Behavioral Interview Questions Generator

We’re strong believers in behavioral interview questions. They can help you learn what you really need to know about candidates so you can make better hiring decisions and ultimately build a higher-performing team. Hiring a new team member is a big deal! You’re embarking on a relationship that will impact your entire organization. That’s why we built this interview guide tool.

Instructions: (Desktop only)

  • Select up to 10 competencies you’d like to see in your new team member.
  • Drag the desired competency from the left column to the right column.
  • Submit the form below and we’ll send you your custom guide including helpful questions and instructions on how to score your candidates.

The following tool is not compatible with mobile devices. To utilize, please switch to a desktop device.

    All Competencies

    • Ability to develop people

      Coaches people in their current roles to improve performance, and prepares them for future roles. Helps others reach their potential.

    • Ability to hire “A” players

      Sources, selects, and sells A Players to join the company.

    • Analytical Skills

      Is able to structure and process qualitative and or quantitative data and draw insightful conclusions from it. Exhibits a probing mind and achieves penetrating and meaningful insights. OR Synthesizes complex or diverse information; collects and researches data; uses intuition and experience to complement data; designs work flows and procedures.

    • Approachability

      Is accessible, easy to meet, know, talk with. Treats others with an open, respectful, attitude. Welcomes questions and constructive criticism. Not threatened by challenges to the status quo.

    • Assertiveness

      Is confidently forceful without being overly aggressive or offensive; decisive, forward in relational situations to achieve the objective while being able to see things from another’s perspective; prepared to stand up for one’s beliefs.

    • Assimilation

      Adapts quickly to the work environment and contributes to meet constantly changing needs of customers and environment.

    • Business acumen

      Understands business implications of decisions; displays orientation to profitability; demonstrates knowledge of market and competition; aligns work with strategic goals.

    • Change management

      Develops workable implementation plans; communicates changes effectively; builds commitment and overcomes resistance; prepares and supports those affected by change; monitors transition and evaluates results.

    • Comfort around top management

      Has the self-confidence and poise to function assertively and effectively with all levels of people; respectful of but not overawed by working with superiors.

    • Command presence

      Looks, speaks, thinks, and acts like an able, confident authority figure; functions naturally as a leader who easily garners respect.

    • Compassion

      Cares deeply about how subordinates feel and not just what they achieve; feels sympathy for their struggle and takes steps to help make their jobs more manageable.

    • Competitiveness

      Desires to compete against others to win.

    • Composure

      Takes unexpected problems in stride; is able to maintain a professional, calm outlook during a potentially difficult situation; reacts without escalating the situation.

    • Conflict management

      Asks questions and listens to understand the root of the conflict. Confronts and resolves conflicts fairly, objectively, and calmly when a clash of wills occurs, both interpersonally and between direct reports.

    • Cost-consciousness

      Works within approved budget; develops and implements cost-saving measures; contributes to profits and revenue; conserves organizational resources.

    • Customer focus

      Manages difficult or emotional customer situations; responds promptly to customer needs; solicits customer feedback to improve service; responds to requests for service and assistance; meets commitments.

    • Dealing with ambiguity

      Identifies, analyzes, and sorts out unclear situations to gain clear direction; is able to bring focus and clarity to undefined or uncertain situations, expectations, or goals.

    • Dealing with paradox

      Is able to discern, identify, and tactfully address contradictions or untruths; able to deal with people with contradictory natures.

    • Decisiveness

      Is able to reach a decision in a timely manner while taking into account all the available pertinent information.

    • Delegation

      Delegates work assignments; matches the responsibility to the person; gives authority to work independently; sets expectations and monitors delegated activities; provides recognition for results.

    • Dependability

      Follows instructions, responds to management direction; takes responsibility for own actions; keeps commitments; commits to long hours of work when necessary to reach goals. Completes tasks on time or notifies appropriate person with an alternate plan.

    • Detail-minded

      Thrives on paying attention to detail; is convinced that details are imperative to the complete picture; strives for accuracy and perfection.

    • Developing vision

      Displays passion and optimism; inspires respect and trust; mobilizes others to fulfill the vision; provides vision and inspiration to peers and subordinates. Fosters quality focus in others.

