You may be an excellent coder with the right knowledge to be a fit for a team or project, but being able to also ace your behavioral-based interview questions helps you stand out in a lineup of candidates.
Behavioral-based interview questions are becoming more popular in IT staffing interviews. The question shows potential employers that a candidate is an excellent fit for their company’s culture and team dynamics. These types of questions focus on past experiences and behaviors to determine how you may react to similar situations in the future.In an online survey, we asked which behavioral question is the most useful in an interview. The results were
How you prioritize tasks — 41%
How you work under pressure — 25%
When you went above and beyond — 19%
How you handle interruptions — 14%
Being prepared for these types of questions helps. Here are some ways you can prepare and brainstorm examples that highlight your skills and character.
Compose a Timeline of Your Past Experiences
Before you walk into an interview, it can be helpful to sit down and create a timeline of your past positions and the accomplishments you achieved in those roles. This way, you can be prepared with details and not just a generalized description of what you have done. Being specific without including too much information is a delicate balance. The STAR method can help guide your approach.
Apply the STAR Method to Your Examples
The STAR Method is a way to respond to these type of interview questions by sharing the:
Situation
Task
Action
Result
Start by explaining the situation in detail using clear language, so the interviewer understands the context. You can highlight your role and identify what goal you were working toward. When you explain what actions or steps you took, your accomplishment is shared by clearly explaining the results of your efforts.
Share
Your Soft-Skills
Hiring managers want to hear your personal impact on real-world experience. Being able to demonstrate effective collaboration techniques and other soft skills gives you a significant advantage during the hiring process.
One example of an essential soft skill in an IT staffing role is empathy. Christopher McCann, CEO of the AI-enabled healthcare company Current Health shared with Business News Daily that it’s important designers and engineers can empathize with users and understand their problems to be able to create products that are useful in daily circumstances.
Flexibility is also a great soft skill to highlight, as things don’t always go precisely according to plan in many technology environments. Having adaptability showcases how well you’re able to handle change or new technologies.
Highlight Your Eagerness to Learn
One behavioral-based question that could be seen as a skill-based question is: “How do you stay up to date with new technology advancements?”
Your answer here is a great opportunity to demonstrate an eagerness for learning. You may want to think about examples including any conferences you’ve attended, an online course you completed, or whether you participate in industry-focused groups. Sharing this insight shows your dedication to staying informed about current trends.
If you are interested in additional example questions, check out LinkedIn’s “Guide to Screening Candidates: 30 Essential Behavioral Questions” here.
Moreover, thoroughly preparing for behavioral-based interview questions can help you land that desired IT position. Relevant examples, soft skills, and expressing continued interest in expanding technical knowledge are the right ingredients to ace your next interview. And, did you know our recruiters can help?
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