Behavioral Interviewing
What is Behavior Based Interviewing?
Behavior based interviewing focuses on experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities that are job related. It is based on the belief that past behavior and performance predicts future behavior and performance. You may use work experience, activities, hobbies, volunteer work, school projects, family life - anything really - as examples of your past behavior. Current employment situation indicates that there is a strong trend towards this type of interviewing.
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What Do Employers Evaluate in A Behavioral Interview?
Employers are looking for 3 types of skills: Content Skills, Functional - also called Transferable Skills, and Adaptive - also called Self Management Skills.
Content Skills -- Knowledge that is work specific such as computer programming, accounting, welding, etc. expressed as nouns.
Functional or Transferable Skills -- Used with people, information or things such as organizing, managing, developing, communicating, etc. expressed as verbs.
Adaptive or Self-Management Skills -- personal characteristics such as dependable, team player, self directed, punctual, etc. expressed as adjectives.
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How Are Behavioral Questions Different from Other Types of Interviewing Questions?
There are 3 types of questions typically found in interviews:
Theoretical questions -- Questions that place you in a hypothetical situation. These questions are more likely to test your skill at answering questions rather than in doing a good job.
Example: How would you organize your friends to help you move into a new apartment?
Leading questions -- Questions that hint at the answer the interviewer is seeking by the way they are phrased.
Example: Working on your own doesnąt bother you does it?
Behavioral questions -- Questions that seek demonstrated examples of behavior from your past experience and concentrate on job related functions. They may include:
Open-ended questions -- these require more than a yes of no response. They often begin with "Tell me...", "Describe...", "When...".
Example: Describe a time you had to be flexible in planning a work load.
Close-ended questions -- Used mostly to verify or confirm information.
Example: You have a degree in psychology, is that correct?
Why questions -- Used to reveal rationale for decisions you have made or to determine your level of motivation.
Example: Why did you decide to major in this program at ''X'' rather than at a small private college or larger university?
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The behavioral interview technique is used by employers to evaluate a candidate's experiences and behaviors in order to determine their potential for success. The interviewer identifies desired skills and behaviors, then structures open-ended questions and statements to elicit detailed responses. A rating system is developed and selected criteria are evaluated during the interview.
In behavior-based interviews, you ask for specific examples of when the employee demonstrated particular behaviors or skills.
Behavioral-based interview, an assessment technique that focuses on what candidates have done in the past, not on what they say they might do in the future. This allows hiring executives to assess applicants more thoroughly, fairly and accurately than other methods, say human resources specialists.
The premise is that past behavior predicts future behavior.It's a very common-sense, practical way of thinking, because people tend not to change.
Interviewers pose structured, open-ended questions to determine which skills candidates have used successfully in prior positions. The assumption is that candidates will behave in the future much as they did in the past. Knowing how they acted can help employers more confidently predict how well they might perform in a particular job.
Rather then merely telling the interviewer what the employee would do in a situation, as in a regular interview, in a behavioral interview the must describe, in detail, how he/she handled a situation in the past.
In a behavioral interview the will have to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and abilities, collectively known as competencies, by giving specific examples from employee's past experiences. The interviewer wants to know, that the employee have done it. He or she, prior to the interview, determines what competencies are required for the position. Then the interviewer develops a series of questions that will allow him or her to find out if you, the job candidate, possess the necessary competencies to perform the job. The basic premise of the behavioral interview is that past performance is a good predictor of future performance.
HERE ARE FEW SAMPLE QUESTIONS.
*Why did you choose your major and career?
*At what point did you make this decision?
*Specifically, what attracts you to this industry as a career?
1. Describe a situation where you had to request help or assistance on a project or assignment. [describe situation-action-outcome]
2. Give an example of how you applied knowledge from previous coursework to a project in another class.
[describe situation-action-outcome]
3. Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?
[describe situation-action-outcome]
4. Describe a situation in which you found that your results were not up to your professor's or supervisor's expectations. What happened? What action did you take?
[describe situation-action-outcome]
5. Tell of a time when you worked with a colleague who was not completing their share of the work. Who, if anyone, did you tell or talk to about it? Did the manager take any steps to correct your colleague? Did you agree or disagree with the manager's actions?
[describe situation-action-outcome]
6. Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or guide others to a compromise.
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
7. What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision?
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
8. We can sometimes identify a small problem and fix it before it becomes a major problem. Give an example(s) of how you have done this.
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
9. Describe a situation in which you had to collect information by asking many questions of several people.
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
10. In a supervisory or group leader role, have you ever had to discipline or counsel an employee or group member? What was the nature of the discipline? What steps did you take? How did that make you feel? How did you prepare yourself?
