Behavioural questions are based primarily on BC Housing’s core competencies, as well as competencies that are specific to each job. Behavioural questions for management postions may also be based on our leadership competencies.

Behavioural questions are by definition those that require candidates to detail how they have or how they would handle different types of situations. Interviewers then evaluate the behaviours the candidate reveals in their answers. A great benefit of Behavioural based interviewing is that it is personal—no two people are going to have exactly the same experiences—so, this means that you can showcase your competencies, skills, and abilities in a personally relevant way.

A good way to respond to Behavioural questions is to remember S*T*A*R* in your response (Situation/Task, Actions, Result).

Describe the situation / task, when and where it occurred. This can be one or more sentences, depending on the complexity of the situation / task.
What were the actions you took. This is generally the meat of the answer. Depending on complexity, this may be a just a few items, or it may be a longer list of actions that you took. If you directed someone else, mention this.
What was the end result? This is your wrap-up statement and is generally brief.

Here is an example questions with a possible answer:

Example Question:
Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty.

Example Answer:

When I was with ABC Company, I was the receptionist. Couriers were usually picked up by 3 pm. At 3:25 pm, the courier had not arrived and we had an important delivery that had to be delivered by the next morning. My direct manager was out of the office in meetings. (Situation/Task)
Rather than waiting until 4 pm or later, I telephoned the courier company and asked to confirm the pick-up time. I was informed the courier truck had been in a minor accident, and could they pick up the package the next morning.
I advised that would not work for us, and did they have any other couriers available. They did not.
I then telephoned two other local courier companies, one we had used before and one we had not. The company we had used before would not be able to pick up before 5 pm. The company we had not used said they would be able to pick up, and guaranteed delivery the next morning however since they didn’t know us – they would need payment up front or credit approval.
I determined we had enough money in petty cash, and confirmed that it would be pre-paid. The package was picked up at 4:35 pm.
I sent an email to my manager detailing what had happened and that I would follow-up the next morning to confirm delivery (actions).
The new courier company delivered the package before 9:15 am. My manager was pleased that the delivery had been made before the deadline, and we started to use this new company more often. (result).

Sometimes, a recruiter (or a panel member) may ask you who could confirm these details.