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Having assisted over 5,000 hiring managers (including recruiters from McDonald’s and Uber) in modernizing their company's hiring process, we've identified the top behavioral interview questions to ask candidates.
Behavioral questions are some of the most effective ways of assessing if a candidate is a good fit for your position and your company's culture. Your goal is to uncover how they handled past work situations. This serves as a good litmus test and can help with the decisions around who to hire or not.
How to assess answers to behavioral questions
This has been an age-old question for many interviewers, especially less-experienced hiring managers. After all, candidates have varied experiences and answers. With the top 10 behavioral interview questions, how do you objectively assess the answers and compare them across different candidates?
Unfortunately, there isn’t a definitive answer. Many interviewers we’ve worked with still base their selection process on ‘gut feeling’ and intuition. And that’s perfectly fine. Some nuances and idiosyncrasies cannot easily be quantified by a metric. That’s where the art of interviewing and being perceptive often comes in.
Nonetheless,when asking the top 10 behavioral interview questions, many interviewers opt to use a metric scale, the most popular of which is the Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS). BARS compares an individual’s performance levels to specific examples of behavior that are anchored to numerical ratings.
A simple range of performance levels could be: Unacceptable, Acceptable, and Exceptional OR Below Expectations, Meets Expectations, Exceeds Expectations. Based on a scale of 1-7, you can then assign a score depending on their answer. Let’s see this in action.
Top 10 behavioral interview questions to ask candidates
We’ve added our proposed metrics to help you assess possible answers to each of the identified best interview questions to ask candidates. Feel free to augment them based on the answers you’re looking for. As a general rule of thumb, the highest points are often awarded if the candidate gives a satisfactory response based on the STAR method of answering these interview questions.
Question 1: Describe a time when you were a team player on a project or initiative. What was your role, and how did you contribute to the team in that role? |
Competency: Teamwork and communication
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Question 2: Describe a time when you handled a difficult situation. |
Competency: Problem solving
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Question 3: Describe a time when you made a mistake and what you did to correct it. |
Competency: Problem solving and accountability
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Question 4: Can you tell me about a time when you had to deal with an irate customer or client? |
Competency: Interpersonal awareness and customer orientation
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Question 5: Describe a time when you were in conflict with a co-worker and how you resolved the situation. |
Competency: Communication and conflict resolution
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Question 6: Have you ever disagreed with a manager or superior? How did you resolve it? |
Competency: Interpersonal awareness, problem-solving, and flexibility
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Question 7: Describe a time when you set a goal. How did you achieve it? |
Competency: Establishing focus and determination
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Question 8: Describe a time when you did not have sufficient time to complete your work. What did you do? |
Competency: Decisiveness and analytical Thinking
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Question 9: Describe a time when your team was undergoing change. How did that impact you, and how did you adapt? |
Competency: Managing Change
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Question 10: Tell me about a time you were dissatisfied with your work. What could have been done to make it better? |
Competency: Critical self-reflection
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While behavioral questions aren’t the only type of interview questions to ask candidates, they're undoubtedly one of the most effective.
Still unsure of the best interview questions to ask candidates? Check out our ultimate guide to interviewing candidates here.
