Behavioural interviewing is a widely-used technique of conducting job interviews. It is based on the principle that your past behaviour is a good indicator of how you might behave in similar situations, in a new workplace.
It is especially important to prepare for behavioural interviewing, if you are applying for work with government departments and agencies, such as local councils. Some organisations hint on their websites or early the recruitment process that this technique of interviewing is likely to be used.
Online, there are dozens of explanations about the STAR method of responding to interview questions. The acronym describes the Situation, Task, Action and Results that can be used in response to interview questions where you are asked to reflect on past situations and describe your behaviour in that situation. There are hundreds of examples of behavioural questions online too.
Rather than getting tangled up in remembering the STAR acronym, it may be easier to keep in mind that interviewing is just like story-telling. You, as author, set the scene, describe events, then provide a conclusion. Of course, you need to highlight your own important role in the story.
It’s important to remember to provide enough detail to ‘paint a picture’, but not so much that you will bore your listener. Colourful but brief details WILL make your story memorable and is a key tip to nailing an interview.
An extra point scorer can be to relay what you learned from the situation as well. This may be especially useful if you have less actual work experience.
Like in most things, practice will increase your chances of success. And again, reviewing the essential criteria for the role is a good starting point. This will assist you to pre-empt the types of scenarios that are likely to be of interest to the recruiter.