Behavioral Interviews: What You Need To Know

So you’ve prepared for all the technical interview coding questions and made it through the whiteboard sessions. You’ve shown them your technical mastery of different data structures and tricky algorithms. Is that it? Have you made it through all the interviews these tech companies are going to throw at you?

Well, it depends. Some companies may let you in based on your technical mastery alone, but most often there will be one last hurdle to jump over: the behavioral interview. Sometimes this interview comes last, first, in the middle, or not at all during the interview process. However, should you encounter a behavioral interview in the future, here’s everything you need to know about the behavioral interview and what to do to be successful.

What is a behavioral interview?

The behavioral interview, sometimes referred to as a cultural fit interview or simply as a behavioral, is essentially an opportunity for the interviewer to learn more about you and your soft skills as well as a chance for you to ask any questions you may have about the company and/or the job. You will talk about everything else that is not directly code, such as your side projects, why you might be interested in working for the company, your past working experience, your team building skills, etc.

During this interview, the employer will ask some questions to assess job candidates based on past behavior as an indicator for future performance. These questions will be more situational than hypothetical in nature.

Instead of a hypothetical question like this:

How would you react if you were working with a team member who wasn’t putting in their fair share of the work?

You will be asked a situational question like this:

Describe a time you were tasked with working with a team member who wasn’t putting in their fair share of the work. How did you react?

To answer questions like these, you will need to have a story prepared that highlights your strengths and shows how you handle conflicts with team members. Stories of your past experiences that showcase different skills will be extremely useful to have prepared and practiced before a behavioral interview.

Why do companies have behavioral interviews & what are they looking for?

Every company has its own values and priorities that are easily reflected in the type of employees who work there. A group of employees who all share similar values as the company’s values will foster a cooperative work environment between employees where more work can be accomplished effectively and smoothly. In a behavioral, these are some of the things interviewers are paying attention to:

• Do you share the same values as the company does?
• Are you a good fit for the company (level of experience needed, work style, what you are looking to learn from the company, etc)
• How do you behave in real world situations? (the situational questions asked will tell them a lot about you as a potential employee)
• What measurable value do you add to situations involving conflict, mistakes, miscommunications, team disagreements, etc?
• How do you interpret and work through different situations in the workplace?

Mistakes to avoid

It is undoubtedly important to know what to do/say in a behavioral interview, however it’s equally as important to be aware of what NOT to do. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:

• Rambling: your answers are unfocused and go on for too long.
• Tip: Keep your answers concise and relevant. Answers shouldn’t be more than two minutes long
• Selling yourself short: many people aren’t giving themselves the credit they deserve
• Remember: This interview is your chance to sell yourself and prove to the interviewer they are about to hire the right person. If there’s any moment where you want to brag about your accomplishments, the time is now.
• Not being genuine.
• Beware: These interviewers have interviewed hundreds of people and can most likely tell if you’re just trying to sound like the human version of their written job description.
• Not answering the question: an easy mistake to make when you’re nervous
• Tip: The best way to avoid this mistake is to practice and prepare your answers/stories so the nerves won’t get to you
• Trying to be perfect with no weaknesses.
• Remember: Everyone has weaknesses, and someone who is honest about their weaknesses gives a better impression than someone who is trying to appear unflawed.
• For example: picking something usually considered as a positive trait as your weakness (such as “working too hard”) may look like you are trying to cover up other weaknesses. Instead, be open and honest. If you have a weakness, talk about it but make sure to mention how you’ve been working on that weakness to improve it

Next Step

So now that you know what a behavioral interview is and what to watch out for, the next step is to ace for it! Stay tuned for our next article on how to prepare for the behavioral interviews.

Originally published at https://codebasil.com.