a guide on behavioral interviewsš¼
ok i've got a behavioral interview coming up so decided to make this quick guide on how i prepare for these if it helps anyone else trying to land internships or full-time jobs in the tech industry!
the process
1. ā Introduction (10-15 min)
The interviewer wants to know more about you, your career goals, skills, and how you align w/ the company's mission.
Like a compelling essay, you want a strong hook or opening statement. The first question asked is often "Tell me about yourself" and this should be a brief elevator pitch (30 seconds) that highlights your current status (student, major, study area), your relevant experience, why you're interested in the company/why you're a good fit for the company, and what you're looking for (in a job). Practice this in front of a mirror if you have to!
Doing company research is really important for the whole interview! You want to look informed and interested. You can use sites such as:
Twitter Linkedin Glassdoor company website (blogs/news/about/careers page) any press releases/news articles to find info about what the company is focused on or what they care about most.
Find things that are genuinely interesting to *you* and write it down on a separate notepad to remember it
Review the job posting you applied to and review where you meet their expectations (your strengths) and be aware of your weaknesses (be ready to answer like "I'm working on improving my..." or "I hope this company can give me more experience in..")
Top questions: Tell me about yourself, why do you want to work for us, what are your strengths? Why should we hire you?
2. ā Situational Questions (15-30 min)
This is where you use the STAR method to craft your responses to questions about your communication, work ethic, and collaboration style
STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result
Here's a guide + sample questions that you can encounter in any type of interview!
Also, prepare 5-6 solid situations that you can use to anchor your STAR responses. These can come from your resume, where each project can be something you can tie back to another soft/technical skill the company is looking for.
For example, for my hackathon experiences, i can relate it to any collaboration / communication / time crunch / meeting deadlines question. for my research experience, i can relate it to analytical skills / experimental / problem-solving questions.
For me, I put all my projects/experiences on a google doc, and then I write additional bullet points on things I did, problems I solved, challenges, skills I gained, etc. It's kind of like a super expanded resume. It's a great reference at a glance! Reflecting on your experiences/projects is very important as well, whether large or small.
3. ā Closing (5 - 10 min)
This is your opportunity to end on a strong note, re-iterating what makes you a good fit for the company and asking questions that show you've done your research on the role/company!
What are good questions? Questions that aren't easily answerable on the company site, questions that will help YOU make a decision if you want to work for them
Here's some good ones: What is your current work from home / hybrid / in-person policies? What are the most exciting challenges facing your company in the next 6 months? What's the next step in the interview process / when can I expect follow-up? Is there support for junior / entry-level developers (such as mentorship)? How does the company support work-life balance? Can you share any recent projects / initiatives the company has taken on that you're excited about?
Here's some to AVOID: Avoid asking about salary / benefits unless you absolutely need this information before moving forward, Avoid asking questions you can google easily or know by reading the job description, avoid questions that are clearly outside of your interviewers area of expertise
phew, maybe i shouldve broken this into multiple posts, for now this is a quick overview, hope this helps!
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additional (free) resources:
interviewbit - variety of questions listed for behaviorals
tech interview handbook - more details on preparing for STAR and example responses
handshake blog post - list of questions you can ask at the end of any interview
exponent's blog post - FAANG interviewing, focusing on company values, finding peer-to-peer mock interviews
pramp.com - practice mock interviews with peers
