SAMPLE Behavioral Interview Questions

grouped by skill

ADAPTABILITY

Tell me about a situation in which you have had to adjust to changes over which you had no control. How did you
handle it?
Tell me about a time when you had to adjust to a classmate?s or colleague?s working style in order to complete a
project or achieve your objectives.
How was your transition from high school to college? Did you face any particular problems? How did you handle
them?

ANALYTICAL SKILLS / PROBLEM SOLVING

Describe the project or situation that best demonstrates your analytical abilities. What was your role?
Tell me about a time when you had to analyze information and make a recommendation. To whom did you make the
recommendation? What was your reasoning? What kind of thought process did you go through? Why? Was the
recommendation accepted? If not, why?
Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a difficult problem. What did you do? What was your thought
process? What was the outcome? What do you wish you had done differently?
What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision? Why?

COMMUNICATION

Tell me about a recent successful experience in making a speech or presentation? How did you prepare? What
obstacles did you face? How did you handle them?
Have you ever had to "sell" an idea to your classmates or co-workers? How did you do it? Did they accept your idea?
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 (or vice versa). How did you handle the situation? What obstacles or
difficulties did you face? How did you deal with them?
Tell me about a time in which you had to use your written communication skills in order to get an important point
across.

CREATIVITY

When was the last time you thought "outside the box" and how did you do it? Why?
Tell me about a problem that you?ve solved in a unique or unusual way. What was the outcome? Were you happy or
satisfied with it?
Give me an example of when someone brought you a new idea that was odd or unusual. What did you do?

DECISION MAKING

Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision without all the information you needed. How did you handle it?
Why? Were you happy with the outcome?
Give me an example of a time when you had to be quick in coming to a decision. What obstacles did you face? What
did you do?
What is the most difficult decision you?ve had to make? How did you arrive at your decision? What was the result?

GOAL SETTING

Give me an example of an important goal which you have set and tell me how you reached it. What steps did you
take? What obstacles did you encounter? How did you overcome the obstacles?
 Tell me about a goal that you set that you did not reach. What steps did you take? What obstacles did you encounter?
How did it make you feel?

INITIATIVE

Describe a project or idea (not necessarily your own) that was implemented primarily because of your efforts. What
was your role? What was the outcome?
Describe a situation in which you recognized a potential problem as an opportunity. What did you do? What was the
result? What do you wish you had done differently?
Tell me about a project you initiated. What did you do? Why? What was the outcome? Were you happy with the
result?
Tell me about a time when your initiative caused a change to occur.
What was the best idea you came up with during your professional or college career? How did you apply it?

INTEGRITY/HONESTY

Discuss a time when your integrity was challenged. How did you handle it?
Tell me about a time when you experienced a loss for doing what is right. How did you react?
Tell me about a business situation when you felt honesty was inappropriate. Why? What did you do?
Give a specific example of a policy you conformed to with which you did not agree. Why?

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. How/why was this
person difficult? How did you handle it? How did the relationship progress?
Describe a situation where you found yourself dealing with someone who didn?t like you. How did you handle it?
Describe a recent unpopular decision you made. How was it received? How did you handle it?
What, in your opinion, are the key ingredients in guiding and maintaining successful business relationships? Give me
examples of how you have made these work for you.
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 (or vice versa). How did you handle the situation?
Tell me about a time when you had to work on a team with someone you did not get along with. What happened?
Describe a situation where you had a conflict with another individual, and how you dealt with it. What was the
outcome? How did you feel about it?

LEADERSHIP

Tell me about a team project when you had to take the lead or take charge of the project? What did you do? How did
you do it? What was the result?
Describe a leadership role of yours. Why did you commit your time to it? How did you feel about it?
What is the toughest group that you have had to get cooperation from? What were the obstacles? How did you handle
the situation? What were the reactions of the group members? What was the end result?

PLANNING AND ORGANIZATION / TIME MANAGEMENT

Describe a situation that required you to do a number of things at the same time. How did you handle it? What was the
result?
How do you prioritize projects and tasks when scheduling your time? Give me some examples.
Tell me about a project that you planned. How did your organize and schedule the tasks? Tell me about your action
plan.

TEAMWORK

Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?
Tell me about a time when you worked with a classmate or colleague who was not doing their share of the work. How
did you handle it?
Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or help others to compromise. What was your role?
What steps did you take? What was the result?
 Tell me about a time when you had to work on a team that did not get along. What happened? What role did you take?
What was the result?

PROBES / FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONS

What steps did you take?

What action did you take?
What happened after that?
What did you say?
How did he/she react?
How did you handle that?
What was your reaction?
How did you feel about that?
What was the outcome/result?
Were you happy with that outcome/result?
What do you wish you had done differently?
What did you learn from that?
How did you resolve that?
What was the outcome of that?
Why did you decide to do that?
What was your logic?
What was your reasoning?
Where were you when this happened?
What time was it?
Who else was involved?
Tell me more about your interaction with that person.
What was your role?
What obstacles did you face?
What were you thinking at that point?
Lead me through your decision process.
How did you prepare for that?
Why?
How?
When?
Where?