The two main types of structured interview questions are classed as behavioral interviews and situational interviews.
Behavioral job interview questions are designed to help the interviewee to discuss how you behaved or acted in past workplace situations.
Behavioral job interview questions often come in the form of “describe a time when you X..” in this instance the employer is looking at how you previously acted.
- Describe a time when you had to make a difficult choice
- Describe a time when you had to discipline a member of staff
- Describe a time when you dealt with a difficult customer
When the interviewee delivers their examples, the interviewer is looking to find out how you acted in this situation – your behavior.
- Were you angry or confident?
- Did you follow a process or act on your own initiative?
- Did you do well or could you have done better?
- Depending on the behavioral question depends on what the employer is looking for.
Situational interview questions are designed to help the interviewee look at the future; how will you act when X happens. You will often be presented with a problem and the employer is looking at your skills to solve the problem, your industry knowledge and your expertise.
- What would you do if a customer said X?
- How would you handle yourself in a pressurized situation?
- If X happened what would you do to resolve it?
You rarely attend a “situation” or “behavioral” interview in reality the interviewer will ask you both situation and behavioral questions through the job interview process.
