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Behavioral Interviewing
What is Behavioral Interviewing?
The basic premise behind behavioral interviewing is: The most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in a similar situation. This type of interview is thought to provide more objective facts on which to base the employment decisions than other interviewing methods. Behavioral interviewing is more probing and tries to identify applicant characteristics related to the job for which the applicant is being interviewed and is designed to minimize personal impressions that can affect the hiring decisions.
How to Prepare for the Behavioral Interview:
- Review the job description carefully. The behaviors asked about are frequently imbedded in the position description or qualifications.
- Before the interview think about previous situations in which you had to utilize the following skills: Teamwork, Leadership, Analysis, Adaptability, Work Ethics, Motivation, Initiative, Ability to Learn, Planning and Organizing, Problem Solving, Communication skills both written and oral, Customer Service Orientation and Interpersonal Skills.
- Write down short descriptions of each type of situation that you can review before the interview. These examples can come from work experiences, internships, classes, activities, team involvement, and community service. It is best not to use family situations for answers. The interviewers want to know how you behave in work related settings. Do not memorize. The interviewer will be able to tell! Be prepared and you will do fine. In addition, having specific examples will provide a more concrete answer for traditional interview questions.
- The answer to your question should have three parts called SAR. The SAR process will help you organize your thoughts and clearly communicate them to the interviewer.
- Situation
- Action
- Result or Outcome
Example:You had a group project for your Marketing class in which the team members were not working well together. (SITUATION) To resolve the problem, you talked to each member of the group individually about their concerns to identify the issue. (ACTION) Morale improved and the group finished the project and received an excellent grade.
- Be sure the result or outcome reflects positively on you, even if, the result itself was not favorable.
- Do not embellish the story you describe to the interviewer. The interviewer will ask follow-up questions seeking more detail. Also, it is harder to answer a behavioral interview question if you are not using a real life example.
- Be sure to listen carefully to each question. It is alright to ask for clarification or to rephrase the question. This is also a way to buy time to think of an answer.
- Important: DO NOT GENERALIZE. The interviewer is looking for specifics and may view a generalized answer as not following directions.
What to Expect During the Interview:
- The interviewer will usually explain the process to the applicant.
- The applicant will then talk for a few minutes.
- The interviewer might ask follow up questions.
- The interviewer may describe the position after the questions are asked.
- More information about the company should be provided.
- Always ask educated questions about the company.
Sample Behavioral Interview questions for the College Student/Recent College Graduate
Sample Behavioral Interview questions for the established Job-Seeker/Career Changer
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