Practice is one way to be successful at job interviews. Though it may sound lame and novice, remember that being prepared with some mental outline of what is to come can help you effectively respond to questions during the actual interview, thus enhancing the probability of success. It is therefore strongly recommended that you acquaint yourself with the following list of behavioral questions most likely to be asked at any job interview:

• Tell us about a very stressful situation that you experienced and how you were able to cope with it.

• Cite a situation where you were able to successfully persuade a person or a committee to see things your way.

• Explain a problem where you were able to apply logic and fair judgment to obtain the best outcome.

• Have you ever been in a situation where you were you able to achieve a specific goal that others had failed to achieve?

• Have you been able to win over someone's opinion using your presentation skills?

• Have you ever conformed to a policy with which you did not personally agree?

• Does your experience include the compilation and completion of any document of significant importance to your organization?

• Are you willing to work overtime just to get a job done to a schedule?

• Can you cite a situation where you were given multiple tasks and were required to prioritize their completion?

• Have you ever been required to execute an immediate decision on an extremely important matter?

• How do you deal with conflict in the workplace?

• Have you ever successfully worked with a person that you did not personally like, or vice versa?

• What was your most difficult decision last year?

• Have you ever experience failure?

• Can you cite an example of a situation where you showed initiative and took the lead?

• Have you ever had to deal with an irate or upset customer?

• How do you motivate others?

• Are you effective in delegating projects to your co-workers?

• Have you ever solved a problem using your fact-finding skills?

• Have you ever failed to solve a significant problem?

• Have you ever successfully developed preventive measures for an anticipated problem?

• Have you ever had to make an acrimonious decision?

• Have you ever fired a friend or could fire a friend if called upon to do so?

These behavioral questions are among the most basic and are often asked by interviewers for any job position. At first sight they may appear very personal and you may not find them too easy to answer, but once you have prepared answers you can respond positively. Remember preparation is a win-win practice. You are less likely to have a mental block, and the interviewer will be impressed with your confident replies to sensitive questions.