Manager’s Behavioral Interview Question Guide

As a hiring manager or member of an interview team, you can use this guide to ask questions that provide insight
to the candidate’s prior behaviors and actions. Once you determine the interview topic areas you’d like to probe,
review the list of questions within the Interview Question Bank and select those that are most appropriate based
on the knowledge, skills and abilities required for the role.

What Is Behavioral Interviewing

The premise behind behavioral interviewing is that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past
performance in similar situations. Traditional interview questions ask general questions such as “Tell me about
yourself.” The process of behavioral interviewing is much more probing because it asks the candidate to describe
past situations or experiences, share what they did and tell you the outcome or final result. Behavioral-based
interviewing provides a more objective set of facts to make employment decisions than other interviewing
methods.

Behavioral Interviewing Framework

When you use the behavioral interviewing method you want candidates to describe the situation, their behavior
and the resulting outcome:

Situation Behavior Outcome

The background or context of a The action they took. What they The result or outcome. What
specific event or task said or did others said and did as a result

Sometimes candidates don’t give complete information to address all three areas in their initial answer. It’s
important to use good follow up questions to capture information in the S, B and O areas. Below are some
examples of follow up questions:

What led to this?

What was your role?

What was the final outcome?

What was your supervisor’s / customer’s / client’s reaction?

Behavioral Interviewing tips

Interviewing can be a very nerve-racking event. Opening the interview in a warm and friendly manner puts the
applicant at ease. When greeting the applicant smile, be welcoming, establish eye contact and demonstrate
interest in the candidate's comfort. You want the candidate to come away with a favorable impression whether he
or she gets hired or not.

After you've greeted the candidate and put him or her at ease, use a transitioning statement to move to the
interview portion of the meeting. These statements set the agenda for the interview by telling the candidate what
to expect. Below are some examples of transitioning statements:

"I’ll be asking you questions about your previous work experiences, and I'd like your answers to be as specific
as possible. For each question briefly explain the situation, what you did, and the outcome.”

"I will be taking notes."

"First I’ll ask you some questions to learn about your experience. Near the end of the interview, I'll tell you
more about the company and the job."

"I will leave time to answer any questions you may have."

For additional interview guides and resources contact your recruiter. US managers may reference the Managers
Toolkit.

Behavioral Interview Question Bank

Change Management

Client Focus / Client Skills

Communication

Delivering Results

Versatility / Adaptability

Influencing / Negotiation / Conflict Management

Initiative

Judgement / Risk Taking

Leadership

Organizational Skills / Planning and Organizing

People Management / Development

Personal Drive

Problem Solving / Analysis / Innovation

Quality Orientation / Performance Under Pressure

Relationship Management / Partnership

Sales Skills

Team Work / Inclusivity / Respect

Time Management / Prioritizing

Change Management
Behavioral Examples

Understands changes in work tasks situations, and environment as well as the logic or basis for change
Approaches change positively – treats change and new situations as opportunities for learning and speaks
positively about change to others

Adjusts behaviour and modifies approach to deal effectively with changes in the work environment

Reassesses the new approach and alters priorities and activities based on changing demands

Clarifies uncertainty and ambiguity by asking clarifying questions

Shows openness and receptiveness to other ideas, views, opinions and people

Sample interview questions

Please tell me about the most challenging change you have implemented in the last two or three years.

Describe the last major change you had to introduce into your team and how you went about introducing it.

Describe a time when you had to adjust quickly to changes and still maintain effectiveness

Describe a situation where you had to work with unclear goals or with some uncertainty. How did you
approach the situation? What was the result?

Describe a time when you had to manage an unexpected crisis (eg outage or system crash) which had a major
impact on customer service. How did you still maintain effectiveness in “normal” responsibilities?

Tell me about a new policy or new idea you implemented which was considerably different from the standard
procedure. What approach did you take to gain your employees support?

Client Focus / Client Skills

Behavioral Examples

Establishes and maintains effective customer relationships

Demonstrates effective prioritizing of customer needs and takes action to build a customer-focused
environment

Actively works with customer to understand their needs, and also anticipates and identifies customer
requirements

Models a committed approach to educating customers

Actively seeks input from internal and/or external sources to better understand the customer base and their
business

Sample Interview Questions

Can you give me an example of a situation where you had to deal with a difficult customer? How did you
handle it? What was the outcome?
What action have you taken to demonstrate to your client your focus and interest in their needs? Provide me
an example.

