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.

Employers want to know you’re passionate about what they do, whether it takes the shape of a product, a service, a mission, or a brand. You can also connect your passion to the company’s core values, which can often be found on their website. Showing you’re passionate about the position is particularly important if you’re applying for a role at a nonprofit where the mission matches your personal values.  It’s critical that you take the time before the interview to learn everything you can about the company.

They are trying to determine if you would fit in at the company and if you would add value to their existing team.

“For most of my adult life, I’ve strongly supported X because I believe that Y…”
“X is very important to me in both my professional and personal life because I strongly believe that…”
“I’m very passionate about X and would be thrilled to work for an organization that subscribes to the same core values…”

“I see this opportunity as a way to contribute to an exciting/forward-thinking/fast-moving company/industry, and I feel I can do so by/with my …”
“I feel my skills are particularly well-suited to this position because …”
“I believe I have the type of knowledge to succeed in this role and at the company because …”
“I’m excited about this job opportunity, as it would allow me to …”

I firmly believe in taking a collaborative approach to each project so when I saw a position with your company to join the production team I knew I had to apply. I’ve seen your work in theatrical production, and your behind-the-scenes video really inspired me because I saw the teamwork in action. I love working with a team to achieve a common goal, and I know my background in production has prepared me for this role. I look forward to becoming a valued contributor to this phenomenal team.

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.”

The hiring manager wants to know if you can handle stress. Every job gets stressful every now and then, and the employer wants to know if you will be able to remain strong during those times and get all your work done.

• Do Not Describe a Story Where You Failed.
• Pick a Good Story
• Do Not Talk Negatively About Past Bosses or Employees.
• Use the STAR method, the “S” stands for situation, the “T” stands for task, the “A” stands for action and the “R” stands for result. This is how you should order your response.

“At my last job I was in charge of planning the company’s Christmas party. This entailed finding a venue and getting everything ready for over 100 employees. A week before the party, the venue I had booked two months in advance voided our agreement. They had that power in our contract, but I was freaking out because I had no idea where to look for a new venue to have the party. I talked to my spouse about this, which always helps me cope with stressful problems. She recommended a hotel conference room where one of her friends had her wedding reception. I talked to them and booked the room, and the Christmas party went on without a hitch.”