Acing your behavioral job interview

Acing your behavioral job interview If you’ve been on the job hunt for a while, you’ve probably been exposed to a wide variety of interview styles and scenarios, all designed to try and get the most accurate reflection of what you’d be like as a potential employee and gauge your value if hired. And chances are you’ve been exposed to- in one form or another- a type of approach known as the behavioral interview. So, what exactly is a behavioral interview, and how does it differ from other types of interviewing approaches? True to its name, a behavioral interview aims to find out how you responded to different types of work situations in the past. Instead of asking you about yourself, interviewers will ask how you tackled specific scenarios, both stressful and not. The point is to see if your personality and skillset within a work environment matches who they hope to hire for their open position.The truth is, a behavioral interview will look and feel much like any other traditional interview yo u’ve been on, with the key difference being the types of questions you’ll be asked during the process.A recent post on The Balance highlights some of the typical questions you might encounter while on a behavioral interview:â€Å"Behavioral interview questions will be more pointed, more probing and more specific than traditional interview questions:Give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem.Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you handled implementing it.Have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? If so, how?What do you do when your schedule is interrupted? Give an example of how you handle it.Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren’t thrilled about? How did you do it?Have you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker? How?Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.Follow-up questions will also be det ailed. You may be asked what you did, what you said, how you reacted or how you felt during the situation you shared with the hiring manager.†So, now that you have a good handle on what a behavioral interview is and how to recognize when you’re in the middle of one, what’s the best way to approach and handle it?The first step is to realize that you won’t know when you’re on a behavioral interview until you’re in the middle of one- unless you can predict the future, you won’t be alerted in advance to the types of questions you’ll be asked. Therefore, when prepping for an interview you should prep for every possible scenario, question, and contingency.That said, there are some proven strategies for effectively tackling behavioral questions and setting yourself up for a successful interview. Consider the following tips to make a strong and lasting impression on your next interview.Do your homework.When preparing for an interview- w hether behavioral or traditional or something else altogether- make sure you thoroughly research the company and job description provided and search for helpful cues regarding things the company may value and the attributes they are likely looking for in an ideal candidate. Try and get a good sense of what the company’s culture and mission is- all of these elements will help you gauge what sorts of questions you might encounter and the sorts of answers hiring managers and company representatives will likely be looking for.What types of problems normally come up in the industry you hope to join? How have you handled situations in the past in an impressive way in order to tackle these problems? How do your actions and reactions to work issues in the past show that you are well-suited for the open position? Have these answers ready to go.Be prepared to tell your story.When you’re in a behavioral interview, be prepared to â€Å"tell your story†- these should be hone st and favorable expressions of how past experiences in your life have shaped your ways of thinking and modes of behavior, making you the capable and effective professional you are today. According to Ladders, your stories should be specific, and should always include the following three parts: a description of a specific, real-life situation or challenge you encountered, a description of the specific tasks and actions you took to overcome that challenge, and a  summary of the results of those actions.If handled correctly, including stories in your responses that demonstrate instances of how you successfully solved problems or displayed exemplary behavior will always make you look good.Address past behaviors in an orderly way.The Balance advocates using the following four-step technique for answering questions about past behaviors at work, which they refer to as the STAR interview response technique:Situation.  Describe the situation or set the scene. Explain the place you were working for or the task you were given. Paint a clear picture of what went on so you can then elaborate on how your stellar skills saved the day.Task.  Describe the issue or problem you were confronted with. Make this as clear as possible- don’t get too bogged down in details. Prepare 1-2 sentences to explain the task at hand.Action.  Describe the action you took to intervene in the situation or solve the problem. This should introduce the key asset you would like to illustrate. Here is where you pull key words from the job posting. What skills are the hiring manager looking for? How you can demonstrate that you possess those skills in your answer?Results.  Describe the results  your action generated. Explain how you helped solve the problem or improve the company in some way.Okay job hunters, take advantage of the strategies and tips provided here and you’ll be ready to handle even the toughest behavioral interview that you might come across. The key, as it is most of the time with interviews, is to enter prepared and confident. Now that you know what to expect, start prepping!

