Interviews set the stage for you to understand prospective employees beyond just their resumes. But, there’s a simple way to make the interview process even more effective.
Conduct behavioral interviews. Ask behavioral questions.
Below, Millennium Omaha will cover what behavioral interviewing is and 3 reasons to get behind asking behavioral questions in your next interview.
What is Behavioral Interviewing?
Behavioral interviewing focuses on a candidate’s past experiences, and asks them to recall specific examples of when they exhibited certain behaviors.
Examples of common behavioral questions include:
- Tell us about a time where you stayed calm during a high stress situation.
- Give us an example of a setback, and how you were able to navigate the situation.
- Talk about a time where you made a risky decision, and it did not go well.
- Can you tell me about a time where you had a disagreement with a colleague?
- What do you do when your list of responsibilities gets too overwhelming?
The goal of behavioral interviewing is to pick up on specific examples, and use these examples to assess whether a candidate can meet a job’s requirements.
Benefits of Behavioral Interviews
You likely already have a procedure and set of questions ready for your interviews. So, why tweak it? Here are the benefits of conducting behavioral interviews:
Behavioral interviews predict the future – for better or for worse
Past behavior is a great indicator of someone’s future behavior. Job candidates are no exception. By asking behavioral questions, and assessing the given examples, you can gauge a candidate’s future performance or success at your company. This way, you can compare candiates, and see who aligns most with your company’s short and long term goals.
See past what candidates want you to see
“What’s your biggest strength?” and “Why do you want to work here?” – these are common interview questions that you ask or may have been asked before. These questions are okay, but with enough preparation, anybody can answer these questions well.
You want to dig deeper. Behavioral questions are harder to prepare for, and offer a more realistic glimpse as to how the candidate functions in the day-to-day.
Assesses for soft skills
A candidate can have all the technical skills and qualifications needed for a job, and still fail miserably. With limited space, soft skills – skills related to one’s ability to function well within a team – rarely make it to the final copy of a resume.
By asking a candidate to recall specific past examples, you’re able to glimpse into their communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills.