Need urgent help : Behavior Based Interviews..

[system]

I got myself an interview for a co-op position in a Computers/IT field coming up soon. From previos co-ops ive heard the company does Behavior based interviews with nothing technical in there. They are basically looking to see if you are a team player or not with questions like “If one of your team members is uncooperative what would you do” (thats the only thing the out of breath current co-op told me before running off )

For those of you who have experience with such things, what kind of questions would the employer be looking for ? What kinda answers should i give them ? Any resources out there to help me prepare for such an interview ?(i have about 1 week left before the interview).

I have never ever given any interviews except for small college jobs, so this is undoubtidly a big thing for me and i`d be lying if i said im not nervous

Any and all help / advice will be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[lussi]

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[hmcq]

One of the things they want you do is frame your answer in a way that can be understood by them. For this you can use the STAR principle.

To be prepared for a behavioral interview you should:

· Identify the skills/abilities a company is looking for in a candidate (leadership, creativity, analytical skills, interpersonal skills, etc.). Talk with someone who interviewed with the company or works for them to get this information. It can also often be determined by reading the position listing or by visiting the corporate website to learn about the key attributes they seek.

· Prepare specific examples from your life history that support why you have each skill/ability using the STAR Approach.

S -Establish the Situation. Aspecific situation you encountered that relates to the question. Be sure to give a specific example, not a general statement. Do not include all the details, only use those that relate to the problem at hand. This overview will set up the rest of your answer.

T - Establish the Task.
The task to be completed to rectify the situation. This is a statement that you will use to summarize the action needed and the goals and objectives.

A - Describe the Action. Your plan of attack. What you did to handle the situation and why.

R Describe the Result.
What happened as a result of your action? For example, sales increased by 15%, customer complaints decreased by 20%. Always remember to conclude your answer with the result. Many forget this important piece of data when giving the interview response; however, this can be one of the most powerful portions of your answer.

R is the most important aspect of your answer so in general you would spend about 40-60% of your time here. Also to practice, think of typical questions that the person would ask (Such as tell me of a time when you had to covince your boss of plan of action) etc. Write them out along the STAR principles and keep them handy. that way you will have a couple of typical stories that you can alter to fit each of the unique questions they ask you.

[hmcq]

COMMUNICATION SKILLS
(Buzzwords: persuasive, articulate, professional, presentation)
! Tell me about a time when you had to present complex information to a customer or peer. How did you ensure that they understood what you were saying?

! Describe a situation of such importance that you felt it necessary to summarize the results of a conversation in a memorandum or letter?
! Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a difficult customer. What was the outcome?

! To what extent are you (have you been) involved in public speaking, debating or dramatic presentations?

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS
(Buzzwords: responsiveness, sensitivity, team-oriented)
! What was your most challenging personal encounter with someone? How did you deal with him/her?
! When working on a team project, have you ever had an experience where there was a strong disagreement among the team members? Was the situation resolved? What role did you play?
! Tell me about a time when a team you were involved in just could not get off the ground.
! How would you deal with the following factors in achieving objectives through others?
- People who place their own interests above that of the company.
- Building a team out of independent individualists.
- People who are working at cross-purposes.
- Overstepping of authority by a subordinate
SELF-MOTIVATION/INITIATIVE
(Buzzwords: self-starter, energy, and persistence)
! Tell me about a project you initiated. What prompted you to begin it?
! Can you relate some experiences in which you felt you gained something because you persisted over a length of time?
! Have you found a way to make your current job (or school workload) easier or more rewarding?
! Can you think of some projects or ideas that were sold, implemented, or carried out successfully primarily because of your efforts?
! All jobs have their frustrations and problems. Describe some examples of specific job conditions, tasks, or assignments that have been least satisfying to you. What did you do?

PROFESSIONAL PRESENCE/INITIAL IMPACT

(Buzzwords: confidence, poise, and appearance)
! What are the reasons for your success?
! What are your strengths/weaknesses?
! How would a friend or co-worker describe you?
! When I contact your former manager, what are they going to tell me about you?
! What do you think you do best?
LEADERSHIP ABILITY
(Buzzwords: guidance, motivation, and teamwork)
! Tell me about a time when you influenced the outcome of a project by taking a leadership role.

