How To Pass Your Behavioral Interview

12/10/2014 How to pass your behavioral interview
http://www.vinceprep.com/interviews/behavioral-interviews 1/14
How to pass your behavioral interview
Vince Ricci
Vince Ricci, Admissions Counselor
Over 10 years of top MBA admissions results
FAQ | Sitemap | About | Contact

You are here: Vince Prep / MBA Interview Tips / How to pass your behavioral interview
Filed under: interviews , stanford , mit
Topics
Best Harvard Business School (HBS) MBA interview tips
Vinces best interview tips
How to prepare for your Columbia Business School MBA admissions interview
How to prepare for your MIT Sloan MBA admissions interview
The London Business School (LBS) MBA Interview
How to pass your Chicago Booth MBA interview
Prepare for interviews using Vinces mirror method
How to frame answers for MBA interviews
What else? How to end your MBA admissions interview
What questions should I ask at the end of my MBA interview?
How I help clients pass the Wharton Team-Based Discussion interview
How to pass your Stanford GSB alumni interview
How to differentiate accomplishments, leadership and teamwork stories
The difficult team
How to discuss your strengths and weaknesses
How to pass your Kellogg MBA alumni interview
Six steps to INSEAD Interview success
Home Vlog MBA Admissions Essay Tips MBA Interview Tips MBA Recommendation Letters
Services Results
How to prepare for your MBA admissions interviews
The Tuck Interview
Vince answers frequently asked questions about MBA interviews
Watch sample interview videos
Related article
MIT Sloan MBA Interviews

How to pass your
BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW

I believe in the potential of behavioral interviews to elicit interesting and valuable stories
from applicants. In practice, however, the process confuses some applicants because they
do not understand why the interviewer is asking a particular question.
What kind of story does she want to hear?
What kinds of details will impress her?
What qualities does she hope I will demonstrate through my answers?

What if your interviewer actually asked you to tell her what she really wanted to
hear?
Your interviewer wants to hear stories about you that will help her understand your
LEADERSHIP: stories that demonstrate your ability to influence a person, group
or organization
TEAMWORK: stories that demonstrate your ability to build and maintain
professional relationships
ACCOMPLISHMENTS: stories that demonstrate your ability to set an objective
and achieve it

Most of us probably have the kinds of experiences that interviewer wants to hear about,
we just don't know how to think of them up on the spot, how to frame them so they make
sense, or how to deliver them so that they sound impressive. If you understand the
intention of the question, you'll be able to give an answer that will be effective every
time.
Unfortunately, interviews usually ask behavioral questions without any guidance. The
interviewer asks her question. Then, the interviewee mumbles out a long and boring
response that fails to address the questions behind the question what the interviewer
really wanted to hear but did not ask you to tell her.
If interviewers explained the process, interviewees might feel comfortable having a
discussion rather than presenting a memorized speech. Therefore, I suggest you imagine
your interviewer saying something like this:

"I'm going to ask you a behavioral question. As a part of your answer, please tell
me about yourself. Your motivations. Your intentions. Your personal qualities. In
your answer, be sure to cover the situation, the task, your action steps, and the
results. If possible, I would also like to hear what you learned from this experience
and how you've applied that lesson. Here is the question..."

Still feel nervous? Please watch this
SAMPLE BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW ANSWER
Q: Tell me about a time you managed a team that failed.

Special thanks to my colleague, Jessica King, for her help developing this content.

Behavioral Interview Example #2

Question: Describe a situation where you have had to deal with a difficult person.

Answer: I was transferred to a new project at my previous company to replace a beloved
member of the team. My new team leader exhibited hostility towards me and I found
myself left out of vital communications and meetings. After a few weeks, I was able to
talk her into a one on one meeting. When laid out all of the key objectives for the team,
the previous employees role in meeting those objectives, and then discussed goals that I
could set to make sure I was able to serve as a quality replacement. In our discussion, we
also identified a few underlying issues with management that she had been carrying
around with her. In uncovering all of these sentiments, she was able to clearly define her
situation and achieve an understanding with her supervisors. In the end, the entire team
morale improved, I was able to exceed my goals and the company itself became more
profitable from our teams increased performance.

