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%
of all
litigations
against
corporations
today involve
employment
disputes.

Employment related lawsuits are the
fastest growing type of civil case in the
U.S.
 Over
40% of all Employment Practice
claims are filed against private employers
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



Skills, Education, &
Experience
Examine candidates’
public web profile
Pre-screening methods
Have Presence





Be timely & Prepared
Welcome,
Accommodations &
Itinerary
Prevent Interruptions
Comfortable
Atmosphere
80/20 Ratio
Interviewing Basics
Documentation


Detailed Notes
Structured Forms used
by all Interviewers
 Standardized
 More
Objective
 Can be reviewed
Topics to Avoid










Race, color
Religion, creed (BFOQ @ Moody)
National Origin, citizenship
Gender, marital status, child care
Name, age, birthplace
Disability, Handicap
Photograph/Physical Attributes
Criminal background
Date & Type of Military Discharge
Language
Interviewing Basics
Bona-fide Occupational
Qualification (BFOQ)


An exception that allows
discrimination on the basis
of gender, religion, and
national origin (but not
race or color) if the very
nature of that job requires
them to do so.
Examples: Casting
characters for a play or
hiring a bathroom
attendant.
Post-Interview Tips



Share next steps
Review notes and
make overall ratings
based on your
informed complete
assessment
Consult with hiring
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

+
Open Ended
Question
All questions in a Behavior-based Interview
are based upon competencies directly
related to the vacant position.

=
Behavioral
Interview
Question

Competencies include all the related
knowledge, skills, abilities, and attributes
that form a person’s job.
Usually questions are open-ended
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
 How
motivates you to excel?
would you react to having your credibility
questioned?
Activity 3: Which Competency?
Answer Bank:
Teamwork
Management
Determine which competencies are assessed
with the following questions, you have 5
minutes.

Describe a time you worked with a team?

Tell me about a time when you had to
motivate a group of people to meet a
deadline.

Give me an example of a time you had to
motivate yourself to get a project done, how
did you do this?
Ambition
Cooperation
Interpersonal
Commitment
Follow-through
Collaboration
Communication
Benefits of Behavioral Interview


Reduces Bias
Questions are jobrelated





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,
 Step
Discussions & Decisions
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
Decision Making
Problem Solving
Resourceful
Caution
Courage
Teamwork
Time Management
Persuasion

Project Manager - IT
 Review
the Job Description for this
position and choose 5 related
competencies from the bank on the left
– you have 10 minutes.
Activity 4: Case Study
Sales
Position: Project Manager - ITS
Job Description:
Decision Making
Function of Job
Problem Solving
Under general supervision of the Programming Support Department Manager, to
plan, organize and control projects and handle all phases of system design and
project administration.
Resourceful
Job Characteristics and Responsibilities

1.
Determine user requirements by understanding user’s business rules.

2.
Analyze current systems for functionality.
Courage

3.
Design and implement new application programs for user
requirements.
Teamwork

4.
a
Control large projects where the project includes multiple users and
team of Information Systems personnel.
Time Management

5.
Coordinate design and programming work with consulting groups.

6.
Assist in implementing new technologies as they pertain to the user
community.

7.
Perform related and special duties as assigned.
Caution
Persuasion
Activity 4, part B: Case Study

Decision
Making
Problem
Solving
Resourceful
Teamwork
Time
Management
Determine which competency these
questions target?
Tell me about a time when you had to handle
a kind of project you hadn’t handled before.
 Tell me about a time when you were under a
great deal of pressure to deliver on time.
 Describe a time when you had to choose
between product delivery & quality.
 Describe an unpopular decision you had to
make.
 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.


 The
– 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
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



Encourage candidate
to take more time
Ask the question in a
new way
Ask a different
question in the
competency group
Obstacle: Uses group language


Ask candidate about
their specific role in
the situation/task
Wait until you hear “I”
language
S.T.A.R. Strategies
Obstacle: Provides Vague Results

Ask candidate to
quantify or specify
their results
Obstacle: Not sure what to ask
next?


Paraphrase/Summarize
what candidate has
already said
Pre-plan probing
questions for all main
questions
S.T.A.R. Strategies
Obstacle: Reason for Action
Unclear

Ask candidate why
they took specific
action
 Shows
insight,
perceptiveness, and
problem solving
S.T.A.R
Situation
 Task
 Action
 Result
Make sure you get a
S.T.A.R. answer every
time

Activity 5: Probing Question Scripts
Read the Script
and suggest next
probing question –
you have 5
minutes.


Competency:
Teamwork

Interviewer: Tell me about a time
when you worked with a team.
Candidate: In college, I worked on a
group project in my Intro to
Psychology Class
Potential Probing Questions:
Activity 5: Probing Question Scripts
Read the Script
and suggest next
probing question –
you have 5
minutes
Competency:


Composure

Interviewer: Describe a time your
credibility was questioned, how did
you react?
Candidate: At my last job, during a
research project I had a disagreement
with my supervisor who didn’t believe I
could meet my deadline.
Potential Probing Questions:
Activity 5: Probing Question Scripts
Read the Script
and suggest next
probing question –
you have 5
minutes.
Competency:


Creativity

Interviewer: What is one of the most
imaginative or innovative things you
have done in your present position?
Candidate: *Long Pause* Sorry I
can’t think of an example.
Potential Probing Questions:
Documentation

After 20
minutes only
58% of data
is likely to be
recalled from
memory.
Step 4: Take & Compare Notes
 Taking
notes ensures accurate & complete
record
 Tell
candidate you will be taking notes
 Refrain from making premature ratings
Discussion & Decision
 Compare
 Data
notes
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 behavioralbased 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