Interviewing Guide

SUNY Westchester Community College  Career Services Interview Guidelines 2017-2019 32 BEHAVIORBASED INTERVIEWING STRATEGIES Behavior based interviewing is a commonly used strategy in interviewing today. You should expect andbe prepared for behavior basedquestions. The premise behindbehavior based interviews is that a candidate’s past experiences andbehaviors can predict future behavior. Companies predetermine skill sets for particular positions. These sets could include: Decisionmaking andproblemsolving Leadership Motivation Communication and interpersonal skills Planning andorganization Critical thinking Teambuilding The ability to influence others Interviewers formulate structuredquestions that will determine if a candidate has those qualities. Questions usuallybegin like this- “tell me about a time…or describe a situation…or howwould you handle”… Since younowknowthe importance of preparing for the interview, be sure toprepare answers to behavior basedquestions. Of course, researching the organization and knowing the skills/background they seek, will help. Start by collecting a small list of “stories” that couldbe adapted to behavior basedquestions. Use examples fromcollege classes/projects, internships, PT/FT jobs, extracurricular activities, community service or hobbies. Agood technique to handling behavior basedquestions is describedon theQuintessential Careers website (www.quintcareers.com) . The STAR technique is outlinedbelow. Situation or Task Describe the situation that you were in or the task that you needed to accomplish. You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you have done in the past. Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand. This situation can be from a previous job, from a volunteer experience, or any relevant event. Action you took Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you are discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did -- not the efforts of the team. Don't tell what you might do, tell what you did. Results you achieved What happened? How did the event end? What did you accomplish? What did you learn?