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
11. Recall a time from your work experience when your manager or supervisor was unavailable and a problem arose. hat was the nature of the problem? How did you handle that situation? How did that make you feel?
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
12. Recall a time when you were assigned what you considered to be a complex project. Specifically, what steps did you take to prepare for and finish the project? Were you happy with the outcome? What one step would you have done differently if given the chance?
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
13. What was the most complex assignment you have had? What was your role?
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
14. How was your transition from high school to college? Did you face any particular problems?
15. Tell of some situations in which you have had to adjust quickly to changes over which you had no control. What was the impact of the change on you?
16. Compare and contrast the times when you did work which was above the standard with times your work was below the standard.
17. Descibe some times when you were not very satisfied or pleased with your performance. What did you do about it?
18. What are your standards of success in school? What have you done to meet these standards?
19. How have you differed from your professors in evaluating your performance? How did you handle the situation?
20. Give examples of your experiences at school or in a job that were satisfying. Give examples of your experiences that were dissatisfying.
21. What kind of supervisor do you work best for? Provide examples.
22. Describe some projects or ideas (not necessarily your own) that were implemented, or carried out successfully primarily because of your efforts.
23. Describe a situation that required a number of things to be done at the same time. How did you handle it? What was the result?
24. Have you found any ways to make school or a job easier or more rewarding?
25. What tricks or techniques have you learned to make school or a job easier, or to make yourself more effective? How did you learn that?
26. How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time? Give examples.
27. Describe a time in school when you had many projects or assignments due at the same time. What steps did you take to get them all done?
28. Tell of a time when your active listening skills really paid off for you-maybe a time when other people missed the key idea being expressed.
29. What has been your experience in giving presentations to small or large groups? What has been your most successful experience in speech making?
30. Tell of the most difficult customer service experience that you have ever had to handle-perhaps an angry or irate customer. Be specific and tell what you did and what was the outcome.
31. Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. Why was this person difficult? How did you handle that person?
32. Describe a situation where you found yourself dealing with someone who didn't like you. How did you handle it?
================================================== ==========================
regards
LEO LINGHAM
From India, Mumbai
257What is Behavior Based Interviewing?
Behavior based interviewing focuses on experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities that are job related. It is based on the belief that past behavior and performance predicts future behavior and performance. You may use work experience, activities, hobbies, volunteer work, school projects, family life - anything really - as examples of your past behavior. Current employment situation indicates that there is a strong trend towards this type of interviewing.
================================================== ======================
What Do Employers Evaluate in A Behavioral Interview?
Employers are looking for 3 types of skills: Content Skills, Functional - also called Transferable Skills, and Adaptive - also called Self Management Skills.
Content Skills -- Knowledge that is work specific such as computer programming, accounting, welding, etc. expressed as nouns.
Functional or Transferable Skills -- Used with people, information or things such as organizing, managing, developing, communicating, etc. expressed as verbs.
Adaptive or Self-Management Skills -- personal characteristics such as dependable, team player, self directed, punctual, etc. expressed as adjectives.
================================================== =================================
How Are Behavioral Questions Different from Other Types of Interviewing Questions?
There are 3 types of questions typically found in interviews:
Theoretical questions -- Questions that place you in a hypothetical situation. These questions are more likely to test your skill at answering questions rather than in doing a good job.
Example: How would you organize your friends to help you move into a new apartment?
Leading questions -- Questions that hint at the answer the interviewer is seeking by the way they are phrased.
Example: Working on your own doesnąt bother you does it?
Behavioral questions -- Questions that seek demonstrated examples of behavior from your past experience and concentrate on job related functions. They may include:
Open-ended questions -- these require more than a yes of no response. They often begin with "Tell me...", "Describe...", "When...".
Example: Describe a time you had to be flexible in planning a work load.
Close-ended questions -- Used mostly to verify or confirm information.
Example: You have a degree in psychology, is that correct?
Why questions -- Used to reveal rationale for decisions you have made or to determine your level of motivation.
Example: Why did you decide to major in this program at ''X'' rather than at a small private college or larger university?
================================================== =================================
The behavioral interview technique is used by employers to evaluate a candidate's experiences and behaviors in order to determine their potential for success. The interviewer identifies desired skills and behaviors, then structures open-ended questions and statements to elicit detailed responses. A rating system is developed and selected criteria are evaluated during the interview.
In behavior-based interviews, you ask for specific examples of when the employee demonstrated particular behaviors or skills.
Behavioral-based interview, an assessment technique that focuses on what candidates have done in the past, not on what they say they might do in the future. This allows hiring executives to assess applicants more thoroughly, fairly and accurately than other methods, say human resources specialists.