Can you describe how you handled a situation when circumstances changed and you were no longer able to
do what you had originally planned?

Give me an example of a situation where you were able to persuade someone to accept your
ideas/opinions/suggestions? What was the issue? How did you persuade them? What was the outcome?

Have you ever had a client that was difficult to deal with? What did you do to make the relationship effective?
What was the issue? What tactics did you employ? What was the end result?

At one time or another, we've all forgotten to do something important for an internal/external customer. Tell
me about a time when this happened to you recently? What did you forget? Why? What happened?

Communication
Behavioral Examples

Communicates complex information so that it is easily understood by all

Develops effective relationships, both internally and externally

Speaks clearly and concisely, even in difficult and challenging situations

Explains logic and rational behind viewpoint and is willing to defend this when questioned

Promotes open and honest communication and demonstrates strong listening skills

Clear expression of ideas in writing and in good grammatical form

Sample interview questions

Give me an example of a time when you have been required to explain a complex idea/product/solution to a
client. (internal or external)

Give me an example of a time when you have had to defend your view point to others? What communication
strategies did you use?

Tell me about a time when you have had to make a presentation to a hostile or sceptical audience?

Tell me about a situation where you have had to adapt your communication style to suit the audience you
were presenting/communicating to.

Give me some examples of how you have adapted your own communication style to match the preferences of
others. What did you have to change about your own preferred communication method to be effective?

What is one of the most important reports or documents you have written? Did you find this difficult to write?

Describe a time when you had to alter your communication style with someone when you original/preferred
style was not productive of effective.
Delivering Results
Behavioral Examples

Demonstrates strong planning skills to deliver results

Acknowledges the need to delegate to achieve objectives

Delivers on objectives as agreed

Successfully manages expectations both internally and with clients

Escalates issues as requires

Is not afraid to question business rationale or strategy at more senior levels

Sample interview questions

Tell me about one of your key work accomplishments in the last 12 months.

Give me an example of a time when you set yourself a particularly high standard to achieve at work. Why did
you set this standard?

Describe a time when you failed to meet an important target set for you at work. What did you do to rectify
this situation?

Tell me about a situation when your work was piling up and you were having trouble meeting your objectives
and deadlines. How did you deal with this situation?

Tell me about a time when work you completed was above your normal standard. In what way was it above
standard and what made this time different from other times?

Describe a time when you have been dissatisfied with your own performance.

Give me an example of a time when you had to delegate tasks or activities. How do you decide which tasks or
activities to delegate?

What mechanisms have you put in place to ensure that you are on target to deliver your objectives?

Tell me about a time when you have been under considerable pressure.

Versatility / Adaptability
Behavioral Examples

Effectively adapting to varying environments, responsibilities or people while maintaining effectiveness.

Sample interview questions
Give an example of an unfamiliar or unpredictable situation that you have found yourself having to quickly
respond or adapt to.

Every once in a while, we all have idle time on the job because of some unforseen event (unexpected delays
etc). Tell me about the last time this happened to you. What did you do?

Tell me about an important project/task/assignment you were working on for an internal

customer in which the specifications changed. (What did you do? How did it affect you?)

Tell me about a situation in your current job where you have had to abruptly change what you were doing?

Can you give me an example of a time when you had to adjust quickly to a change in order to achieve
objectives?

Describe the type of differences you found yourself having to adapt to switching from your last job to your
current job.

Tell me about a time when you have had to adjust quickly to changes in organizational or departmental
priorities. (What was the impact of the changes on you and how did you deal with them)?

Describe a time when you had to work with unclear goals or changing priorities. How did you approach the
situation?

Tell me about a time when you have had to deal with an unfamiliar or unpredictable situation that
threatened/impeded the effectiveness of you and your team.

Describe a time when you have had to modify your style of working with others and achieving results in order
to achieve a particular goal.

Influencing / Negotiation / Conflict Management

Behavioral Examples

Influences others to gain acceptance/secure buy-in to their way of thinking on an issue

Communicates in a clear and concise manner and maintains a calm approach when questioned/challenged

Explains logic and rationale behind viewpoint

Adapts approach as necessary to gain buy-in from key stakeholders

Listens to the perspectives of others

Sample interview questions

Describe a situation where you disagreed with a client/person in authority.

Tell me about a time that you had to get an internal/external customer to agree to a change in a project you
were working on or leading. (How did you get them to accept the changes?)
Tell me about a business opportunity you identified and developed.

