Tell me about a time when you were on a team, and one
of the members wasn't carrying his or her weight? If
this is one of the leading questions in your job interview, you could be
in for a behavioral interview. Based on the premise that the best way to
predict the future behavior is to determine past behavior, this style of
interviewing is gaining wide acceptance among recruiters.
Today, more than ever, every hiring decision is critical. Behavioral
interviewing is designed to minimize personal impressions that can affect
the hiring decision. By focusing on the applicants actions and
behaviors, rather than subjective impressions that can sometimes be misleading,
interviewers can make more accurate hiring decisions.
James F. Reder, manager of staff planning and college relations
for Occidental Chemical Corporation in Dallas, says, Although we
have not conducted any formal studies to determine whether retention or
success on the job here has been affected, I feel our move to behavioral
interviewing has been successful. It helps concentrate recruiters questions
on areas important to our candidate's success within Occidental.
The company introduced behavioral interviewing in 1986 at several sites
and has since implemented it company wide.
Behavioral vs Traditional Interviews
If you have training or experience with traditional interviewing techniques,
you may find the behavioral interview quite different in several ways.
1. Instead of asking how you would behave in a particular situation,
the interviewer will ask you to describe how you did behave.
2. Expect the interviewer to question and probe (think of peeling
layers from an onion)
3. The interviewer will ask you to provide details, and will not allow
you to theorize or generalize about several events.
4. The interview will be a more structured process that will concentrate
on areas that are important to the interviewer, rather than allowing you
to concentrate on areas that you may feel are important.
5. You may not get a chance to deliver any prepared stories.
6. Most interviewers will be taking copious notes throughout the interview.
The behavioral interviewer has been trained to objectively collect
and evaluate information, and works from a profile of desired behaviors
that are needed for success on the job. Because of the behaviors a candidate
has demonstrated in previous similar positions are likely to be repeated,
you will be asked to share situations in which you may or may not have
exhibited these behaviors. Your answers will be tested for accuracy and
consistency.
If you are an entry-level candidate with no previous related
experience, the interviewer will look for behaviors in situations similar
to those of the target position:
Describe a major problem you have faced and how you dealt
with it?
Give an example of when you had to work with your hands
to accomplish a task or project?
What class did you like the most? What did you like about
it?
Follow-up questions will test for consistency and determine if
you exhibited the desired behavior in that situation:
Can you give me an example?
What did you do?
What did you say?
What were you thinking?
How did you feel?
What was your role?
What was the result?
You will notice an absence of questions such as Tell me about
your strengths and weaknesses.
How to Prepare for a Behavioral Interview
1. Recall recent situations that show favorable behaviors or actions,
especially involving course work, work experience, leadership, teamwork,
initiative, planning and customer service.
2. Prepare short descriptions of each situation; be ready to give details
if asked.
3. Be sure each story has a beginning, middle and end - i.e. be ready
to describe the situation, your action, and the outcome or result.
4. Be sure the outcome or result reflects positively on you (even if
the result itself was not favorable).
5. Be honest. Don't embellisher omit any part of the story.
The interviewer will find out if your story is built on a weak foundation.
6. Be specific. Don't generalize about several events; give
a detailed accounting of one event.
A possible response for the question, Tell me about a
time when you were on a team and a member wasn't pulling his or
her weight might go as follows: I had been assigned to a
team to build a canoe our of concrete. One of our team members wasn't
showing up for our lab sessions or doing his assignments. I finally met
with him in private, explained the frustration of the rest of the team
and asked if there was anything I could do to help. He told me he was preoccupied
with another class that he wasn't passing so I found someone to
help him with the other course. He not only was able to spend more time
on our project, but he was also grateful to me for helping him out. We
finished our project on time and got a B on it.
The interviewer might then probe. How did you feel when
you confronted this person? Exactly what was the
nature of the project? What was his responsibility as a
team member? At what point did you take it upon yourself
to confront him? You can see it is important that you not make up information, and
why you should have a
clear memory of the entire incident.
Don't forget the Basics
Instead of feeling anxious or threatened by the prospect of a
behavioral interview, remember the essential difference between the traditional
interview and the behavioral interview: The traditional interviewer may
allow you to project what you might or should do in a given situation,
whereas the behavioral interviewer is looking for past actions only. It
will always be important to put your best foot forward and make a good
impression on the interviewer with appropriate attire, good grooming, a
firm handshake and direct eye contact. There is no substitute for promptness,
courtesy, preparation, enthusiasm and a positive attitude.