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Quizzes > Business & Finance

Targeted Selection Interview Quiz: Sharpen Your Responses

Quick, free behavioral interview questions quiz with realistic scenarios. Instant results.

Editorial: Review CompletedCreated By: Jack ParadoxUpdated Aug 27, 2025
Difficulty: Moderate
2-5mins
Learning OutcomesCheat Sheet
Paper art style illustration showing quiz question cards decision icons and response paths on dark blue background

This targeted selection interview quiz helps you practice behavioral responses and choose the best actions in realistic work scenarios. Use it to spot gaps before your next interview and sharpen decision-making; for broader prep, try our job interview quiz, and build people leadership insight with a talent management test.

What does the STAR in the STAR method stand for?
Situation, Approach, Reaction, Result
Strategy, Tactic, Action, Reflection
Strategy, Task, Action, Result
Situation, Task, Action, Result
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result, which is a structured way to answer behavioral interview questions. It helps ensure you describe the context, what you needed to achieve, the steps you took, and the outcomes clearly. This format is widely taught in recruitment training to provide concise and relevant examples. .
In targeted selection interviews, the primary focus is on assessing what?
Personality traits alone
Technical certifications
Past behavior in relevant situations
Future hypothetical scenarios
Targeted selection interviews concentrate on past behavior because it is the best predictor of future performance. By examining real experiences, interviewers get evidence of your skills in action. This approach reduces bias and focuses on concrete examples. .
Which of the following is a common behavioral interview question?
What is your salary expectation?
How many hours per week can you work?
Tell me about a time when you had to handle a conflict at work.
Are you willing to relocate?
Behavioral interview questions ask you to describe past experiences to gauge how you behave in real situations. This example specifically probes conflict resolution skills. Interviewers look for detailed responses that follow a structured format. .
Why do interviewers use behavioral questions in a targeted selection interview?
To evaluate candidates' problem-solving based on past actions.
To assess candidates' opinions about industry trends.
To test candidates on technical skills directly.
To measure candidates' ability to speculate on future events.
Behavioral questions are used to see concrete evidence of how you solve problems and perform tasks. They reveal real skills and decision-making processes rather than theoretical knowledge. This method improves predictive accuracy in hiring. .
What is key when describing your Task in the STAR method?
Listing all team members' roles.
Explaining your company's organizational chart.
Describing unrelated tasks you enjoy.
Detailing the specific goal you needed to achieve.
The Task defines the goal or challenge you faced and sets clear context for your actions. You should focus on what was required of you personally. This clarity helps interviewers understand the scope of your responsibility. .
During the Action part of STAR, you should focus on what?
What steps you personally took to address the Task.
General team strategies without your role.
Only the final outcome.
The background history of the problem.
The Action section requires you to highlight the specific steps you took and your personal contributions. It ensures the interviewer knows exactly what you did. Avoid focusing on team actions without clarifying your role. .
In targeted selection interviews, asking about how you overcame a challenge primarily assesses which competency?
Technical certification level.
Salary negotiation skills.
Future planning ability.
Adaptability and problem-solving.
Questions about overcoming challenges evaluate your adaptability and problem-solving skills. They show how you react under pressure and find solutions. These traits are critical for many roles. .
What should you do before a targeted selection interview to prepare effectively?
Prepare general opinions about the company's products.
Review the job competencies and match them with your examples.
Focus only on your resume dates.
Memorize random success stories without context.
Matching your examples to the job's required competencies ensures your answers are relevant and targeted. It demonstrates you understand the role's needs. This approach enhances your credibility in the interview. .
When using the STAR method, which element should include measurable outcomes?
Task
Result
Situation
Action
The Result section is where you share concrete, quantifiable outcomes such as percentages, numbers, or other metrics. These numbers demonstrate the impact of your actions and provide evidence of success. It makes your story more compelling and credible. .
How can you effectively demonstrate leadership in a behavioral response?
By stating that you prefer to work alone.
By describing how you guided a team to achieve objectives, detailing your influence.
By explaining industry-wide leadership theories.
By focusing only on your individual achievements.
Effective leadership examples show how you motivated and guided others toward a goal, illustrating your influence and decision-making. It should highlight collaboration and the results achieved through your direction. .
If you don't have an exact example for a requested competency, what's the best approach?
Provide an example from a fictional scenario.
Adapt a closely related experience and explain the parallel.
Admit you have no experience and leave it at that.
Change the subject to your qualifications.
Adapting a similar experience shows honesty and resourcefulness while still demonstrating relevant skills. By explaining the parallel, you maintain credibility and relevance. Interviewers appreciate candidates who can think flexibly. .
How should you structure the Result portion to show continuous improvement?
Include both immediate outcomes and follow-up benefits over time.
Focus solely on the process.
Only mention long-term effects.
Describe unrelated future goals.
