The short answer

Behavioural interview questions ask you to describe how you’ve handled real situations in the past, on the basis that past behaviour is a good guide to the future. In safety roles they usually test influence, communication, and judgement as much as technical knowledge. The best way to answer behavioural interview questions is with a specific example, structured using the STAR method: situation, task, action, and result.

In this article

• What behavioural interview questions are really testing

• The STAR method, step by step

• How to prepare your answers

• Example questions for safety roles

• A sample STAR interview answer

• Common questions

• Preparing for your next interview

What behavioural interview questions are really testing

You may also hear behavioural interview questions called behavioural based or competency based interview questions. Most start with ‘Tell us about a time’ or ‘Give an example of’, and they’re built around the capabilities in the position description. It’s the approach we use in our own interviews too.

For a health and safety professional, the capabilities employers test most often are:

• Influence: bringing leaders and workers with you, rather than enforcing rules

• Technical judgement: identifying hazards, investigating incidents, and choosing the right controls

• Communication: landing a message with the executive team and the crew on site alike

• Problem solving: working through complex problems with no easy answer

The STAR method, step by step

This structure gives every answer a clear shape, which makes it easier for the interviewer to follow your thinking.

Situation

• What to cover: Set the scene briefly

• How much of your answer: A sentence or two

Task

• What to cover: What you needed to achieve

• How much of your answer: A sentence or two

Action

• What to cover: What you did, and why

• How much of your answer: Most of your answer

Result

• What to cover: The outcome, ideally with something measurable

• How much of your answer: A clear finish

Most of a STAR interview answer should sit in the action and the result, because that’s where the interviewer learns how you think and what you deliver.

How to prepare your answers

1. Build a bank of examples

Read the position description and your safety CV side by side. Work out which skills and behaviours the role calls for, then match each one to a real example. Five or six strong examples will cover most of what you’ll be asked.

2. Make each example specific

Avoid general answers like ‘I always consult with the team’. Talk about one real situation, what you did, and what changed as a result. Specific examples are more convincing and far easier to remember.

3. Show your technical skills in context

Interviewers want to see how you’ve applied your knowledge, for example identifying and controlling hazards, investigating incidents, putting procedures in place, or training people in safe work practices.

4. Practise out loud

Say each example out loud, ideally to someone who’ll give you honest feedback. If your interview is on video, practise on camera too, as our video interview tips explain, since a pause can feel longer on screen.

Example questions for safety roles

These safety interview questions are typical of what we see in interviews for a safety advisor, manager, or business partner role.

Capability: Example question

• Influence: Tell us about a time you influenced a leader who didn’t see safety as a priority

• Technical judgement: Describe a hazard you identified that others had missed. What did you do?

• Communication: Tell us about a time you had to deliver a message the site didn’t want to hear

• Investigation: Give an example of an incident investigation you led. What changed as a result?

• Safety culture: Describe how you improved safety engagement on a site or in a team

• Commercial judgement: Tell us about a time you balanced a safety requirement against a commercial deadline

A sample STAR interview answer

Here’s how a strong answer to the first question might sound for a safety advisor.

• Situation: ‘Our operations manager saw pre-start meetings as a waste of time, and attendance had dropped to about half the crew.’

• Task: ‘I needed to get pre-starts back on track without it becoming a compliance battle.’

• Action: ‘I sat down with him to understand his concerns, which were mostly about lost production time. We cut the meeting to ten minutes, focused it on the day’s real risks, and I asked his supervisors to run it rather than me.’

• Result: ‘Within a month attendance was close to full, supervisors owned the meeting, and the manager started raising safety items himself.’

Notice how the answer shows influence and a better safety culture, not just compliance. It’s what most safety interview questions, and most employers, are really looking for in a health and safety professional.

Common questions

What is the STAR method?

It’s a way to structure answers to behavioural interview questions: describe the Situation, the Task you needed to achieve, the Action you took, and the Result. Most of your answer should focus on the action and the result.

What are behavioural interview questions?

They’re questions that ask you to describe how you handled a real situation in the past, usually starting with ‘Tell us about a time’. Competency based interview questions work the same way, and both are best answered with a specific example.

How many behavioural questions are asked in an interview?

It varies by employer and role. Many interviews include several, often built around the key capabilities in the position description, so preparing five or six strong examples covers most situations.

How do you prepare for a behavioural interview?

Read the position description, list the skills and behaviours it asks for, and match each one to a real example from your experience. Then practise telling each one out loud, and check it still fits your safety CV. If it’s a video interview, practise on camera as well.

Preparing for your next interview

If you’d like help preparing for behavioural interview questions before your next interview, a specialist recruiter can help you shape your examples and understand what the employer is really looking for. Reach out to Amanda or Pete for a coffee and a chat, browse our current health and safety jobs, or register with us. Working with a specialist recruiter also means you’ll hear about roles that aren’t advertised, and get honest feedback after every interview.