First, they want to make sure you’re able to communicate effectively – with coworkers, with your boss/manager, etc. Good communication can prevent some disagreements, and can almost always stop a disagreement from escalating or becoming a bigger issue.

Next, they want to make sure you stay calm and professional when dealing with conflict at work.

The last thing they want to do is hire someone who’s difficult to work with, hot-headed, and will turn small issues into bigger ones. So that’s why employers want to see that you can communicate well.

Behavioral interview questions require well-thought-out, specific responses to questions that are more abstract in nature. This makes preparation and practice vital before every interview.

When faced with a conflict, I like to ask questions and understand my coworker’s perspective. This helps keep the situation calm, helps them feel like they’re being heard, and after this, I’ve found it’s much easier to come to an agreement or compromise while both staying a lot calmer.

I had an upcoming deadline for a client that I knew I wasn’t going to be able to meet. I verbally communicated this fact to my manager and he agreed to speak to the client about a deadline. He forgot the conversation and was upset that my part of the project wasn’t done on time. I calmly reminded him of our verbal agreement, connected with the client and took responsibility for the late work – offering them an additional follow-up after the project was done to make up for the missed deadline. I also suggested to my manager that I would be better about formalizing my plans in writing in the future. After a stressful week, the client was happy and my manager and I had a better understanding of how we should communicate in the future.

When you’re asked about your weaknesses, the employer wants to know whether you are qualified to do the job. The hiring manager is also looking for indicators that show you’ve been able to learn new tasks and handle new challenges.

“My greatest weakness is that I sometimes focus too much on the details of a project and spend too much time analyzing the finer points. I’ve been striving to improve in this area by checking in with myself at regular intervals and giving myself a chance to refocus on the bigger picture. That way I can still ensure quality without getting so caught up in the details that it affects my productivity or the team’s ability to meet the deadline.”

“My greatest weakness is that I sometimes have a hard time letting go of a project. I’m the biggest critic of my work. I can always find something that needs to be improved or changed. To help myself improve in this area, I give myself deadlines for revisions. This helps ensure that I’m not making changes at the last minute.”

“I find that once I finish something I’ve been working on, I tend to dismiss it as shoddy work. Sometimes this tendency spirals out of control and I start thinking that maybe everything I’ve worked on in the past is subpar, even though the results of my work were satisfactory.

Thankfully, I’m striving to silence my inner critic when its input isn’t needed by taking courses on overcoming “impostor syndrome”. Recently, I’ve been happy with my work and I’m ready to take on new challenges without impairing myself.”

Interviewers ask this question is to find out what sets you apart from the other qualified applicants.

“I believe I am the most qualified for the job because I have completed 15 years in this field. While working, I attended a night school in order to stay current with the latest technological changes. I am dependable and goal-oriented, and I work well in teams. Last year, for example, my team increased office productivity by 39 percent by developing a simple record-keeping program for the company’s health insurance. We completed the project well ahead of schedule, too.”

“As my resume states, I have over 10 years of experience working in management in this field. What isn’t stated there is that I was one of the founders of the company and my sales skills grew it from a start-up all the way to its first public offering. The skills I used to do this have been further honed, and I anticipate being able to do great things for your company as well. In addition to having sharp business acumen, I relate well to my colleagues and clients and pride myself on being an excellent communicator, which helps foster a stress-free environment for everyone.”

They’re honestly curious, first of all.

If you’re working as a lab scientist they’ll be curious about how you got into it. Did your parents have scientific careers? Did you fall in love with the topic after an introductory course in college? Etc.

Then, they want to figure out whether you enjoy the field. Are you passionate about it, or at least interested?

Because if you seem like you care, you’ll work harder and overcome challenges. If you don’t seem to care at all, you’re more likely to quit when things get tough. Or come in late. Or slack off.

You’ve always had an interest in this career or type of job from a young age.

You have a parent, friend or family member who encouraged you to get into it, and you found that you like it a lot.

You care about helping people and making an impact and this career allows you to do that.