ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE

EXAMPLES OF BEHAVIOURAL DESCRIPTIVE INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

YOU MAY BE ASKED AND QUALITIES/SKILLS BEING ASSESSED

1. Give me a specific example of something you did that helped build enthusiasm in others.
(Leadership)




2. Tell me about a difficult situation when it was desirable for you to keep a positive attitude. What
did you do? (Stress management)




3. Give me an example of a time you had to make an important or difficult decision. How did you
make the decision? How does it affect you today? (Decision making)




4. Give me an example of a time you had to persuade other people to take action. Were you
successful? (Leadership)




5. Tell me about a time you had to handle multiple responsibilities. How did you organize the work
you needed to do? (Time management)




6. Tell me about a time when you were working as part of a team or a group and one of the members
wasnt pulling his/her weight. What did you do? (Teamwork) *




7. Give me an example of a successful project or new initiative youve been involved in. What was
your role? (Creativity initiative)




8. Describe a time when you were faced with a significant change. How did you deal with it?
(Flexible/adaptable)
ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE



Selected Behaviour Descriptive Interview Questions taken from:
Behaviour Descriptive Interviewing
By Tom Janz, Lorrel Hellernik, David C. Gilmore


Tell me about the busiest time you experienced recently? What did you do to prepare yourself? How
did you know what to expect? (Achieving Results) *




Describe a time when you implemented a procedure to help make your job more efficient? How did
you go about organizing it? What was the reaction of your "boss" or teammates? How did it make your
job easier? (Achieving Results)




Briefly describe how you normally go about accomplishing an assigned task. (Achieving Results)





Tell me about a time when you had to get a difficult idea or concept across. What was the
idea/concept? How did you know you'd succeed in getting the idea/concept across? What was the
outcome? (Achieving Results)




Tell me about an accomplishment that you're most proud of? How did you go about achieving this
result? What steps did you take? (Achieving Results) *






People work at different speeds. Tell me about a time when you worked with someone whose pace
was slower than yours was. Was there a deadline to be met? How did you cope with the difference in
speed? How did you communicate with your coworker or teammate? What was the outcome?
(Achieving Results)




ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE



Describe a time when you were asked to prepare a presentation, or complete a task on short notice and
you were given very sketchy details. How did you gather the necessary information to prepare? What
steps did you go through to organize the task? How did you work around the time constraint? What
kind of feedback did you get after the presentation or completion of the task? (Adaptability)





Tell me about a time when you went beyond the requirements or expectations of doing a job or
completing a task. (Adaptability)





At one time or another we are all asked to help out with something when we don't seem to have the
time. Tell me about a recent time when this happened to you and how you handled it. (Adaptability)





Can you think of the last time that you were asked to help out on a task that was not directly your
responsibility? What was it? What was the situation with your own workload? How often has this
happened in the past year? (Adaptability)





Uncertainty and change seems to be permanent fixtures in today's working environment. Describe a
time or a situation where you had to deal with significant change. How did you handle it?
(Adaptability)





Tell me about a time when you had your day or week planned out and something happened that caused
you to have to re-arrange your schedule. What was it and how did you re-arrange things? What was
the end resu1t? (Adaptability)






ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE



Give me a specific example of a time when a co-worker or classmate criticized your work in front of
others. How did you respond? How has that event shaped the way you communicate with others? (oral
communication)




Give me a specific example of a time when you sold your supervisor or professor on an idea or
concept. How did you proceed? What was the result? (assertiveness)




Describe a specific problem you solved for your employer or professor. How did you approach the
problem? What role did others play? What was the outcome? (decision making)




Describe a time when you got co-workers or classmates who dislike each other to work together. How
did you accomplish this? What was the outcome? (teamwork)




Describe a time when you put your needs aside to help a co-worker or classmate understand a task.
How did you assist them? What was the result? (flexibility)




Describe two specific goals you set for yourself and how successful you were in meeting them. What
factors led to your success in meeting your goals? (goal setting)




Tell me about a time when you came up with an innovative solution to a challenge your company or
class was facing. What was the challenge? What role did others play? (creativity and imagination)





ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE



OTHER CHALLENGING QUESTIONS THAT EMPLOYERS HAVE ASKED

What does effective communication mean to you? When have you demonstrated your
communication skills? *




Tell me something thats not on your resume. *




In what ways do you believe you can make a contribution to our organization? *




If you could construct your own job, what factors would you include?





ASPER SCHOOL OF BUSINESS CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTRE



EXAMPLES OF QUESTIONS TO ASK THE INTERVIEWER
Can you tell me more about your training program?
What have been the career paths for other employees who have started in this position?
How will I receive feedback on my performance?
What kinds of projects might I be involved in should I be hired for this position?
How are work assignments handled?
How does this position fit into the organizations structure?
Your annual report indicates that your marketing department is twice the size it was five
years ago. Is this trend likely to continue in the next five years?
Could you tell me why this position became available?
What do you anticipate will be the major challenges faced by your organization in the near
future?
I have read that your company has sponsored various fund-raising initiatives for charitable
organizations. I would be interested in knowing more about this aspect of your community
involvement.
What are the common characteristics of employees who excel in this position?
Can you give me your thoughts on the impact of the upcoming merger/restructuring etc.?

Think of other appropriate questions that might arise from the research youve done. Remember to
take this opportunity to present information about your related skills, knowledge and experience.



EXAMPLES OF QUESTIONS NOT TO ASK THE INTERVIEWER

Try not to ask me questions.
What are the hours?
They will address these topics
when they make you an offer. Until
then, donot bringit upyourself.
How long is the lunch break?
Are there coffee breaks?
Tell me about the benefits?
What is the salary?
How much vacation do I get?
Where can I park and how much does it cost?
When will I be due for the first raise?
Will I have to work overtime?