Common Behavioral Interview Questions For Freshers

Believe it or not, behavioral interview questions are very common in fresher job interviews. These questions include the company asking questions about your past internship or project or work experiences only to find out if you possess the necessary skills required for the job. As a fresher, how can you crack the behavioral interview round? Simply by ensuring that your answers to behavior interview questions are brief, are articulating your strengths and demonstrating your skills as a future employee. Try to give a relevant background on situation based questions, and also show the specific actions you took with a light on visible results.

Such behavioral interview questions can be classified under broad categories such as: Questions on problem-solving, Questions on teamwork, Questions on stress handling, and Questions on self-assessment. In this article we will discuss these broad categories of behavioral interview questions in detail. 

Behavioral interview questions on problem-solving

Question 1: Describe a situation where you had to solve a problem. What did you do? What was the result? What did you do differently?

This question tests your problem-solving ability. The interviewer wants to hire a person who can get things done and when faced with a problem, actively solve it. There are three steps to solving a problem:

1.     Identify
2.     Analyse
3.     Implement

A good answer should show that you took the initiative, didn’t act thoughtlessly and asked questions at the right junctures to work in a team.

Question 2: Give an example of a situation in which you saw an opportunity in a potential problem. What did you do? What was the result?

This question tests if you can identify an opportunity in problems. Every business has problems, both minor and major. As a candidate, you should be able to identify and solve them readily. These situations are opportunities for improvement for you and the company.

Your retort must recognize this. Irrespective of whether you solved a problem single-handedly or flagged it to a senior, you should tell how you played a key part in arriving at a solution.

Also read logical reasoning interview questions for freshers.

Behavioral interview questions on teamwork

Question 3: Give some examples of your teamwork.

Question 4. Do you prefer teamwork or working independently?

I like to work independently and also contribute to a team’s goal. In my previous internship or project or job, I could actually do both! When it came to the beginning of projects, I like to involve into the strategies and brainstorm various approaches with team members. Once the plan of action is all set, I prefer to work independently on my portion only to collaborate once or twice a week, to know everyone’s progress and communicate about mine.  

Behavioral interview questions on stress handling

Here are some sample stress management interview questions to help you as a candidate perform well under pressure. Also, know how you should approach the answer on a stressful situation you faced in life.

Question 5: How do you prepare for a presentation for a professor or an important client or stakeholders or leadership just the day before it’s due?

You need to convince the interviewer that you can give a talk with almost no time to plan it. And also portray that you can make a good presentation in record time. Talk about your strategies that can show you how to make a good presentation, fast. Mention how good you are with PPT tools like PowerPoint, Zoho Show, Prezi. Also say:

A majority of people in the audience check their phones, talk to others and also listen to a presentation! At the end of the day, the audience might remember max 1 or 2 takeaways from my presentation. So I prefer to keep my talking points simple and create a visually attractive presentation, rather than churning out a cluttered PPT stashed with numbers. Especially when time is short, this is my approach to create an impact.

Question 6: In which way will you respond if your professor or manager shares negative feedback publicly or in the bay?

Getting negative feedback is never easy. But everyone receives constructive criticism at some point during their academic life or career. This list includes some of the most successful people we know today. Also, the best mentors, teachers and bosses are the ones who let you know exactly how you can improve and take your work to the next level. So in your answer, you must tell how getting negative feedback was a good thing, even though it did not feel like it at that time!

Here are the right responses to the behavioral interview question ‘What makes you angry?’

Question 7: What do you feel is the most stressful situation you’ve faced in college / at work till date? How did you go about handling it?

You may be competing with hundreds of other qualified freshers for the position. You are meeting people you have never seen before and answering questions that are designed to psychologically analyze you! Also, you are in crisp formals. That is so not you! And that is exactly what stress feels like. 🙂

Hopefully you can handle all this pressure gracefully and answer questions with a smile, while you look the interviewer in the eye. When an interviewer asks you “How do you handle stress,” you can laugh a little, open your arms and respond smartly like the samples given below.

Sample answers:

1. I react to situations, not to stress. That way, I feel that I handle the situation without getting stressful.
2. I become more productive under pressure. I have learnt that I enjoy working in challenging situations.
3. Personally, I handle stress by working out in the gym daily. Cardio exercises are great stress reducers.
4. I like to prioritize my responsibilities to get a clear idea of what I need to do and when. This practice has helped me to effectively manage all my pressure on the job.
5. If the people I am managing are contributing to my stress level, I discuss options for better handling difficult situations with them.

Know how to ace your upcoming aptitude test.

Behavioral interview questions on self-assessment

Question 8: What gives you mental satisfaction?

This is a common behavioral interview question faced by freshers. You may expect your interviewer to ask it as they would like to assess your inner peace as a candidate by this question. Your answer should have one thing or activity to ensure that you feel light in the head and an onslaught of worrying thoughts don’t bother you much. Your answer should also show that you have the means to find mental satisfaction even in the hardest of times.

Question 9: How will you describe yourself?

Your answer should not show that you are self-centered in any manner. Interviewers seek a candidate who will add value to the entire team and the company. If you can portray  an act of benevolence and sweet behavior in your answer, you will be able to seal your position. Also, this is a good lesson for you as you should know the importance of caring for fellow employees and juniors.

Question 10: Are you kind? Do you show kindness in general?

Kindness is a deep sentiment. In your interview, you need to show that you are a kind person. And also that you show kindness on a daily basis and in an all-round way. Talk about how you helped others at times of need even without them asking you for it. Being kind will help you build healthy relationships at work and also make life-long friends. You can only defeat your enemies with kindness and love. Companies are in the look out for this quality in candidates as all the transactions done are initially based on trust.

By now, you already know the basic interview tips. They are to prepare an elevator pitch for yourself, to polish your answers (for the behavioral interview questions you would face), and also to portray a confident sense of what you can offer as a future employee. To crack these steps successfully, you need lots of loud practice! So practice the answers to all the behavioral interview questions listed above. Once you are done, you will for sure crack your behavioral interview round in flying colors.

All the best! 🙂

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