Mentioning both immediate and long-term impacts highlights the full value of your actions and demonstrates strategic thinking. It shows you consider sustainability and future benefits. This depth impresses interviewers. .
Which behavior suggests poor preparation in a targeted selection interview?
Maintaining eye contact throughout.
Asking clarifying questions about competencies.
Providing concise and relevant stories.
Struggling to recall specific examples when asked.
If you cannot recall specific examples, it indicates insufficient preparation on key competencies. Well-prepared candidates have clear stories ready. Preparation leads to confident, structured answers. .
For competency-based questions, why is it critical to keep examples concise and focused?
To maintain relevance and avoid losing the interviewer's interest.
To confuse the interviewer.
To fill time in the interview.
To show you know many details.
Concise and focused responses ensure you communicate key points clearly and keep the interviewer engaged. Overly long answers can obscure your main achievements. Focus highlights your communication skills. .
When elaborating on conflict resolution, which detail matters most?
Your role in mediating and achieving a solution.
Unrelated project metrics.
The company's organizational chart.
The other person's personal background.
Highlighting your own mediation role shows how you handle disagreements and guide outcomes. It reveals interpersonal and problem-solving skills. Concrete details on your contribution matter most. .
How might you adapt the STAR method when describing multiple simultaneous tasks?
Focus only on the first task.
Combine all tasks into a single general statement.
List tasks separately without structure.
Emphasize prioritization and time management across tasks in the Action.
When handling multiple tasks, detailing how you prioritized and managed your time demonstrates organization and efficiency. It clarifies how you balanced competing demands. This insight adds depth to your STAR response. .
In targeted selection, why is it important to align examples with the company's core competencies?
It demonstrates that your skills match the role's specific requirements.
It emphasizes your unrelated achievements.
It fills time in the interview.
It shows you can research salaries.
Aligning examples with core competencies shows you understand the role and can meet its demands. It provides clear evidence that you possess the skills the employer values. This strategy improves your relevance. .
What is the best strategy to handle probing follow-up questions in a behavioral interview?
Expand on your initial STAR elements with additional details as needed.
Repeat your original answer word for word.
Decline to elaborate further.
Switch to an unrelated example.
When probed, you should provide deeper insights or additional context to your STAR story. This shows flexibility and thorough knowledge of your example. It builds credibility. .
When assessing cultural fit, what aspect should you highlight in your example?
Your hobbies outside of work.
Salary negotiation tactics.
Technical skills alone.
How you worked effectively within the team's values.
Cultural fit questions aim to see how you align with a company's values and team dynamics. Highlighting teamwork within those values shows you can integrate smoothly. It demonstrates cultural awareness. .
How can you quantify improvements in process efficiency effectively?
Focus only on team morale.
Describe the process in vague terms.
State you improved efficiency without numbers.
Use specific metrics like time saved or cost reduction in your Result.
Quantifiable metrics provide clear evidence of impact, making your achievements more persuasive. Time saved or cost reductions are concrete and easily understood. This approach strengthens your credibility. .
In a targeted selection interview, how do you demonstrate self-awareness?
Claim you never make mistakes.
Describe a past mistake, what you learned, and how you applied the lesson.
Provide unrelated personal information.
Focus solely on successes.
Discussing a mistake and the lesson you learned shows self-awareness and growth mindset. It indicates humility and a commitment to improvement. Employers value candidates who learn from their experiences. .
Why is it beneficial to reflect on both successes and failures in your examples?
It shows you can learn and adapt, demonstrating resilience.
It downplays your skills.
It wastes interview time.
It confuses the interviewer.
Including both successes and failures illustrates your capacity for reflection and continuous learning. It shows resilience and adaptability when facing challenges. This balanced approach resonates with interviewers. .
How do you tailor your behavioral examples for a global team in a targeted selection interview?
Discuss theoretical global models without examples.
Highlight cross-cultural communication and collaboration experiences.
Focus only on local team achievements.
Mention language skills without context.
Demonstrating cross-cultural communication shows you can navigate diverse environments and collaborate effectively worldwide. Concrete examples convey your global mindset. Employers value candidates who adapt to multicultural teams. .
What advanced technique can you use to reveal your long-term potential through your answer?
Use only past tense descriptions.
Avoid any mention of future impact.
Focus solely on immediate outcomes.
Incorporate a forward-looking insight on how the result influenced strategic objectives.
Linking your results to broader strategic goals showcases vision and indicates potential for future contributions. It elevates your response from tactical achievements to strategic impact. This advanced framing impresses senior interviewers. .
How do you handle a scenario-based question when you're uncertain of the best action?
Guess randomly without explanation.
Ask about salary instead.
Refuse to answer.
Outline your logical approach step by step and note any assumptions.
Describing your reasoning process and assumptions shows analytical skills and transparency, even when you lack full information. It demonstrates your problem-solving framework and critical thinking. Interviewers value structured approaches to uncertainty. .
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Study Outcomes

