How To Answer Behavioral Interview Questions

How To Answer Behavioral Interview Questions
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(USE THIS LINK TO ACCESS THE BEHAVIORAL DOCUMENT MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO)
0:00 - Intro
2:06 - Restate
3:04 - Present Options
4:27 - Situation
6:23 - Task
7:00 - Actions
9:24 - Results
11:20 - Learnings / Application of Learnings
12:29 - Follow Up Questions
14:17 - Dynamic Example
14:43 - Position Specific - The Job Description - • What Questions Will I ...
15:01 - Narrow Your Focus
15:27 - Implementing the Question in Your Answer
15:56 - Details for Connectivity
16:40 - Positive Rewording
16:57 - Identifying Themes
17:24 - Prepare, Practice, & Time Yourself
17:54 - Framing Close Examples
Other videos referenced as cards in this video:
4:27 - Create a Clear Situation - • The STAR Method - Situ...
7:00 - Focus on Actions - • The STAR Method - Acti...
9:24 - Impactful Results - • The STAR Method - Results
11:20 - STAR + L - • How to Use STAR Method...
12:29 - STARL + F - • The STAR Method - Add ...
Additional Videos that might help:
Take Your Time - • Take Your Time Answeri...
Question Sandwich - • How to Handle Hypothet...
Interview Prep Checklist - • Interview Preparation ...
Follow Up/Clarifying Questions - • Ask Follow Up / Clarif...
How to Take Control - • How to Take Control in...
Make Your Answers Relevant - • Interview Tips - Keep ...
Social Media:
Connect with me on LinkedIn - / jeffhsipe
THANK YOU!

[@alecxisd]

I watched this exact interview (and many of your other ones!) a couple of years ago while interviewing at Google, Facebook, and other great companies. Found them to be super helpful, and with the strategies and guidance you provide through this channel I'm happy to say I landed offers in no time. I'm now in the market for a new role and going through interviews again and just remembered how much your videos helped me prep. I've even recommended your channel to some of my friends. Thanks for all the great work! Hoping to land something soon again :)

[@jeffhsipepi]

alecxisd, thank you so much for the positive feedback and good luck in your job search!

[@johnereyimwen1246]

Thanks for sharing Jeff. I have to watch to the end. Awesome content. Bravo

[@davidkatusa3577]

"...people think they have to give all this background information, but it will come out if the actions are clearly defined" -- THIS IS GOLD (for me)....Thank you!

[@jeffhsipepi]

David, absolutely, 99% of candidates take longer than 30 seconds to deliver a powerful situation, but that is all it takes, the rest should be uncovered in the actions!

[@shillu6]

Loved all your videos. So many pro tips to learn and implement. Thanks!

[@linzou7645]

thank you Jeff, your channels definitely worth spreading, and great content here!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Lin, thank you so much, I am glad you found my channel!

[@viewcore]

Well structured with very good examples. It's amazing how good you are Jeff! Thanks for keeping doing it, you are such a talent.

[@jeffhsipepi]

Hugo, thank you so much for the continued positive feedback!

[@yelenasavina6293]

Hi Jeff, thanks a lot for such a detailed and actionable overview ! The best I’ve seen so far ! Really appreciate !!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Yelena, thanks, so glad you found this content valuable!

[@kasiamclaughlin2883]

This is the fourth video of yours I've watched. I find them very valuable and insightful and I thank you for sharing.

[@jeffhsipepi]

Kasia, I am so happy you are finding my content helpful :)

[@rwang5688]

Jeff, this is great coaching! Thank you for making STAR framework come alive.

[@jeffhsipepi]

Robert, awesome, glad this video helped and I appreciate the positive comment :)

[@yulingo8984]

WOW, Thank you, Jeff, you made it so clear and easy to follow with the example. Really appreciate !

[@jeffhsipepi]

Yuli, woohoo, so glad this video helped!

[@michailkulaga1809]

This content is GOLD ! Thank you very much for such a great structure and examples!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Michail, thank you so much, glad this content helps!

[@quirkyquester]

Thank you so much Jeff! This is amazing!

