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Behavioral Based Interviewing Skills: Strategies for Success Sponsored by: Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM)/ Office of Training and Knowledge Management (OTKM)

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Page 1: Behavioral Based

Behavioral Based Interviewing Skills: Strateg ies for Success

Sponsored by: Office of Human Resources Management (OHRM)/

Office of Training and Knowledge Management (OTKM)

Page 2: Behavioral Based

Alan De Back

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Introduction to Behavioral Interviewing

What is behavioral interviewing? Behavioral interviewing is based on the concept that the best predictor of future performance is past performance. Interviewers who use behavioral interviewing ask for specific examples of past behaviors/actions in order to draw conclusions about how a candidate would perform in a similar situation in their organization. This is in contrast to a more traditional interviewing format that might ask candidates questions concerning hypothetical “what if” kinds of situations. Why use behavioral interviewing? Many experts believe that behavioral interviewing offers the best opportunity both for candidates to showcase their accomplishments, and for interviewers to assess the potential for future success in the organization. Behavioral questions should be based on the specific competencies of the job being interviewed for, as the answers will demonstrate whether or not the candidate has previously demonstrated those required competencies. How does behavioral interviewing help make good decisions? Quite simply, a candidate who has demonstrated required competencies in the past is much more likely to be successful. It is possible to make better, more objective hiring decisions because the data you are using is based directly on job-related factors and competencies. In the long run there can be a positive effect on retention…employees who are a good “fit” are more likely to stay with the organization.

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Interview Anatomy

Many interviewers and many applicants don’t understand that a good interview actually has a structure. A good interview doesn’t just happen. To be effective, an interview needs to be carefully structured, and the questions well thought out. An interview consisting only of a random set of questions will benefit neither interviewer nor candidate. Regardless of whether you are the interviewer or the candidate, you will benefit from understanding the “anatomy” of an interview. So what does a typical interview structure look like? The percentages are approximate, but one typical structure looks like this:

Opening/Ice Breaker (5%) Job/Organizational Culture (10%) Questioning/Information Gathering (75%) Candidate Questions (5%) Wrapping-Up/Next Questions (5%)

As an interviewer, you need to plan ahead the structure of your interview and the questions that you will ask. Going into an interview “cold” with no preparation ahead of time is a virtual guarantee that you won’t come out with the critical information you need to make a good hiring decision. This can be a very costly mistake. As a candidate, understand that a good interviewer will be prepared with an interview structure and questions. The interviewer needs to maintain control of the interview in order to obtain the information critical to decision making. Be sure that you are cooperating by providing the information that the interviewer is seeking. If you do feel that you’ve neglected to provide some good specific examples in answer to a question, or that an important facet of your background hasn’t been covered, you’ll have an opportunity to cover those areas towards the end of the interview.

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Types of Interviews

Different types of interviews call for diverse strategies. Each of the types of interviews described below has distinct advantages and disadvantages, but depending on the situation all serve valuable roles. Telephone Interview Telephone interviews are commonly used in a number of situations. Most often, they are used for initial screening because of the time and money that they save the organization. They can also be useful, however, in situations where people in a variety of geographic locations need to interview the candidate, or for some reason the candidate is not available to travel to the interview site. Advantages of telephone interviews:

• Inexpensive • Less time consuming, especially for screening multiple candidates • Require less logistical arrangements • Can be used when distance/travel are issues

Disadvantages of telephone interviews:

• More difficult to get an overall impression of the candidate • Can be more stressful for candidates • Tough to establish rapport

Panel Interview Panel interviews are commonly used when several people need to interview the same candidate. The typical format is several people gathered around a conference table with the candidate at one end. All the interviewers share the role of asking the candidate questions. Advantages of panel interviews:

• Less time consuming for multiple interviewers • Allows multiple interviewers to hear and evaluate the same answers to the same

questions • Provides consistency, if each interviewer asks same questions of each candidate • Relatively easy for interviewers to share impressions/opinions about candidates

Disadvantages of panel interviews:

• More intimidating for the candidate • One or two interviewers may dominate the questioning • Allows less opportunity for follow-up questions

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Serial Interviews A series of one-on-one, or serial interviews is probably the most common corporate interviewing format. A candidate is brought in for several hours or a day, and interviewed in succession by several interviewers. A “host” interviewer generally starts and finishes the day with the candidate to provide continuity. That person is typically also the point person for follow-up Advantages of serial interviews

• Typically less intimidating for candidate • Allows each interviewer private, one-on-one interview time with the candidate • Easier for interviewer to pursue follow-up questions

Disadvantages of serial interviews • Can be exhausting for candidate • If not well coordinated, same questions asked repeatedly • More difficult for interviewers to debrief with each other • More time consuming

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Legal Aspects of the Interview Process

One of the most challenging areas for many interviewers is making sure that they stay within legal boundaries as they move through the interview process. Federal law regulates the types of questions that can be asked during an interview. Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination based on race, sex, color, national origin, and religion. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act prohibits questions about a person’s age. The American with Disabilities Act of 1990, among other things, protects qualified individuals with disabilities from discrimination in employment. Court cases constantly arise concerning the interview process, and there can be “gray” areas that aren’t totally clear. What is the best advice? As an interviewer, if there is even a glimmer of a concern in your mind about a question you are about to ask or a comment you are about to make, don’t do it! In general, questions and comments are forbidden that don’t relate directly to the applicant’s qualifications for the specific skills and competencies required by the position. Among the specific areas to be avoided:

• Age • Marital Status • Race • National Origin • Sexual Preference • Religious Affiliation • Disabilities

As a candidate, don’t be surprised if a prohibited question is asked during an interview. Many managers are poorly trained as interviewers. Others know the legal limits, but choose to ignore them. If you are asked a prohibited question, you need to quickly analyze the situation and decide what action to take. In no situation, should you volunteer information about any of the above areas. As an interviewer, you will occasionally find that a candidate will offer information about a prohibited area, or another area that you feel is “risky.” Do not make comments or follow-up with questions, even if the candidate has volunteered the information! Even though the candidate initiated the subject, you are still at risk if you pursue it in any way.

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Behavioral Interview Questions

When planning behavioral interview questions or preparing for a behavioral interview, it is important to consider the core competencies for the position. What situations, skills, and behaviors will demonstrate those competencies? What specific evidence will address the core competencies? The phrasing of behavioral questions is key. Typical questions might start out with wordings such as “Tell me about a time…” or “Describe a situation…” This kind of wording encourages the candidate to think back to a real life situation that will demonstrate the competency you’re looking for. The questions should never be vague, but should focus in on specific skills or behaviors. Answers should also be very specific, and focus directly on skills or behaviors. Follow-up questions may also be part of a behavioral interviewing scenario. An interviewer may feel the need for more information on a topic or want clarification. Follow-up questions are a signal to an applicant of the need for more specific examples and evidence.

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Sample Behavioral Interview Questions

Competency: Client Service

• Tell me about a time when a client came to you angry (although not necessarily at you). How did you work with the client to resolve the issue?

• Tell me about a time when your supervisor wasn’t satisfied with an assignment

that you completed.

• Describe a situation in which you went the extra mile to please a client.

• Tell me about a situation in which you had to deal with a dissatisfied customer. Competency: Interpersonal Skills

• Think back to a situation in which you were involved in a conflict. What did you do to resolve the conflict?

• Describe a project on which you were the team leader. How did you work with

and motivate your team to complete the project successfully?

• Tell me about a situation in which you disagreed with a co-worker. How did you handle it?

Competency: Self-Management

• Tell me about a professional risk you took. What was the outcome?

• Describe a learning opportunity you pursued to increase your professional knowledge.

• Describe a situation in which you had to balance multiple demands. Competency: Change Management

• Describe a time when you had to lead your team through a major change. How did you manage their adjustment to the change?

• Tell me about the most difficult work-related change that you’ve been through.

What was your role, and what specific steps did you take to succeed?

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Competency: Decision Making

• What was the most difficult decision you had to make in the past year? Describe the process that you used to make the decision.

• Describe a difficult workplace decision that you had to make. How did you make

the decision, and what was the outcome?

Competency: Communication Skills

• Describe a recent professional presentation that you were asked to give. How did you prepare? What feedback did you receive?

• Tell me about a difficult piece of business writing that you had to do.

• Think back to a time when you had to give a piece of difficult feedback to

someone. How did you prepare to give the feedback? How was the feedback received?

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Developing and Analyzing Answers

As a candidate, you need a simple but effective structure to answer behavioral interview questions. As an interviewer, you also need such a structure to analyze the answers that candidates provide. Without the structure, answers can meander all over the place without addressing the key competencies the questions was designed to solicit. One way to for both a candidate to develop answers to questions, and for an interviewer to assess the quality of the candidate’s answers, is the “STAR” method. The “STAR” method provides a clear picture of the:

Situation or Task Action taken Result or outcome

In other words, a good answer to a behavioral question should

• Describe specifically a relevant situation or task • Outline clearly the action(s) taken • Summarize concisely a result or outcome.

The “STAR” method provides a framework for both developing an answer, and assessing the value of an answer to a behavioral interview question.

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Notes and Follow-Up

A good interviewer takes some very rudimentary notes during the interview, and will write up more formal notes immediately after the interview is complete. By writing up notes immediately, the interviewer will be more likely to remember details of the interview and the candidate’s answers. In addition, some organizations require written documentation of all interviews. That documentation is crucial in the event of a court case. As a candidate, limit your note taking during an interview. Extensive note taking will distract you from the interviewer’s questions, and the quality of your answers. It is an excellent idea, however, to make notes about the interview as soon as possible after it concludes. In particular, make note of anything on which you need to follow-up, and anything you want to mention in your follow-up thank-you to the interviewer. You should plan to follow-up your interviewer with some sort of thank-you. Some career professionals disagree as to whether the thank-you should be in the form of an e-mail message, or a more traditional hard-copy letter. The best advice is to consider the type of organization at which you interviewed and its culture. An interviewer at an innovative high-tech organization will probably respond best to an e-mail message. If you interviewed at a more traditional organization, a hard-copy letter will probably be a better bet. In either case, a thank-you will show good follow-up on your part, and could set you apart from the competition.

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Your Notes

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