! Give me an example of a situation when you developed a high-morale working group.
! Who have you most respected for their leadership qualities? What are these specific qualities? Has there been a time when you tried to use this style?
! Give me an example of when you overcame a major obstacle and followed through to achieve your goal.
! Tell me about some of the toughest groups you’ve had to get cooperation from. Did you have any formal authority? What did you do?
! Give me an example of when you stepped in, took charge, and mustered support to achieve superior results.
CREATIVITY AND INNOVATION
(Buzzwords: enterprising, risk-taker, industrious)
! Can you think of a situation you had to handle in which old solutions didn’t work? What did you do to handle it?
! What are some of the most imaginative or innovative things you have done to make a sale?

! What are some of the most imaginative ways you have convinced someone to do something they initially didn’t want to do?
! Can you give me an example of any new ideas, approaches, innovations you’ve generated in your last position?
! How do you determine what constitutes top priorities in scheduling your time?
! How do you go about planning your day (week)?
! How do you keep track of items requiring your attention?
ANALYTICAL/PROBLEM SOLVING SKILLS
(Buzzwords: logic, judgment, cause-effect thinking)
! How do you gather information to analyze problems? Give me an example.
! What was the most challenging (work/technical) problem you ever encountered? What happened? What did you do?
! How would you describe yourself as a decision maker?
! Tell me about a time when you had to "think outside the box" to solve a problem.
! You have completed the job interview process and you have several job offers. Tell me how you are going to make your career decision.
! If you joined Company X and you were asked to move to (pick a city), tell me the process you would use to locate a residence.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS
(Buzzwords: coursework, achievement, grades/test scores)
! What parts of your coursework are most applicable to this position?

! Describe three significant achievements from your academic life.
! Why did you choose this academic institution?
! Give me an example of something you learned in class and how you applied it to a real-life problem situation.
! Tell me about the most complex situation you have dealt with in business school.
PERSONAL STYLE QUESTIONS
! Tell me about yourself.
! What are three distinguishing points about yourself?
! Why did you choose to go to Notre Dame?
! What do you like about Notre Dame? What don’t you like? (Make sure you talk about how you are trying to change what you don’t like.)
! Give me an example of when you failed. Tell me about a setback you’ve had.
! What were the three most important events/decisions of your life? What decisions have you most regretted?
! Give me an example of when you went above and beyond the call of duty - when you went beyond what was expected of you.
! What characteristics do you possess that would cause me to make you my top selection?
! What experience/activity are you most proud of?
! What have you learned at business school that will help you in this job?
! What is your single greatest accomplishment to date?

[hmcq]

JOB/COMPANY/INDUSTRY STYLE QUESTIONS

! Why did you choose the career for which you are preparing?

! Why this particular company/industry/position?

! Given your background in _______ why do you want to become a _______ (changing fields)?

! What do you think you can contribute to a company such as ours?

! In addition to the company literature we sent you, from what sources did you find out about our corporation?

! If you were given _______ problem, how would you solve it?

! What do you think this job requires, and how do you match those requirements?

! Based on this interview, what questions do you have about the company or in general?

! Are you willing to travel? What % of the time? Relocate? How often?

! In your last job what kinds of people (problems) annoyed you most? How did you deal with them?

! How do you evaluate a business?

! What makes you different from other MBAs? Why should you be my top pick candidate?

! In your research of our company, do you see any specific problems we have? Is there any division in our organization that you are most interested in? How do you foresee the future of our industry?

CONSULTING

! Why consulting? Why this consulting firm?

! How is our practice different from other consulting firms?

! How do you rank among your peers?

! Imagine we are reviewing your performance at our firm after working with us for six months. What do you think our criticism of you would be?

! What is the most difficult position you have been in, and how did you work through it?

! Tell me about yourself, or about a specific experience.

! What has been your biggest setback?

