Interviewing and Hiring Models.
Interviewing is a key element to bringing new talent into an existing team or in
building a team from scratch. In addition to a candidate’s c.v, letters of reference and
research statement, it can be extremely informative to buttress this information
with an understanding of their values and concrete examples of past performance.
Values-based interview questions
This interviewing approach is designed to learn about the values of the candidate
and to determine if they match those of the “ideal candidate”. The supervisor and
work group identify the most important characteristics for the ideal candidate to
have. They then select interview questions that will help them determine if the
candidate has those values or characteristics of interest.
The key elements to using this approach include:
 asking the candidate to expand on their answer or to give an example that
illustrates their point,
 letting the applicant do the talking while listening with complete attention,
and
 watching for verbal and visual clues from the candidate to determine how
engaged they are in each topic and how important it is to them
Performance-based interview questions
This interviewing approach asks the question of weather the person being
considered for the position can actually do the job for which s/he is being
considered. While a c.v. might say “lead a team to successfully identify a gene that
modifies disease susceptibility” the interviewer would ask the candidate to “please
describe how you successfully lead a team to achieve such an accomplishment”. If
the person being interviewed will play a specific role on the team get them to
speculate how they would approach a particular situation. For example the
interviewer might put forward: “The successful candidate in this position will be
responsible for developing a policy for data sharing and communicating research
results. How might you approach such a task?” Questions such as these can help the
supervisor and work group determine how an individual actually would perform in
the position and provide insights as to their potential for success.
Behavioral-based interview questions
This approach focuses on understanding how an applicant would behave in very
specific circumstances. Instead of asking “what if” types of questions, the
interviewer asks the candidate specific questions about his/her reaction, behaviors,
skills in specific situations. Behavioral interviews are based on the premise that an
employer will have a much better idea of how an individual might behave in a future
situation if there is past behavior to assess. Behavioral interviewing is a strong
predictor of how an individual will perform in a new position. The best way to
respond to behavioral interview questions is very similar to the strategy of giving
DRAFT October 2, 2009 LMBennett
feedback. First describe the situation, next describe the behavior, action, or skill
used in that situation and finally articulate the impact it had.
*references: Janis Mullaney and Donna McNeill (value-based hiring) and Douglas
Kosarek (performance based interviewing)
Examples of interview questions
Value-based
 Describe 3 situations you liked best in your past job(s)? What were
the key ingredients that made those situations so agreeable?
 When you make a mistake in your work what do you do? Describe
your process for righting the situation.
 What steps do you take to continually reinvent yourself (or stay
current with scientific or management trends)?
Performance-based
 Describe a project that you lead with a tight deadline and its outcome.
 One project of great importance to the team is….. How would you
approach it?
 Tell me about a time when you have led a team and one when you
have been the participant.
Behavioral-based
 Describe a time when you faced a stressful situation and how you
used your coping skills to emerge from it successfully
 Can you describe a time when you were required to follow a policy
with which you did not agree?
 Describe how you have recently dealt with a very upset customer or
co-worker
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Behavioral Based Interviewing
To give stellar-quality answers to behavior based questions, practice using the
STAR technique:
 Situation (or)
 Task
 Action taken
 Result or outcome"
Here is one list of sample behavioral-based interview questions:
 Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion to successfully
convince someone to see things your way.
 Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that
demonstrated your coping skills.
 Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in
solving a problem.
 Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meet or
achieve it.
 Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence
someone's opinion.
 Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with
which you did not agree.
 Please discuss an important written document you were required to complete.
 Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in
order to get a job done.
 Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you were
required to prioritize your tasks.
 Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision.
 What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.
 Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person
even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa).
 Tell me about a difficult decision you've made in the last year.
 Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplish and
failed.
 Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.
 Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset
customer or co-worker.
 Give me an example of a time when you motivated others.
 Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively.
 Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a
problem.
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Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem.
Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed
preventive measures.
Tell me about a time when you were forced to make an unpopular decision.
Please tell me about a time you had to fire a friend.
Describe a time when you set your sights too high (or too low).
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