Follow-up questions will test for consistency and determine if you exhibited the desired
behavior in that situation:
"Can you give me an example?"
"What did you do?"
"What did you say?"
"What were you thinking?"
"How did you feel?
"What was your role?"
"What was the result?"

Prepare five to seven stories that you
want to share
My successful clients approach their interview with five to seven stories they want
to share.
Then, they bend the story to fit the question. I call this method "outside in," or
"stories first, questions second."
After all, your interviewer (either a student or staff AdCom members) wants to
hear good stories that demonstrate your selling points.
Think about your strengths.
Make a list of the personal qualities you want to share with your interviewer.
Then, find stories that demonstrate those qualities.
If you follow this approach, you will be able to answer nearly any question because
you will remember your core message.
Finally, you can forget about trying to impress your interviewer. She has heard it
all.
Instead, just focus on the core messages you are trying to convey.
Keep your stories simple.
Explain what they mean to you, and why your interviewer should care about them.
What do these stories say about you as an applicant?
Are you trying to help your interviewer imagine how you will behave at Wharton?
Does the story relate to your behavior in class discussions, study teams, and/or
student clubs and activities?

I encourage you to prepare new stories, beyond those that you shared in your essays. MIT
interviews are not blind, meaning that your interviewer has read your essays and letters
of recommendation. interviews are blind, meaning that the interviewer only has your
resume.
Still, most AdCom members would like to hear NEW stories beyond those you already
shared in your essays. If you had access to your letters of recommendation, you might
consider sharing an example that was used by your recommender.

THE THREE MOST COMMON BEHAVIORAL
INTERVIEW TOPICS
and how to answer them

Behavioral interviewing is not common sense, but it could be. In fact, the STAR method
(Situation, Task, Action, Result) is nothing less than good storytelling. I believe that
every good story has five components:
(a) Setting
(b) Build-up (Here comes trouble.)
(c) Crisis or climax
(d) Learning
(e) New behavior or awareness (How did you change?)
(found at http://astoriedcareer.com/tell_me/2010/04/story-formula-acronyms-and-
exa-1.html; accessed 2012/02)

1. TEAMWORK
Show teamwork by sharing stories about times that you have been successful BUILDING
RELATIONSHIPS
RELATIONSHIP BUILDING: the ability to build and maintain professional
relationships
The key success factors involve facilitation and soft skills.
Prepare the following:

Stories that illustrate alliances and partnerships that support you
A story that shows that people seek you out for your skills and expertise
(found at http://astoriedcareer.com/tell_me/2010/07/building-blocks-for-branding-s.html;
accessed 2012/02)
Then, use your teamwork stories to answer the following behavioral event interview
questions (recently asked by Wharton; similar questions are asked by other schools,
including MIT, and Stanford)
1. Tell me about a time when you led a team and you experienced conflict between
two members of the team. (Asked by in 2011)
2. Tell me about a time you dealt with conflict on a team? (Asked by in 2011)
3. Tell me about a time that you managed someone more experienced or older than
you. How did that person react to you? How did you manage the relationship?
(Asked by in 2011)
4. Tell me about a time that you managed someone younger than you. How did that
person react to you? How did you manage the relationship? (Asked by in 2011)
5. Tell me about a time when you led a team and it failed. How did your teammates
initially react? What would you do differently now? (Asked by in 2011)
6. Describe a time when you have been working toward the completion of an
important task, when it has been necessary to consider the opinions and feelings of
others. (Asked by in 2010)
7. Describe a time when you have worked as part of a team working towards an
important goal, when you have addressed conflict between two or more team
members. (Asked by in 2010)
(found at http://www.clearadmit.com/wiki/index.php?title=WhartonInterview; accessed
2012/02)

