If you’re looking for a new role or thinking about changing your job, it’s time to practice your interviewing skills. But don’t expect you’ll always have a traditional interview. Below, our recruiters are sharing some insights to ace a Behavioral Based Interview.
Recruiters and employers, nowadays, increasingly use behavior-based interviews (BBIs) to assess candidates based on their past behavior.
In a BBI, you’re asked to provide past examples where you demonstrated certain skills, knowledge, behavior, and abilities. Also known as competency interviews, BBIs are gaining popularity.
1 – Be clear and concise with your communication, yet specific. A way to navigate this is through the STAR/CAR format. Not only do you need to be concise with your communication, but you need to maintain a high level of engagement. This can come through in your tone, eye contact, smile and posture.
STAR:
- Situation: Set the scene and give the necessary details of your example.
- Task: Describe what your responsibility was in that situation.
- Action: Explain exactly what steps you took to address it.
- Result: Share what outcomes your actions achieved.
CAR:
- Context: Describe the situation and explain a relevant example from your past
- Action: What steps did you take to solve the problem or deliver results?
- Result: What was the outcome of your action? Offer specific facts relating to the result of the situation.
This technique is the best way to structure your answers for the interviewer. Practice this by writing down examples.
2 – Do your research. Research the company and read the job description carefully in advance. Make a list of the top skills required for the role and prepare a story that demonstrates your competency in those skills. Weave in knowledge of the company and culture into your answers. We look for candidates who demonstrate a high level of business acumen and thoroughly understand Gartner’s business model.
3 – Create a narrative of your past experiences. It’s up to you to explain how your past experiences fit together and provide you with the competencies for this role. Spend time thinking back to unique situations you’ve experienced in your career that translate into how your experience makes you a great fit for the company and the role. Focus on your key strengths to make your answers compelling. Remember, the recruiter’s evaluation of your past behavior can only be as good as the level of relevant detail you share.
Give focused examples that translate how your experience makes you a great fit for the company and the role. Use the Power of 3 – three action steps that you took to get to the result. Be specific in your story telling (don’t use vague language such as ‘this, they, did that, etc.) You should also focus on your key strengths to make your answers compelling.
4 – Demonstrate results. Detail how you reached successful outcomes, and quantify the results wherever possible. Be prepared to explain unsuccessful outcomes as well. How did you handle those situations? What could you have done differently? When evaluating results, we look for drive and passion; candidates who are uncompromising in their efforts to achieve their goals. We also try to evaluate if the individual is a quick learner: do you maximize on the feedback you receive to achieve high quality results?
5 – Ask questions. Remember, you are interviewing the hiring manager as well. Your questions help you understand if the position is right for you and show the hiring manager that you are curious about and interested in the role. Ask about something that was brought up during the conversation or something that you want to know about the company or the team. Smile, bring energy and be yourself!
