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Your Dream Job Can Hinge On How Well You Answer Behavioral Interview Questions

By Stephanie Fisher


Nobody likes job interviews. They can be almost as stressful as tax audits. One of the primary keys to successful interviewing seems to be preparation. You need to know as much about the company and what they are looking for in an employee as possible. Behavioral interview questions have become commonplace. You can ace these interviews if you plan ahead.

There are certain subjects you expect every interviewer to quiz you about. One of them involves stress. Saying that you're immune to stress is a lie, and the interviewer will know it. It is much better to admit that you get stressed just like everybody else, and then relate an experience that illustrates how well you handle it. Explaining that you try to learn something from every experience and how it can make you a more productive employee will be effective.

Interviewers like to ask about the ways you address workplace challenges. The answer you give should incorporate aspects of the job you're applying for. For instance, if you're interviewing for a position where challenges need to be methodical and measured, you will answer one way. If the position is best filled by someone who plunges right in and takes a chance, you will answer another way.

Inevitably you will be asked what you do when you make mistakes in your professional life. You can't deny you've made mistakes, but you don't want to dwell on negatives either. The interviewer wants to understand where you are weak and how that affects you. Instead of making your narrative about the mistake, you can make it primarily about what you learned and how it improved your effectiveness with the company.

A lot of younger prospective employees are asked what their goals are and what they are doing to achieve them. Interviewers want to know how ambitious you are and what your plan is to get ahead. You could show that your goals align with the position they are filling and how you believe this company will play an integral part in your success.

You may be asked a question about working with others. In this case, the interviewer wants to get a sense of whether or not you are a team player and can get along with supervisors and co-workers. You need to emphasize the skill sets you have, like communicating, delegating, listening, and acknowledging the accomplishments of others. You don't have to restrict yourself to a work related experience. Club, classroom, or volunteer projects will work just as well.

If you're asked about problems you have faced in the workplace, and how you dealt with them, the interviewer doesn't want to hear about how awful your former boss was. You should describe a problem and how you successfully solved it. Your personal philosophy when it comes to dealing with difficult situations is usually appropriate here.

If you have to work, job interviews are probably going to be a fact of life. You will never look forward to them, but you can go in prepared. Over rehearsed responses to the questions you are asked won't impress the interviewer. You will have to practice hard enough to appear spontaneous.




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