50 most common behavioral interview questions

Review the top 50 most common behavioral interview questions asked by employers, as well as sample answers for each question on the list.

Try asking yourself some of these interview questions and see how your answers would resonate with you! That will provide you some context to better hiring.

List of  50 most common behavioral interview questions.

• Did you ever give a presentation to a challenging audience? How did you cope with that audience? What was the result?
• Tell me about a situation that demonstrates your ability to maintain the attention of the audience.
• Can you give me an example when it was most difficult to respond effectively to on-the-spot questions during or after a presentation?
• Tell me about a time when you demonstrated your ability to hold interesting and well-received presentations.
• Tell me about a recent successful experience giving an oral presentation.
• When you are preparing and giving a presentation or making a speech, how do you take your audience’s needs into consideration? Give me an example.
• Have you ever been appointed spokesperson for a group? Tell me more about that experience.
• Do you take ownership for all responsibilities and honours commitments?
• Do you deliver outputs for which one has responsibility within prescribed time, cost and quality standards?
• Do you operate in compliance with organizational regulations and rules?
• Do you support subordinates, provides oversight and takes responsibility for delegated assignments?
• Do you take personal responsibility for his/her own shortcomings and those of the work unit, where applicable?
• How would you rate your analytical ability? Why?
• How would your manager rate your analytical ability?
• Tell us about a situation where the analysis that you performed was incorrect. What would you have done differently?
• Can you tell me about a time when you discovered a more efficient way to do a work task?
• Tell me about a task that really tested your analytical abilities?
• Tell me about a tricky situation for which you found a very simple solution?
• Have you ever been in a real dilemma at work? What did you do to get out of it?
• Tell me about an assignment you worked on in which you had to amass a huge amount of data, and then analyze it?
• Can you tell me about a situation where your analysis of a problem was deemed to be incorrect? What would you have done differently?
• Are you analytical? Give us one example of your analytical abilities.
• Tell us about your analytical skills.
• Tell us about a particularly difficult problem that you analyzed and what was your recommendation?
• What steps do you take when analyzing complex problems?
• When you have had a boss, in the past, who fails to adequately communicate with you, how have you handled this?
• Give me an example when you had to present complex information in a simplified manner in order to explain it to someone?
• Give me an example when you had to present complex information in a simplified manner in order to explain it to someone?
• Tell me about a time when you had to be very careful in communicating delicate information. What was the possible risk involved and how did you go about it?
• What steps do you take to establish a rapport with others?
• Describe five things about the communication within an organization that must be present for you to work most effectively?
• Describe a time when you took extra effort to make sure the person with whom you were communicating with had really understood your point. How did you do this?
• How often do you believe it is necessary to withhold information from staff members who report to you? Would you say you do this regularly, not often, or never? Under what circumstances do you limit  communication in your experience?
• Describe the work environment or culture and its communication style in which you experience the most success?
• How do you explain a complex technical issue to someone who has less technical knowledge than you?
• Give me an example of a time when you had to put your point across in a meeting to which most of the people were reluctant to hear.
• When you have entered a new workplace in the past, describe how you have gone about meeting and developing relationships with your new coworkers, supervisors, and reporting staff?
• Give me an example of a situation where you helped your colleague perform a particular task in which you had better knowledge on the subject?
• Can you tell me about a time when you backed off in a meeting because you felt someone else should speak or have an opportunity?
• Tell me about a time when you acted as a mediator to help colleagues resolve their differences.
• How would you show co-workers the importance of co-operation?
• Give me an example of a time when you tried your best to work with someone, but the problems still remained. What did you learn from that situation?
• Give an example of a time when you assisted a co-worker to enhance their work skills?
• Tell me about a time when you had to help a co-worker who had made a bad mistake. What did you do?
• Tell me about a time when you had to help a co-worker who had made a bad mistake. What did you do?
• Give an example of a time when you assisted a co-worker to enhance their work skills?
• How would you show co-workers the importance of co-operation?
• How often do you discuss and work with colleagues to think up new systems and styles of working?
• Have you ever tried a new way of doing things? Did you succeed?
• Tell me about one case when you tried to solve a problem with a totally different approach than is normally used. What was the result?

If you don't know how to answer any of these questions, go to our Answers to

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and to our Practice interviews where you will find detailed tips.