Tell me about a time when you had to instruct others to undertake something that they didn’t want to do.

Describe a significant initiative you have been able to progress as a result of your contact with influential
people at senior levels within the firm/market.

What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example?

Have you had a conflict with a superior? How was it resolved?

How do you resolve conflict on a project team?

Have you ever been in a situation where you had to mediate between conflicting points of view?

Initiative
Behavioral Examples

Making active attempts to influence events and achieve goals

Being self-starting and proactive rather than passive

Taking action before being required to

Sample interview questions

Tell me about at time when you took on work or activity without being asked to do so. Why?

Discuss a time when you saw an opportunity which arose unexpectedly and what you did about it.

Tell me about an idea or suggestion you have made to your manager in the last six months. How did you
attempt to get it accepted?

Give me an example of changes you introduced into your job. Why did you introduce them?

Describe a project or idea (not necessarily your own) that was sold, implemented or carried out successfully
primarily because of your efforts.

Tell me about a time when you anticipated a problem before it occurred.

Tell me about a project you led on your own. What prompted you to begin the work and what was the
outcome?

How have you exceeded objectives set for you, or achieved exceptional results in some aspects of your
performance. What were some of the initiatives you took to enable you to do so?

In your relationship with clients, have you ever saved a situation by thinking ahead? How did you anticipate
the potential problem and what steps did you take to deal with it?
Judgement / Risk Taking
Behavioral Examples

Demonstrates an awareness of the bigger picture implications when making decisions

Understands the concept of measured risk, appetite for risk

Demonstrates a rational decision making process and bases decisions on balanced consideration

Accepts consequences of actions

Demonstrates an ability to recover the situation

Learns from past experiences

Escalates issues as appropriate

Sample interview questions

Tell me about an occasion when you had to make a difficult/complex decision under pressure.

We have all made decisions that, with hindsight, turn out to be incorrect. Tell me about a decision you have
made that you wish you could rethink.

Tell me about a work situation where you have felt that your decisions were compromised.

Tell me about the toughest decision you have had to make recently in a work environment.

Tell me about a time when you included subordinates or colleagues in your decision making. How did you
determine the value of their input?

At times managers have to make decisions which are not popular. Give an example of an unpopular decision
you have had to make. Why did you make the decision if it was so unpopular?

Describe a time you decided to take a risk and you were glad you did.

Leadership
Behavioral Examples

Adapts management style to suit the needs of their team

Leads by example and acts as a motivational source

Understands the need to delegate

Ability to assess others capabilities and strengths – addresses poor performance

Provides developmental opportunities for their team

Ability to manage expectations (both management & the team)

Links firm strategy into the team’s day to day activity and cascades relevant information

Sample interview questions

Describe an occasion when you encountered difficulties within a team you were managing. What did you do?

Describe a situation in which you had to translate a broad or general directive of senior management into
specific goals. (Explain how you did this and the goals you established.)

Tell me about a situation where you have had to delegate an important deliverable to your team.

Give an example of when you provided strategic direction to a team?

Tell me about a time when you have worked with an individual to assist them with their career development.

What do you see as the key differences between a leader and a manager?

What is the toughest decision that you have had to make as a leader? Why was it tough? What did you
decide? What were the results?

What was the most difficult decision you ever had to make as a leader and how did you communicate it to
your team?

Give me an example of a situation where you have had to lead others. How did you motivate the other
people? What sort of disagreement/resistance did you encounter from others? How did you cope with this
situation? What was the result?

Describe a time when you have a significant impact on the business direction of your organization or
department.

Organizational Skills / Planning and Organizing

Behavioral Examples

Establishes courses of action for self and others to ensure that work is completed efficiently

Effectively manages one’s time and resources to ensure that work is completed efficiently

Sample interview questions

What have you done to make your department/group/team more efficient or organised? Give me an
example.

Tell me about a time when you adjusted your work schedule because you couldn't get all the necessary parts,
materials, or equipment for a project. How did this happen? What did you do?

Give me a recent example of a time when your schedule was disrupted by unforseen circumstances. What did
you do?
Do you have a particular system for organising your work area? Tell me about a time when that system
helped you in your job and a time when it didn’t'.

People Management / Development

Behavioral Examples

Adapts management style to suit the needs of their team

Sets clear objectives – both individual and team based

Provides developmental opportunities for team

Provides regular feedback – positive and constructive

Evaluates performance accurately and fairly

Addresses performance and develops others

Links firm strategy into the team’s day to day activity and cascades relevant information

Ability to coach individuals.

