How does a behavioral interview differ from a situational interview?

How does a behavioral interview differ from a situational interview?

• A. Behavioral interviews rely on hypothetical future actions; situational interviews focus on past actions.
• B. Behavioral interviews focus on past actions; situational interviews focus on hypothetical future actions.
• C. Both focus on past actions.
• D. Behavioral interviews test technical knowledge.

Answer: (B)

Behavioral interviewing relies on past actions as evidence of how you’ll perform in the future. In these questions you’re asked to describe real situations you’ve faced, what you did, and what happened as a result. The logic is that how you behaved in the past is a good predictor of future behavior in similar contexts. Situational interviewing, by contrast, presents a hypothetical scenario and asks how you would handle it if it occurred now. It focuses on your judgment, decision-making, and approach to problems in a future context, rather than recounting past events. So, the best description is that behavioral questions look at past actions, while situational questions examine hypothetical future actions. The other statements mix up the timing or purpose (past vs. future, or the kind of knowledge being tested).

Behavioral interviewing relies on past actions as evidence of how you’ll perform in the future. In these questions you’re asked to describe real situations you’ve faced, what you did, and what happened as a result. The logic is that how you behaved in the past is a good predictor of future behavior in similar contexts.

Situational interviewing, by contrast, presents a hypothetical scenario and asks how you would handle it if it occurred now. It focuses on your judgment, decision-making, and approach to problems in a future context, rather than recounting past events.

So, the best description is that behavioral questions look at past actions, while situational questions examine hypothetical future actions. The other statements mix up the timing or purpose (past vs. future, or the kind of knowledge being tested).