Hi there, everybody.
My name is Richard McMunn from the career guidance company, how2become.com, and in
this training video, I'm gonna give you seven brilliant answers to behavioral interview
questions.
Now, sometimes, behavioral interview questions are termed as situational interview questions,
but they're basically the same thing.
It's where the interview panel says to you, "Can you give me an example of when you have
been flexible in a work-related situation?
Where you've delivered excellent customer service?"
etc.
Those are the kind of questions that we're going to focus on today.
So, a very, very warm welcome from me.
That's me there.
My name is Richard McMunn.
For the last 20 odd plus years, I've been helping people like you to successfully pass
interviews, and I can virtually guarantee that the questions within this video will
come up at your next interview.
Now, as I say, this is going to give you seven great answers to common behavioral interview
questions.
You're gonna say to me, "Where can I get a copy of these slides and the answers that
you're giving us?"
Well, if you watch the video from beginning to end, I'm gonna tell you where you can get
a copy of these slides for free.
So, even though I want you to take notes and watch the presentation, I'm gonna make it
easy for you and give you the slides at the end with all of the answers on there that
you can use to prepare for your forthcoming interview.
I'd also very much appreciate it, guys, if you would be willing to give the video a thumbs
up.
I'd very much appreciate that, thank you.
Before I quickly get into these seven great interview questions and answers, if you have
any videos that you'd like me to create for you, please put them in the comment section
below the video, or if you've got an interview coming up, please let me know in the comment
section below and I'll say hi to you.
Okay, let's get straight into it.
Question number one.
When have you completed a difficult task or project?
Now, I'm gonna give you some tips as we go through this video.
So, the first tip is to use a STAR technique when answering this question and other types
of behavioral interview questions.
I'm gonna tell you what that is in a second.
Now, make the task relevant to the job that you're applying for.
So, for example, if you're applying for a customer service role, then make the tasks
that you were involved in relevant to that role.
The next one is to consider using the following words in your response: structure.
So, "I carried out a structured approach to the project.
I managed my time effectively.
I was persistent and I was also determined."
I'm gonna use these in the sample response that I'm gonna come up with in a second.
Okay.
Now, I mentioned there at the beginning about using the STAR technique when answering the
question.
What is that?
Well, when responding to any of these questions, explain what the situation was, tell the interview
panel what task you had to carry out, then tell them what action you took, and finally,
tell them what the result was following your actions.
So, remember that: situation, task, action, result.
You just think about the STAR technique, then remember those.
When you're giving your response to the panel, tell them what the situation was, the task,
the action, and then finally, the result, which is in green to remind you that it should
be a positive result, and I'm gonna use that in every sample response that I'm going to
give you now.
Okay, back to question number one.
When have you completed a difficult task or project?
Here's my response.
"I recently successfully completed an online customer service training course to further
develop my skills in this area and to also fully understand the customer's needs.
The course took me two months to complete in total, and I carried out all of the studying
in my own time whilst holding down my current job.
Now, the biggest obstacle I had to overcome was finding the time to complete the work
to the high standard that I wanted to achieve.
I decided to manage my time effectively, and I allocated two hours every evening of the
working week in which to complete the studying required.
I found the time management relatively easy to manage, as I structured my day accordingly.
Now, this structured approach enabled me to complete the course quickly and to a high
standard.
I'm pleased to say that I passed the course with 100% marks and I now have more experience
about the needs of the modern-day customer.
The things I learned during the course included determining factors that create customer value,
identifying the needs of the customer, and developing strategies to support the modern-day
customer.
Now, whenever I approach any type of work-related tasks, I always focus on persistence, being
organized, and having a determination to complete the job competently and professionally."
Now, you see that response, I've told them that I've gone and done an online training
course.
Now, if you go to the website udemy.com, which is U-D-E-M-Y.com, you can find loads of training
courses that you can undertake in your own time for probably about $10 or £10, and these
can help you to develop your skills for a work-related role.
So, the situation that I gave you was that I undertook a studying course in my own time,
I paid for that myself, but I told them here what I had learnt.
So, question number two, next one.
Describe a stressful situation at work and how you handled it.
Really common behavioral-type interview question.
