Daves' Tips #10
Why should we use behavioral interview questions?
People are pretty much hard wired; therefore, if they have acted a certain way in a particular situation, they will probably act the same way when that situation arises again. Behavioral questions ask about an applicant's past behavior; things that they have actually done.
When you ask a few of these questions, applicant's get into the mode of going back in their minds to actual events. They are then in recall mode. They will tell you what they did in the past situation instead of telling you a fantasy to suite what they think you want to hear.
One of the things we urge our clients to do before the applicant comes in is take five to ten minutes to go over the applicants' resume and the prepared questions. When the interviewer does not follow their written agenda, it is easy for them to tell the applicant too much about the job, the company and what they are looking for in a candidate. This information is just what the applicant needs to mimic back exactly what the interviewer wants to hear. The interviewer is not getting a true picture but more a fantasy that the applicant is spinning.
Here are a few examples of interview questions altered to behavioral style:
- Fantasy question: If you do not agree with a policy, will you conform to it anyway?
- Behavioral question: Give me an example of a specific occasion in which you conformed to a policy with which you did not agree.
- Fantasy question: Do you take criticism of your work well?
- Behavioral question: Think of time when you have worked hard on something that was important to you and then your work was criticized. Describe the situation and tell me how you handled it.
- Fantasy question: This job needs a person to structure his or her own work schedule. Do you think you could do that?
- Behavioral question: Describe a situation in your last job where you had to structure your own work schedule -- what did you do?
Contact us for answers to your specific questions.
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