Behavioural vs Situational Interview Questions: When to Use Each

Two types of structured interview questions dominate best-practice hiring: behavioural and situational. Both are more predictive than traditional opinion questions — but they work differently and have different strengths.

Behavioural Questions

Behavioural questions ask about past behaviour. The premise: past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour. If someone has dealt with a difficult stakeholder situation effectively before, they're more likely to do so again.

Format: "Tell me about a time when…" or "Give me an example of a situation where you had to…"

Best for: Assessing candidates with relevant experience. Strong when the competency is well-established (managing people, handling conflict, driving commercial results).

Limitation: Doesn't work well for candidates early in their career or changing industries — they may not have the exact past situations you're asking about.

Situational Questions

Situational questions present a hypothetical scenario and ask what the candidate would do. They test reasoning and values, and work well for candidates who haven't been in the specific situation before.

Format: "Imagine you arrived at the store on Monday morning to find…" or "If you were facing a situation where…"

Best for: Assessing candidates who are new to a level — internal promotions, graduates, career changers. Also useful for roles with specific scenarios that are predictable (e.g. handling a customer complaint, dealing with a delivery shortage).

Limitation: Candidates can give "textbook" answers that sound right without reflecting actual behaviour.

The Optimal Mix

For most roles in Retail, Hospitality and Logistics, use:

• One behavioural question per core competency for experienced candidates
• One situational question per core competency as a follow-up or alternative for candidates who lack the direct experience

This gives you maximum coverage: you can assess experienced managers on what they've actually done, and still meaningfully assess career-changers or newly promoted managers on their reasoning and values.

Opinion Questions: Why to Avoid Them

A third type — opinion questions — should generally be avoided in structured interviews. "How would you describe your management style?" or "What's your approach to customer service?" invite rehearsed, socially desirable answers. Everyone says they're collaborative, customer-focused, and data-driven. Evidence is the only thing that differentiates candidates.