<aside> 💡 The goal of a behavioral interview is for the team to understand who you are as a person and whether you would be a good fit for the company. The core idea behind a behavioral interview is that past behaviors and actions predict how you will behave in the future/at the job if chosen.

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Things that you want to convey:

• Your interest in the specific job / company you are applying for
• Why you are unique and why you would add value to the team
• Your experiences that are relevant to the position you are applying for

Sample Questions

• Tell me about yourself
• Tell me about a time…
  • you had a conflict with a teammate and how you resolved it
  • you overcame a challenge
  • a project you were working on failed or goals were not met
  • you wish you had handled a situation differently
  • you set and achieved a goal
• Why do you want to work at X company?
• What skills do you have that make you a good candidate for this position?
• What achievement are you most proud of?
• What CS-related projects have you worked on?
• Greatest strengths/weaknesses
• How do you approach long-term projects?

The STAR Method

• https://capd.mit.edu/resources/the-star-method-for-behavioral-interviews/
• The STAR method is used to help structure your responses to behavioral interview questions. There are four components to this method:
  • Situation: Explain the context behind the example you are using to answer their question.
    • Leave out details that aren’t necessary to the context to ensure that this part is not the focus of your response.
  • Task: Explain the problem that you were were faced with or the task/goals you had to complete.
  • Action: explain what you did to complete the aforementioned task.
    • Remember to describe this in a way that illuminates your skills and problem solving strategies.
  • Result: Explain the outcome of the situation. The more you can quantify the results, the better.

Tips:

• Practice out loud!
  • Practicing with friends is a great way to do this
• Have a bucket of examples ready to use for different, common scenarios they might bring up. For example:
  • A time when you faced a challenge
  • Your biggest achievement
  • A time you had a conflict with a peer