During an interview, to get a more well-rounded look at a job candidate, hiring managers often use what are called behavioral questions. As the name implies, these kinds of questions attempt to assess what a candidate’s behavior or performance is likely to be for certain skill areas.

They are an attempt to get past the simple recitation of skills to see how the candidate can put those skills to use. But behavioral questions are most effective when you have a good idea of what particular skill you are trying to measure. So, before interviewing a candidate, it is a good idea to review a job description and pick out the kinds of behavioral or performance metrics you are looking for, so you know what kind of behavioral questions to ask.

There are, however, some basic behavioral questions that for the most part apply to just about all candidates and can give interviewers a better idea of how well that person will fit in with the company.

One behavioral question centers around how the candidate handled conflict at past jobs. We all have to work with other people, so getting an idea how a person works with others and resolves conflicts is certainly important to know. It lets the interviewer know if the person can recognize that there was a conflict and what he or she did about it.

Another behavior question focuses on how the candidate handled working on a difficult team project. Again, this will help to give an idea of how the person works with others, and how the person handled problems when they came up or how the person handled other difficulties.

Asking the candidate to describe a time when they took on a leadership role is behavioral question designed to see what kind of leadership abilities a person has. It is a very hard to question to bluff your way through. The candidate first has to think about the very nature of leadership – what it means to take a role as a leader, and then describe or tell a story about how they performed in that role.

And finally, an important behavioral question that applies to just about all job candidates deals with solving his or her most difficult problem, how they did it. This gives the interviewer an idea of the person’s problem solving abilities. It also gives an indication of the measure of responsibility the person is willing to take on – is he ready to tackle tough problems himself or does he just push it upstairs by taking it to a supervisor?

If you are a company in the New York City area looking for workers, Winston Resources can help you find what you need. We recruit in a wide variety of areas. Contact us today.