Top 13 Behavioural Interview Questions And Answers For Computer Science Demonstrated Business

1. Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.

Describe about the Computer Science for Demonstrated Business.

1: Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully convince someone to see things your way.

This reminds me of an incident back during my schooling days. I had been given responsibility to raise funds for an event of charity organized by “ Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny”. Convincing people to contribute for charity is not easy, it requires persuasion skills.  I sent mails to my other friends at school, relatives as well as neighbors, asking them to sign up for a cause by providing their signatures on a donation form. They were reluctant at first but I gave a presentation on how the funds that would be raised, will be donated to one of the sister organizations of the “Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny”, and how it would aid in the health and well being of socially deprived children. I demonstrated them on how their contribution will help educating these children and encouraged them to contribute towards a positive cause.

2: Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.

In my previous place of employment, I had to complete a project within a specified deadline within a short notice. I had to deliver products to the clients, within a specified time. Since the project was on such a short notice, I had to rearrange the schedule with regard to the time and the dates of delivery, negotiate with the clients and prioritize the delivery according to the urgency of the clients.

3: Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgement and logic in solving a problem

The need to do the right thing requires judgment and understanding of the different aspects of a situation. A similar case had occurred where there was a project which had to be completed within a specified time, yet it was evident that the time period provided was not sufficient enough for the project at hand. I had to face pressure from the client as well as my team members to whom the task was allocated, to make a decision pertaining to the missing of deadline. I escalated the issue to the manager, because I felt it was the right decision to be taken at that moment of crisis. After consulting my manager I learnt about previously informing the client requesting him to extend the deadline. This ensured to sustain a strong relation with the client and also to maintain the reputation.

2. Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.

4: Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.

I was given the responsibility for the promotion and marketing for an influential event within a time period of three months, which was a pretty difficult task. The requirement of my task was basically to build relation with the various international sports and broadcasting companies to promote advertising of the product. Building contacts had significant contacts with the international sports media attracted the interest of the people. Additionally I also promoted the product by the distribution of flyers and posters, this also allured the people towards the event. At the time of the event, there were increased number of viewers than expected and it proved to be a successful event.

5: Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone’s opinion.

During a project at my school I was asked to demonstrate the importance of audio visual education in schools along with the textual education to a sister school which facilitated education for deprived children. I portrayed the different aspects of human reception to audio and visual advertising and also mentioned the advantages related to the educational tool. This proved to be quite influential and this proposal was accepted by the institution.

6: Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which you did not agree.

There was a time I had to disagree with my team lead regarding the processing a request of a customer which I thought was too demanding. I ended up processing the request, yet it was beneficial in the long run, since it helped in maintaining the reputation of the organization and sustaining good relations with the customer.

7: Please discuss an important written document you were required to complete.

I was asked to write a report on an event, highlight the effects of the event on national and international level and the amount of awareness created within the general population and media. I coordinated with the event management as well as interacted with all the local important people, VIPs, and also the local media and made a  note of their opinion on the importance of conducting the event.

8 : Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.

3. Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgement and logic in solving a problem

In a socio-cultural event organized for the deprived people, I had to ensure that the people attending were properly entertained and their needs were taken care of. In such an instance, there was an elderly disabled person who required assistance. I not only he was well taken care of but also made arrangements for a cab service to drop him home safely.

9: Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were required to prioritize your tasks. 

While working for a goods delivery company, I had to assign deadlines for delivering the goods to the clients. The deadlines were decided by negotiating with the clients, and the urgent requirement of the goods which needs to be delivered. In such a situation, where there is a postal strike, it was obvious that the goods will not be delivered within time. In this case I had to prioritize the requirements of the client and reschedule the dates of delivery according to the urgency of the service.

10: Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision

I was the organizer of a cultural event. On the day of the event, there was an electricity issue in the venue where the event was to be held. So it rested on me whether to cancel the event or search for an alternative solution to the problem. I decided to look for other locations available at that point of time, instead of cancelling or  postponing the event.

11.  What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.

People from different backgrounds working in a team  or members of different teams working in a particular project is  bound to have  conflicts sometime or the other. This is caused due to differences in ideologies and assessing skills. I t is necessary for a person to have an open mind to view all the aspects of the situation before concluding to a decision. There are many instances where there was a conflict between team members in determining the area of service for a particular customer. I have interacted with the service centers at the respective locations and then determined the area of service, even though it took a few days to make a decision. It ensured that the customer was not harassed.

