Situational
questions provide you with a hypothetical situation and ask how you would deal
with it. Employers can check your understanding of specific processes as well
as your interpersonal or working with others skills. Whereas behavioral based
questions are used to assess similar skills and abilities to situational
questions. In behavioral based questions the employer asks you to describe what
you did in an actual experience. (https://www.jobsetc.gc.ca/pieces.jsp?category_id=1501) In short, situational
questions asks what would you do, where behavioral questions ask what did you
do.
Outlined below are
questions, answers, and what your answers reveal about your work ethics.
Examples of Situational Questions:
Q: If we were to offer you a position with
our company what would your first week on the job consist of?
A: My first week would consist of acquainting myself with my team
members and obtaining the necessary training for the job.
Results: Shows the desire
to be a team oriented employee and the willingness to learn the methods of the
job.
Q: This position as front desk
coordinator requires handling disgruntle customers both via phone and in
person. How would you handle the
situation, when the phone is ringing and you have a customer in front of you
also needing attention?
A: I realize that both the
customer on the phone and in person deserve my prompt attention. I would treat the customer on the phone and
the customer in front of me exactly the same. I would attend to the customer in
order they appeared, whether in person or via phone.
Results: Shows you
understand that a customer is not just the person standing in front of you. But
that the customer on the phone should receive the exact same customer service as
the customer standing in front of you.
Examples of Behavioral Questions:
Q: Tell us a time when you made a
mistake, how did you resolve it? And what
did you learn from your mistake?
A: At a previous job, I miscalculated the
amount of food needed for a catering event. Unfortunately, the original
catering company was not able to accommodate the additional request. I was able to locate a catering company that
was able to compliment the food that was already there. I learned that I need to pay attention to not
only the big details, but also the small details.
Results: shows you are able
to admit your mistakes and learn from your mistakes
Q: Tell us about your Time Management
skills, how do you prioritize your tasks?
A: I’ve attended classes on how to manage
your time in your personal and professional life. I use the Steve Covey method, which teaches
you how to develop a to-do-list that helps you prioritize your tasks.
Results: Shows you have
taken the initiative to improve your time management skills. And you are utilizing the method. It also
show that you also care about your time management in personal life.
