e last 15 years and, you may well have experienced it yourself, either as an interviewer, or an interviewee. Provided you are prepared (and we’ll talk about this in a moment) a behavioral interview gives you an excellent opportunity to talk in detail about your experiences and accomYou are not alone if you dislike job interviews. Many senior-level executives, accustomed to being in control, are uncomfortable with the uncertainty of the interview situation. The good news is that you can take charge of every interview, by using a common interview technique to your advantage.

I’m referring to the technique of behavioral interviewing, which simply means that interviewers ask very specific questions about real situations. The theory is that your past behavior is the best predictor of how you will behave in the future, so employers probe your background for clues.

Let’s imagine that XYZ company is looking for a Marketing VP who can generate a lot of buzz with a small budget. In order to understand your experience in this area, an behavioral interviewer will ask:

“Tell me about a time when you had to promote a product with very little cash.”

or :

“Describe a time when you created a lot of excitement about a new launch using non-traditional marketing techniques.”

Behavioral interviewing has become quite common over the last 15 years and, you may well have experienced it yourself, either as an interviewer, or an interviewee. Provided you are prepared (and we’ll talk about this in a moment) a behavioral interview gives you an excellent opportunity to talk in detail about your experiences and accom

ur advantage.

I’m referring to the technique of behavioral interviewing, which simply means that interviewers ask very specific questions about real situations. The theory is that your past behavior is the best predictor of how you will behave in the future, so employers probe your background for clues.

Let’s imagine that XYZ company is looking for a Marketing VP who can generate a lot of buzz with a small budget. In order to understand your experience in this area, an behavioral interviewer will ask:

“Tell me about a time when you had to promote a product with very little cash.”

or :

“Describe a time when you created a lot of excitement about a new launch using non-traditional marketing techniques.”

Behavioral interviewing has become quite common over the last 15 years and, you may well have experienced it yourself, either as an interviewer, or an interviewee. Provided you are prepared (and we’ll talk about this in a moment) a behavioral interview gives you an excellent opportunity to talk in detail about your experiences and accom

your background for clues.

Let’s imagine that XYZ company is looking for a Marketing VP who can generate a lot of buzz with a small budget. In order to understand your experience in this area, an behavioral interviewer will ask:

“Tell me about a time when you had to promote a product with very little cash.”

or :

“Describe a time when you created a lot of excitement about a new launch using non-traditional marketing techniques.”

Behavioral interviewing has become quite common over the last 15 years and, you may well have experienced it yourself, either as an interviewer, or an interviewee. Provided you are prepared (and we’ll talk about this in a moment) a behavioral interview gives you an excellent opportunity to talk in detail about your experiences and accom

had to promote a product with very little cash.”

or :

“Describe a time when you created a lot of excitement about a new launch using non-traditional marketing techniques.”

Behavioral interviewing has become quite common over the last 15 years and, you may well have experienced it yourself, either as an interviewer, or an interviewee. Provided you are prepared (and we’ll talk about this in a moment) a behavioral interview gives you an excellent opportunity to talk in detail about your experiences and accom

e last 15 years and, you may well have experienced it yourself, either as an interviewer, or an interviewee. Provided you are prepared (and we’ll talk about this in a moment) a behavioral interview gives you an excellent opportunity to talk in detail about your experiences and accomplishments.

Unfortunately, many interviews still follow the old format – the questions may be arbitrary, sometimes based on the content of your resume, sometimes on the preoccupations of the interviewer. They may also be very general in nature. For example, if the XYZ company isn’t using behavioral interviewing, they may ask VP candidates a question such as: “How much experience do you have working with a small budget?” This question doesn’t invite the same detailed response as the request for a specific example – but who needs an invite? The secret to wowing them at every interview is simply this: act as though your were asked a behavioral question, even when you were not.

Imagine two different candidates for this fictional marketing position. When asked “How much experience do you have working with a small budget?”, Candidate A replies, “I’ve had to do that a lot actually – most of the companies I worked for were small to mid-size, so there was never a lot of opportunity to spend money. I’m very good in those situations and I always find a way to make things happen.”

Candidate B, however, gives