The Important Role of US Third Parties

The Important Role of US Third Parties While their candidates for President of the United States and Congress have little chance of being elected, America’s third political parties have historically played a major role in bringing about sweeping social, cultural, and political reform. Womens Right to Vote Both the Prohibition and Socialist Parties promoted the womens suffrage movement during the late 1800s. By 1916, both Republicans and Democrats supported it and by 1920, the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote had been ratified. Child Labor Laws The Socialist Party first advocated laws establishing minimum ages and limiting hours of work for American children in 1904. The Keating-Owen Act established such laws in 1916. Immigration Restrictions The Immigration Act of 1924 came about as a result of support by the Populist Party starting as early as the early 1890s. Reduction of Working Hours You can thank the Populist and Socialist Parties for the 40-hour work week. Their support for reduced working hours during the 1890s led to the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. Income Tax In the 1890s, the Populist and Socialist Parties supported a progressive tax system that would base a persons tax liability on their amount of income. The idea led to the ratification of the 16th Amendment in 1913. Social Security The Socialist Party also supported a fund to provide temporary compensation for the unemployed in the late 1920s. The idea led to the creation of laws establishing unemployment insurance and the Social Security Act of 1935. Tough on Crime In 1968, the American Independent Party and its presidential candidate George Wallace advocated getting tough on crime. The Republican Party adopted the idea in its platform and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 was the result. (George Wallace won 46 electoral votes in the 1968 election. This was the highest number of electoral votes collected by a third party candidate since Teddy Roosevelt, running for the Progressive Party in 1912, won  a total of  88 votes.) America’s First Political Parties The Founding Fathers wanted the American federal government and its inevitable politics to remain non-partisan. As a result, the U.S. Constitution makes no mention whatsoever of political parties. In Federalist Papers No. 9 and No. 10, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison, respectively refer to the dangers of political factions they had observed in the British government. America’s first president, George Washington, never joined a political party and warned against the stagnation and conflict they can cause in his Farewell Address. â€Å"However [political parties] may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.† - George Washington, Farewell Address, September 17, 1796 However, it was Washington’s own closest advisers who spawned the American political party system. Hamilton and Madison, despite writing against political factions in the Federalist Papers, became the core leaders of the first two functional opposing political parties. Hamilton emerged as the leader of the Federalists, who favored a strong central government, while Madison and Thomas Jefferson led the Anti-Federalists, who stood for a smaller, less-powerful central government. It was the early battles between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists that spawned the environment of partisanship that now dominates all levels of American government.   Leading Modern Third Parties While the following is far from all of the recognized third parties in American politics, the Libertarian, Reform, Green, and Constitution Parties are usually the most active in presidential elections. Libertarian Party Founded in 1971, the Libertarian party is the third largest political party in America. Over the years, Libertarian Party candidates have been elected to many state and local offices. Libertarians believe the  federal government  should play a minimal role in the day-to-day affairs of the people. They believe that the only appropriate role of government is to protect the citizens from acts of physical force or fraud. A libertarian-style government would, therefore, limit itself to a police, court, prison system and military. Members support the free market economy and are dedicated to the protection of civil liberties and individual freedom. Reform Party In 1992, Texan H. Ross Perot spent over $60 million of his own money to run for president as an independent. Perots national organization, known as United We Stand America succeeded in getting Perot on the ballot in all 50 states. Perot won 19 percent of the vote in November, the best result for a third party candidate in 80 years. Following the 1992 election, Perot and United We Stand America organized into the Reform Party. Perot again ran for president as the Reform Party candidate in 1996 winning 8.5 percent of the vote. As its name implies, Reform Party members are dedicated to reforming the American political system. They support candidates they feel will re-establish trust in government by displaying high ethical standards coupled with fiscal responsibility and accountability. Green Party The American Green Partys platform is based on the following 10 Key Values: Ecological wisdomCommunity-based economicsGrassroots democracyDecentralizationGender equalityPersonal and social responsibilityRespect for diversityNonviolenceGlobal responsibility Greens seek to restore balance through recognizing that our planet and all of life are unique aspects of an integrated whole, and also through affirming the significant inherent values and contribution of each part of that whole. The Green Party - Hawaii Constitution Party In 1992, American Taxpayer Party presidential candidate Howard Phillips appeared on the ballot in 21 states. Mr. Phillips again ran in 1996, achieving ballot access in 39 states. At its national convention in 1999, the party officially changed its name to the Constitution Party and again chose Howard Phillips as its presidential candidate for 2000. The Constitution Party favors a government based on a strict interpretation of the U.S. Constitution and the principals expressed in it by the Founding Fathers. They support a government limited in scope, structure, and power of regulation over the people. Under this goal, the Constitution Party favors a return of most governmental powers to the states, communities and the people.