Behavioral Interviewing
CSU, November 4th, 2015
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Why Are We Here
We love to come to Ft. Collins!
It’s about our Company…
And it’s about YOU!
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• You failed the test video
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IMFT’s Hiring Philosophy
Hire the best who will thrive in our culture and have
the ability and capacity to help IMFT achieve its
strategic objectives
How do you accomplish this goal in an interview?
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Behavior-based Interviewing
The single best predictor of a candidate’s future job
performance is his or her past job performance.
What is behavioral based interviewing?
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IMFT Core Values
Commitment
Teamwork
The personal obligation of each
employee to accomplish the goals and
objectives of the team
The collaborative effort that leverages the
strengths of each individual while working
toward common goals
Integrity
Execution
Truth, respect, and confidentiality in our
interactions with our fellow team
members, community, suppliers, and
customers
The achievement of shared goals through
rigorous planning, tenacious follow-through,
and clear accountability
Incorporating these values in our interviews helps us
select the best possible candidates for our positions.
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Popular question
• Everybody makes mistakes--Tell me about a time that you
made a mistake and how you recognized and responded to
it
• Why does an interviewer ask this question?
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Potential response
• Everybody makes mistakes--Tell me about a time that you made a
mistake and how you recognized and responded to it
– I was responsible for a report that I sent out each week to several managers—
during one week I was reviewing the report for some data I needed and
noticed that I made a mistake in one of the entries. After discovering this I
went back and determined what was missing in my process that allowed this
to happen and identified where the miss was—I then updated the process
document and corrected the problem the next time I sent out the report.
• Good or Bad?
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STAR Format
• Your interview is as memorable as the stories you share. Many
people have fascinating experiences but forget them when
they’re on the spot. To remedy this, have four anecdotes
ready to plug into your interview. Your anecdotes should
follow a simple format:
• STAR
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Situation
Task
Action
Results
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Integrity
•
Everybody makes mistakes--Tell me about a time that you made a mistake and how you
recognized and responded to it
•
BAD:
– Felony conviction for aggravated assault or the cover up
Too Common (and not good):
– I don’t make mistakes or I can’t think of any mistakes I have made
Great:
– S: I am assigned to develop a report each week that is used by several line managers in developing
•
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their weekly forecasts and planning
–
T: My responsibility is to take data from several systems and compile it into this report and summarize
the report for each area and then send it out by Friday afternoon of each week and to also have it
included in the weekly Ops meeting
–
A: There was an occasion when I was reviewing the report for some data I needed and noticed that I
made a mistake in one of the entries. After discovering this I went immediately to my manager and let
her/him know, I then updated the report and sent it back out to the managers and then determined
what was missing in my process that allowed this to happen and identified where the miss was—I then
updated the process document.
–
R: Going forward the managers developed greater trust in me and in the report and I haven’t received
any feedback about the accuracy of the report
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Integrity
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Describe a decision that you regretted making and what impact it had. How did
you resolve it?
Tell me about a time when you challenged actions of your peers that you
believed were inappropriate or in poor taste.
Describe a time you experienced a difficult interaction with a leader, team
member, customer or supplier. What did you learn?
Everybody makes mistake--Tell me about a time that you made a mistake and
how you recognized and responded to it.
Describe one of the most difficult people you ever worked with. How did you
handle it?
Tell me about a time when you were responsible for the quality of something
and it didn't turn out well. How did you handle it?
Describe a time when full disclosure would have caused you personal loss. How
did you handle it?
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Commitment
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Describe a project when you exceeded customer expectations.
Tell me about a time when you questioned the way things had “always been
done” and presented an alternative way of doing things. What was the
outcome?
Tell me about a time you were responsible for the quality of something. How did
you decide what quality was and how did it go?
Tell me about a time when you went 'above and beyond' normal expectation to
complete your work.
Describe a situation in which you set and achieved challenging goals.
Tell me about a time when you did something to create a positive work
environment. How did it go?
Give me examples of how you have recognized excellent performance at work.
How did this motivate other employees?
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Commitment
•
Tell me about a time when you went 'above and beyond' normal expectation to complete
your work.
•
BAD:
– True example – I do whatever it takes!!!
Too Common (and not good):
– We had a couple people not show up for work so I had to stay late to make up the extra time
Great:
– S: I did an internship this last summer with a manufacturing company that makes widgets
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T: I was assigned to work on a team that was trying to improve the cycle time of one of the processing
steps
A: I was unfamiliar with the processes that the team was looking to adjust but wanted to make sure
that I could contribute—the team was aware of this and provided me with material to read and was
always willing to answer my questions. However, I quickly realized that this was probably not enough
for me to truly contribute and make a difference. I did some research on my own after work on some
additional sources of material that could me get up to speed and spent 3 hours a night studying up on
the potential problem that we faced. I also went back to one of my professors who I remember
discussing cycle time issues with and explained the problem and obtained his input. I also asked one of
my team members who I trusted if I could take him to lunch and pick his brain on how I could best
contribute and to bounce some of my initial ideas off.