The premise is that past behavior predicts future behavior.It's a very common-sense, practical way of thinking, because people tend not to change.
Interviewers pose structured, open-ended questions to determine which skills candidates have used successfully in prior positions. The assumption is that candidates will behave in the future much as they did in the past. Knowing how they acted can help employers more confidently predict how well they might perform in a particular job.
Rather then merely telling the interviewer what the employee would do in a situation, as in a regular interview, in a behavioral interview the must describe, in detail, how he/she handled a situation in the past.
In a behavioral interview the will have to demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and abilities, collectively known as competencies, by giving specific examples from employee's past experiences. The interviewer wants to know, that the employee have done it. He or she, prior to the interview, determines what competencies are required for the position. Then the interviewer develops a series of questions that will allow him or her to find out if you, the job candidate, possess the necessary competencies to perform the job. The basic premise of the behavioral interview is that past performance is a good predictor of future performance.
HERE ARE FEW SAMPLE QUESTIONS.
*Why did you choose your major and career?
*At what point did you make this decision?
*Specifically, what attracts you to this industry as a career?
1. Describe a situation where you had to request help or assistance on a project or assignment. [describe situation-action-outcome]
2. Give an example of how you applied knowledge from previous coursework to a project in another class.
[describe situation-action-outcome]
3. Describe a situation where others you were working with on a project disagreed with your ideas. What did you do?
[describe situation-action-outcome]
4. Describe a situation in which you found that your results were not up to your professor's or supervisor's expectations. What happened? What action did you take?
[describe situation-action-outcome]
5. Tell of a time when you worked with a colleague who was not completing their share of the work. Who, if anyone, did you tell or talk to about it? Did the manager take any steps to correct your colleague? Did you agree or disagree with the manager's actions?
[describe situation-action-outcome]
6. Describe a situation in which you had to arrive at a compromise or guide others to a compromise.
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
7. What steps do you follow to study a problem before making a decision?
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
8. We can sometimes identify a small problem and fix it before it becomes a major problem. Give an example(s) of how you have done this.
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
9. Describe a situation in which you had to collect information by asking many questions of several people.
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
10. In a supervisory or group leader role, have you ever had to discipline or counsel an employee or group member? What was the nature of the discipline? What steps did you take? How did that make you feel? How did you prepare yourself?
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
11. Recall a time from your work experience when your manager or supervisor was unavailable and a problem arose. hat was the nature of the problem? How did you handle that situation? How did that make you feel?
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
12. Recall a time when you were assigned what you considered to be a complex project. Specifically, what steps did you take to prepare for and finish the project? Were you happy with the outcome? What one step would you have done differently if given the chance?
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
13. What was the most complex assignment you have had? What was your role?
[ describe situation-action-outcome]
14. How was your transition from high school to college? Did you face any particular problems?
15. Tell of some situations in which you have had to adjust quickly to changes over which you had no control. What was the impact of the change on you?
16. Compare and contrast the times when you did work which was above the standard with times your work was below the standard.
17. Descibe some times when you were not very satisfied or pleased with your performance. What did you do about it?
18. What are your standards of success in school? What have you done to meet these standards?
19. How have you differed from your professors in evaluating your performance? How did you handle the situation?
20. Give examples of your experiences at school or in a job that were satisfying. Give examples of your experiences that were dissatisfying.
21. What kind of supervisor do you work best for? Provide examples.
22. Describe some projects or ideas (not necessarily your own) that were implemented, or carried out successfully primarily because of your efforts.
23. Describe a situation that required a number of things to be done at the same time. How did you handle it? What was the result?
24. Have you found any ways to make school or a job easier or more rewarding?
25. What tricks or techniques have you learned to make school or a job easier, or to make yourself more effective? How did you learn that?
26. How do you determine priorities in scheduling your time? Give examples.
27. Describe a time in school when you had many projects or assignments due at the same time. What steps did you take to get them all done?
28. Tell of a time when your active listening skills really paid off for you-maybe a time when other people missed the key idea being expressed.
29. What has been your experience in giving presentations to small or large groups? What has been your most successful experience in speech making?
30. Tell of the most difficult customer service experience that you have ever had to handle-perhaps an angry or irate customer. Be specific and tell what you did and what was the outcome.
31. Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. Why was this person difficult? How did you handle that person?
32. Describe a situation where you found yourself dealing with someone who didn't like you. How did you handle it?
================================================== ==========================
regards
LEO LINGHAM
From India, Mumbai
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Management and Behavioural Training e-Brochure (Revised).doc