So, again, use the STAR technique, which I've already covered.
With this response, show an understanding of the situation you found yourself in.
I'm gonna tell you what that means in a second, when I give you the response.
Also, come up with a solution to the stressful situation and explain in detail how you handled
it positively.
So, we all find ourselves in stressful situations but the important thing is to remain calm
and to deal with it in a positive manner.
So, here's a response, and don't forget you're gonna get a copy of these slides at some point
during this video, so yeah.
Do take notes, but you'll be able to download these slides.
Okay, here's my response.
"Recently, we lost an important member of our team at short notice.
Now, the reasons for him leaving were not made clear to us, however, the impact on the
team was significant.
He had been helping us to implement a new, important working strategy within the organization
and to replace him was going to be difficult.
People within the team started to panic, as we only had four weeks left in which to complete
the new project.
I decided to take control of the situation, as I felt someone had to act positively if
we were to have a chance of completing the project on time.
Now, in my spare time, I studied my former colleague's workload and the things he had
been doing in order to contribute to the project.
Now, after a couple of hours' research, I realized that there were members of our team
who could take over his work.
Now, the next morning, when I got into the office, I briefed the team on my findings
and we started to allocate the tasks based on our team members' strengths.
I could immediately see a change in people's attitude once they realized there was a chance
we could complete our project on time.
Now, although the next few weeks were stressful and difficult, we all worked hard to support
each other and the project came to a successful completion.
I learned quite a lot from this scenario.
The first thing I learned was that it's always important to have a positive mindset in stressful
situations.
By remaining calm and focused on the task, I was able to find a solution.
The second thing I learned was that any challenge or difficult situation is always surmountable
once you apply yourself and play to your team's strengths."
So, this situation demonstrates that it was stressful but that you took control of it,
okay?
And you found a solution.
That's really important.
So, you remained calm, you found a solution and you implemented it within the team, and
everyone was happy.
Okay, so that's important to focus on.
Next one, question number three.
Describe a time when you embraced change within an organization.
Really common one, especially nowadays.
A lot of work employees don't like change but change is really important.
Here are some tips.
Again, use the STAR technique, which is situation, task, action, result.
Explain that you understand how important change is.
So, it's good to say, "First of all, I understand how important change it.
It's really important in an organization, especially in the modern day world because
things are changing all the time."
Come up with a situation where you positively embraced the change within an organization.
Okay, here's a sample response for you.
"Approximately six months ago, we were taken over by a new company who had different ideas
for how they wanted to take the business forward.
Now, prior to the takeover, we had been working hard as a team to implement the previous owner's
strategies and we were getting close to seeing our hard work come to fruition.
Now, the new business owners briefed us all on the new strategy and where they wanted
to go with the business.
Now, this naturally had a demotivational impact on the team, as everyone felt the hard work
they had been doing was wasted.
Now, whilst this was a stressful situation to be in, I decided to embrace the change
positively and help the people within the team to try and view the change as an opportunity
for us to impress our new owners.
I have a very positive mindset when it comes to change, and I understand that if an organization
is to thrive in the modern world, change is really important, and as an employee, I feel
it's my duty to embrace change positively and proactively."
Okay.
So, next one, question number four.
When have you demonstrated flexibility in a work situation?
Here's some tips.
Again, use the STAR technique.
Explain that you realize how important it is to be flexible as an employer.
It's really, really...sorry, as an employee.
It's really important to be flexible, and also, come up with a situation where you were
asked to help out at short notice.
So, here's a sample response for you to use.
"I am very flexible and I fully understand that the role will require me to be available
when required.
In my previous job, I made the manager aware that I was available to work extra hours if
required.
On one particular occasion, I volunteered to stay behind after work to take delivery
of some stock.
Now, the delivery driver was stuck in traffic and he called to say that he would wouldn't
arrive until 6 p.m., which was two hours later than scheduled.
Now, even though it was a Friday afternoon, I realized how important it was that the delivery
was accepted.
I stayed behind, took delivery of the stock and checked the contents before locking up
and going home.
As already mentioned, I fully understand how important it is to be flexible at work and
that I might be needed to either cover someone's illness at short notice or even step in to
help the company as and when required.
