Behavioral Interviewing: Effective Techniques for Candidate Assessment

Behavioral interviewing is a powerful tool for understanding how candidates have handled past situations and predict future success. This article explores various techniques and questions that can be asked during an interview to accurately assess a candidate's fit and capabilities.

Understanding the Fundamentals of Behavioral Interviewing

Behavioral interviews, rooted in the concept of Bayesian inference, aim to gauge a candidate's probability of exhibiting certain behaviors in the future based on their past experiences. This method involves understanding the probability that an individual will take a specific action given their historical experiences.

For example, instead of simply asking a candidate 'Do you think you will thrive in this role?', a behavioral interviewer might ask, 'Can you tell me about a time when you had to overcome a significant challenge in your work?'

Key Techniques in Behavioral Interviewing

1. Telling the Journey: I often start by asking, 'Can you tell me how you got to where you are today?' This question encourages candidates to reflect on their career path, allowing me to infer how they approach challenges and make decisions.

2. Interruptive Questions: Throughout the candidate's narrative, I interrupt to ask questions at key moments to probe deeper into their decision-making process and values. For instance, I might ask: 'Why did you decide to pursue graduate school?'

3. Concretizing Actions: For less detailed responses, I often employ more 'contrived' questions, such as the classic 'Tell me about a time when...'. This approach ensures the candidate provides real-life examples rather than fabricated stories.

Additional Fun Questions to Engage Candidates

1. Personal Proudest Moments: To understand a candidate's sense of accomplishment and motivation, I ask: 'Write up on the whiteboard 1 to 3 of the proudest moments in your life. Make sure they are very specific moments. What was your feeling at the time?'

2. Challenging Experiences: To assess resilience and emotional intelligence, I ask: 'Write 1 to 3 of the worst moments that you are comfortable sharing with me today. Make sure they are specific. What was your exact feeling at the time?'

3. Professional Failures: Understanding a candidate's ability to learn from mistakes is crucial. I ask: 'What was your biggest professional failure? What went wrong? What could you have done better?'

Closing Thoughts

Behavioral interviewing is not just about critiquing candidates. It's about understanding their journey, their values, and their ability to perform under stress. While human resources may sometimes overlook certain qualities in women, effective behavioral interviewing can help mitigate biases and provide a more accurate assessment of a candidate's fit within an organization.

Additional Keywords and Topics

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