I've been working on a book about how to get hired at top companies, and I thought it would be useful to write an article that summarizes some of what I'm learning. In this article, I'll talk about behavioral interview questions and how to answer them using the STAR method.
Behavioral interview questions
Behavioral interview questions are a type of question that ask you to describe a specific situation or event from your past. The idea is that your past behavior is the best predictor of your future performance, so these types of questions are used to assess whether you're likely to fit well in a given job. Behavioral interviews are also good for determining how well you can perform under pressure, adapt to new situations, work with others, and more. They come up in virtually every interview for any kind of job.
The purpose of behavioral interview questions is to objectively measure past behaviors to predict future results. This makes them a great way to assess whether someone will do well in a particular role. When answering behavioral interview questions, it's important to focus on your own actions and decisions, rather than just listing facts about the situation.
The STAR method
The STAR method is a recommended answer framework for behavioral interview questions. It stands for Situation, Action, Result, Interesting features. The result step is where you wrap up by sharing the outcomes of your actions. The STAR format turns your past experience into a concise, evidence-based answer.
In the following sample answers from successful candidates at top companies, you can see how the STAR method works:
When answering behavioral interview questions, you should apply the S.A.R.I. formula consistently across all behavioral questions. Every answer should include situation, action, result, and reflective insight. You should avoid giving general statements and instead provide specific past examples. This means finding the right stories and polishing them before the interview.
Soft skill categories
Hiring managers most commonly probe for the following soft skills:
Communication with difficult people
Going above and beyond
Conflict resolution
Adaptability
Communication with difficult people
Going above and beyond
Conflict resolution
Adaptability
A recent survey of nearly 1,300 hiring managers found that adaptability was the most popular screening category.46% of leaders said that upskilling or reskilling was their top focus area.59% of leaders said they were focused on developing employees’ ability to adapt to change. Adaptable employees are more likely to achieve better outcomes as priorities shift or setbacks occur.
Other commonly assessed soft skills include communication with difficult people, going above and beyond, and conflict resolution.
Most frequently asked behavioral interview questions
Here are the behavioral interview questions that I’ve identified as being highly likely to appear in interviews:
Give me an example of a time you faced a conflict while working on a team.
Give me an example of a time when you didn't meet a client's expectation—what happened and how did you rectify it?
Tell me about a time when you were asked to do something you had never done before—how did you react, what did you learn, how did you organize your time?
Describe a situation where you had to work with a difficult team member—how did you handle the challenge and what was the outcome?
Tell me about a time you had to communicate with someone who was difficult.
Tell me about a time you went above and beyond.
STAR-format answers
Strong STAR-format answers look like this:
Team conflict answer:
My team had a conflict regarding our approach to a key client. One colleague directly objected to my plan. Rather than pointing out their inconsistency, I explained that training would improve our company’s culture and increase our operational efficiency, which would make our workload lighter. We came to an agreement, and the project was completed successfully.
Proactive communication answer:
When I joined my current position, I realized that I wasn’t prepared for the one-on-one meetings that were required. I switched from unprepared one-on-ones to arriving with a prepared update of all ongoing work. I addressed each person’s specific questions and concerns, rather than using cookie-cutter responses. My proactive communication helped ensure that everyone understood what I was doing, and I got much faster feedback.
Answers close with concrete results, not hypothetical or generic statements.
Practical preparation steps
If you’re preparing for a behavioral interview, here are a few practical steps you should take:
Find the right stories and polish them before the interview.
Answers require specific past examples, not general statements.
Apply the S.A.R.I. formula consistently across all behavioral questions.
Every answer should include situation, action, result, and reflective insight.