Behavioral Interview Course Rubric
The practice exercises in this course encourage you to do a self-assessment after each question. In addition to the Hints suggested in each exercise, the rubric below gives you an idea of how an interviewer might be evaluating your responses. Use this for yourself to develop a critical view of your own performance. Practice again and see how you improve.
Communication skills
- Did you answer the questions clearly?
- Did you provide specific details about your work, especially when prompted, vs. generalities or did you just describe the work of the team/company?
- Did you stop and check for understanding if the interviewer looked puzzled?
- Was your body language open and confident?
- Did you ask for clarification if you didn’t understand a problem?
Assess your performance
Give yourself an honest appraisal. Read each level description below; how would you rate your latest performance?
Level 1: The candidate’s communication is scattered, erratic, or otherwise unclear. The candidate does not provide details or specifics, even when asked, or talks exclusively about things other than their own personal work and contributions. The candidate may not be able to enter an effective two-way conversation with the interviewer, for example ignoring requests to change the subject.
Level 2: The candidate’s communication is not consistently clear. They provide details in some but not all cases when asked, or the details they do provide do not back their higher-level points, or most details are about something other than their own work. The candidate may be an inconsistent partner in the two-way conversation, for example by rambling for a long time with some answers.
Level 3: The candidate’s communication is consistently clear, making high-level points and substantiating them with specific examples and details. They effectively engage in a two-way conversation with the interviewer.
Level 4: The candidate is extremely clear and provides specific details supporting their general claims. The candidate communicates their personal trajectory and impact as well as the relation to projects/teams/companies they were working on. The candidate fluidly adapts to the conversation and prompts of the interviewer.
