Tips for Scenario Based Interview Questions?

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Aug 3, 2016

The most important aspect of your response is to make sure that you are actually answering the question that was asked & not interjecting information just because it sounds good. The purpose of these questions is to explore your own experiences - in order to discover how you behaved and how well you managed the situation.

For instance, if you're asked "tell me about a time when you had to deal with an irate customer"... the correct response would be to provide them with a detailed "story" of an incident in which you were the primary actor. Don't launch off into statements about your opinions or philosophy... such as "I believe that customer service is the most important blah, blah, blah" or "We once had a guy that went nuts and we had to ... The interviewer(s) want to hear YOUR story. They may follow up with questions like "And then what happened?" or "How did you feel about the outcome?" or "Did anyone witness what happened?"

These questions are normally somewhat standardized - based upon the job description. Most organizations that use Behavioral Interviewing will have hiring guides for each position that contain a list of recommended questions. For instance, if the job description duties include "lead multidisciplinary team", there may be questions that focus on communication, managing conflict, delegation, etc.

Pay close attention to each question. If you have any doubts about what they're asking, ask for clarification. If you haven't had any experience with that particular situation, tell them that. Don't hesitate to ask for a minute to think about the question before responding. A well thought out, organized response is always better than just blurting out a flight of ideas.

Relax. Take a deep breath. You can do this.

ZoraNeale · Aug 4, 2016

I dreaded these until I figured out how to answer them.

These types of interviews asked behavior based questions. The idea is that past behavior will predict future performance. They want to know how you handle situations based on how you handled them in the past.

To get through these, you must answer in the STAR format.

S = Situation: Briefly describe the situation you were in based on the question asked.

T = Task: Explain the task you had to complete and highlight any deadlines or specific challenges.

A = Action: What action did you take to complete the task?

R = Result: What were the results of your action.

Let's take an example. Here's a question: Describe a time when dealt with a difficult customer and how you resolved the situation?

Now, answer in the STAR format (trust me, they will be impressed with this!)

Situation: At my last job, a customer came in very upset. I knew it was out of frustration, so I didn't take it personally and I made sure the customer knew her concerns were being heard.

Task: She was complaining about an item she wanted to return, however, she didn't have her receipt. I listened to her concerns and apologized for any confusion.

Action: I explained to her that in order to process returns, we would need a receipt but offered to give her a refund in the form of a store credit.

Result: She agreed and went ahead and found a replacement item.

Have answers ready for common behavior based interview questions - you can look up several online. Hope this helps!

nstudenttoRN24 · Aug 15, 2016

Thank you both so much! I had three interviews last week, 2 offers, and accepted a job today! I appreciate your advice and definitely used it.