2. LEADERSHIP

Show leadership by sharing stories about times that you have been successful
INFLUENCING OTHERS
INFLUENCING OTHERS: the ability to influence a person, group or organization
The key success factors involve functional expertise, logic, data, and negotiation skills.
A story that illustrates how youve positively changed people youve worked with
and/or organizations youve worked for
A story that exemplifies how youve contributed to the success of people youve
worked with and/or organizations youve worked for
accessed 2012/02)
Then, use your leadership stories to answer the following behavioral event interview
questions (recently asked by Wharton; similar questions are asked by other schools,
including MIT, and Stanford)
1. Tell me about a time when you were responsible for an important outcome and you
had to convince people or defend your opinion. (Asked by in 2011)
2. Tell me about a time someone convinced you of an idea that you initially opposed.
How did they convince you and how did you respond? How has it affected your
communication style and what have you learnt from it? (Asked by in 2011)
3. Tell me about a time you participated in a negotiation. (Asked by in 2011)
4. Tell me about a time when you had to negotiate or convince someone to change
their mind. Please provide specifics on what you thought and did and how the other
person reacted. (Asked by in 2011)
5. Describe a time you convinced someone on your team of something. (Asked by in
2011)
6. Tell me about a time that your opinion was challenged and you had to defend
yourself. Did they accept it? How did you do it? What was your strategy? (Asked
by in 2011)
7. Describe a time when you have had to persuade others to your way of thinking,
when at first they did not buy into your idea. (Asked by in 2010)
8. Describe a time when your ideas have been challenged by others, requiring you to
defend your opinions. (Asked by in 2010)
2012/02)

3. ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Show accomplishments by sharing stories about times that you have demonstrated
DRIVE
DRIVE: the ability to set an objective and achieve it
The key success factors involve strategy, execution, and results.
Show that you have a goal orientation.
A story that includes an award, honor, accolade, testimonial, or other positive
quotation that exemplifies your value proposition
Stories that describe life-changing events and how theyve shaped your values and
beliefs
Stories that reflect recurring patterns in your life/career and what those patterns
mean
A story that demonstrates a pioneering idea youve developed
A story that illustrates how passionate you are about your field
A story that shows that people seek you out for your skills and expertise
A story that explains how your work has developed and improved
A story that illustrates that you consistently seek continuing education and
professional development to enhance your value to your audience
A story about volunteer or philanthropic work that shows what you are passionate
about
A story that demonstrates the roots of your ethics and values
accessed 2012/02)
Then, use your accomplishment stories to answer the following behavioral event
interview questions (recently asked by Wharton; similar questions are asked by other
schools, including MIT, and Stanford)
1. Describe a time you had to work with a team to accomplish something. (Asked by
in 2011)
2. Describe a time when you have worked with others to complete an important task,
when there was no formally appointed group leader. (Asked by in 2010)
3. Describe a time when you have ensured an important task has been completed,
when you felt others were less focused than you on completing the important task.
(Asked by in 2010)
2012/02)

HOW TO STRUCTURE YOUR STORIES

Here is a simple storytelling template that my clients use to catch and hold the attention
of their interviewers.

In this example, I have modified the PAR framework (problem, action, result) by adding
a value statement or keyword at the beginning.
"I am someone who loves to make the most of limited resources. Last year, I
implemented an outdoor language lab to motivate my students. They did not care about
learning English, but I took advantage of the great weather and inspired them to see
language as part of the world around them."
This example is not from an MBA admissions interview, but that does not matter;
candidates can use this method in any interview situation.
Bottom line: Manage your message. What universal value, personal quality, or
characteristic are you showing in this example?
Practice telling stories that sound like "impact statements." By doing so, your interviewer
will be able to understand what the story means.
Otherwise, she might say to herself, "OK, so you took your students outside to learn
English. So what? I am hiring you to do a sales job (or I am admitted you to my MBA
program)."
If you explain that are innovative, she is more likely to say:
"Oh, I see. You can solve problems using limited resources. Well, that fits our culture
well. You will definitely need that skill in our organization / program."
Ultimately, interviewers want to learn about your motivations. You are unlikely to
encounter the same situation in the future. But if your interview knows that you possess
the right qualities to solve problems in any situation, she is more likely to hire or admit
you into her organization or graduate program.

Background: Behavioral Event-Based
Interviews (BEI)

What is BEI?
In the 1980s, industrial psychologist Dr. Tom Janz introduced a method of interviewing
called the Behavioral Interview. Research shows that this interviewing style is
extremely effective, and MBA adcoms have started using it in interviews as well as essay
questions, first at MIT and now, to a lesser extent, Wharton, Stanford, and other
programs (depending on the interviewer).

Why do interviewers use BEI?

