There are generally two types of questions that Recruiters ask during interviews:
Traditional: What would you do?
For example: “If you could do anything…”, “How do you manage your time?”
These questions may pose possible scenarios and test situations you could encounter for the position you are interviewing for.
And Behavioral: What did you do? For example, “tell me about a time when…” or “describe a situation when…”. You can find some more common behavioral questions at the bottom of this page.
These questions may particularly reflect off of your resume and prior experiences.
Also, check out these additional tools:
- Interview Organizer to help answer “tell me about yourself,” “why are you interested in this field,” “what questions do you have for us,” and “strengths and weaknesses.” (Behavioral Tool)
- STAR Interview Tool to help you organize your interview stories (Behavioral Tool). STAR is a technique to help you answer behavioral based questions. When answering behavioral questions, use the STAR method (situation, task, action and result). Your response should describe the Situation, Task, Action you personally took and the Result of your actions.
How should I answer the questions?
- Be as thorough as possible when answering your questions.
- Make sure you understand the question before you answer it. Take a second to think about the question before you answer. If you’re not certain, it is ok to ask them to repeat/clarify once or twice.
- Provide specific examples. If applicable, mention results and accomplishments. If necessary, bring up a moment where you learned from a past experience.
- Speak calmly, speak clearly, and do not be too long-winded. Keep your answers straight to the point.
- Pay attention to the interviewer: They will often give you cues about whether they are engaged in what they are saying or whether you are dominating the conversation.
- Be aware of your tone and the volume of your voice.
Make sure to review our page on how to prepare for the interview.
Sample Behavioral Questions
Downloadable version: https://students.brooklyn.edu/files/2022/12/100-Behavioral-Interview-Questions.pdf