[@jeffhsipepi]

George, thanks! Behavioral questions are tougher than people think, a few simple tricks can make a big difference!

[@maleksvideos9074]

Just found this gem of a video... thank you Jeff!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Malek, glad you found it and that it helps!

[@jotarokujo9242]

Thank you Jeff, even if I don't land the internship tomorrow, I'll be a lot better at behavioral interviews thanks to you

[@jeffhsipepi]

Jotaro Kujo, awesome, good luck!!

[@elliegu274]

Hi Jeff, can't believe you have so few subscribers. Great content, very insightful, very valuable! Thank you!!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Ellie, thank you for the positive feedback!

[@user-gj1be5il3r]

Hi Jeff I just want to say thank you so much for providing such great contents! The information and advice you gave helped me a lot during the interview preparation.

[@jeffhsipepi]

W, awesome! Thank you so much for the positive feedback!

[@samirahvanessajaved8594]

Thanks for making these videos, I got a ton of information from them. I'm currently a TVC who will be pursuing a full time role and doing my research/homework now :)

[@jeffhsipepi]

Samirah, awesome! Thank you for the positive feedback and good luck!

[@searchatlas]

I have an interview this Thursday with Google and I really appreciate you taking time to make these videos. Thank you!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Su, good luck!!!

[@TechPulseTrending]

Awesome! Work.Jeff! Thank you!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Priv, thank you for watching!!

[@mehulthakkar4711]

Thanks Jeff. I loved your presentation style and structure of presentation. The information is quite helpful.

[@jeffhsipepi]

Mehul, thanks for the positive feedback!

[@ba0325]

What a great video! I have a behavior interview next Wednesday with google and I believe that this video makes me prepare better than before. Thank you for making this video :)

[@jeffhsipepi]

안병서 so glad this video helps!

[@johnereyimwen1246]

A much needed video for me

[@jeffhsipepi]

John, glad this video helps!

[@tianaroma3012]

Brilliant! Thank you!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Tiana, thank you, I am glad this video helped!

[@Shanty20090]

Hi Jeff, thank you so much for the great content. Thanks to all of your contents, I got the offer from Google!!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Mushroom, YES, CONGRATS!!!!!!!!

[@charanjeet5740]

Hey Jeff, really very helpful video to attempt efficiently behavioral interview....

[@jeffhsipepi]

Thank you! I am glad it helps :)

[@An4oyzzz]

Hi Jeff! Thank you sooo much for the information! I've just started my preparation for the interview, and I want to do my best! Can you please make a video about negative/positive words? Want to practice more 😉

[@jeffhsipepi]

An4oyzzz, thanks for the positive feedback. I will definitely consider making a video focused on positive and negative words.

[@detaalpha123]

Very valuable inputs. I diligently prepared using the content from your coaching videos. And I am happy to say that I was able to clear interviews for 3 job positions. Thank you so much!!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Swati, I am so happy you cleared all 3, I mean it just so awesome to hear!!

[@detaalpha123]

@@jeffhsipepi Thank you for all your help through your videos!

[@gabriellemazaltarim7040]

I have been on a loop with your videos! So informative, thank you- Any chance you have an example of the Needs Assessment presentation.

[@jeffhsipepi]

Gabrielle, can you provide a couple of additional details, for what role and is this a formal presentation?

[@gabriellemazaltarim7040]

@@jeffhsipepi This would be for a Digital Strategy Lead role, it would be a formal presentation.

[@giancarlodelossantos4007]

I used the STAR method during my interviews. It really helped me to ace my interview. Thanks Jeff for the information shared. By the way, nice cap. Haha... Stay safe.

[@jeffhsipepi]

Gian Carlo, thanks, so glad you this method worked for you!

[@murugesanmahalingam6965]

Thank you for your support ❤

[@jeffhsipepi]

@murugesanmahalingam6965, thanks for watching!

[@themenon]

Hey Jeff, thanks for putting together all these materials. It has been really useful for me. Wanted to highlight that, finding the google docs link to some of your videos has been a bit difficult. Would love to see your blogposts include links to these documents. Thanks again!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Vijay, thank you for the feedback, I will definitely take the time to go back through older videos with links to make sure they are still active/working!