The premise is that the best predictor of future behavior is your past behavior. In a
behavioral interview you will have to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and abilities,
collectively known as competencies, by giving specific examples from your past
experiences. Instead of asking how you would behave in a particular situation, the
interviewer will ask you to describe how you did behave. Expect the interviewer to
question and probe you for more details about what you thought, felt, said and did. Also,
your interviewer will not allow you to theorize or generalize about several events.

How can you prepare for a Behavioral Event-Based Interview?
During a behavioral interview, always listen carefully to the question, ask for
clarification if necessary, and make sure you answer the question completely. Your
answer should contain these four steps (Situation, Task, Action, Result or "STAR") for
optimum success. http://web.mit.edu/career/www/guide/star.html
1. Situation: give an example of a situation you were involved in that resulted in a
positive outcome
2. Task: describe the tasks involved in that situation
3. Action: talk about the various actions involved in the situations task
4. Results: what results directly followed because of your actions

Whenever you can, quantify your results. Numbers illustrate your level of authority and
responsibility. For example: "I was a shift supervisor." could be "As Shift Supervisor, I
trained and evaluated 4 employees."

Example of a STAR Answer
1. Situation: During my internship last summer, I was responsible for managing
various events.
2. Task: I noticed that attendance at these events had dropped by 30% over the past 3
years and wanted to do something to improve these numbers.
3. Action: I designed a new promotional packet to go out to the local community
businesses. I also included a rating sheet to collect feedback on our events and
organized internal round table discussions to raise awareness of the issue with our
employees.
4. Result: We utilized some of the wonderful ideas we received from the community,
made our internal systems more efficient and visible and raised attendance by 18%
the first year.

some common behavioral interview
QUESTION TOPICS

Teamwork
Tell us about a time that you had to work on a team that did not get along. What
happened? What role did you take? What was the result? Based on that example,
what would you do if your MBA study team members were not getting along with
each other?
How do you resolve conflict on a team.
Tell me about a time when you experienced cultural conflict and how you handled
it.
What role do you typically play in teams?
Tell me about a time when you contributed to a team.
What has been your most difficult teamwork experience?
Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or help others to
compromise. What was your role? What steps did you take? What was the end
result?
Describe a team experience you found disappointing. What would you have done
to prevent this?
Tell me about a time when you resolved a conflict in a group.
Tell us about the most difficult challenge you faced in trying to work cooperatively
with someone who did not share the same ideas? What was your role in achieving
the work objective?
What is the difficult part of being a member, not leader, of a team? How did you
handle this?
When is the last time you had a disagreement with a peer? How did you resolve the
situation?
Tell us about the most difficult or frustrating individual that youve ever had to
work with, and how you managed to work with them.
Have you ever been a member of a group where two of the members did not work
well together? What did you do to get them to do so?
What is the toughest group that you have had to get cooperation from? Describe
how you handled it. What was the outcome?

Leadership
What is your leadership style? Give me an example of a time when you displayed
that leadership style.
Tell me your definition of leadership and give an example.
Tell me about a time when you exercised leadership.
Tell me about a time when you took initiative.
Tell me about a time when you introduced an innovation.
Tell me about a time when you solved an important problem.
Tell me about a time when you took a position different from the consensus view
of your team / organization.
How do you show leadership outside of your job?
What leadership areas do you wish do develop through your MBA experience?
What specifically do you plan to do at School X to develop in these ways?
Describe your leadership style and give an example of a situation when you
successfully led a group.
Have you ever been in a position where you had to lead a group of peers? How did
you handle it?
Give an example of a time in which you felt you were able to build motivation in
your co-workers or subordinates at work.

Accomplishments
What is your greatest accomplishment?
What impact have your accomplishments had on your organization?

Failure
Have you ever failed?
How did you recover from this experience & what did you learn about
yourself?
When have you faced a setback and how did you deal with it?
What has been your major work related disappointment? What happened and what
did you do?

Ethics / Integrity
Discuss an ethical dilemma you faced at work.
Describe a situation where your values, ethics, or morals were challenged. How did
you handle the situation? What did you learn about yourself?

