Is it a trick or a treat? With interviewing, you never know. But you can increase the reliability of a great hire by using some behavioral interviewing tactics throughout the selection process.
Behavioral assessments and well-thought-out interview questions partner with the interview impression to dive below what a candidate says and give insight into how they will perform. Traditional questions work with behavioral questions to create a solid interview foundation.
Traditional questions are best used when your candidate has very little experience and/or job specific requirements, or when you need concrete facts to move the candidate through the interview pipeline. For example: Do you have the necessary license/education? What is your salary range?
Make sure you have a good blend of traditional and behavioral questions to invite conversation. Never make an interview feel like an interrogation.
Behavioral interviewing helps you learn the most throughout the interview process. Asking candidates how they would act in hypothetical situations is a surefire way to get exaggerated answers or even untruths. Asking about past behavior is a better predictor of future behavior and often provides a more honest response. You’ll hopefully walk away with a set of facts to make employment decisions.
The idea is to ask thought-provoking questions that require candidates to give their best examples. As a result, be prepared to wait while they search their memories. This might mean an awkward silence, and that’s okay. Often, people will feel the need to let the candidate or themselves off the hook when there is a long pause. End the question with…”take your time, I know it can be challenging to recall situations under pressure. I can wait.” Then wait. Of course, there is a thin line between patience and annoyance. If the candidate is content to wait 10 minutes until you cave, that’s a problem.
Here are some ways to start a behavioral question:
Tell me about a time when...
Describe what you did…
Give me an example of when…
Walk me through…
As you listen to their story unfold are you hearing examples of:
Questions should be clear and concise. The lengthier they are, the easier it is to confuse the candidate and intensify an already stressful situation. If a candidate is extroverted, you may find that they “fake it until they make it.” If a candidate is analytical, they may need more time to think through the answer before talking.
Use the W-H-O framework to get all the information you need from the question. Ask follow-up questions to fill in gaps.
A great thing about behavioral questions is that you will know when a piece of information you want is missing from the story, follow-up questions will happen naturally. Just be sure to:
Also, you can always rephrase the question if the candidate clearly doesn’t grasp the point of the question. But know when to stop if you aren’t getting the information you want; that in and of itself is a lot of information!
Candidates should use answers that indicate ownership, responsibility, and personal involvement. You’re asking about situations they were in, so if there is a lot of deflecting and blaming when you ask questions about failure, for example, that could be a problem. Speaking of which, ask questions about both successes and failures. We all have things that did not turn out as planned. It’s a great way to see how they handled it and what they learned from it.
Finally, be as prepared as you expect the candidate to be. Be on time, have a clear workspace (or a tidy background if the interview is virtual), and have your questions planned out before the interview. Know going in what you want to learn to avoid being tricked!
