The other day, a friend asked me for some tips on preparing for an interview with a manager, which I assume was a behavioural interview of some sort. Since my response was general in nature, I got their permission to publish it here, so here goes.
I’ve given many behavioural interviews over my career and these are some common themes I’ve noticed among the candidates who perform the best.
- Take a moment and think about each question before you respond. Writing down the question on paper helps, it buys time to think and can help stay focused on answering the question. Don’t be afraid to tell the interviewer “I’m going to take a few moments to think about your question” before answering.
- Generally speaking, I prefer a specific example in behavourial questions. Listen for prompts like “tell me about a time when _____” and “what would you do if ______.” If you hear “tell me about a time when” the interviewer wants a specific example from your experience. “What would you do if” is typically a prompt to consider a hypothetical situation, but it’s still preferable to answer with a concrete example if possible.
- if you feel yourself getting off topic, don’t be afraid to gut check yourself. For me, it’s fine when people confirm their understanding by saying something like “have I answered your question, or would you prefer I elaborate more?”
- The question I ask every interviewer I speak with is “how can I help?” I like to understand if there is a problem to work on that I think I’m good at. I also like to set the tone that I’m a supportive, collaborative person to have around.
Time management is pretty important, you want to have enough time to answer each question in enough detail, while avoid getting sidetracked. I always give the candidate an idea of what to expect in interviews in the beginning, by saying something like “we’ll have 45 minutes to get through five questions, and 10 minutes for you to ask me questions.” I can’t recall ever having a candidate ask me what to plan for in an interview, but if one did I would be fine with it.