THE BEHAVIORAL

INTERVIEW
TECHNIQUE
Presented by Jill Douglas & Candra Garrett
Why do we interview?
 Hiring is a Costly Decision
 Cost of wrong hire is:
 Salary
 Lost or Damaged Relationships
 Severance
 Learning & Development
 Lost Productivity/Morale
 Recruitment of New Hire

 Cost of a wrong hire can be 1-2.5x of that

employee’s annual salary
The Importance of Good Hiring

Almost 75%  Employment related lawsuits are the

of all
litigations fastest growing type of civil case in the
against U.S.
corporations
today involve  Over 40% of all Employment Practice
employment claims are filed against private employers
disputes.
who have between 15-100 employees.
Interviewing: Back to Basics
 Do your Homework
 Have Presence
 Document, Document, Document
 Be on Guard - Topics to Avoid
 Post Interview Tips
Interviewing Basics

Do your Homework Have Presence

 Skills, Education, &  Be timely & Prepared

Experience  Welcome,
Accommodations &
 Examine candidates’ Itinerary
public web profile  Prevent Interruptions
 Pre-screening methods  Comfortable
Atmosphere
 80/20 Ratio
Interviewing Basics

Documentation Topics to Avoid

 Race, color
 Detailed Notes  Religion, creed (BFOQ @ Moody)
 Structured Forms used  National Origin, citizenship
 Gender, marital status, child care
by all Interviewers  Name, age, birthplace
 Standardized  Disability, Handicap
 Photograph/Physical Attributes
 More Objective  Criminal background
 Can be reviewed  Date & Type of Military Discharge
 Language
Interviewing Basics
Bona-fide Occupational
Qualification (BFOQ) Post-Interview Tips
 An exception that allows  Share next steps
discrimination on the
basis of gender, religion,  Review notes and
and national origin (but make overall ratings
not race or color) if the based on your
very nature of that job
requires them to do so. informed complete
 Examples: Casting assessment
characters for a play or  Consult with hiring
hiring a bathroom
attendant. team
What is Behavioral-based
Interviewing?

Behavioral Based Interviewing is based on the theory

that past behavior predicts future behavior.

The Behavioral Interview is a systematic way to

assess whether a candidate will be successful in a
future job based on information the candidate
provides about their actual behavior in the context of
specific situations from the past.
Question Design

Competency  All questions in a Behavior-based

+ Interview are based upon competencies
directly related to the vacant position.
Open Ended
Question  Competencies include all the related
=
knowledge, skills, abilities, and attributes
that form a person’s job.
Behavioral
Interview  Usually questions are open-ended
Question  Tell me about a time when…
 Describe for me…
 Give me an example of a time when…
Activity 1: Which Qs are Behaviorally
Based?
Determine which questions are behaviorally based, you
have 5 minutes.
Are you a team player?

Tell me about a time when you were in charge of a task

or project, describe your leadership style.
What interests or concerns do you have about the
position or about working here at Moody?
What was your greatest challenge in a particular
leadership role you have had?
What idea have you developed and implemented that
was particularly creative or innovative?
What characteristics do you think are important for this
position?
Activity 2: Question Conversion
 Convert questions so they are behaviorally based,
you have 5 minutes.
 Are you a team player?

 How do you motivate people?

 What motivates you to excel?

 How would you react to having your credibility

questioned?
Activity 3: Which Competency?

Answer Bank: Determine which competencies are assessed

Teamwork
with the following questions, you have 5
minutes.
Management  Describe a time you worked with a team?
Ambition
Cooperation  Tell me about a time when you had to
Interpersonal motivate a group of people to meet a
deadline.
Commitment
Follow-through  Give me an example of a time you had to
Collaboration motivate yourself to get a project done, how
did you do this?
Communication
Benefits of Behavioral Interview
 Reduces Bias
 Questions are job-
related
 Lawful & Defensible
 Structured
 Standardized
 Harder for candidate to
exaggerate or fake
responses
 Obtains fact vs. opinions
Behavioral Interview 4 Steps
 Overview:
 Preparation
 Step 1: Understand Core Competencies
 Step 2: Determine Interview Questions
 The Interview
 Step 3: Get the Best Possible Answers
 S.T.A.R
 Probing Questions
 Documentation, Discussions & Decisions
 Step 4: Take & Compare Notes
Preparing for the Behavioral Interview
 Step 1: Understand Core Competencies for Job
 Top Performers
 Job Description
 “must-haves” vs. “nice-to-haves”
 Step 2: Determine Interview Questions
 Questions should :
 Relate to competencies
 Be open-ended
 Elicit detail/specific examples
 Be positive & negative
 Be consistent across candidates
Activity 4: Case Study

Sales  Project Manager - IT

Decision Making  Review the Job Description for this
Problem Solving position and choose 5 related
Resourceful competencies from the bank on the
Caution left – you have 10 minutes.
Courage

Teamwork

Time Management

Persuasion
Activity 4: Case Study
Position: Project Manager - ITS
Sales Job Description:
Function of Job
Decision Making
Under general supervision of the Programming Support Department Manager, to plan,
organize and control projects and handle all phases of system design and project
Problem Solving administration.
Job Characteristics and Responsibilities
Resourceful 1. Determine user requirements by understanding user’s business rules.

