When an interviewer asks you questions that begin with certain phrases such as "give an example of" or " tell me about when" he/she would want examples from real life. Behavioral questions are asked so the interviewer would know how you handled certain situations in the past. This would be an opportunity for you to tell him about your accomplishments. If you can provide examples that show that you have been successful in certain areas, you would be a likely candidate for that position. If you did it in the past, you would be able to do the same for this company also.
Any success story you share must include a situation, an action and the final result. Given below is an example for a sales position interview:
The Situation: A customer was not interested in hearing about my product's features due to a previous interaction with the company.
The Action: I carefully listened to the story of the customer and ensured that I heard the complaint. I also explained how differently I would have managed the situation and how I would have provided better services. I showed facts which changed the customer's mind about interacting with my company again.
The Result: The customer bought the product and also complimented me on how her account was handled.
A good way of preparing for such behavioral questions is by writing down the stories you want to share before an interview. Identify stories that would be suitable for the position you are interviewing for. A position that requires dependability should include a story about how you made a difference in the past with a customer or how you were recognized for your dependability.
You can use these examples even if the interview does not include behavioral questions. When asked a traditional question, you can use this story and tell the interviewer that you have an example for that skill.
By preparing in advance for the interview and recalling some of your past successes, you would be able to have enough examples to share and would not be caught unaware. While you may not be able to predict the questions that an interviewer would ask you, it would be possible to prepare for what points from your past jobs you want to share with the interviewer.