Sample interview questions

How do you make your team members feel valued? Please provide an example of a time when you have done
this.

Can you tell me about a time when you have had to motivate a group of people with differing career
aspirations and work values? Describe what techniques you used and give a specific example to illustrate this.

Tell me about a time when you inspired someone to work hard and do a great job. What was the situation and
how did you do it?

Tell me about one of the toughest groups you have ever had to lead. Why was this group so tough and how
did you manage them?

Managing a team means you have to provide feedback, sometimes positive and sometimes negative. Can you
give me an example of when you had to provide positive feedback to someone and when you had to provide
negative.

How have you motivated staff and gained synergy from a team which was spread across multiple
sites? Describe how you coached two different people to accomplish the same task. (What were
the similarities and differences in your approaches?)
Describe how you have coached two different people to accomplish the same task. (What were
the similarities and differences in your approach?)

Describe a situation where your team had to achieve specific objectives, despite being faced with difficult
circumstances. What contribution did you make?

Describe a development need of a person you have managed. How did you identify this need and what did
you do to address this need?

Tell me about a time when someone on your team was not performing well. What did you do? What was the
result?

We’ve all had a time when our coaching efforts weren’t successful. Tell me about a time that you worked with
someone but that person failed to improve.

Describe a difficult coaching conversation that you have had with one of your direct reports. What was the
situation and what was the result of the conversation?

Personal Drive
Behavioral Examples

Aligns personal objectives to the bigger picture, goals

Sets high, but realistic goals and standards

Result and goal driven

Demonstrates ambition and desire to progress and be successful

Sample interview questions
Tell me about a time when you really had to fight hard to get what you wanted.

Describe a situation where you put a lot of effort into a project or initiative, but failed to reach your objective.

Tell me about a time when you were disappointed with your own performance.

Tell me about a time when you were close to giving up on something.

Problem Solving / Analysis / Innovation

Behavioral Examples

Demonstrates the ability to think “outside of the box”

Approaches problems in an innovative and creative way

Quickly and accurately diagnoses the root cause of the problem

Ability to identify and overcome issues before they arise

Identifies causes of and generates practical solutions through systematic analysis

Ability to understand complex issues

Sample interview questions

Tell me about a complex task you have had to complete in the last year. How did you approach it?

Give me an example of a time when you have had to solve a recurring issue with a new idea/approach.

Tell me about a complex problem you were faced with which required a high degree of investigation to
resolve.

Describe a problem you have faced which affected not only your area but others as well. What was the
problem and how did you deal with it?

Describe a work related problem which had the potential for significant impact upon your customers or unit.
What did you do to deal with it?

What are some recurring problems in your area of responsibility? What have you done to deal with specifically
one of these?

Please give an example of a project or a problem which required you to integrate / analyse information from a
large number of sources

Walk me through a situation in which you had to get information by asking a lot of questions of several
people. (How did you know who to ask?)

Describe a complicated problem that you’ve had to deal with at work.

Describe a time when you weighed the pros ad cons of a situation and decided not to take action, even
though there was pressure to do so.

Sometimes it is necessary to abandon tried and true methods of solving a problem. Tell me about a problem
you were responsible for solving that you knew required a unique solution.

Since an organization can’t develop a new product/service every day of the week, sometimes it is important to
combine existing products/services to creatively seize a new opportunity. Tell me about a time you successfully did
this.

Tell me about a time when you brought about a significant improvement in the way things had historically
been undertaken.

Discuss a time when you were able to provide a creative solution to a problem that others had found difficult
to solve

Tell me about an action you took to expand traditional markets for your organizations products or services.

Quality Orientation / Performance Under Pressure

Behavioral Examples

Setting high standards of performance for self and others

Assuming responsibility and accountability for successfully completing assignments or tasks

Self imposing standards of excellence rather than having standards imposed

Performance in times of stress

Sample Interview Questions

Sooner or later, everyone comes under some pressure to sacrifice quality in order to get work done on time.
Tell me about a time when this happened to you. What did you do?

Tell me about a time when you had to send out an important letter/document quickly and you didn't take
time to verify the accuracy of the information. What happened?

Can you give me an example of a time you when you were involved in a project or task which required more
attention to detail than usual? How did you ensure the accuracy?