! What in your background do you find most useful for today’s market?

! What is the most important thing that you have learned in the past two years?

! How long do you anticipate working in consulting following graduation?

! Take me through your last job: identify the issues from an organizational or competitive standpoint. What would you change and how?

INVESTMENT BANKING

! Why investment banking? Why our bank as opposed to our competitors?

! Why did you go back to get your MBA?

! Why Notre Dame? Why finance?

! Please explain your familiarity with investment banking and its different functional areas. What area do you see as being an appropriate fit for you and your background? Who is our competition?

! Why corporate finance/mergers and acquisitions as opposed to sales and trading?

! Why sales and trading as opposed to research?

! What are your outside activities? Why would you be willing to give them up for such a demanding job?

! (Sales/Trading) Pretend that I’m a CFO interested in hiring an investment bank to advise me on debt financing. Sell me this investment bank’s services.

! (Research) You’ve just been hired as our firm’s new XYZ industry analyst. In two weeks, you’re scheduled to address a growth-stock conference on industry trends. How would you prepare?

! (Corporate Finance) Sun says Apple is worth $23 per share; Apple says $34 is more in the ballpark. Who’s right, and how would you arrive at a valuation?

! What did the stock market do last week? What are some of the hottest stocks of the past few months?

! They will focus on ethical issues. For example: What would you do if offered personal money as part of a deal?

! What other firms have you talked to? What career opportunities are you exploring other than investment banking?

! Make sure you know the industry well and have a clear understanding of the different functional areas within investment banking. Be focused.

CORPORATE FINANCE

! Why corporate finance?

! Why this firm?

! Why this industry?

! Why not financial services?

! Give me an example of a time when you used analytical skills to evaluate a project.

! Why would two companies merge? What major factors drive mergers and acquisitions?

! Why might a company choose debt over equity financing?

! Where is our firm’s stock traded?

! Where did the market close today?

! Tell me about 2 items on the front page of today’s Wall Street Journal.

! Please describe a company you would invest in.

! What is a discounted cash flow?

! How is return on equity calculated?

HUMAN RESOURCES

! Why human resources?

! What particular area of HR (compensation, training, recruiting, etc.) is of most interest to you?

! How can the HR function add value to a firm?

! Give a situation in which you convinced people over whom you had no authority to do something.

! What are the attributes for success in HR? Where & how have you developed these?

! What is your philosophy on how HR should relate to the rest of the company?

! What role do you play in a group?

BRAND MANAGEMENT

! Give a situation in which you convinced people over whom you had no authority to do something.

! Give an example of how you motivated someone who doesn’t report to you to do something creative he/she didn’t want to do.

! Why brand management?

! Rank order characteristics important for brand management.

! Pick a "good" and "bad" ad campaign and discuss them.

! Tell me about a well-managed product.

! Tell me about a product that has not been effectively managed.

! Pick a product and position it.

! How did you initiate a new idea and follow through on it?

! What is marketing? Define the difference between marketing and advertising.

! What is different from working on new products versus established brands?

[hmcq]

Those are all typical questions though they are focused more towards the MBA/Business interviews so you would have to pick the ones that fit your field.

[who-me]

HMCQ... Are you sure these are Behavioural Interview Questions?

Heres my list...I have yet to have a behavioural interview where they asked me a question outside this list.

Make sure you have scenarios (from past experience) ready for each question. Talk about ONLY ONE historical example and no general waffle. Behavioural interviews are about your past behavious not what you think you'll do in the future.

