By Sue Keever
Today, Behavioral-Based Interviewing (BBI) is the most commonly used campus interviewing technique. Corporate recruiters spend anywhere from half a day to two days learning to ask questions based on the BBI method. For you, acing the BBI is a matter of planning and understanding what recruiters are looking for.
Why BBI?
It’s simple. The best predictor of future behavior is recent past behavior. For example, you have a friend who is always late to class. What’s the likelihood that she’ll be late to class tomorrow?
That’s the principle of BBI. Interviewers want to get a picture of how you have behaved (recently) in a situation because it will help them determine how you’ll most likely behave in that same situation on the job.
What kinds of questions will be asked?
Questions will always be asked in the past tense. For example:
- Tell me about a time that you…
- Think back on a situation where you…
- Play a little movie in your mind and remember a time when you…
See the accompanying chart for samples of questions recruiters ask and what behaviors and attributes they’re looking for.
How should I respond?
Let’s say that I asked you to tell me about a time when you were a part of a difficult team and what you did to get the team back on track. Corporate recruiters want your answers to include the following:
- Situation: Explain the situation. Was it a class team? What was the project? What was difficult about the team?
- Action: What did YOU do to pull the team together? What specific action did you take? Keep in mind that recruiters want to know what “you” did. Not, what “we” did or “they” did. Talk about your role in the situation.
- Outcome: Discuss the outcome of the project or team. Did the team succeed? How did you know the team was successful?
- Learning: Sometimes you’ll be asked to think back on an example when you weren’t successful (or when you failed at something). If the recruiter doesn’t ask you what you learned and how you modified your behavior, be sure that you add this information to your answer. Again, be specific about exactly what you learned and how you’ve incorporated this learning into your daily routine.
Whenever possible, use examples from your internship, class work, professional association, or other work/degree-related experiences. Before going to an interview, stop and think of some of your most important milestones: projects, grades, presentations, work experiences that make you most proud. Build your examples around these when answering questions. Always use your best examples and concisely tell the story to the recruiter.
Caution: Corporate recruiters spend hours being trained to ask legal questions. Keep your answers focused on recent job-related experiences, professional association experiences or classroom examples. Do your very best NOT to use personal or family examples, examples from religious organizations or nondegree related association examples. And, when deciding whether to use an example from something you did when you were in high school vs. college—use the most recent example.
How do I prepare?
To prepare, look at the job description (if one is available—if not, use the ad for the job as a basis) and think of the best example to demonstrate that you have each attribute. In addition, there are some standard attributes that many companies look for, such as the following:
- Strong communicator
- Adaptable/flexible
- Able to work in teams
- Self-directed/motivated
- Demonstrates honesty and integrity
- Goal-oriented
- Strong follow-through
A corporate recruiter’s advice
Dana Pulliam, senior manager of university relations for Applied Biosystems, offers the following tips:
- Make sure your response is clear and concise. Watch the interviewer’s body language. If they seem uninterested, wrap up your answer.
- The worst thing you can do is make up an answer. If you can’t think of an answer, say so. Don’t try to bluff your way through because the interviewer will know it.
- Before admitting to not having a response, stop and think about class projects, group projects, or even an activity that’s not school-related.
- Use your career services center to look for sample questions and participate in mock interview classes.
- If you have to use a personal example to answer a question, that’s okay. Just be sure that you don’t answer every question with a personal example.
- The best students that I have interviewed have been those who are able to speak to everything on their resume.
Some day I’m going to write Behavioral-Based Dating Questions. Tell me about a time when you had a really bad fight with your partner. What did you do and what was the outcome?
Until then, I wish you many successful interviews.
How to Seek Contrary Evidence
| Attribute |
Behaviors |
Questions |
Contrary Evidence |
| Strong work ethic |
Adheres to an appropriate and effective set of core values and beliefs during both good and bad times; acts in line with those values; rewards the right values and disapproves of others; practices what he or she preaches. |
Can you tell me about a time when you felt you had to make an unpopular decision based on your beliefs and values? |
Describe a situation where you went against core values to get something accomplished. What did you learn? |
| Compassion/ ability to treat others well |
Genuinely cares about people; is concerned about others’ problems; is ready to help; is sympathetic to the plight of others less fortunate; demonstrates real empathy with the joys and pains of others. |
Can you remember a situation where you demonstrated real compassion to a teammate when it would have been easier not to? Tell me about a time when you put your own work aside to help someone else. |
Describe a time when you did not take the feelings of others into account when making a decision. What did you learn? |
| Team player |
Able to create strong morale and spirit in his or her team; shares wins and successes; fosters open dialogue; lets people finish and be responsible for their work; defines success in terms of the whole team; creates a feeling of belonging in the team; broadly shares both responsibility and accountability; fosters an environment in which people want to do their best; can quickly find common ground and solve problems for the good of all; can represent own interests while being fair to the group. |
Tell me about a time when you were able to find common ground when working in a team to achieve a result. Think back on a time when you were able to motivate a team to achieve results. Describe a time when working in a team when you were able to make each team member feel important and valuable. Tell me about a time when you were able to gain the trust and support of fellow team members to achieve a goal. Describe a situation where you were able to comfortably delegate an important task to another team member. |