Caution 2. Analyze current systems for functionality.

3. Design and implement new application programs for user
requirements.
Courage
4. Control large projects where the project includes multiple users and a
team of Information Systems personnel.
Teamwork
5. Coordinate design and programming work with consulting groups.
Time Management 6. Assist in implementing new technologies as they pertain to the user
community.
Persuasion 7. Perform related and special duties as assigned.
Activity 4, part B: Case Study
 Determine which competency these
questions target?
Decision  Tell me about a time when you had to handle
Making
a kind of project you hadn’t handled before.
Problem  Tell me about a time when you were under a
Solving great deal of pressure to deliver on time.
Resourceful
 Describe a time when you had to choose
between product delivery & quality.
Teamwork  Describe an unpopular decision you had to
Time
make.
Management
 Describe the most effective team that you
were part of or led.
The Behavioral Interview
 Step 3: Get the Best Possible Answers
 Get a S.T.A.R. Answer Every Time
 S.T.A.R. – Situation or Task, Action, & Result
 When and Where?
 Behavioral Theory says the more recent the past behavior the
more likely one is to repeat it
 The key to getting a STAR answer is probing
questions
Preparing for the Behavioral Interview
 Probing Questions are follow-up questions related to
the original question that solicits more detail and
clarity from the candidate that the original question
accomplished.
 Can provide information candidate may not have supplied
otherwise
 Can be as simple as repeating a phrase or word the
candidate used
 “Disagreements?”
 Examples: “What do you mean by ___________”, “Tell me
more about that…” & “Can you elaborate here?”
S.T.A.R. Strategies

Obstacle: lacks relevant example Obstacle: Uses group language

 Encourage candidate  Ask candidate about

to take more time their specific role in
 Ask the question in a the situation/task
new way  Wait until you hear “I”
 Ask a different language
question in the
competency group
S.T.A.R. Strategies
Obstacle: Not sure what to ask
Obstacle: Provides Vague Results next?
 Ask candidate to  Paraphrase/Summarize
quantify or specify what candidate has
their results already said
 Pre-plan probing
questions for all main
questions
S.T.A.R. Strategies
Obstacle: Reason for Action
Unclear S.T.A.R

 Ask candidate why  Situation

they took specific  Task
action  Action
 Shows insight,  Result
perceptiveness, and
problem solving Make sure you get a
S.T.A.R. answer every
time
Activity 5: Probing Question Scripts

Read the Script  Interviewer: Tell me about a time

and suggest next
probing question when you worked with a team.
– you have 5
minutes.
 Candidate: In college, I worked on a
Competency:
group project in my Intro to
Psychology Class
Teamwork
 Potential Probing Questions:
Activity 5: Probing Question
Scripts
Read the Script  Interviewer: Describe a time your
and suggest next
probing question
credibility was questioned, how did
– you have 5 you react?
minutes
 Candidate: At my last job, during a
Competency:
research project I had a disagreement
Composure
with my supervisor who didn’t believe
I could meet my deadline.
 Potential Probing Questions:
Activity 5: Probing Question
Scripts
Read the Script  Interviewer: What is one of the most
and suggest next
probing question imaginative or innovative things you
– you have 5 have done in your present position?
minutes.

Competency:
 Candidate: *Long Pause* Sorry I
can’t think of an example.
Creativity
 Potential Probing Questions:
Documentation

 Step 4: Take & Compare Notes

After 20  Taking notes ensures accurate &
minutes only complete record
58% of data is
likely to be  Tell candidate you will be taking notes
recalled from  Refrain from making premature ratings
memory.
Discussion & Decision
 Compare notes
 Data integration refines
information
 Protects from bias, non-job
related decisions
 Provides comprehensive
documentation supporting your
final decision
Learning Summary
 Interview Basics
 Behavioral Interview Technique
 Preparation
 Question Design
 Competencies
 The Interview
 S.T.A.R. Strategies
 Probing Questions
 Post-Interview
 Documentation, Discussion, & Decision
Activity 6: Real Playing
 Get into groups of 3
 3 rounds of interviews
 7 minutes each
 Roles:
 Interviewer
 Candidate
 Observer
 Interviews Rounds:
 Round 1:Departmental Administrative Assistant
 Round 2: Social Media Specialist
 Round 3: Customer Service Manager
 Activity 6: Real Playing
 Step 1:Determine 3 key
competencies
 Step 2: Prepare 2 behavioral-based
questions, 2 probing questions
 Step 3: Conduct Interview –
 7 minutes each round
 Step 4: Observer takes notes,
provides feedback to interviewer

*Repeat steps for each round*

Additional Resources & Tools
 Visit MyMoody.edu > Human Resources
Homepage > Recruitment > Hiring Manager
 Recruiting & Interviewing Toolkit
 Behavioral Interviewing Questions by Competency