how to pass your behavioral interview

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How to pass your behavioral interview

Vince Ricci

VinceRicci, Admissions CounselorOver 10 yearsof top MBA admissions results

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How to pass your behavioral interview

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I believe in the potential of behavioral interviews to elicit interesting and valuable storiesfrom applicants. In practice, however, the process confuses some applicants because theydo 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 tohear?

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 organizationTEAMWORK: stories that demonstrate your ability to build and maintain

professional relationshipsACCOMPLISHMENTS: stories that demonstrate your ability to set an objectiveand achieve it
http://www.vinceprep.com/interviews/mithttp://www.vinceprep.com/interviews/sampleshttp://www.vinceprep.com/interviews/faqhttp://www.vinceprep.com/interviews/tuckhttp://www.vinceprep.com/interviews/how-to-prepare-for-your-second-interview


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Still, most AdCom members would like to hear NEW stories beyond those you alreadyshared in your essays. If you had access to your letters of recommendation, you mightconsider sharing an example that was used by your recommender.

THE THREE MOST COMMON BEHAVIORALINTERVIEW 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 thatevery 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 BUILDINGRELATIONSHIPS

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING: the ability to build and maintain professionalrelationships

The key success factors involve facilitation and soft skills.

Prepare the following:

Stories that illustrate alliances and partnerships that support youA 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 interviewquestions (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 betweentwo members of the team. (Asked by in 2011)


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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 thatperson 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 teammatesinitially 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 ofothers. (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 teammembers. (Asked by in 2010)

(found at http://www.clearadmit.com/wiki/index.php?title=WhartonInterview; accessed2012/02)

2. LEADERSHIP

Show leadership by sharing stories about times that you have been successfulINFLUENCING 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 withand/or organizations youve worked forA story that exemplifies how youve contributed to the success of people youveworked with and/or organizations youve worked for

(found at http://astoriedcareer.com/tell_me/2010/07/building-blocks-for-branding-s.html;

accessed 2012/02)

Then, use your leadership stories to answer the following behavioral event interviewquestions (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 youhad 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 yourcommunication 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 changetheir mind. Please provide specifics on what you thought and did and how the otherperson reacted. (Asked by in 2011)

5. Describe a time you convinced someone on your team of something. (Asked by in2011)

6. Tell me about a time that your opinion was challenged and you had to defend


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yourself. Did they accept it? How did you do it? What was your strategy? (Askedby 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 todefend your opinions. (Asked by in 2010)

(found at http://www.clearadmit.com/wiki/index.php?title=WhartonInterview; accessed

2012/02)

3. ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Show accomplishments by sharing stories about times that you have demonstratedDRIVE

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 positivequotation that exemplifies your value propositionStories that describe life-changing events and how theyve shaped your values and

beliefsStories that reflect recurring patterns in your life/career and what those patternsmeanA story that demonstrates a pioneering idea youve developedA story that illustrates how passionate you are about your fieldA story that shows that people seek you out for your skills and expertiseA story that explains how your work has developed and improvedA story that illustrates that you consistently seek continuing education and

professional development to enhance your value to your audienceA story about volunteer or philanthropic work that shows what you are passionate

aboutA story that demonstrates the roots of your ethics and values

(found at http://astoriedcareer.com/tell_me/2010/07/building-blocks-for-branding-s.html;accessed 2012/02)

Then, use your accomplishment stories to answer the following behavioral eventinterview questions (recently asked by Wharton; similar questions are asked by otherschools, 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)


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In this example, I have modified the PAR framework (problem, action, result) by addinga value statement or keyword at the beginning.

"I am someone who loves to make the most of limited resources. Last year, Iimplemented an outdoor language lab to motivate my students. They did not care aboutlearning English, but I took advantage of the great weather and inspired them to seelanguage 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, orcharacteristic 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 learnEnglish. So what? I am hiring you to do a sales job (or I am admitted you to my MBA

program)."


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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 culturewell. You will definitely need that skill in our organization / program."

Ultimately, interviewers want to learn about your motivations. You are unlikely toencounter the same situation in the future. But if your interview knows that you possessthe right qualities to solve problems in any situation, she is more likely to hire or admityou 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 interviewingcalled the Behavioral Interview. Research shows that this interviewing style isextremely effective, and MBA adcoms have started using it in interviews as well as essayquestions, 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 pastexperiences. Instead of asking how you would behave in a particular situation, theinterviewer 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 forclarification if necessary, and make sure you answer the question completely. Youranswer 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 apositive outcome

2. Task: describe the tasks involved in that situation3. Action: talk about the various actions involved in the situations task
http://web.mit.edu/career/www/guide/star.html


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4. Results: what results directly followed because of your actions

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

1. Situation: During my internship last summer, I was responsible for managingvarious events.

2. Task: I noticed that attendance at these events had dropped by 30% over the past 3years and wanted to do something to improve these numbers.

3. Action: I designed a new promotional packet to go out to the local communitybusinesses. I also included a rating sheet to collect feedback on our events andorganized internal round table discussions to raise awareness of the issue with ouremployees.

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. Whathappened? 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 witheach other?How do you resolve conflict on a team.Tell me about a time when you experienced cultural conflict and how you handledit.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 tocompromise. What was your role? What steps did you take? What was the endresult?Describe a team experience you found disappointing. What would you have doneto 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 cooperativelywith someone who did not share the same ideas? What was your role in achievingthe work objective?What is the difficult part of being a member, not leader, of a team? How did youhandle this?When is the last time you had a disagreement with a peer? How did you resolve thesituation?Tell us about the most difficult or frustrating individual that youve ever had towork 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 workwell together? What did you do to get them to do so?


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What is the toughest group that you have had to get cooperation from? Describehow you handled it. What was the outcome?

Leadership

What is your leadership style? Give me an example of a time when you displayedthat 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 viewof 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 yousuccessfully led a group.Have you ever been in a position where you had to lead a group of peers? How didyou handle it?Give an example of a time in which you felt you were able to build motivation inyour 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 aboutyourself?When have you faced a setback and how did you deal with it?What has been your major work related disappointment? What happened and whatdid you do?

Ethics / Integrity

Discuss an ethical dilemma you faced at work.


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Describe a situation where your values, ethics, or morals were challenged. How didyou 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 Vinceon 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 GraduateAdmissions 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 trainingandsecond opinionservices

Meanwhile, please watch my admissions-related videos on YouTube, and be sureto subscribefor the latest updates
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