Behavioural Interview Questions

1. Tell me the one thing that you are most proud of. S T A R
2. What is the biggest regret of your life so far? S T A R
3. What is an obstacle that you have had to overcome in your job or in general? S T A R
4. Tell me about a time when you have had to work closely with a team. S T A R
5. Tell me about a time when you exhibited influence in order to get something done? S T A R
6. How have you added value to your organization in the past? S T A R
7. Tell me about a time when you have had to deal with a difficult person. S T A R
8. When you have had a conflict and how it was resolved. S T A R
9. What has been your greatest challenge at work and how have you dealt with it? S T A R
10. Tell me about a time when you have exceeded your supervisor’s expectations. S T A R
11. Tell me about a time when you have had multiple demands on you and how did you handle it? S T A R
12. Tell me about a time when you have shown initiative. S T A R
13. Tell me about a time when you have persuaded someone to change their mind. S T A R
14. How would your enemies describe you? S T A R
15. How would your friends describe you? S T A R
16. Tell me about a time when you have demonstrated facilitation skills. S T A R
17. Tell me about a time when you have exhibited leadership? S T A R
18. What would your supervisor criticize about you? S T A R
19. Strengths / Weakness, tell me about yours S T A R
20. Tell me about a time when you have made an error in a management situation. S T A R
21. How have you demonstrated analytical skills? S T A R
22. We have been interviewing your classmates as well and we asked them if they could suggest 5 people other than themselves for this job. I was wondering if you could explain to us why, when asked, none of the other applicants suggested you. S T A R

Behaviour Based Interview Questions
1. delegated a project or job effectively
2. had to adapt to a new and difficult situation
3. had to make an unpopular decision
4. handled a difficult situation with a co-worker
5. won (or lost) and important contract
6. made a bad decision
7. overcame what seemed to be an insurmountable obstacle
8. persuaded others to follow your suggestion
9. showed creativity in solving a problem
10. were disappointed with the way you handled a situation
11. worked effectively under pressure
12. Anticipated potential problems and developed preventative measures
13. had to deal with an irate customer
14. prioritized the elements of a complicated project

1. What are your achievements and what have you learned from them?
2. What mistakes have you made and what have you learned from them?
3. I am sure you have been involved in working as part of a team. Can you tell us about your role in working as part of a team and what team work means to you.
4. Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person, even when that individual may not have personally liked you.
5. Have you ever set yourself and achieved, a goal? Tell me what your goal was and how you achieved it.
6. Can you describe for us a time when you have had to cope with change. What was the situation and how did you handle it?
7. Can you describe a time when you have been concerned about someone's ethical standards. What was your reaction and how did you handle things?
8. Can you describe a situation where you have had to come up with a creative idea at short notice. How did you handle this situation?
9. Have you ever had to convince somebody with an opposing view to your particular point of view. Describe the situation and tell us how you handled it.
10. Describe a time when you had to meet a deadline for one of several important projects. What did you do to ensure that you met the deadline whilst not jeopardising the other projects.
11. Describe a time when you had to deal with a difficult customer. How did you handle it?
12. Can you tell us about a situation where you have demonstrated tenacity and commitment.
13. Describe a time when you have had to adapt and fit into a situation different from the one you are used to.
14. Tell me about a time when you tried to do something that was really important to you and you failed. What did you learn from that?
15. Tell me about a time you had to overcome a major obstacle to meet a challenge. What did you learn from that?
16. Describe a time on any job which you've held in which you were faced with problems or stresses which tested your coping skills. What did you do?
17. Give me an example of a time in which you feel you were able to build motivation in your co-workers or subordinates at work. Describe the most important written document/report/presentation which you have had to complete.

[lussi]

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by who---me: *
Make sure you have scenarios (from past experience) ready for each question. Talk about ONLY ONE historical example and no general waffle. Behavioural interviews are about your past behavious not what you think you'll do in the future.

[/QUOTE]

what if you're asked a behavioral question about a situation you've never faced before. In that case, you'd have to say that even though you’ve never been through such a situation but if you do face it in the future your likely action is going to be:

[hmcq]

Who--me yours are probably more behaviour based. Mine were both general and behavioral mixed together.

[system]

Just an update to this. I had the interview earlier today and it went remarkable well. Thanks a lot to you guys for all the help. I was surprised at how prepared i was for it and how well it went, considering it was my first major interview i was remarkably calm and confident.

Here's a little prayer that i get a call for the second interview next week :)

Ameen.

Jazakallah Khair to all who helped...here or on msn and in real life.

[Degas]

good luck! Inshallah u will get the internship.