  1. Understand core Targeted Selection principles -

    Gain insight into the foundations of the targeted selection interview method and its role in behavioral interviewing targeted selection.

  2. Identify high-impact targeted selection interview questions -

    Learn to recognize and craft questions that elicit meaningful behavioral examples from candidates.

  3. Apply the targeted selection technique in interviews -

    Practice structuring your interviews using the targeted selection technique to consistently evaluate candidate competencies.

  4. Evaluate behavioral responses effectively -

    Develop skills to analyze and score candidate answers, ensuring objective decision-making during the targeted selection interview process.

  5. Refine interviewing decision-making -

    Enhance your ability to make informed hiring choices by integrating quiz insights into real-world recruitment scenarios.

Cheat Sheet

  1. Master the STAR Framework -

    The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) is central to behavioral interviewing targeted selection, guiding candidates to structure answers clearly. For example, describe a time you improved a process (Situation), outline your goal (Task), detail your steps (Action), and quantify the outcome (Result). Mnemonic tip: "STAR lights the way" to remember each stage.

  2. Define Core Competencies -

    Use industry-standard competency models (e.g., SHRM or CIPD frameworks) to pinpoint qualities like teamwork, leadership, and adaptability for your targeted selection interview. Mapping these competencies ensures your targeted selection questions align with organizational needs. A quick trick is the "KASA" model: Knowledge, Abilities, Skills, Attitudes.

  3. Craft Effective Behavioral Questions -

    Good targeted selection interview questions start with "Tell me about a time when…" or "Give an example of how you…" to elicit real experiences. Each question should target one competency and avoid double-barreled queries. Refer to research in the Journal of Applied Psychology showing behavior-based questions predict performance better than opinion-based ones.

  4. Implement Consistent Rating Scales -

    Adopt a 1 - 5 anchor rating system for evaluating responses, with clear behavioral descriptors for each score. For example, a "5" might indicate "exceeded expectations consistently," while a "1" signals "failed to demonstrate competency." Consistency across interviews reduces bias, as validated by studies in the International Journal of Selection and Assessment.

  5. Use Probing Techniques Strategically -

    After the initial answer, apply follow-up probes (e.g., "What challenges did you face?" or "Why did you choose that approach?") to clarify depth and context. The "5 Whys" method works well to drill down into motivating factors and decision-making steps. Probing ensures richer data for reliable targeted selection technique assessments.

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