According to the concept of a behaviour-based approach, the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. An employer would know exactly what this means! The goal of a behavioural interview is to extract, from the candidate, some of his previous behavioural pattern so that an insight into his future job performances becomes clear. So, it is important that the job seeking executive illustrates his competencies through all the probing done by the company! What the hiring managers also look for is spontaneity rather than clichés and mugged up answers. Behavioural interview questions have a four-fold purpose in the selection procedure which means that they evaluate a candidate on the basis of the following four parameters: objective, consistency and transparency, proficiency in the particular field and efficiency in performance. If you are looking for an executive level position, you must remember that there are only three things you need to showcase: content, functional skills and self-management abilities. This article gives you some mock questions that can help you prepare for the interview!
Executive Level Behavioral Based Interview Questions
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Give us an example of a goal that you set and how you achieved it.
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Is there a time when you used office politics to your advantage in helping you achieve a program?
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How did you handle a difficult situation with a co-worker?
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Were you ever forced to make an unpopular decision? Describe the feeling.
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Tell us the details of the time when you made a lasting impression on a customer.
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What is your idea of a perfect job?
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How would you describe your management style?
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What sort of salary range are you looking for? Are your qualifications enough for this kind of money?
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Are you a multi-tasker? How have you juggled different work priorities at the same time?
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Give us an example of a time when you had to take a split-second decision.
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Would you fire a close friend? Have you done it in the past?
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Do you think you have been a motivation to others? How so?
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Name one strength and one weakness of yours.
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What have you done to improve your verbal skills?
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When there are different people with various idea inputs, how will you go about compiling the whole information into one?
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Tell us about a time when you had to develop leaders under you.
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Have you ever worked with a highly emotional employee? What steps did you take to deal with the situation?
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How do you keep track of performance of your subordinates?
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Convince us that you are an effective change from the previous worker.
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I noticed that your resume mentions a training course in *insert name*. What was it about?
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Analyze your background.
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Have you ever done a poor job of delegating?
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What have you done to further your own professional development in the last 5 years?
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Describe a time when you have been disappointed by your own behaviour.
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Have you set your sights too high or too low?
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Detail a short-term plan which you would develop for advancement of the company.
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What is your experience in setting budgets?
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If we have a project that requires work on weekends too, will you oblige?
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Do you like working with weak people?
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Tell us about a time when you had a conflict of interest at work.
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If you had the power of employing someone, would you recommend your family members into the company?
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Have you ever had a role model whose ideals are similar to yours? Who is it and what are the common ideals?
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Describe the most challenging negotiation that you have ever been involved with.
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Why did you leave the previous company?
Here are some of the basic behavioural interview questions that can be asked by the employing organization. The key is to research, plan and be confident!
