Behavioral interviewing is a method of questioning that requires respondents to provide concrete examples of handling situations. The premise behind behavioral interviewing is that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. In other words, people are creatures of habit. So, behavioral interviewing by design reveals how candidates have actually behaved in past situations while traditional interviewing permits candidates to portray potentially idealized answers to a hypothetical situation. This can significantly reduce distortion while interviewing and is equally helpful when exploring follow-up questions associated with behavioral profiles/assessments. And much like Papa John’s Better Ingredients, Better Pizza, behavioral interviewing means Better Interviews, Better Hires.
The 2 Fatal Assumptions in Traditional Interviewing
- Candidates will openly and accurately judge themselves in the biased setting of an interview where they are trying to put their best foot forward to land the job.
- That people can accurately describe themselves because they are self-aware and free of blind spots that could distort their self-concept.
The Associated Press polled people to find out what they felt they were better at than most people. The answer? Driving! I may be a bit biased on this subject because I have been an instructor on the racetrack, but I don’t think most of us feel like we’re surrounded by above-average drivers most days. Furthermore, Harvard and Yale have conducted studies and found that people overestimated their abilities by 50% and perhaps more importantly underestimated their weaknesses by 200%. In short, behavioral interviewing can be an invaluable tool to better interviewing and hiring.
Behavioral Interview Tips
1. Identify key success and failure behaviors associated with the position.
There are a number of techniques to help surface these but one of my favorites is called “Anchoring.” With Anchoring, you interview several that have observed the behavior of those in this role or a similar position at the company. This could be a subordinate, peer, or if applicable subordinate to this position. You start by asking them for the first names of those they have observed, then whether each performed above average, average, or below average, and lastly the behaviors associated with their respective performance rating. Most of the time the group can pretty easily name the “problem children” that were rated below average and the “rock stars” that were above average. Then it’s just a matter of developing the best behavioral interview questions to evaluate candidates efficiently and effectively against winning and failing behaviors.
2. Don’t accept answers that aren’t actually examples!
Despite asking for examples you’ll have some candidates that choose to share their philosophy on work, leading others, etc. instead of examples. Redirect those candidates to provide actual examples they’ve experienced. If they state they haven’t experienced the example requested, ask them to give an example that’s closest to what’s been requested. You can also come back to that question later if they’re still struggling.
3. Peel the onion by asking follow-up questions…
It’s imperative to ask follow-up questions to understand what they did, why they did it, what they learned from it, what they’d do differently etc. These insights can significantly improve your ability to build a predictive profile of the candidate. Plus, you can further vet the information gained through a reference check to further crystalize your profile.
Are Behavioral Interview Questions Effective?
Behavioral interviewing – when executed correctly, can provide a unique perspective for the interviewer on how the candidate will perform daily. There are a lot of things you can learn from conducting a behavioral interview. Understanding how someone behaved in the past is an easy way to predict how they will perform in the future. There is always something to learn from the story itself and how a candidate tells it – things like their reasoning, motivations, and perspective often come through. They can tell you a lot about what kind of worker the candidate will be.
This interview style can get into deeper detail than other interview questions. With a couple of probing follow-up questions, you can reveal some essential information about a candidate that may not come out in other interview formats. For example, you can get specifics about a candidate’s real contribution to a project, learn how they deal with unexpected complications, or find out how readily they adjust their habits or work style in response to their experiences.
Behavioral interviewing can be very effective when looking for specific candidates. It is one of the best recruitment tools at our disposal. Still, like any tool, much of its usefulness relies on the user’s skill. By understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the behavioral interviewing technique and keeping them in mind when preparing for and conducting your interviews, you can be confident that this technique will help you make the right hiring decisions.
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