[@Marina-ub2uo]

Hello Jeff. I have just subscribed. I have not found any such useful content on the topic as yours. You are so generous that you share this priceless information. Many thanks to you from Russia. I wanted to have an idea on how many questions can be in 1 behave interview? Say, if we spend 10-15 mins discussing 1 situation, does it mean that there can be up to 4-5 questions? (assuming interview takes 1 hour).

[@jeffhsipepi]

Marina, thank you for the positive feedback. Typically, 4-7 questions are asked in most interviews, but it really depends on your interviewer and their agenda. Notice the pace they want to move at and adjust accordingly. Target length of a behavioral answer is three and half minutes.

[@stella-kz9we]

Hi Jeff , thank you for great content / resources you’re sharing for free. It’s so helpful for me as newbie trying to get into google as pm apprentice . Any advice or suggestions to crack my 1st round and 2nd round interview would be greatly appreciated. I’m your happy subscriber. Love from India ❤

[@jeffhsipepi]

@stella-kz9we, thank you so much for the positive feedback! Apprenticeship interviews tend to lean more heavily on behavioral answers, so spend most of your time really leaning into writing those examples down and continue to tweak them and expand on the actions you took. And remember that for entry level roles, example from school projects and even extracurricular activities can be used. I would not recommend this for people interviewing past entry level roles, but sometimes we can add these types of stories when interviewing for an apprenticeship. Good luck!!

[@AliRaza-ps9sm]

Hello Jeff, great work really. I see many videos but there are no sequence numbers to these - are these meant to be like this or you suggest going through them in a sequence to have a more structured approach? Some of your answers are eye-opening!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Ali, great question. In this particular case, the first half is definitely sequential while the second half is not. The reason I use numbers is to emphasize that there are a lot of steps to be thinking about and I am hoping it helps organize the data for my audience. Thanks!

[@rameshnagabushnam3388]

Great coaching Jeff. The video is informative and content is just right. I believe the SOAR technique is also similar to STAR. I like the Learning/Follow-up addition to STAR, as it emphasizes the spirit of continuous learning.

[@jeffhsipepi]

Ramesh, thanks! And you make a great point, I don't the think specific methodology is quite as important as just having a structure in place. And of course I love continuous learning!

[@BobSaysMaybe]

Thanks for this great video, Jeff. QQ from me - what is the effective professional experience time frame one should focus on when providing examples for the behavioural questions? Should you stick to the last 2-3 years only or is it acceptable to go back, say, 10 years if the examples are solid? Do google focus only on the more recent (2-3 year) time frames? Thanks!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Anjli, great question!! You can go back as far as you like as long as your example is dynamic and correlates well with the role you are interviewing for. So if you want to go back 10+ years, definitely do it. Most of tend to use more recent examples because we remember more of the details 😀. Thanks!

[@presencewanted6578]

Hello Mr.Sipes, I googled what the name Google meant. Very interesting also about Ben Nomes if I recall was sometime ago. Love to Learn 😁

[@jeffhsipepi]

presence wanted, awesome, learning is fun!!! 😬

[@snowfalleon7629]

Remarkable that every interview prep video focuses on the upper middle class educated peoples’ careers.

[@jeffhsipepi]

Snowfall Eon, behavioral questions are asked in all job interviews at all levels.

[@nikolelliott7730]

Jeff - did you say there was a google doc with some notes? I would love to use this as reference! Your videos are so insightful thank you!

[@jeffhsipepi]

NIKOL, not sure what I referenced in this video, but you can find the most up to date behavioral doc here - www.practiceinterviews.com/behavioral-answers-free-resource

[@rishabhanand7096]

Thanks for sharing Jeff, I have an upcoming virtual onsite interview next week and these tips will definitely come in handy. Thanks a bunch from bottom of my heart again !!!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Rishabh Anand, thank you for the positive feedback and good luck!

[@abhisekmishra2194]

how did the interview go!

