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Behavioural questions for interviewing

A list of behavioural questions you can incorporate into your interviews.


Factsheet

If you need any guidance on developing further questions, advice on interview techniques or incorporating behavioural questions into your interviews, the HR Recruitment team can help you. Here are some behavioural questions you might fund useful.

Examples of behavioural questions

  • Describe a time when you had to resolve a difficult problem on your own. How did you go about it?
  • Tell me about a time when you felt you were unable to meet your responsibilities.
  • Describe a project you worked on that required close attention to detail.
  • What was the most difficult customer service situation you ever had to deal with? How did you handle the situation? Would you do anything differently if you handled a similar problem in the future? (Examples could include interacting with internal/external clients including students).
  • Describe a situation where you had difficulty getting others to agree with your decisions? How did you handle it?
  • Tell me about a time when a problem arose and your manager was unavailable. How did you handle the situation, and how did things turn out?
  • Describe a time when you had to build a team. How did you go about building the team, and was it successful in achieving its goals?
  • Give me an example of a time that you showed initiative and took the lead.
  • Describe a negotiating experience that you feel was particularly successful.
  • Tell me about a time when a problem was not solved the way you would have liked. How did you handle the situation?
  • Tell me about a time when a project you were in charge of fell behind schedule. What did you do about it?
  • Tell me about a time when you felt you had not performed to the best of your ability. What did you do about it?
  • Describe a time when you had to negotiate a compromise or had to help others arrive at a compromise.
  • Tell me about a time when you worked with a colleague who was not completing their share of work. What did you do?
  • Tell me about a situation where you had to adjust quickly to changes over which you had no control. What strategies did use to handle the situation?
  • Please describe a situation where you used your creativity or initiative to solve a problem.
  • Give me an example of a high-pressure situation you have faced this past year and how you resolved it.
  • Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or exceed it.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to make an unpopular decision. How did you manage the situation?

Enquiries

If you have any questions, please contact us.


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