When it comes to finding the right person for the job, sometimes it’s not the content of your questions — it’s how you ask them. Many organizations have discovered that targeted interviewing strategies can help better evaluate job candidates.
Behavioral interviewing is a technique used to gather key information during an interview process. The specific type of questions being asked can assist employers in making predictions about a potential employee's future success. In behavior-based interviews, interviewers ask for detailed examples of when the candidate has demonstrated a particular behavior or skill. The questions should focus on actual past behaviors, instead of hypothetical responses.
Hypothetical Question:
How do you handle pressure?
Behavioral Question:
Describe a time when you were in a high-pressure situation. What happened? What was the outcome?
For this technique to be measurable, each behavioral question should focus on a:
• Situation or task
• Action
• Result or outcome
The questions should be very direct in order to elicit detailed responses aimed at determining if the candidate possesses the desired characteristics. When creating ideal questions, you should first identify job-related experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities that are most desirable in a particular position. Often, a company will align the questions with the organization’s core competencies.
Utilizing behavioral questions during an interview process will ensure every hiring decision is made after evaluating:
• Job-related dimensions such as roles, knowledge, experience and performance behaviors
• Similar questions made to each candidate and a consistent collection of information
• Motivational fit
Defined interview processes help organizations overcome many common hiring errors including:
• Overlooking areas that are critical to job success
• Failure to see job motivations and organizational fit
• Asking illegal, non-job related questions
• Prejudicial evaluation based on biases and stereotypes
• Misinterpreting applicant information
• Making snap decisions