This article is part of the comprehensive guide on different Types of Interviews. Read our related content on Face-to-Face Interviews, Phone Interviews, Video Interviews, and Panel Interviews.
In today’s article, we focus on behavioral interviews.
This type of interview is important in understanding candidates’ past behavior to help predict their future performance.
We will look at understanding what behavioral interviews are, how to prepare them and how to evaluate the candidates.
Understanding Behavioral Interviews
What are behavioral interviews?
Behavioral interviews are a type of interview technique that recruiters use to assess a candidate’s past behavior to try and predict how he will behave in the future.
Key Elements of Behavioral Interviews
There are key elements of behavioral interviews such as:
- Using structured questions that usually start with ‘’Tell me a time when you…’’
- Integrating the STAR method. Candidates are being asked to formulate their answers following this structure: situation, task, action, and result.
- Probing the answers by using follow-up questions
- Asking questions based on competencies
Preparing for Behavioral Interviews
Job Analysis and Competency Identification.
Before conducting a behavioral interview, recruiters must identify the set of competencies they will focus on. These might be problem-solving, time management, team collaboration, and so on. It is essential to match the competencies with the job requirements.
Developing Behavior-Based Questions
Once the recruiter has identified the competencies, the next step is to develop behavior-based questions. These might sound like: ‘’Tell me more about a time when you had a deadline, but you failed to respect it’’.
Conducting Effective Behavioral Interviews
Once the recruiter is done with job analysis and questions, there are a couple of things they should follow to conduct an effective behavioral interview.
Setting the Stage
One of them is to set the stage. This means creating a comfortable and relaxed interview environment by creating a rapport with the candidate. The recruiter should also inform the candidate about the interview’s purpose and structure before diving deeper into the questions.
Probing for Detailed Responses
While interviewing the candidate, the most essential skill for every recruiter is active listening. While the candidate answers the questions the recruiter should be present and fully focused on his answers and body language. Moreover, the recruiter can ask follow-up questions to delve deeper into specific situations, actions, and results.
Some of the follow-up and probing questions might sound like this:
‘’Can you please give me more details about that context?’’
‘’What other alternatives did you have?’’
Assessing and Scoring Responses
The recruiter can move into the evaluation stage once the interview is done, based on the evaluation criteria and scoring system.
Beware to use the same scoring card for every candidate in that specific role to ensure consistency!
Evaluating and Selecting Candidates
Reviewing and Comparing Candidates’ Responses
Once the recruiter moves into the evaluation stage, it is time to compare the candidate’s responses to the questions and check the notes.
Making an Informed Decision
To make the best decision, the recruiter should consider both technical skills and behavioral fit with the company.
If there are any doubts or difficulties in selecting the right candidate, conducting a panel discussion might also be a good idea.
Conclusion
Behavioral interviews are useful when you want to see how candidates acted in past situations thinking that this is a prediction for how they will act as employees.
We recommend you invest in training your team to ask questions that reveal the depth of the candidate’s behavior.
Behavioral Interviews FAQ
What is the purpose of behavioral interviews in the recruitment process?
The purpose of behavioral interviews is to assess candidates’ past experience to predict future behavior.
How do behavioral interviews differ from traditional interviews?
Behavioral interviews are mainly focused on specific, real situations that the candidate has been through. They don’t focus on hypothetical questions.
How can recruiting agencies identify the key competencies for a specific role?
Recruiting agencies can identify key competencies by looking at the role they have to fill in. Based on the job requirements, they can set candidate requirements as well.
What techniques can be used to develop behavior-based questions for behavioral interviews?
To develop behavior-based questions, you can use the STAR technique, asking open-ended or probing questions.
How can interviewers effectively assess and score candidates’ responses in behavioral interviews?
Interviewers should look for clear and concise answers, relevant details, and measurable outcomes. Additionally, interviewers can create a scoring rubric or rating scale to consistently evaluate each candidate’s responses based on predetermined criteria.