[@rishabhanand7096]

@@abhisekmishra2194 It's been almost 3 weeks, yet to hear back :/..

[@rishabhanand7096]

@@jeffhsipepi Is it normal for interview feedback to take 3 weeks?..what are the chances given the case?

[@jeffhsipepi]

@@rishabhanand7096 thank you for checking, no!!!! Follow up with your Recruiter asap! Be gracious and kind, but let them know you are hoping to get an update, keep us posted!

[@bhoomichoudhary237]

Hi Jeff I just want to say thank you so much for providing such great contents! What should be my approch for such question "Tell me about a time you needed to get information and work completed from somebody that was not responsive, what did you do?"

[@jeffhsipepi]

bhoomi, your approach should be to help the interviewer in the situation and task understand the criticality of why you needed work completed by this person. Your actions should be focused on all the steps you took to get in touch with this person and how you approached it with an empathetic lens. The last action may be how you have created new processes or steps to overcome these challenges in the future. Then talk about the strong results of working with this person and add any repeatability to the end of your answer in terms of the relationship, process, etc.

[@kane_lives]

Good vid

[@jeffhsipepi]

@kanelives2895, thanks! An oldie, but goodie! 😬

[@ajustek]

Hi Jeff, thanks for all your thoughts and tips. I cant find google doc mentioned with Prepare, Practice, & Time Yourself action. Can you please share? Thanks

[@jeffhsipepi]

Ajo, thanks for this note! I updated the document and you can now get it through the website. I updated the YT description to acknowledge this item as well. I sincerely appreciate the heads up!

[@jacksonharrisiii6567]

The specificity here was super helpful! Also you mentioned a google doc, but I could not find it in the description?

[@jeffhsipepi]

Jackson, glad this video helped. This document is available on our website in the free downloads section - www.practiceinterviews.com/free-resources, thanks!

[@theobserver5807]

@@jeffhsipepi Hey, I only found 2 other docs there. Could you please give additional direction on where it is to be found?

[@jeffhsipepi]

@@theobserver5807, you should be able to find everything you are looking for on our website - www.practiceinterviews.com/free-resources or on our app - app.practiceinterviews.com/signin. Please let me know if you can't find what you are looking for!

[@HamiltonBernique]

Awesome Jeff. I just wonder if you're getting too granular, as time passes so quickly during an interview that our nervous souls can only grasp more aggregated guidance - however all your content is important so I don't see how it could be.

[@jeffhsipepi]

HamiltonBernique, definitely a fair question! Yes, I get pretty far into the weeds here. The goal is to get the structure, organization, and level of detail right. I want to make sure candidates have all the tools, but I understand the amount of information can definitely be overwhelming. Thanks for your comment!

[@nikithaaa8312]

Can you please make a video on how to prepare for Business Intership with Google?!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Nikitha - I created a more generic intern video that would apply for any internship including a Business Internship at Google, I hope this video helps - kzbin.info/www/bejne/n4uTZGuVncdjps0. Thanks!

[@soominkim9082]

Hello, Jeff. Thanks for the great video. It really helps a lot! But I have a question. I remember answers to the interview questions should not be over 1 minute. But if I apply STAR method, it is impossible for me to keep it 1 min short. Should I summarize it to 1 min and wait for follow up questions?

[@jeffhsipepi]

Soomin Kim, all the advice that says you can answer a question in one minute is terrible advice in my opinion. It is impossible for me to learn anything about you in one minute or less. I like behavioral answers to be three to four minutes.

[@KamilKubiak96]

Thanks Jeff. What classifies as a dynamic example versus a non-dynamic example? How can I determine that my example is dynamic? Does it have to span across several areas, have many actions, results and learnings? Or do you mean that it should be positive and upbeat?

[@jeffhsipepi]

Kamil, great question! Ideally, it is the former, it is an example that has layers of complexity, multiple teams, multiple challenges/hurdles to overcome, etc. Most of us don't have a ton of these examples, but a few really good ones. The goal is to insert these examples whenever possible, ideally not using them more than once with the same interviewer. Thanks!

