By Mike SimpsonUPDATED 6/6/2022 Show
What would you say if I told you that role-playing sometimes creeps into the interview process? Does that sound outlandish? Well, it isn’t. Thanks to situational interview questions, many candidates find themselves walking through scenarios that they’ve never encountered, hopefully in a way that impresses the hiring manager. Knowing how to answer situational questions is essential if you want to shine as a candidate. Fortunately, it isn’t as hard as you’d expect. Here’s what you need to know. Situational vs. Behavioral Interview QuestionsSituational interview questions are similar to behavioral questions in several ways. With both types of questions, your answer needs to talk the hiring manager through how you handle a particular incident or issue. In most cases, that means using STAR-style answers. However, the two do stand apart, too. With behavioral interview questions, you’re asked to relay a past experience and discuss the details of how you handled yourself in that situation. With situational interview questions, you’re presented with a hypothetical situation, requiring you to outline how you think you would act. To quote US News, “In a nutshell, behavioral interview questions deal with the past or present, and situational interview questions deal with the future.” How do you tell the two questions apart? Well, how they begin is usually a big clue. For example, behavioral interview questions typically start with prompts like, “Tell me about a time you…” With situational questions, they usually start out with something like, “How would you handle..?” In most cases, hiring managers make it incredibly clear if they want an example from your past or need you to navigate a hypothetical. As a result, you can use how they begin their question as a clue as to how to proceed. Why Are Situational Interview Questions Asked?Overall, only about 80 percent of interview questions are predictable. In most cases, situational questions fall into the remaining 20 percent. That’s part of why hiring managers ask situational interview questions; they want to see how you really think, not just how well you recite rehearsed answers. Whereas traditional questions can have easily memorized answers and behavioral questions rely on experiences you’ve already had, situational questions demand that the interviewee utilize their analytical and problem-solving skills. By giving a job seeker a hypothetical situation, the interviewer wants to see how they will react in the moment and with little preparation. But how do you get ready if I don’t know what scenario they’ll present? Fortunately, with some helpful tips about situational questions for interviews and the right situational interview question and answer examples, you can develop a strategy for handling these questions. Even if you don’t know exactly what to expect, you’ll know how to approach it, increasing the odds that you’ll impress. Common MistakesAs you can imagine, the nature of situational questions means that it can be easy to make mistakes. After all, when you don’t know which scenario is coming down the pipe, it’s hard to ensure you are completely prepared. You can increase your odds of not tripping up on a situational question by avoiding these common mistakes: 1. Winging ItA lot of job seekers think to themselves, “If I have no idea what the scenario is going to look like, there’s no way that I can prepare for this type of question. So, I’m just going to fly by the seat of my pants and hope I nail it.” While this is very common, that doesn’t make it a smart move. Instead, practice is always the key. Later in this article, we will give you some example situational questions. Get a good feel for what makes a good answer, and spend some time crafting your answers to emulate the good examples below. MIKE'S TIP: Sit down with a colleague of yours and ask them to come up with some situational interview questions that you can practice together. Be sure to adjust the format of the questions, the type of scenario, and the skill or ability that is the focus of the question. When you have finished answering, take a few minutes to discuss the answers together to make sure that your answer is in line with the good responses below. 2. Non-Tailored ResponsesIf you know anything about the Interview Guys, you know that we always emphasize the importance of tailoring your responses to the specific company and position you are interviewing for (if you aren’t familiar with our Tailoring Method, read our blog article). Basically, there are certain skills and abilities that every company puts a lot of value in when it comes to the ideal candidate for the position. You basically need to demonstrate that you have these qualities in order to get the job. Infusing these skills and traits into your answer allows you to “tailor” the answer to the company and role. Answering a situational interview question with a general, non-tailored response is a missed opportunity. Show you have the qualities they’re after within the framework of the situational question, increasing your odds of coming out ahead. 3. Getting Off-TopicThis is the most common mistake that job seekers make, and it makes sense. Situational interview questions have the potential to make the interviewee nervous because they are harder to anticipate. And nervous people tend to ramble, especially when they don’t immediately know how to answer the question. Ramblers tend to change the subject and go off on tangents, often not answering the original question. This can be the kiss of death, mainly because the hiring manager wants to see that you can think on your feet and make quick, dynamic decisions. So, what do you do? Well, you can start by taking a deep breath. The answer usually isn’t as hard to find as you’d expect, so don’t panic. If you need a second to think, one great way to break the ice and give yourself time is to ask questions. Get more information. Not only will this provide you with time to cool down and prepare your answer, but it will also show the hiring manager that you are a critical thinker that methodically gathers details to make the correct decision. How to Answer Situational Interview QuestionsPreparing for situational questions should be just like preparing for any other type of question that might be thrown at you during an interview…through practice! As you read these example questions, don’t just figure out how you would answer them; dig deep through your own work history and see if you’ve already encountered similar situations. If you have, take a hard look and really analyze them. Look for problems you encountered and how you solved them, as well as what you learned from the situation overall. Being asked a situational question and having to come up with an answer on the fly can be intimidating to someone who hasn’t taken the time to practice their own answers. But for someone who has spent some time going through their past and analyzing potential problems and scenarios, it’s not just a snap; it might just even be fun! 3 Situational Interview Questions and Answers1. If you made a mistake and no one noticed, what would you do?EXAMPLE ANSWER:
2. Imagine you’re working on a project with a tight deadline and a team member is behind schedule with a critical deliverable you need to move forward. What would you do?EXAMPLE ANSWER:
3. If you were asked to take on a task you haven’t done before, how would you go about it?EXAMPLE ANSWER:
47 More Situational Questions for InterviewsHere are 47 more situational interview questions.
Putting It All TogetherSo, there you have it, and an in-depth look at situational interview questions and how to answer them. Use the examples above to your advantage, allowing you to prepare for potentially challenging questions. That way, you’ll be able to respond with ease, increasing your odds of impressing the hiring manager. Good luck! — FREE: Job Interview Questions & Answers PDF Cheat Sheet!Download our "Job Interview Questions & Answers PDF Cheat Sheet" that gives you word-for-word sample answers to the some of the most common interview questions including:
Click Here To Get The Job Interview Questions & Answers Cheat SheetCo-Founder and CEO of TheInterviewGuys.com. Mike is a job interview and career expert and the head writer at TheInterviewGuys.com. His advice and insights have been shared and featured by publications such as Forbes, Entrepreneur, CNBC and more as well as educational institutions such as the University of Michigan, Penn State, Northeastern and others. Learn more about The Interview Guys on our About Us page. What are behavioral and situational interview questions?Situational Interviews
These types of interviews are similar to behavioral interview questions – but they are focused on the future, and ask hypothetical questions, whereas behavioral interview questions look at the past.
How do you answer behavioral and situational questions?How to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions. Situation. Describe the situation or set the scene. ... . Task. Describe the issue or problem you were confronted with.. Action. Describe the action you took to intervene in the situation or solve the problem. ... . Results. Describe the results your action generated.. What are the 10 most common behavioral interview questions and answers?Behavioral Interview Questions and Sample Answers. Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure. ... . How do you handle a challenge? ... . Have you ever made a mistake? ... . Give an example of how you set goals. ... . Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.. What are some examples of behavioral interview questions and answers?Sample behavioral interview questions and answers. Give me an example of a time you had a conflict with a team member. ... . Tell me about a time you made a mistake that affected a customer. ... . Describe an occasion when you had to manage your time to complete a task. ... . Describe an occasion when you failed at something.. |