    • Diversity

      Demonstrates knowledge of EEO policy; shows respect and sensitivity for cultural differences; educates others on the value of diversity; promotes a harassment-free environment; builds a diverse workforce.

    • Drive for results

      Is goal-oriented; maintains focus on the objective.

    • Efficiency

      Is able to produce significant output with minimal wasted effort. Meets productivity standards; completes work in timely manner; strives to increase productivity; works quickly.

    • Enthusiasm

      Exhibits passion and excitement over work. Has a Can Do attitude.

    • Fairness to direct reports

      Is able to make difficult decisions regarding employees by balancing compassion with what is best for the organization’s success and profitability.

    • Flexibility/adaptability

      Adjusts quickly to changing priorities and conditions in the work environment. Copes effectively with complexity and change; manages competing demands; changes approach or method to best fit the situation; able to deal with frequent change, delays, or unexpected events.

    • Follow-through on commitments

      Lives up to verbal and written agreements, regardless of personal cost.

    • High standards

      Expects personal performance and team performance to be nothing short of the best.

    • Honesty, integrity, and ethics

      Does not cut corners ethically. Treats people with respect; earns trust and maintains confidences. Does what is right, not just what is politically expedient. Keeps commitments. Speaks plainly and truthfully.

    • Humility

      Is able to remain humble in situations of personal success. Realizes that support is an integral part of any achievement. Willing to share credit with coworkers. Accepts appropriate correction.

    • Innovation

      Displays original thinking and creativity; meets challenges with resourcefulness; generates suggestions for improving work, processes and services; develops innovative approaches and ideas; presents ideas and information in a manner that gets others’ attention.

    • Initiative and proactivity

      Correctly anticipates a need, volunteers readily, and acts without being told to do so. Brings new ideas to the company. Undertakes self-development activities; seeks increased responsibilities; takes calculated risks; looks for and takes advantage of opportunities; asks for and offers help when needed.

    • Intelligence

      Learns quickly. Demonstrates ability to quickly and proficiently understand, absorb, and apply new information.

    • Interpersonal skills

      Focuses on solving conflict, not blaming; maintains confidentiality; listens to others without interrupting; keeps emotions under control; remains open to others’ ideas and tries new things.

    • Judgment

      Displays willingness to make decisions; exhibits sound and accurate judgment; supports and explains reasoning for decisions; includes appropriate people in decision-making process; makes timely decisions.

    • Leadership and vision

      Exhibits confidence in self and others; inspires and motivates others to perform well; effectively influences actions and opinions of others; accepts feedback from others; gives appropriate recognition to others.

    • Listening skills

      Asks discerning questions that address the issues; hears, observes, and pays attention to what others are really saying; is intuitive and reads deeper than the surface of interactions.

    • Managing boss relationships

      Balances respect for authority figures with self-confidence in one’s own knowledge and skills. Uses good judgment about when to question and when to just follow directions.

    • Managing people

      Includes staff in planning, decision-making, facilitating, and process improvement; takes responsibility for subordinates’ activities; makes self available to staff; provides regular performance feedback; develops subordinates’ skills and encourages growth; solicits and applies customer feedback (internal and external); fosters quality focus in others. Continually works to improve supervisory skills.

    • Mental toughness

      Able to work long hours in a high-pressure environment to meet critical deadlines.

    • Mentoring

      Provides regular performance feedback. Shares expertise with others.

    • Negotiating

      Can bargain with others to bring about an agreement that benefits the company, customer, and negotiator; able to persuade but also to see from the other’s point of view.

    • Oral communication

      Speaks clearly and persuasively in positive or negative situations without being overly verbose; listens and gets clarification; responds well to questions; demonstrates group presentation skills; participates in meetings.

    • Organizational planning

      Plans, organizes schedules, and budgets in an efficient, realistic, productive manner. Sets goals and designs workflow and procedures; plans for additional resources. Focuses on key priorities.

    • Patience

      Is quiet, steady, even-tempered; is able to control annoyance or restlessness; doesn’t easily become irritated, provoked, or lose one’s temper. Is diligent and persevering when faced with a lot of details or delays.