You can rely on me to be a flexible and supportive member of your team."
Great answer to the interview question, "When have you demonstrated flexibility?"
Question number five is a really good one.
What's been your biggest failure to date and how did you deal with it?
So, tips.
Failure is really part and parcel of life.
We all fail, but it's how you react to the failure that's important.
So tell the interview panel that you view failure as a chance to improve and develop.
So, here's my sample response.
"I would say my biggest failure to date is failing an educational course that I embarked
upon a couple of years ago.
Now, the reason why I failed the course was primarily due to a lack of adequate time set
aside for studying; however, I immediately learnt from my mistake and shortcomings and
I booked to resit the test immediately.
I worked hard during the build-up to the resit and I spent lots of time studying.
I passed the test with flying colors.
I certainly learnt a lot from my initial failure and I always make sure that I now prepare
fully for everything that I do.
It's really important to reflect upon your own performance, especially when things don't
go to plan.
I now like to view failure as an opportunity to improve and develop."
That's a great response to that interview question.
Question number six.
Describe a time when you've had to deal with somebody in a work situation who you felt
was not pulling their weight or working part of the team.
So, tips.
Be someone who is prepared to tackle people who are not pulling their weight.
We all know people in our office or in our work environment who don't do as much as they
should do.
Obviously, don't ever become confrontational, but instead be calm and positive in your approach
and explain how the member of the team is impacting negatively on the rest of their
team.
So what you should be doing is trying to educate them.
Here's a sample response.
"Whilst working in my current role as a waiter for a local restaurant, I was aware of a colleague
who was taking more breaks than he was entitled to.
Now, whilst he was taking these additional breaks, the rest of the team would have to
cover for the shortfall.
Now, unfortunately, the customer would then suffer, as the time it took for them to be
served would increase.
I decided to approach the person in order to resolve the issue.
I walked over to him in a calm manner and asked him in a friendly manner if he would
come and help the rest of the team serve the customers.
I told him that we were busy and that we needed his help.
Now, fortunately, he responded in a positive manner, and he realized that he was taking
advantage of his rest periods.
Now, since then, there has not been an issue, but it's important that the team gets on and
works well together.
We cannot afford to have confrontational situations, and the best way to resolve them is to be
honest and tactful."
Next question.
What would you do if you noticed a work colleague being harassed or bullied?
Another great question, and one that's common nowadays at interviews.
Now, obviously, some tips.
No form of bullying or harassment is ever acceptable.
Say you would follow company procedures; that's really important.
So you're not going off and doing what you think is right, you're following company procedures,
because all companies should have a bullying and harassment procedure.
Intervene in a calm manner and try to educate the person who is actually carrying out the
bullying or the harassment.
Okay.
Here's a sample response.
"To begin with, I would certainly take some form of action.
Now, bullying or harassment should never be tolerated in the workplace.
I would make sure that I'm conversant with the company's policy before taking any action;
however, I would do all that I could to stop the inappropriate behavior, and that might
involve informing a senior manager.
I would speak to the person who was being bullied or harassed and do all that I could
to support them.
Now, sometimes, these people who are acting as the bully do not realize what they're doing
and the impact of their actions, therefore, it's important to challenge the person who
is carrying out the inappropriate behavior but also educate them as to what they're doing
wrong and the impact it is having on other people.
Okay, that's seven questions.
Do you know what?
I've got another 50 that I want to give you.
If you click the link below the video, guys, it will take you through to my website, or
if you go to the website passmyinterview.com, you can get free access to my training course.
So, I mentioned the slides.
Where can you get these slides from?
Well, they're contained within that training course, but also, I've put a link below here
in the description below the video that will take you through to SlideShare where you can
just download these slides for free.
Guys, I really hope you've enjoyed that.
I love making videos for you.
As I said at the beginning, I would very much appreciate if you just click the Like button,
subscribe to the channel as well, because then you'll get notified when I do more of
these.
And, yeah.
Say hi in the comment section below.
Let me know what you thought of the video.
I hope you enjoyed it, and let me know when your interview's coming up, and yeah.
I wish you all the very best, genuinely, in your pursuit passing your interview.
Thank you for watching.