R: As a result of these efforts I was able to recommend a potential solution to one of the issues that we
faced and the team implemented this recommendation which saved us 2 days in cycle time
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Teamwork
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Give me an example of a time when you compromised to be flexible to the needs
of another person or group at work.
Describe a team experience when the members didn't work well together. How
did you handle it?
Tell me about a time you resolved a conflict you were having with a team
member.
Describe the most successful team you have worked with. What, specifically, did
you do to contribute to its success?
Tell me about a time you disagreed with decisions made on a team. How did you
handle it?
Some situations require us to express our ideas in very tactful and professional
ways. Tell me about a time you had to do this.
Tell me how you go about gaining cooperation of others that do not share your
point of view.
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Teamwork
•
Tell me about a time you resolved a conflict you were having with a team member.
•
BAD:
– True example – throwing wrenches!
Too Common (and not good):
– We had a team member not pulling their weight. I graded them poorly at the end
Great:
– S: I worked with a team of 5 students to design a chemical plant. One student was always late to
our meetings and produced calculations that weren’t right.
– T: My responsibility was to design the reactor sizes. I did this well and then checked this
student’s work because of past concerns. I found more errors in his calculations.
– A: After one of our team meetings, I pulled the student aside and explained to them that I was
concerned about our project success based on their performance. I asked him why he felt his
part had so many errors. He shared a personal situation that was contributing to him not having
time to do the work correctly. I expressed empathy for his situation, but let him know that the
whole team was depending on him to deliver his part. I asked if I could help him or if he had
other ideas on how to help the team be successful. He said he would find more time to do his
part correctly.
– R: At the next meeting, he had is part done well. I thanked him for his contribution. Overall this
helped our team successfully complete the project and receive an A grade.
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Execution
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Describe a time when you seized an opportunity, gained agreement from
stakeholders, saw it through completion.
Give me an example of a time that you implemented a new
product/idea/process? How did you propose it? What was the outcome?
Tell me about a time that you worked outside of your normal job duties to solve
a problem.
Describe a time when your work priorities changed significantly. What was your
process to re-prioritize? How did it go?
Describe a project you planned and implemented. Tell me how you planned it.
How did it turn out?
Tell me about a time you identified a problem and worked it through all the way
to complete resolution.
Give me an example of a time when you had to deal with frequent changes and
unexpected events at work. How did you handle this?
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Execution
• Tell me about a time you identified a problem and worked it
through all the way to complete resolution.
•
•
•
BAD:
– For a school project we calculated the energy loss of water across several pipe turns and
fittings.
Too Common (and not good):
– The chemical labels in the lab were outdated and my lab group and I updated them to
meet chemical safety standards.
Great:
–
S: I was a research assistant for a Professor
–
T: I recognized a need to build a glass case to encompass a burner in my research lab.
–
A: I did internet research, talked with glass and metal professionals, and designed the
dimensions of the glass case. I worked closely with the machine shop to ensure
fabrication was correct and led testing of the new glass case with my lab group.
– R: The glass case was a huge success and the professor in charge of the lab loved and
ordered several more similar type cases for many of the other pieces of equipment in
the lab
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Behavioral Story Matrix
• How do you prepare for the behavioral gauntlet?
– So many questions, only so many personal stories
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General Guidelines & Tips
• Practice, Practice, Practice—how much time did you spend
studying for your last test? How much time did you spend
preparing for your interview?
– Video yourself
– In the mirror
– Practice with your friends/significant others
Confidence not Humility will get you the job—this comes with practice!
Confidence in both behavioral and technical is key
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More General Guidelines
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Think Aloud on Analytical Questions
Research Earnings Calls, Quarterly Reports & Blog Posts
Craft Your “Story Statement”
Prepare for The “What’s Your Weakness?” Question
Ask Questions That Kill Two Birds With One Stone
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General Guidelines & Tips
• Ask Questions That Kill Two Birds With One Stone
– Example:
 Weak: Will this role provide opportunities to work in emerging markets?
 Strong: I’m passionate about languages and minored in Arabic in college. Will this
role provide opportunities to work in emerging markets in the Middle East?
 Weak: Are there opportunities for community service?
 Strong: I used to work with Habitat for Humanity and was so grateful for the
opportunity to give back. For a full time employee, are there company-wide
community service events that I could take part in?
 Weak: What’s [Company X]’s fastest growing division?
 Strong: According to your quarterly report, your revenues grew by 17%. Is that
because of a particular division within the company?
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Final Thoughts
• You are all extremely capable and talented engineers
• Competition is intense!!
– Other students, other schools are competing for these jobs
– Your preparation is key to demonstrating your potential
• We look forward to seeing you in the future!
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Question
and
Answer
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