Behavioral Interviews | How to Navigate & Succeed

Behavioral interviews can be a challenging experience. In a behavioral interview, the interviewer asks questions that aim to uncover the candidate’s past behavior in specific situations. The goal is to assess the candidate’s abilities, skills, and competencies and determine whether they are a good fit for the role and the company culture. Some of the challenges during behavioral interviews include:

Navigating Open-Ended Questions: The questions are often open-ended, which means that candidates need to provide detailed answers that demonstrate their skills and experience. This can be challenging for candidates who struggle to organize their thoughts or who are not used to talking about their experiences in detail.
Recalling Specific Examples: Behavioral interviews typically require candidates to provide specific examples from their past experiences. Recalling these examples can be challenging, especially if the experience was a long time ago or if the candidate has limited experience in the area being questioned.
Avoiding Generic Responses: Interviewers often ask questions that require candidates to provide specific, detailed responses. However, some candidates may struggle to come up with specific examples or may provide generic responses that don’t demonstrate their skills or experience.
Managing Nervousness: Behavioral interviews can be stressful, and nervousness can impact a candidate’s ability to articulate their thoughts clearly. Candidates need to manage their nerves and present themselves confidently to the interviewer.
Aligning Answers with the Job Requirements: Behavioral interview questions are often designed to assess specific skills and competencies that are essential for the role. Candidates need to align their answers with the job requirements to demonstrate that they have the skills and experience needed for the role.

Tools to Help Tech Talents With Behavioral Interviews

If you are preparing for a behavioral interview, there are several things you can do to improve your performance and increase your chances of success. Here are some tips to help you prepare for a behavioral interview:

Research the company and role: Before the interview, research the company and the role you are applying for. Familiarize yourself with the company culture, values, and mission, and understand how the role fits into the organization. This will help you tailor your responses to the specific requirements of the role.
Review the job description: Review the job description and identify the skills and competencies that the employer is looking for. Prepare examples from your past experiences that demonstrate how you have used these skills and competencies in the past.
Practice answering behavioral interview questions: Practice answering common behavioral interview questions with a friend or family member. Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to structure your responses, and focus on providing specific, detailed examples from your past experiences.
Be concise and focused: During the interview, be concise and focused in your responses. Avoid rambling or going off-topic, and keep your answers relevant to the question being asked.
Be honest: Be honest in your responses and avoid exaggerating or embellishing your past experiences. Interviewers can often tell when a candidate is not being truthful, and dishonesty can harm your chances of being offered the role.
Stay calm and confident: Behavioral interviews can be stressful, but it’s essential to stay calm and confident. Take deep breaths before the interview, and remind yourself of your qualifications and experience. Remember, the interviewer is interested in your skills and experience, and they want you to succeed.
Follow up after the interview: After the interview, send a thank-you note to the interviewer to thank them for their time and reiterate your interest in the role. This can help you stand out from other candidates and leave a positive impression.

VH Academy Can Help You Ice The Behavioral Interviews

With Behavioral Interview Classes, VanHack Academy offers classes where advisors will teach you how to answer common questions and how to structure your responses using the STAR method. The training also covers how to identify the skills and competencies that employers are looking for and how to prepare specific examples from your past experiences that demonstrate those skills. Besides that, VH Academy provides students with access to the best advisors in the market, who can offer insights into the hiring process and what employers are looking for in candidates. This can help candidates better understand the expectations of employers and tailor their responses to specific job requirements.

Want more? The platform provides candidates with opportunities to practice their skills and receive guidance. This allows candidates to develop their skills and confidence over time, improving their performance during behavioral interviews.

How VH Academy can help you?

When you sign up to join VH Academy you gain over 40 hours of live classes + profile review + endless resources for you to boost your visibility to recruiters.

Click HERE to find more.

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VANHACK, LinkedIn Talent Awards Winner 2021, is Canada’s most respected recruitment company. With more than 1,900 hires, VanHack is on a mission of increasing diversity and creating a borderless world. So if you are a software developer looking for a job abroad, in Canada, the US, or Europe, join VanHack today. 100% free for candidates, plus you will get all the preparation you need when your profile is shortlisted.