Behavioral Interview: Story speaks louder than words

Note: I am just reproducing my article on linked in over here so that those not on LinkedIn or on my contacts list on LinkedIn can benefit from the same.  You can read the same here as well

Whether you are interviewed as lateral hire, as experienced campus hire or even as a novice fresher, we all come across questions that we find hard to answer. Our resume cannot give an answer to these type of questions and they are the ones that express more about us as a person then as a domain expert or a geek. Behavioral questions are becoming ubiquitous at all levels from analysts to CEO.'s I think it is important to have a story to convey rather than off the mill text book answers (3 attribute of yours -- smart, creative and hard working - hmmm how do we justify this in a 2-3 minute time frame). Attributes like hardworking, smart, intelligent and social are hygiene factors in a competitive world today, which most of us need to possess so don't use them to differentiate yourself, think something unique and not cliche.

You need a story that not only answers the question but also corroborates the claim by relating the answer to a project/assignment/situation/conflict/tasks. Story can be personal but as far as possible try to use professional examples. I've conducted many interviews and now as a student at IIM-Ahmedabad have coordinated a couple and as well sat on the other side of the table. I'll highlight few of the questions and a response I would have given based on my experience, just to give you an analogy. This is not a comprehensive list but there are many online resources at your disposal for behavioral questions.

1) Tell me 3 attribute of yours that differentiates you from other applicants?

Self-Motivated: Talk about a situation in your work career where you did not have motivation in terms of money or career progression or simply your manager lacking the quality to motivate you. Then talk about how you motivate yourself to keep going at the job and finally succeeded in achieving something. Use STAR framework as much as possible.

Take Ownership: Here I used an example of a project when I was junior in the firm but I proactively took the ownership of an entire module, which ultimately earned me project lead position when the time came. Idea here is try to practice and find a project or situation, which not allows you to justify the attribute but also to talk in detail about your specific project. But note do not speak more than 100-120 secs at a time, at least take a pause and make sure the other person is on the same page.

Mobilizer: This is your homework, fill in your own answer. You can modify the attribute to say - team player or peoples person or humble leader.

2) Describe a situation where you had a conflict with your manager/client/team member and how did you handle it? What was the outcome?

Pick a instance or a project where the conflict was more in terms of priorities or optimal solution or resource allocation. This will help to justify certain words on your resume (if used) such as team leader, project leader or conflict manager. It can also be a situation where the bosses were just playing a hard nut (my way or highway attitude) and you still steered the boat towards the shore. Your responses should not sound canned, rehearsed, framed, or the worst a lie because seasoned interviewers can figure this out with some follow up questions or basic prodding. So please please prepare and choose your example from your experience carefully.

In my case I picked a project, where I was doing a project estimation and there were cross team stakeholders involved. This not only showcased how I handled the situation but highlighted other aspects of my skill set (cross team collaboration). Keep in mind that other person may not know complicated terms/technology/process, try to draw a diagram, a picture, flow chart or a framework to explain. Visual cues speaks 1000 time clearer and faster than words.

3) How would you handle a situation with limited resources at your disposal and competing priorities at hand?

Before answering any question, take a pause to gather your thoughts, which is a hallmark of a thoughtful person. If you're interviewed for senior positions or leadership programs, they wish to know how well can you handle a world of eternal resource constraints. A world of competing priorities is very common, things move fast these days and time is ultra luxury. If you don't have any project to talk about then relate to some work at your school. Most of us have to juggle assignments, studies and research at the same time, bring out a quality where you showcased time management and selection.

May be highlight the fact that how you chose between depth first vs. breadth first learning. Prioritization is an art more than a science, gut feel plays a key role where multiple things at hand seems equally important but I would say avoid mentioning gut feel or "I was just lucky" type of phrases.

4) (Mother of all) Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

Am I a fortune teller? :) some time this thought do come to my mind. I aspire to be a CFO 5 year down the line but do I see myself there now with the facts and figure currently at hand. In my opinion this question is asked to judge how well you plan. Your answer can be that I don't know but I have planned my next steps once I get this job. I have thought about, how would I excel in this role, what tool/skill sets I would need and more importantly how will I help further the mission and vision of the firm. I think if I focus on excellence and efficiency, in 5 years time I will be at a key decision making position.

This answer will sound more rationale then simply saying I see myself to be a CFO or VP or Team Lead. It sounds too myopic if you only think about career in terms of role/position than the capability you would build and impact you can create in 5 years time.

Finally I will close by saying that nothing can replace a thorough preparation and having some sort of story or picture to respond reasonably well. Rest is left up to their interpretation and follow up questions. Corroborating your response and tieing them to your experiences can make a huge impact