In this blog, we will teach you how to answer behavioural interview questions if you have no previous experience. For example, if the interviewer says to you, “tell me about a time when you worked on a team”, but you’ve never been in that situation before, we will tell you exactly what to say!
So, to help you pass your job interview at the first attempt, we will cover the following 3 things in this video:
#1. We will explain what behavioural interview questions are and why the hiring manager will ask you them at your job interview.
#2. We will then tell you the secret to answering behavioural interview questions if you have no previous work experience.
#3. We will give you brilliant ‘no experience’ answers to the most common behavioural interview questions.
What behavioural interview questions are and why you will have to answer them during your job interview?
Behavioural interview questions assess how you have previously dealt with the type of situations you will likely encounter in the workplace. Common behavioural interview questions include:
- Tell me about a time when you worked on a team.
- Tell me about a time when you delivered excellent customer service.
- Describe a situation when you had a conflict with a co-worker.
- Talk about a time when you had to work under pressure.
Now, the hiring manager will ask you these and other difficult behavioural interview questions because if you have experience of these common workplace situations you will be able to hit the ground running in the role and be a reliable employee.
Now, the problem most people have is they don’t have any experience of those situations, so how do you answer them?
Whenever answering behavioural interview questions, tell the hiring manager you have never been in that situation before but you do know what you would do in that type of situation.
Tell me about a time when you delivered excellent customer service.
“Although I have not yet been in that type of situation, I have received good and bad customer service, so I do know exactly how to deliver outstanding service to customers. To deliver excellent customer service, I would welcome the customer by being polite, upbeat, and professional. I would ask the customer how their day was and ask simple questions to establish their needs. I would take the time to explain the different products or services we had to offer, and give them the opportunity to ask me questions. Once they had decided which products or services they wished to purchase, I would serve them quickly, efficiently, and promptly, ensuring they had everything they needed before wishing them a good day. If appropriate, I would follow up with the customer the day after their purchase to check they were still satisfied and ask them for feedback. I understand that excellent customer service is vital to the success of your business, and I can be relied upon always to deliver it.”
Tell me about a time when you worked on a team.
“While I haven’t yet worked on a team, I do know how to collaborate with others and am confident I can quickly become an effective team player for your company. To work effectively, I would listen to the team brief and suggest that we create an action plan to achieve our objective before allocating tasks based on each other’s strengths. I would support my teammates in completing their duties, give encouragement, and communicate in a clear and concise style. Finally, once we’d completed the team task, I would suggest discussing our performance to see if any lessons could be learned and improvements made.”
Talk about a time when you had to work under pressure.
“I haven’t yet had to work under pressure, but I can explain what I would do in that type of situation. While working under pressure, I would remain calm, create an action plan of the tasks I had to complete, and by when. I would prioritize each task in order of priority based on my objectives, block out all distractions, and set to work with determination and focus. If I needed to ask my co-workers for assistance, I would not be afraid to do so. Finally, I would communicate with my manager and keep them informed of my progress and anticipated time for task completion.”
Describe a situation when you had a conflict with a co-worker.
“I have never experienced a conflict with a co-worker, but I do know what I would do if that situation did occur. I would first assess my actions to ensure I wasn’t saying or doing anything to contribute negatively to the situation. Next, I would speak to my co-worker privately to establish the exact cause of the conflict, get their view on the situation, and then work hard to find an amicable way forward that was in the best interests of our team.”
Tell me about a time when you had to overcome an unexpected problem.
“Although I haven’t yet been in that situation, I know exactly what I would do to overcome the problem. I would stay calm and determine the cause of the problem. I would assess my options for overcoming it and determine which one was the best solution for the situation I was facing. For example, if I was working on a time-sensitive project and several co-workers unexpectedly fell ill, I would decide which tasks could be absorbed by the remaining team members. For any tasks that could not be absorbed, I would outsource them to qualified online contractors to ensure the project was still completed on time.”
Tell me about a time when you made a mistake at work.
“Because I am new to the workplace, I haven’t yet made any mistakes. However, if I did make a mistake this is what I would do. I would immediately accept responsibility for the mistake, inform my manager and apologize. I would assess what I needed to do to put things right, and work hard until I had achieved my objective. Finally, I would share any lessons learned as to why I made the mistake with my team so everyone could learn from the situation.”
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