We all have times when the pressure at work is extremely high. Describe a time like this in your past work
experience. How did you respond?

Customers can be challenging at times. Describe one of the most stressful interactions you have had with an
internal/external customer. What was the situation, how did you react and what was the outcome?

Describe a time you faced a particularly demanding rush situation (emergency, deadline etc... How did you
handle it?
Relationship Management / Partnership
Behavioral Examples

Develops and maintains strong client relationships

Asks pertinent questions to understand client requirements

Manages client expectations while maintaining a commercial focus

Ensures appropriate follow up and delivers what has been agreed

Anticipates and identifies client needs and recommends appropriate solutions to ensure these are met

Ensures clients are consistently informed of progress towards meeting objectives

Sample Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you have built a client/internal relationship from scratch?

Describe a time when you have developed a client relationship which resulted in increased revenues.

Customers sometimes make unreasonable demands. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an
unreasonable request from a customer.

Give me an example of a time you had a challenging time establishing a key internal or client relationship?
Why was that relationship important? What did you do to ensure the relationship was effective?

Sales Skills
Behavioral Examples

Ability to identify, understand and communicate customer needs

Ability to recommend appropriate products and services

Can effectively close a sale

Sample Interview Questions

In your prior sales role how did you prospect for leads?

Tell me about a situation where you cultivated a referral/relationship that resulted in a sale.

Tell me about one of the most difficult sales you have ever made and how you handled it.
Describe a sales plan you have implemented, the nature of the plan and to what extent it succeeded. What
would you change if you were to repeat the exercise?

Please give me an example of a time when you identified a cross-selling opportunity and gained a customer’s
commitment to it

What is the one of the best ideas you have tried to sell to a colleague – peer or superior? What was your
approach?

Tell me about a sales experience where you didn’t pursue the opportunity. Why didn’t you?

We know that our products have weaknesses and strengths and are constantly compared with those of our
competitors. Can you think of an instance where a customer raised an objection about a product? What was the
objection and how did you deal with it?

Tell me about a time where you worked really hard to land a sale/client that was unsuccessful. How did you
handle not closing the deal?

In sales sometimes we encounter “gatekeepers” on the path to talking to a decision maker. Explain your
approach to “gatekeepers”

Team Work / Inclusivity / Respect

Behavioral Examples

Proactively works to enhance and improve team relationships

Encourages participation from all team members

Openly shares information and expertise with team members

Supports team members in times of heavy workloads

Provides a platform for all to express their views and acts as a mediator as required

Sample Interview Questions

Tell me about the most impactful contribution you have made as part of a task group or special team project.

Tell me about a time when you had to partner with multiple departments or reach a goal. What were the
challenges and how did you overcome them?

Tell me about a time you were part of a great team. What you your part in making the team effective?

Describe a time when you assisted someone even though it was outside the scope of your role. (What was the
impact on your responsibilities and duties?)

Tell me about a situation when you have had to deal with a difficult or uncooperative team member.

Tell me about a situation where you have had to compromise in order to reach a team consensus.
Tell me about a time when you have shared your knowledge and experience with other team members.

Give me an example of a difficult person you have worked with. Why did you find it difficult and how did you
handle the situation?

What has been your experience in working as part of a team?

What do you see as being the advantages and disadvantages of working as a team?

Give me an example of your involvement in a successful team effort. What role did you play? Why was the
effort successful?

Give me an example of your involvement in a team effort that failed. What role did you play? What factors
led to its failure?

Describe a situation where you found yourself dealing with an individual who did not like you. How did you
handle it?

What type of management style do you work best under?

Time Management / Prioritizing

Behavioral Examples

Manages work effectively to ensure deadlines are met

Is able to prioritise work based on deadlines

Sample Interview Questions

Tell me about a time when you had to get work done under an aggressive deadline?

Describe a time when you’ve reported to more than one person and had difficulties managing competing
demands.

What objectives were you expected to meet this year? What steps did you take to make sure you were
making progress on all of them?

Tell me about a time when you were faced with conflicting priorities. How did you determine the top priority?

Describe a procedure you have used to keep track of items requiring your attention. Tell me about a time
when you used this procedure.

Prioritizing projects/activities/responsibilities can be challenging. Tell me about the last time you could've
done a better job of prioritizing a project/activity/responsibility. What happened?
What do you do when your work priorities are abruptly changed?

Do you prefer establishing your own work priorities or having them pre-determined for you?