Hi folks! Please make a copy ****of the ultimate guide to answering interview questions [Notion Template] ****using the duplicate function👆🏼 on the top right hand corner of notion! Familiarise yourself with this format to help you answer both behavioural and hypothetical questions during your interview with confidence 👍🏼

Determine whether it is a Behavioral or Hypothetical Question

• Behavioural questions focuses on an experience you have had in the past and they usually start like this: ‘Tell me about a time when you...’

  • These focus on your past experiences.
  • Remember to leverage the lessons you have gained from these experiences to share what you have learnt, and what you could have done better.
  • Always be prepared with 3 scenarios / stories at hand that you are able to use

• Hypothetical questions focuses on an experience you have NOT yet encountered. They are usually put in place to access how you would react in a certain work situation you may encounter.

  • These focus on potential future experiences you may encounter at the workplace
  • Don’t panic!
  • Always have a pen and paper ready to take notes, and ask for more information / content when needed.

Some Other Tips:

• Sometimes the questions interviewers ask are purposely meant to throw you off course. For example, some of them may ask ‘Tell me about a time you creatively solved ‘x’ problem’ - lots of people start to panic because they think their solution isn’t creative enough. Relax - because no matter what you did, it’s probably considered creative in some way. Don’t get hung up over such words.
• Hypothetical questions don’t typically have a right or wrong answer - even if there is, as long as you can logically back up your recommendations with proper data and justifications, your answer should typically be all right. Remember, more importantly, you want your answer to be clearly structured and communicated to the interviewer.
• Practice some behavioural and hypothetical scenarios with your friends! Sounds a little lame, but it really REALLY helps.

Template

The template below is the ‘STARC' method. It is a framework which I personally utilise for all my interviews. Feel free to make a copy of this template for reference when you are taking your interviews!

1) Stall for time, get the information you need to answer the question!

Repeat the question the interviewer wants you to solve to confirm - so you don’t end up solving the wrong problem!

Verify your understanding of question, and get all the relevant information needed to form a framework:

Terminology and facts

• Request for more information if needed → Check constraints / limits of problem
• Who / What / When / Where / Why
• Timelines / People constraints / Resource constraints

2) Situation: