help with some situational/behavior interview questions?

[nodoubtt]

I have an interview for dental school coming up, and I got a hold of previous years' questions that they asked. Have gone through most of them and thought up of potentially how i could answer them so thats no problem there. but some of the questions just have me stuck on how to approach them.

I was wondering if people could maybe give input to these or maybe how they would answer them? I understand the behavioral ones where you have to "talk about a past experience where you did ______" are personal to each person and it might seem like i'm just trying to steal some people's answers to use as my own, but its just more that im stuck with how i should approach these questions, so maybe seeming some people's sample responses might trigger memories of similar things i've done that i could use to answer them?

They're all either situational (what would you do in X situation) or behavioral (tell me about a time when you had to)


the questions:

Sometimes there is a thin line between yes and no, tell me about a situation where you experienced this.

Was there ever a time when you had too much work and did not think you could meet a deadline? How did you resolve it?

We have all been offended at times, give me an example when someone you know has suffered through a hardship, what was the situation, how did you deal with it and what was the outcome?

Tell me about a time you used a non-conventional way to solve a problem

tell me about a time when you had to deliver important/sensitive information to someone

tell me about a time when you witnessed dishonest behavior

tell me about a time when you had to think outside the box to come up with a good solution

describe a time when you had to make a challenging decision between two solutions to a problem

Give me an example of a time that you were in a group and you suggested a controversial topic that other members of your group disagreed with.


Again, any sort of help is appreciated!

[ee2k]

I can't answer these, but my 2 cents nonetheless:

Sometimes there is a thin line between yes and no, tell me about a situation where you experienced this.
- think of a situation where you are faced with two possible solutions for a problem (so spin this question into should I approach issue with X or not, and if not, what is the alternative)

Was there ever a time when you had too much work and did not think you could meet a deadline? How did you resolve it?
- usually helps to address this in a way that you proactively identified this and discussed the issue with a superior, perhaps re prioritized, identified the must-haves and came to an agreement with the person expecting the deliverable so the work was more attainable within the determined time

We have all been offended at times, give me an example when someone you know has suffered through a hardship, what was the situation, how did you deal with it and what was the outcome?
- you could spin this about a situation where someone felt disrespected, misunderstood in the workplace (if you want to go light); or someone you know or their family member going through a medical issue and you were there to help/provide support - don't get too dramatic. Empathy/Sympathy may be what they are looking for.

Tell me about a time you used a non-conventional way to solve a problem
- depends on whether they expect this to be specific to dental stuff. But think of a way where you were faced with an issue involving a second party, ie a customer of sorts.

tell me about a time when you had to deliver important/sensitive information to someone
- answer this in a way that would have you handle the situation smoothly, to the point but with sympathy. Don't describe yourself as being an emotion-less person, nor a person that got too emotional and could not handle it well

tell me about a time when you witnessed dishonest behavior
- maybe what they want to know (and will be a follow up questions) is what you actually ended up doing about it. So think it out well.

tell me about a time when you had to think outside the box to come up with a good solution
- you'd have to identify a situation whose resolution you were involved in to deal with this one: think of alternative methods you considered etc

describe a time when you had to make a challenging decision between two solutions to a problem
- perhaps a pro/con list you came up with to evaluate each solution, consulting with the recipient of the solution if applicable to make them be part of the decision making

Give me an example of a time that you were in a group and you suggested a controversial topic that other members of your group disagreed with.
- be careful not to talk about a topic that would even be controversial at your interview. Think of one, and again, they would want you to talk about how it panned out, if you explained your view well without offending others etc.


While these behavioural interviews are great, you have to be aware that each question will most likely come with a follow up question so do think about what could be asked out of your response. Look at the interview as a normal conversation you'd have with others about yourself, as in, not answering questions as though you were prepared to answer them and/or had the questions before.

[Pacman]

I've been through many job interviews where I have had to answer questions in this format.

Try to answer them in the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format. Using this format will keep your answers clear, concise and to the point. You should be able to find out more information with a google search.

[masoncgy]

Originally posted by Pacman
Try to answer them in the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) format.

Absolutely sound advice! :thumbsup:

Always remember: you know what you are capable of doing, you know how you handle situations, you know yourself better than anyone else, so answer your questions with the knowledge & experience you already have.

Nothing to fear at all. Delivering concise/relevant responses with confidence equals a win every time.