Practice these steps to ace your next behavioral-based interview

Many of us have felt caught off guard by an interview question. I remember once being asked, “If you were a vegetable, what would you be and why?” At first, I chuckled, but quickly remembered that the interviewer was waiting for my answer. I swiftly stammered, “Broccoli because it is a versatile vegetable that is able to work in a variety of dishes and cuisines.” I still don’t know what that question was assessing or how it related to the position I was applying for, but I knew that I wanted to be asked more meaningful questions that would allow me to highlight the great work I’ve done. That’s part of the reason that I love being a Recruiter at Progressive.

As an organization, we believe that the best predictor of future behavior is your past behavior. Our interview questions are designed to help you share specific examples from your previous employment. Most of them start with the phrase “tell me about a time when you …” and then prompt you for a specific example. They can be intimidating, but knowing how to prepare and outline your answer will have you interviewing like a pro for your next opportunity.

Prep like a pro

To prepare for these types of questions, known as behavioral-based interviewing, I recommend you think about the skills that are critical to the role you’re applying to. For example, a call center representative is perceived as the voice of the company to customers. So skills such as customer service and adaptability are going to be important. If you’re applying for this type of role, prepare examples of how you delivered great customer service or how you successfully worked with a challenging customer. Having examples of when you’ve adapted to new things in past roles and decisions you’ve made to make things more efficient will also be helpful too. The best prep is to review the list of key skills in the job description and ensure you have strong, specific examples of how you’ve demonstrated each.

Format like a rock STAR

Once you have identified examples for each of the skills that are important to the role, practice putting your examples into the STAR format (Situation/Task, Actions and Results). As a Recruiter, I’m looking for you to tell me a story about one instance from your work experience. Using the STAR format to frame your answer will help you to be specific and concise.  Here’s how it works:

• Situation/Task: The beginning of your story; it should set the stage and give the interviewer an understanding of what was happening.
• Actions: The middle of your story and the meat of your example. Be detailed in your actions and explain all the steps that you took. Remember, past behaviors/actions predict future behaviors, so we really want to hear all the good things that you did.
• Result: This is the end of your story and should conclude your example. Whenever possible, try to tie results back to metrics or achievements.

Interview like you’ve practiced

A few things to keep in mind when formulating your examples:

• Stay out of the “woulds” – Interviewers don’t want to know what you hypothetically would do, they want to know what you have done.
• There is no “we” in interviewing – I know that most times in the corporate world we tend to work as teams or departments, but interviewers don’t want to know what your team did … they want to know what you accomplished. So, own your hard work and tell us about all the things that you accomplished.
• Avoid generalizations – Remember, interviewers want to hear about one specific instance. Avoid vague statements like, “I usually do…” or “I always do…”
• Steer clear of irrelevant or old examples – Responses should be as recent as possible and relevant to the role you’re applying for. If you have six years of experience working in a similar type of role or industry, pull from those experiences rather than sharing about work experience that might not translate into the role for which you’re interviewing.

You know your experiences better than anyone else.  The prep work and STAR format are just ways to help you tell your story in a concise and compelling way. Practice makes perfect, so ask a trusted friend or colleague to run through some questions with you. And when the next great opportunity comes along, you’ll be ready to tell your story and tell it well.

Sarah Timms is a Senior Recruiter with Progressive Insurance. With almost a decade of recruiting experience, she has built a reputation for developing business partnerships and helping talented individuals find a job they love.