What is Behavioral-Based Interview?

By Abhishek Kathpal | Updated 26 July, 2022

Having an edge in the process of being selected for a job after an interview requires a candidate to first identify what type of interview is being conducted to be able to handle the process better. Hence, knowing whether an interview is traditionally based or behavioral-based is key to success.

What is Behavioral-Based Interview

Behavioral-Based Interview meaning and definition

Behavioural job interview involves a series of non-technical questions that are aimed at analyzing the candidate's response and reactions to situations. The foundation of behavioral-based interviewing is determining the interviewee's conduct in specific employment-related situations. As it is believed that past behavior predicts future performance. Interviewers leverage these questions because they can provide a more accurate and nuanced impression of how candidates operate and how successfully skills are directed in specific situations.

What are the differences between a traditional interview and behavioral interview?

The major difference between a traditional interview and a behavioral Interview is that in a traditional interview, questions asked most of the time require straight-forward answers. For instance, "What are your strengths and weaknesses?"While behavioral interview questions are more pointed, more probing, and more specific than traditional interview questions. Behavioural interview questions are aimed to find out if the candidate's have the skills employers are searching for. Instead of asking how you would act, they will ask how you actually behaved.

Examples of behavioural interview questions

  1. In your resume, you stated leadership skills as part of your skill sets? Give me an illustration of when that has come to play at your previous place of work?

  2. Give an instance where it was especially important to impress a client. What method did you use to do that?

Tips to horn behavioural interview

It's important to remember that the kind of interview will not be disclosed beforehand until the session is on. To ace a behavioral interview,

  1. There is no specific format for answering behavioral interview questions. There are no right or wrong responses.

  2. Listen attentively to the questions and never be afraid to clarify before responding.

  3. Use the STAR approach to answer behavioral interview questions. Before concluding, briefly describe the situation you were in, the task you had to complete, the action you took, and the results of your efforts.

About the Author

Abhishek Kathpal

Abhi is the co-founder at Longlist.io. Funded by US based OnDeck, Longlist is currently enabling 50+ businesses to increase their candidate and client reach outs, automating the workflow across stages.