Behavioural interview questions and how to answer them

Why interviewers ask about the past

A behavioural question is designed to get evidence instead of opinion. Asking whether you're good with difficult customers invites a quick yes. Asking you to describe a time you dealt with an unhappy customer shows what you noticed, what you did and how it ended, which is much closer to what the employer needs to know.

The NSW Public Service Commission recommends structured behavioural interviews to hiring managers in the NSW Public Service, and other employers may use a similar format. Every candidate is asked the same questions and each answer is rated against the same standard, so the panel is usually listening for particular points connected to the role's requirements.

It helps to recognise the difference between a behavioural question and a hypothetical one. "Tell me about a time you had to meet a tight deadline" asks what you did. "What would you do if two managers gave you conflicting deadlines?" asks how you'd approach a situation that hasn't happened. For a hypothetical question, walk through the steps you'd take. If you've faced something similar, you can mention it briefly as support for your approach.

Shaping your answer with STAR

STAR stands for situation, task, action and result. It gives you an order to tell the story in, so the interviewer can follow it without having to piece the details together. How to prepare for a job interview covers choosing a small set of stories before the day. This section is about telling one of them well.

Most answers become clearer when the four parts get different amounts of time:

• Situation: a sentence or two of context, enough to understand where you were and what was at stake
• Task: what you were responsible for, or what needed to happen
• Action: the steps you took and why you chose them, which should take up most of the answer
• Result: what happened, ideally with something concrete, and what you took from it

In the action section, talk about your reasoning as well as the steps: what you checked first, which options you considered and why you picked the one you did.

It's natural to say "we" when describing team work, but the panel is assessing you. Say what the team was doing, then be clear about your part in it. If your manager made the key decision and you carried it out, say so, and choose a different story if the question is about your judgement.

The result doesn't have to be a triumph. If the outcome was mixed, describe it honestly and explain what you'd do differently. The NSW Public Service Commission's guidance for hiring managers suggests follow-up questions such as what the candidate learned and what they'd change, so reflection on an imperfect result can count in your favour.

Here's how an answer to "Tell me about a time you dealt with a dissatisfied customer" might sound when spoken. The example is fictional and runs to about a minute and a half.

Common behavioural questions and what they test

Most behavioural questions are aimed at a capability the role needs, even when the wording seems general. Reading the job ad or role description alongside a list like the one below can help you predict which questions are likely and which example suits each.

One story can often answer more than one of these questions, depending on which part you emphasise. A difficult project might show prioritising in one telling and a disagreement with a colleague in another. For questions about disagreements, resolving conflict at work may help you think through how you handled one, and problem solving skills includes a worked answer to a problem solving question.

When the interviewer asks follow-up questions

After your answer, an interviewer may ask probing questions to fill gaps or test the depth of your example. The NSW guide lists questions such as what the situation was, what your role was, what you learned and what you'd do differently. These aren't a sign your answer went badly. In a structured interview they're often prepared in advance so every candidate gets the same chance to add detail.

Real examples you remember well hold up best under probing, because there's more detail to draw on. When preparing, ask yourself the follow-up questions too, especially what you'd change next time.

It's also fine to pause before you answer. The APSC's guide for public service applicants says candidates can take time to think, ask the panel to rephrase a question and bring a copy of their application or notes. Other employers may feel differently about notes, but asking for a question to be repeated is reasonable in any interview.

If you don't have a work example

Behavioural questions don't have to be answered with paid work. The NSW Government's tips for graduate program applicants suggest drawing on study, volunteering and other experience, which suits anyone early in their career or returning after a break.

A group assignment that fell behind, a sporting club event you helped organise or a busy shift in a casual job can all show how you plan, communicate and deal with problems. Choose the example closest to what the question is testing, and tell it with the same STAR order.

If you genuinely have nothing that fits, say so briefly and offer the nearest example you do have, or explain how you'd approach the situation. That is more convincing than inventing a story, which often comes apart once the panel starts asking follow-up questions.

Capability-based interviews in the public sector

Government interviews in Australia often use behavioural questions linked to a capability framework. In the NSW Public Service, role descriptions list focus capabilities with behavioural indicators, and interview questions are written to test those capabilities at the level the role requires.

The role description is therefore the best guide to what you'll be asked. Match an example to each focus capability, and use the wording of the behavioural indicators when you describe what you did. NSW's Capability Application Tool generates practice interview questions from the focus capabilities in a role description, though the questions on the day may differ.

For Australian Public Service roles, the APSC's interview guidance notes that questions may be behavioural, hypothetical or both, and that the panel rates your suitability using your application as well as the interview. It's worth rereading your application beforehand, since the panel may ask you to expand on the examples in it. Where the application itself required you to address key selection criteria, the same examples usually carry straight into the interview.