“Past performance predicts future productivity,” say employers and recruiters. How do hiring decision makers determine your past performance? Through behavior based interview questions.

Here’s an updated list for 2018 of 50 questions recruiters and employers ask job candidates to determine behaviors that revolve around various qualities employers seek such as leadership, initiative, work quality, and more.

Challenge: Select a few of the behavior-based interview questions and develop your own examples (achievement statements) that prove your performance with a focus on results that moved the needle for your organization. Tell a story that demonstrates the Challenge, Action, and Results you achieved, which relate to the behavior employers want to see when they ask a specific behavior-based question. Results are especially important. Employers like to know you can contribute to their bottom line as this quickly demonstrates a return on your salary when they hire you.

Employees in heath care, management, security, and transportation will receive the highest salary increases next year, according to a survey by the Economic Research Institute. When comparing average salaries for broad job functions between 2005 and 2006, the survey found that:

• Executive salaries increased 8.7 percent, from $99,991 in 2005 to $108,710 in 2006
• Middle management salaries increased 5.6 percent, from $67.071 to $70,826
• Professional salaries increased 4 percent, from $61,728 to $64,169
• Clerical salaries increased 2.3 percent, from $24,582 to $25,152

Source: Business Examiner Daily, August 18, 2006