12: Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).

4. Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or achieve it.

It happens many a time that we have to interact with people whom we do not like as a person. Though I do not personally like my manager, I am answerable and I report to him. Also I am strictly professional while interacting with him.

13: Tell me about a difficult decision you’ve made in the last year.

During the process of recruitment I was given the responsibility to interview people and select them for the final screening. I had interviewed quite a number of people, one of them was a senior candidate, which my manager did not approve of, since he believed that a team should be of a particular range of age. It was a difficult decision to relieve him even I did not want to since he seemed very efficient for the job role.

14: Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish and failed.

I had always wanted to start my own education consultancy, thinking I could be a better entrepreneur. I was passionate in my approach, and performed extensive market research and study, to come to a conclusion that there is a requirement for the service in the market. However, the business resulted in a failure since I lacked management skills.

15: Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.

I was once given an opportunity to organize a sales team in a previous company where I was employed. I first outlined the methods in which the team would function, and also assessed the possible outcomes. I provided the opportunity to every team member to voice their opinions and listened to their perspective patiently. I also helped to reduce the fear of failure by allowing team members to take every failure as a lesson.

16: Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or coworker.

Serving the role of a customer representative, in my previous employment, I had to interact with customers on a daily basis. There were certain instances where the customer was extremely dissatisfied with the service of the company. It was my responsibility to understand the reason for his dissatisfaction, empathize and provide proper service which is beneficial for him. This ensures the reputation of the company is maintained.

17: Give me an example of a time when you motivated others.

I had been in charge of the sales in an information technology company. I always set a positive example for others to increase sales by educating the customers and encouraging them to buy the products of the company. Also I provided new offers and benefits for the customers, who would purchase a bulk of products at a time. This increased the financial gains of the company.

5. Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone’s opinion.

18: Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively.

I delegated a project effectively at the time of assisting a project, which includes business research. The project was focusing on institutions in U.S. specializing in technology, communications and media. The work was to speak with west and east coast universities of U.S. while collaborating with marketing and management individuals.

19: Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem.

I used my fact-finding skills to solve a problem at the time, when I worked within a publicity and press environment. I was accountable for creating media coverage to make awareness of events in between the main stakeholders. Before launching any plan, it is necessary to do the research. Therefore, under guidance of senior staffs, through press liaison, I did research of stories for dissemination and distribution to local media.

20: Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem.

I missed an obvious solution to a problem when I participated in a class project that needed interpreting and gathering of a generous amount of data related to human behavior. Our goal was to build a predictive response model, which will focus on the cope up of the stress of people. The data did not occur to confirm our hypothesis, and we had lost the confidence.

21: Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures.

I anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures at my early days, when I was a Project assistant. I observed that I was going through a tough time in data collection and completion of the tasks within due time. Therefore, I asked for a team meeting, where I discussed about the problem and took the guidance from the other team members. 

22: Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular decision.

I was forced to make an unpopular decision when I was a team leader in my college. The student budget committee wanted to utilize the excess funds to arrange a Spring Party, but I didn’t allow. I told them that the fund is meant for knowledge not for amusement. So, I saved that excess amount to be utilized in the future.

23: Please tell me about a time you had to fire a friend.

Being a member of recreation club, I was provided the responsibility of organizing a cultural event for the fund raising of people who are socially deprived, it  also encompassed the promotion of a new FMCG company, who promised to provide free supplies to such deprived population. So a friend of mine had volunteered for the cause, so I had asked him to take care of the promotions of the FMCG Company by making posters and flyers. Since he was employed as an insurance agent he had to meet his clients so could not manage his time with both the jobs at hand. So I had to ask him to leave, since he was not able to complete the job on time and the event would lose its purpose.

24: Describe a time when you set your sights too high (or too low)

While setting up my own business I was expecting a lot from it, based on the market researches that I had conducted it seemed there was a lot of demand for the handicraft goods. Yet things turned out to be very ugly, when I tried to sell the products. Since it did not seem cost effective, and it turned out that people are more interested in purchasing manufactured and finished products.