[@KamilKubiak96]

@@jeffhsipepi Got it. Thanks Jeff, that makes a lot of sense.

[@rafaelclaroyraspao]

Awsome content Jeff. Here is an idea hoping you find it useful: Consulting/training services for candidates. Sort of like when lawyers prepare their witnesses for court, but in this case you could prepare the candidate by zoom, skype, etc. Coaching sessions, etc. Perhaps you already thought about it I don´t know... just trying to give back a little bro! Cheers!

[@jeffhsipepi]

rafaelclaroyraspao, YES!! We have been offering this service for over two years and we find that our clients love this one on one work. We are definitely aligned :)

[@AbhishekSharma-cg9dw]

Hi Jeff, Is it a good approach to pick up some examples to a business problem from my own venture? Is it good to talk about tech start-up i founded and failures i had during my google interview?

[@jeffhsipepi]

Abhishek, yes, this is common for me to hear my clients answer the failure question in regards to a start up they founded. Find the balance between these examples and others.

[@suitepea124]

Hi Jeff, thank you for such great video! If I have a potentially great example to the question (dynamic w/ lots of components/aspects that really showcases my strengths/how I approached the situation) but I don't yet have any result (because it's a situation that I'm in right now), should I cross it off as an example of use? I do have a result that I'm targeting, though, it's just not certain how the situation will actually end (but I'm aware of the risks, which is one of the factors that I'm weighing).

[@jeffhsipepi]

AH, great question! You can definitely use examples that are from programs/projects/initiatives that are still ongoing. For the results, you simply talk about the results to date and how things are on track/looking good, etc. Some of our best examples will be items that are currently going on because we remember them the best!

[@s.stewart4044]

Quick question. If the interviewer doesn't steer you away on your example you want to give, do you then skip the presenting options or do you kindof incorporate the presenting options when you are restating the question about a difficult situation? Thanks in advance!

[@jeffhsipepi]

S. Stewart, in most cases, we just want to present our best example. Occasionally, we will have a couple of options, but for the most part, lead with your best example.

[@azmatsiddique3564]

Thanks for sharing 😊😊😊. Tons of information,nice content #dreamgoogle

[@jeffhsipepi]

Azmat, thanks for the positive feedback!

[@azmatsiddique3564]

Jeff H Sipe sir you have amazing content #loveFromIndia 🇮🇳

[@deipty222]

Would like to know how to answer STAR questions if I'm interviewing for beginner/internship positions where I don't have many experiences to share. Thanks!

[@jeffhsipepi]

Deepti, focus on examples from school projects, extracurricular/volunteer activities. For the very junior level positions, they will be more open to school and personal examples.

[@deipty222]

@@jeffhsipepi Thanks for the response!

[@chriscruse9806]

What if you absolutely cannot come up with an example? I have little experience and a lot of times I just simply cannot recall a time where I experience what the interviewer is asking about?

[@jeffhsipepi]

Chris, I have two videos to help you overcome this scenario - kzbin.info/www/bejne/npXZl6yOZs2hatk - kzbin.info/www/bejne/emG6f6yapdl9jqM

[@danieltannor6647]

You actually pronounced the word 'et cetera' as 'EC cetera' @3:46, that was cute haha

[@jeffhsipepi]

Daniel, haha, love it!

[@gamefun2525]

what do I do if I don't have a lot of stories that may fit in some of the behavioural question scenarios?

[@jeffhsipepi]

@gamefun2525, great question. What you want to look for is the broader theme of the question. For instance if the question is tell me about a time when you had a conflict with your manager, but you never had a conflict with your manager. Overall, you probably have an example of a conflict you faced. So you could tell your interviewer, I am really fortunate in my career to have great managers, I don't have a conflict example with a manager, but I do have a conflict example with a peer, is it okay if I use that example? So, when this happens try to think broader and usually we will have something close enough to share. I hope this helps!

[@gamefun2525]

@@jeffhsipepi Thanks a lot Jeff. I'm wondering for how many questions I can comfortably do this without giving any negative signals to the interviewer. If they happen to ask about 7-8 questions half of which I answer in this way, would that be fine?