Interviews: Behavioral interviews

Behavioral interviews are by far the most common form of job interview. A behavioral interview is an interview based on past work and experience. The basic principle of behavioral interviews is that previous work behavior is an indicator of future performance.

It's suitable for most jobs where there are no special criteria.

Pros and cons of behavioral interviews

Pros:

• It's a particularly flexible form of interview, and can be adapted to any job.
• It's easy to plan and prepare.
• It can explore all criteria thoroughly.
• It's suitable for most jobs where there are no special criteria.
• Behavioral interviews are familiar to interviewers and interviewees.
• Give the candidate a chance to make a personal statement in support of their application.

Cons:

• Can be too 'One Size Fits All', not leaving enough room for individual responses.
• Can be long-lasting, if not efficiently managed.
• Aren't geared to exploring past history in detail.
• Tend to create inappropriate comparisons between candidates.

NOTE: The negative aspects of behavioral interviews are a matter of management:

• The One Size Fits All effect is to be avoided. Rote answers aren't good answers. The emphasis has to be on understanding of the question by the interviewee and on understanding the answer, on the part of the interviewer.
• Time management is the responsibility of the interview convener. (See below, Considerations for Behavioral Interview Structure.)
• Past history is only relevant in some cases.
• Comparison between candidates isn't the final decision, which must be based on the competence of the appointee.

Behavioral interview structure

The structure is a well laid out, clearly defined, series of questions. This structure is particularly useful for planning your interview:

Introduction.

Questions based on job criteria

• Question 1
• Question 2
• Question 3
• Question 4
• Question 5
• Question 6
• Question 7
• Question 8
• Question 9
• Question 10

Candidate statement
Candidate questions

Considerations for Behavioral Interview structure

Time allowances will directly affect your interview structure and need to be taken into account.

These elements must be planned for in your interview:

• Time to ask and answer questions
• Digression off topic
• Additional questions related to candidate answers
• Time taken in extra comments or candidate statement and questions.

To plan interview times, you have to make allowances for each element in the interview, plus the additional considerations. The above example has 10 questions. If you assume 5 minutes for each question, you get an interview time of 50 minutes. Add 5 minutes for the introduction, and 2x5 minutes for the candidate's statement and questions. Add a further 10 minutes for incidental extras. The total time is 75 minutes. You'd be fair to allow at least an hour for each interview.

Managing your Behavioral Interview

The convener is required to maintain schedules for interviews.

However, the interviewers are also required to allow fair amounts of time for interviewees.

To ensure fairness, while keeping on schedule:

• Remind interviewees of the time factor, where appropriate.
• Ask if they want more time to answer before moving on.
• Allow interviewees some breathing space, even if you're running slightly behind time. (You can still remind them of time factors if necessary, but make it clear they're being given a fair chance to answer questions.)

Don't rush through your questions. Even the most competent applicants will be short changed, and so will you.

If you're stuck with the need for a long, complex, interview, it may mean fewer candidates will be accepted. Alternatively, you can schedule the interviews over several days, to allow you to conduct them properly and in detail.