by Katharine Hansen, Ph.D.
Behavioral interviewing is a relatively new mode of job interviewing. Employers such as AT&T and Accenture
(the former Andersen Consulting) have been using behavioral interviewing for about 15 years now, and because
increasing numbers of employers are using behavior-based methods to screen job candidates, understanding
how to excel in this interview environment is becoming a crucial job-hunting skill.
The premise behind behavioral interviewing is that the most accurate predictor of future performance is
past performance in similar situations. Behavioral interviewing, in fact, is said to be 55 percent predictive
of future on-the-job behavior, while traditional interviewing is only 10 percent predictive.
Behavioral-based interviewing is touted as providing a more objective set of facts to make employment
decisions than other interviewing methods. Traditional interview questions ask you general questions
such as "Tell me about yourself." The process of behavioral interviewing is much more probing and
works very differently.
In a traditional job-interview, you can usually get away with telling the interviewer what he or
she wants to hear, even if you are fudging a bit on the truth. Even if you are asked situational
questions that start out "How would you handle XYZ situation?" you have minimal accountability.
How does the interviewer know, after all, if you would really react in a given situation the way you
say you would? In a behavioral interview, however, it's much more difficult to give responses that
are untrue to your character. When you start to tell a behavioral story, the behavioral interviewer
typically will pick it apart to try to get at the specific behavior(s). The interviewer will probe further
for more depth or detail such as "What were you thinking at that point?" or "Tell me more about your
meeting with that person," or "Lead me through your decision process." If you've told a story that's
anything but totally honest, your response will not hold up through the barrage of probing questions.
Employers use the behavioral interview technique to evaluate a candidate's experiences and
behaviors so they can determine the applicant's potential for success. The interviewer identifies
job-related experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities that the company has decided
are desirable in a particular position. For example, some of the characteristics that Accenture looks for include:
- Critical thinking
- Being a self-starter
- Willingness to learn
- Willingness to travel
- Self-confidence
- Teamwork
- Professionalism
The employer then structures very pointed questions to elicit detailed responses aimed at
determining if the candidate possesses the desired characteristics. Questions (often not even
framed as a question) typically start out: "Tell about a time..." or "Describe a situation..." Many
employers use a rating system to evaluate selected criteria during the interview.
As a candidate, you should be equipped to answer the questions thoroughly. Obviously, you
can prepare better for this type of interview if you know which skills that the employer has
predetermined to be necessary for the job you seek. Researching the company and talking to
people who work there will enable you to zero in on the kinds of behaviors the company wants.
(Click here to see a list of typical
behaviors that employers might be trying to get at in a behavior-based interview.)
In the interview, your response needs to be specific and detailed. Candidates who tell the interviewer
about particular situations that relate to each question will be far more effective and successful than
those who respond in general terms.
Ideally, you should briefly describe the situation, what specific action you took to have an effect
on the situation, and the positive result or outcome. Frame it in a three-step process,
usually called a S-A-R, P-A-R, or S-T-A-R statement:
1. situation (or task, problem),
2. action,
3. result/outcome.
Click here for a sample S-A-R statement.
It's also helpful to think of your
responses as stories. Become a great storyteller in your interviews, but be careful not to ramble.
See also, STAR Interviewing Technique
for more information.
It's difficult to prepare for a behavior-based interview because of the huge number and
variety of possible behavioral questions you might be asked. The best way to prepare is to
arm yourself with a small arsenal of example stories that can be adapted to many behavioral
questions.
Recruiter Joe Turner offers more details on how to develop these stories in his article,
Behavioral
Interviews: A Great Showcase for You, But You Must Prepare Now.
Despite the many possible behavioral questions, you can get some idea of what to
expect by looking at Web sites that feature behavioral questions, including:
Knowing what kinds of questions might be asked will help you prepare an effective selection of examples.
Use examples from internships, classes and school projects, activities, team participation, community
service, hobbies and work experience -- anything really -- as examples of your past behavior. In
addition, you may use examples of special accomplishments, whether personal or professional,
such as scoring the winning touchdown, being elected president of your Greek organization, winning a
prize for your artwork, surfing a big wave, or raising money for charity. Wherever possible, quantify
your results. Numbers always impress employers.
Remember that many behavioral questions try to get at how you responded to negative
situations; you'll need to have examples of negative experiences ready, but try to choose negative
experiences that you made the best of or -- better yet, those that had positive outcomes.
Here's a good way to prepare for behavior-based interviews:
- Identify six to eight examples from your past experience where you demonstrated top
behaviors and skills that employers typically seek. Think in terms of examples that will
exploit your top selling points.
- Half your examples should be totally positive, such as accomplishments or meeting goals.
- The other half should be situations that started out negatively but either ended positively
or you made the best of the outcome.
- Vary your examples; don't take them all from just one area of your life.
- Use fairly recent examples. If you're a college student, examples from high school may
be too long ago. Accenture, in fact, specifies that candidates give examples of behaviors
demonstrated within the last year.
- Try to describe examples in story form and/or PAR/SAR/STAR.
To cram for a behavioral interview right before you're interviewed, review your resume.
Seeing your achievements in print will jog your memory.
In the interview, listen carefully to each question, and pull an example out of your bag of
tricks that provides an appropriate description of how you demonstrated the desired behavior.
With practice, you can learn to tailor a relatively small set of examples to respond to a number
of different behavioral questions.
Once you've snagged the job, keep a record of achievements and accomplishments so you'll
be ready with more great examples the next time you go on a behavior interview.
Print resources about behavioral Interviewing:
Byham, William C., Ph.D., with Debra Pickett,
Landing
the Job You Want: How to Have the Best Job Interview of Your Life, 1999: Three Rivers Press.
Green, Paul C., Ph.D.,
Get Hired:
Winning Strategies to Ace the Interview, 1996: Bard Press.
Janz, Tom, Lowell Hellervik, and David C. Gilmore,
Behavior
Description Interviewing, 1986: Allyn & Bacon.
Questions about some of the terminology used in this article? Get more information (definitions and links) on key college, career, and job-search
terms by going to our Job-Seeker's Glossary of Job-Hunting Terms.
Katharine Hansen, Ph.D., creative director and associate
publisher of Quintessential Careers, is an educator, author,
and blogger who provides content for Quintessential Careers,
edits QuintZine,
an electronic newsletter for jobseekers, and blogs about storytelling
in the job search at A Storied
Career. Katharine, who earned her PhD in organizational behavior
from Union Institute & University, Cincinnati, OH, is author of Dynamic
Cover Letters for New Graduates and A Foot in the Door: Networking
Your Way into the Hidden Job Market (both published by Ten Speed Press),
as well as Top Notch Executive Resumes (Career Press); and with
Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D., Dynamic Cover Letters, Write Your
Way to a Higher GPA (Ten Speed), and The Complete Idiot's Guide
to Study Skills (Alpha). Visit her
personal Website
or reach her by e-mail at
kathy(at)quintcareers.com.
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