Can tell me about a situation where you were unable to motivate a team to achieve a goal? What did you learn? Tell me about a time when you were more concerned about personal success than the success of the whole team. What did you learn? Tell me about a situation when you were unable to find common ground and did not achieve the results desired. What did you learn? |
| Driven |
Can be counted on to exceed goals successfully; is constantly and consistently one of the top performers; very bottomline oriented; steadfastly pushes self and others for results; takes initiative; doesn’t wait for others to start on project; communicates and genuinely feels passion for a company/project or idea. |
Can you describe a time when you successfully pushed yourself and others to achieve a goal? Can you tell me about a time when you exceeded a goal you set for yourself? Tell me about a situation where your focus on the bottom line helped you achieve the desired results. Tell me about a situation where your passion for a project or idea was contagious. |
Tell me about a situation where you pushed yourself and others too hard to achieve a goal. What did you learn? Tell me about a time when you were unable to achieve a goal you set for yourself. What did you learn? Tell me about a time when your focus on the bottom line had a negative impact. What did you learn? |
| Creative |
Comes up with new and unique ideas; easily makes connections among previously unrelated notions; tends to be seen as original and value-added in brainstorming sessions; able to bring the creative ideas of self and others to market; has good judgment about which creative ideas and suggestions will work. |
Describe a situation where you came up with a new and unique idea that paid off. Tell me about a time when you used good judgment to determine what creative ideas would be successful. Tell me about a time when you looked beyond the obvious to find an unusual solution. |
Can you tell me about a time when you were unable to come up with a creative way to solve a problem? What did you learn? Tell me about a situation where you felt unable to produce a unique idea for the team. What did you learn? |
| Professional |
Behaves and dresses in a professionally appropriate manner; understands how to get things done through formal channels and informal networks; practices strong time-management skills; uses logic and methods to solve difficult work problems with effective solutions; is able to effectively communicate in a business environment. |
(Observe dress, voice, eye-contact, and mannerisms during interview for professionalism.) Describe a time when you used your informal networks to gain insight into a problem or achieve results. Tell me about a situation where you were able to eliminate a roadblock to get an important project done. Tell me about a time when you took an unpopular stand to achieve a result. Think back on your busiest day this last year—how did you organize your time to ensure that you met your deadlines? Tell me about the most difficult communication challenge you’ve had and how you overcame it. |
Can you describe a situation when you were unable to eliminate a roadblock to get important work done? What did you learn? Can you tell me about a time when you felt your time-management skills were compromised? What did you learn? |
| Honest, trustworthy, and demonstrates integrity |
Is widely trusted; is seen as a direct, truthful individual; can present the unvarnished truth in an appropriate and helpful manner; keeps confidences; admits mistakes; doesn’t misrepresent her/himself for personal gain. |
Describe a time when you told the truth when it would have been easier not to. Can you tell me about a situation where you admitted a mistake and it paid off? Tell me about a time when you were acknowledged for your integrity. |
Tell me about a time when you didn’t admit to a mistake. What did you learn? Tell me about a time when your integrity was brought into question. What did you learn? |
| Committed to excellence and providing highvalue products and/or services |
Is dedicated to providing the highest quality products and services that meet the needs and requirements of internal and external customers; is committed to continuous improvement; is open to suggestions for continuous improvement; is committed to ongoing learning to better serve customers; gets firsthand customer information and uses it to make improvements in products and services; maintains effective relationships with customers to gain their trust and respect. |
Can you tell me about a time when you felt that you exceeded the needs of a professor, supervisor, or team? Tell me about a time when your commitment to quality paid off. |
Tell me about a time when you had to sacrifice quality to achieve a result. What did you learn? Describe a situation when you felt that you overpromised and under-delivered. What did you learn? |
| Safety conscious |
Consistently uses safe practices on the job; encourages others to adhere to safety standards; brings to light safety violations and potential safety hazards. |
(This may be a difficult concept for students as safety is not typically stressed at this age.) Can you tell me about a time when you identified a potential safety hazard? Describe a time when you adhered to safety standards when it would have been easier not to? |
Describe a time when you ignored safety standards to achieve a result. What did you learn? |
| Consistent |
Is reliable; consistently delivers what is promised; meets deadlines with regularity; considered the “go to” person because he or she is trustworthy, dependable, and steadfast. |
Can you tell me about a time when you felt you were rewarded for your dependability and consistency? Describe a situation where your reliability benefited the team. |
Think back on a time when you felt you were unable to achieve a goal due to a lack of consistency. What did you learn? Tell me about a situation where you felt you could have been more reliable. |
| Entrepreneurial |
Can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; is future-oriented; creates breakthrough strategies; is willing to be the only champion for an idea or position; is willing to take calculated risks; is actionoriented and full of energy; is not fearful of acting with a minimum of planning; seizes more opportunities than others. |
Tell me about a time when you took a calculated risk to achieve a goal. Can you tell me about a time when you served as the lone champion for an idea or concept? Describe a situation when you seized an opportunity with a minimum of planning. |
Tell me about a time when you took a calculated risk to achieve a goal, but were unsuccessful. What did you learn? Tell me about a time when you championed an idea, but failed to convince others? What did you learn? |