3 tips for greater behavioral interviewing success
When it comes to interviewing job candidates, the behavioral interview is king. This is because this interviewing technique requires candidates to respond with specific examples of past experiences (e.g., “Tell me about a time when…”), rather than providing hypothetical approaches and scenarios (e.g., “How would you approach…”). This methodology is based upon the belief that past performance is the most accurate predictor of future performance.
While behavioral interviewing is employed by many organizations, many recruiters and hiring managers continue to struggle with using the technique effectively. To get more value from these interviews, there are three tips to keep in mind:
- Know what represents good performance: Many interview responses may be multi-faceted and complex. Thus, it may be easy for an interviewer to become ‘lost in the weeds’ if there are no guidelines. Consider leveraging behaviorally anchored rating scales, which outlines unacceptable, acceptable, and superior behaviors. This could then be used to evaluate responses.
- Don’t be afraid to follow-up: While candidates may have the tendency of providing multi-faceted responses, they may also provide responses that lack sufficient depth for evaluation. In such cases, don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions! For example, if a candidate is struggling to come up with past work examples, follow-up and request for examples from their personal lives.
- Make it conversational: Keep in mind that while the primary goal is to evaluate a candidate, the candidate is also evaluating his or her fit with your organization. So, instead of approaching interviewing in an interrogative way, try to make it conversational—of course while staying within the confines of your interviewing guide. Doing so will not only help with the flow of the interview, but it will also provide a more pleasing experience for the candidate.
If you have any other tips, please feel free to share them within CMA’s LinkedIn Group.
Written by: LaMarcus Bolton, Ph.D.
