How To Prepare For A Behavioural Interview
First a recap of our blog "What is Behavioural Interviewing"
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Psychologists realised that it is people’s past behaviour that is the best predictor of future behaviour.
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So in a Christmas casual job interview, you will often be asked to give examples of past behaviours. Specifically, employers will have a list of characteristics or skills that they are looking for and will ask you for examples of these in your life.
So How Do You Prep For A Behavioural Interview?
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Read the job ad. All of it.
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It should tell you what the company is looking for in the ad - write each item that they want down.
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Imagine they asked you to “give an example of when you…” for each item and brainstorm some examples from your life. Run these by your parents or teachers and see if they have any feedback.
But I haven’t worked before!
That’s OK. The examples of past behaviour can come from;
- Sport
- School
- Volunteer work
- Hobbies
- Home life
And that’s it.
Advanced tips:
You can look up websites like glassdoor.com.au and they often list job interview questions that past applicants have been asked.
Don’t freak out
And don’t freak out if they ask something you haven’t prepared for. You know your life. Take a deep breath and think of an example. Any example.
The worst answer
The worst answer is… “Ummm I can’t think of anything”. That tells the interviewer you probably don’t have that skill. So any example is better than none.
Now you know all about behavioural job interviews and won't be surprised by the "Give me an example when..." questions. Go for it!
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