Information compiled from various public sources including:
http://web.mit.edu/career/www/guide/star.html
More links here: http://delicious.com/admissions/interview_behavioral

Related article

MIT Sloan MBA Interviews

-Updated by Vince on 11 Mar 2014

I am a graduate admissions consultant who works with clients worldwide
I also serve as volunteer Treasurer of The Association of International Graduate
Admissions Consultants (AIGAC)
If you would like to arrange an initial consultation, please complete my intake form
Please note that initial consultations are not offered for interview training and
second opinion services
Meanwhile, please watch my admissions-related videos on YouTube, and be sure
to subscribe for the latest updates

Results

Vince's clients
admitted since 2008

Berkeley Haas 6
Chicago Booth 14
Columbia Business School 18
HBS 21
INSEAD 17
Kellogg 22
London Business School MBA 12
London Business School MiF 3
MIT Sloan MBA 11
MIT Sloan Fellows 5
Stanford d.school 1
Stanford GSB MBA 9
Stanford MSx (EMBA) 1
Tuck 8
UCLA Anderson 9
Wharton 20
Yale SOM 5
+7 Fulbright Scholars
Full list here
Testimonials

"You encouraged me to be genuine, and helped me find the right, true stories that captured who I am. In this way, you
offer applicants not only an effective admissions advisory, but also a unique journey of self discovery and empowering
dreams."
Havard Business School Class of 2015, with Fulbright Scholarship (also admitted Stanford GSB)
________________________________

"First, you limit the number of your clients so that you can maintain the high quality of your services while many other
MBA consultants accept clients almost beyond their capacity. Second, you are really great 'catalyst.' Each question you
asked me made me think and thus deepened my stories. Thanks to you, I was able to come up with excellent ideas that I
could never come up with alone."
Kellogg Class of 2015 (also admitted Berkeley Haas)
42 people like this. Be the first of your friends. Like
________________________________
More here http://www.vinceprep.com/testimonials
Home | Sitemap | About | Contact
2007-2014 -- VincePrep.com. All rights reserved
Powered by Agos
Vlog
The ding
thing: how
to reapply to
an MBA
program
How to
apply for a
Fulbright
Scholarship
Please
Complete
the 2014
Applicant
Survey
Got frame?
How to
write MBA
admissions
essays
How to
write your
life story
Schools
London
Business
School
Admissions
Tips
Stanford
GSB MBA
Admissions
Tips
MIT Sloan
MBA
Admissions
Tips
Harvard
Business
School
Admissions
Tips
Wharton
MBA
Admissions
Tips
MBA
Admissions
Essay Tips
Make a
fresh start
with each
new MBA
application
HBS MBA
Admissions
Essay: the
questions
behind the
question
Harvard
Business
School HBS
MBA Class
of 2017
Essay
Strategies
What
matters
most to
Stanford
GSB MBA
Class of
2017
Admissions
Essay Tips
Kellogg
MBA Essay
Questions
behind the
Questions -
Class of
2017
applicants
(starting
2015)
MBA Interview
Tips
Best
Harvard
Business
School
(HBS)
MBA
interview
tips
Vinces best
interview
tips
How to
prepare for
your
Columbia
Business
School
MBA
admissions
interview
How to
prepare for
your MIT
Sloan MBA
admissions
interview
How to pass
your
behavioral
interview
MBA
Recommendation
Letters
Who should
write your
MBA letters
of
recommendation?
MBA
Letters of
Recommendation
::
Frequently
Asked
Questions
(FAQ)
What to do
if your
recommender
says, You
write it. I
will sign it.
Services
Vince MBA
Interview
Service
Vince MBA
dream
school
second
opinion
service
(SOS)
Prospective
client intake
questionnaire
Reapplication
Counseling
Vince
answers
frequently
asked
questions
(FAQs)
about his
service
Follow
Vince on
Delicious
Vince on
SlideShare
Vince on
Blogger
Vince on
YouTube
Vince on
LinkedIn
Vince
Contact
About
Sitemap
Home

How To Pass Your Behavioral Interview

Caricato da

Informazioni sul documento

Titolo originale

Copyright

Formati disponibili

Condividi questo documento

Condividi o incorpora il documento

Opzioni di condivisione

Hai trovato utile questo documento?

Questo contenuto è inappropriato?

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

How To Pass Your Behavioral Interview

Caricato da

Copyright:

Formati disponibili

12/10/2014 How to pass your behavioral interview

Potrebbero piacerti anche