    • Peer and professional relationships

      Approaches others in a tactful manner; reacts well under pressure; treats others with respect and consideration regardless of their status or position; accepts responsibility for own actions; follows through on commitments.

    • Persistence

      Demonstrates tenacity and willingness to go the distance to get something done.

    • Personal motivation

      Sets and achieves challenging goals; demonstrates persistence and overcomes obstacles; measures self against standard of excellence; takes calculated risks to accomplish goals.

    • Personal judgment

      Has good sense and reaches wise conclusions; is able to objectively make decisions about what direction to take.

    • Persuasion

      Has the power or ability to convince others to believe an idea, view things from a different perspective, or win over a person to a certain course of action.

    • Political savvy

      Knows how to navigate work environment relationships and structures to achieve personal and company objectives.

    • Presentation skills

      Is able to effectively present or communicate a concept to a group or audience through oral, written, and visual means; can engage the audience; is confident in public speaking.

    • Problem-solving

      Identifies and resolves problems in a timely manner; gathers and analyzes information skillfully; develops alternative solutions; works well in group problem-solving situations; uses reason even when dealing with emotional topics. Solicits and applies customer feedback.

    • Project management

      Develops project plans; coordinates projects; communicates changes and progress; completes projects on time and budget; manages project team activities.

    • Punctuality

      Is consistently at work and on time; ensures work responsibilities are covered when absent; arrives at meetings and appointments on time.

    • Quality management

      Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness. Does not cut corners; monitors work to ensure quality; applies feedback to improve performance.

    • Research & Knowledge

      Collects and researches data.

    • Safety and security

      Observes safety and security procedures; determines appropriate action beyond guidelines; reports potentially unsafe conditions; uses equipment and materials properly.

    • Sales ability

      Is able to qualify a prospect, sell product’s key features and benefits, handle objections, and close the deal; has high level of confidence; sells the company as well as the product

    • Self-assessment & awareness

      Is able to realistically assess own strengths and weaknesses. Monitors own work to ensure quality; accepts responsibility for own actions.

    • Self-improvement & development

      Desires to build knowledge and skills and deliberately takes action to do so; shares expertise with others.

    • Self-management and personal accountability

      Is able to work responsibly without close supervision or support to get the job done; holds oneself personally accountable for own performance.

    • Sense of humor

      Finds humor in ordinary situations; temperament is lighthearted and allows for appropriate laughter; doesn’t take self and challenges so seriously that the funny side disappears.

    • Sizing up people

      Shows discernment in evaluating others, which assists in knowing how to best utilize or work with them.

    • Standing alone

      Has the courage to stand alone when outnumbered, deserted, or challenged with the option to compromise.

    • Strategic agility

      Develops strategies to achieve organizational goals; understands organization’s strengths and weaknesses; analyzes market and competition; identifies external threats and opportunities; adapts strategy to changing conditions.

    • Stress management

      Reacts well under pressure; is able to continue managing expected work responsibilities in challenging situations while taking care of one’s mind and body.

    • Systematic or process-oriented

      Thinks in a logical, step-by-step manner; thrives on managing by orderly systems and processes.

    • Teamwork

      Reaches out to peers and cooperates with supervisors to establish an overall working relationship. Balances team and individual responsibilities; exhibits objectivity and openness to others’ views; contributes to building a positive team spirit; puts success of team above own interests; supports everyone’s efforts to succeed.

    • Technical personal judgment

      Uses intuition and experience to complement data.

    • Time management

      Prioritizes and focuses time and effort on top priorities; manages interruptions and unexpected needs without losing focus; meets deadlines; balances expectations with reality to produce expected results.

    • Work/life balance

      Manages both work and personal life well so that neither aspect competes with or detracts from the other.

    • Written communication

      Writes clearly, informatively, and succinctly; edits work for spelling and grammar; varies writing style to meet needs; presents numerical data effectively; able to read and interpret written information. Holds to these standards in all forms of written communications including email.

    Selected Competencies

    Your Custom Interview Guide

    Submit this form to have your custom interview guide emailed to you.