overcome any resistance you encountered? Was the improvement implemented? What were the results?
103. To what extent do you like to stay busy at your job, and what do you do when things are not so busy?
104. What type of environment do you work best in and why? What motivates you?
105. Give me an example of report writing or preparation of memos that illustrates the extent of your written communication skills.
     

Sources:
Virginia Tech Career Services
University of Wisconsin-Stout Career Services website
Careerfair.com
Infoworld.com
Hotsalesjobs.com
State University of New York College at Brockport

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