Overview.

Past behavior is a good predictor of future behavior. So it stands to reason that employers would be interested in asking interviewees behavioral interview questions – essentially probing past experiences to understand how the candidate weighed a situation, understood others thoughts, feelings and motivations, understood their own, and ultimately acted. This article provides a robust list of behavioral interview questions broken down by category for you to prepare for your upcoming job interview.


Leadership and motivating others. Behavioral interview questions.

  • Tell me about a time you led a deal/project in your work
  • Tell me about a time when you motivated a colleague.
  • Can you think of a time you demonstrated leadership?
  • Tell me about a time when you had to motivate someone
  • Tell me about a time you faced low morale.

Teamwork. Behavioral interview questions.

  • Tell me about a time when a project team had a conflict.
  • Tell me about a time you had to lead a team.
  • Tell me a time when you supported a team member?
  • Tell me about a time when you had to work with people who had less technical skills than you did.
  • Tell me a time when you had to work with someone different from yourself.
  • Describe a time when you had to work with someone less capable than you.
  • It seems like you’ve had a lot of success in teams, so let’s switch it the other way. Tell me about a time when a team project didn’t work out.
  • Tell me about a time you had to improve a team’s morale.
  • Tell me about a time a team was struggling. What did you do?
  • Tell me about a time when you had to infuse motivation into a team.

Impact. Behavioral interview questions.

  • Tell me about a time you changed a culture.
  • Tell me about a time you impacted an organization.
  • Tell me about a time when you felt like you really affected the outcome of something.
  • Tell me about a time when you initiated a change in processes (or implemented new processes) in your organization.
  • Tell me about the project you are the proudest of.

Change. Behavioral interview questions.

  • Tell me about a time you were under a lot of pressure. What was causing the pressure and what did you do?
  • Tell me about a time when your team or company was undergoing change. How did that impact you or those around you?
  • Tell me about a time when you settled into a new situation.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to think on your feet.

Mentoring. Behavioral interview questions.

  • Tell me about a time you acted as a mentor.
  • Tell me about a time when you were mentored.
  • Give me an example of a time you had to mentor someone.
  • Tell me about a time when you helped somebody with their career.

Constructive feedback. Behavioral interview questions.

  • Tell me about a time you received unexpected feedback.
  • Tell me about a time when it was hard for you to hear the feedback that someone shared with you.
  • Tell me about a time when you received feedback.
  • Tell me about a time you had to take others’ interests into account.
  • Tell me about a time that you had to ask someone to change their behavior.
  • Tell me about a time you had a discussion with your superiors and how you resolved it.
  • Tell me about a time when someone said something and that made you change your actions.
  • A time when you gave someone feedback in professional setting.
  • Tell me about a time when your message was not received well.
  • Tell me about a time when someone said something that made you change your actions.
  • Tell me about a time when you were around someone who was unhappy or uncomfortable and how you responded.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to give someone else constructive feedback.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to share bad news.

Goal setting. Behavioral interview questions.

  • Tell me about a time when you set a goal for yourself.

Managing change. Behavioral interview questions.

  • Tell me about a time that you had to change or adjust your opinion.
  • Tell me about a time that you were asked to change your assumptions. What was said and how did you react? Were you asked to change your approach?
  • Tell me about a time when your perspective needed to be shifted.
  • Tell me about a time when your idea was initially rejected and how you worked around that.

Creativity. Behavioral interview questions.

  • Give me another time when you thought outside of the box.
  • Give me a time when you were entrepreneurial – i.e. thought outside of the box.
  • Tell me about a time in your professional or personal life where you tackled an issue with a creative or innovation solution.

Persuasion and communication. Behavioral interview questions.

  • Tell me about a time when you needed to convince someone of something
    Have you ever advocated something that didn’t go through?
  • How did you convince people of change? How was it perceived?
  • Tell me about a time you experienced a communication or cultural barrier in the workplace.
  • Tell me about a time when you tried to persuade someone and failed.
  • Tell me about a time you persuaded someone to do something? What were the consequences?
  • Give me an example of a time you had to convince someone of your idea or opinion.
  • Tell me about a time when your message was not well received by someone.
  • Tell about a time when you influenced someone in a professional setting.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to influence someone.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to persuade someone else or a group of people to trust in your expertise.

Time management. Behavioral interview questions.

  • Tell me about a time when you juggled competing priorities or deliverables.
  • Tell me about a time when you managed numerous responsibilities. How did you handle that?
  • Tell me about a project that you helped keep on track.
  • Tell me about a time when your responsibilities felt a little overwhelming. What did you do?
  • Tell me about a time you set a goal for yourself. How did you ensure that you met your objective?
  • Tell me about a time an unexpected problem derailed your plan.

Disappointment, failure, and motivating others. Behavioral interview questions.

  • Tell me about a time that you really wanted to do something and were told that you couldn’t.
  • Tell me about a time when your expectations weren’t met, how did you react and what did you do as a result?
  • Tell me about a failure.
  • Tell me about a time when your expectations weren’t met.
  • Please tell me about a time you overcame a roadblock? How did you address it?
  • Tell me a time when you faced a challenging situation that made you feel uncomfortable.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to deal with an obstacle or overcome a hurdle.

Conflict and disagreement. Behavioral interview questions.

  • Tell me about a time when you had a difficult interaction with someone or a group of people
  • Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult colleague.
  • Do you have subordinates on your job? If so, please tell me a time you had a conflict and how you resolved it.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a very difficult individual at work. How did you manage the situation?
  • Tell me about a time when you worked a team you didn’t get along with.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a conflict.
  • Tell me about a time when you challenged someone’s opinion.
  • Tell me about a time you were uncomfortable with the behavior of those around you. What did you do?
  • Tell me about a time you had a challenging relationship with somebody at work.
  • Tell me about a time when you faced a difference in opinion.
  • Tell me about something you’ve done that was unpopular.
  • Tell me of a time you worked with a colleague you disagreed with.

Customer service. Behavioral interview questions.

  • Tell me about a time when you wanted to make a good impression on a client or customer. What approach did you use?
  • Tell me about a time when you feel you didn’t meet a client or customer’s expectations. What happened, and how did you attempt to rectify the situation?
  • Tell me about a time when youensured a client or customer was happy with your service.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to communicate unpleasant news to a client or customer.
  • Tell me about a time when you successfully handled a difficult situation with a client or customer.
  • Tell me about a time when you prioritized one client or customer’s needs over another. What was your thought process and how did you go about doing that?