The New Style Of Interview Questions
If you're like me, you probably dread those awful interview questions that ask, "So, where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?" or, "What would you say are your strengths and weaknesses?" These questions are absurd! They tell the interviewer very little, other than perhaps, what the candidate thinks of himself.
The good news is that interviewers are waking up and changing their approach. Out with the old style...in with a new style. It's called, "Behavioral Interviewing" or "Behavior-Based Interviewing." It sounds scientific, but really it's not.
The Theory of Behavioral Interviewing
The theory behind "Behavioral Interviewing" is that: The past is the BEST predictor of future behavior. So, if we're trying to predict how a candidate will perform in OUR company, then we'd be smart to ask him questions that may reveal how he behaved in his past employment. The principle is pretty sound, really, and a lot of employers now are using this style to get better "predictability" of culture-fit.
As an example, if I were interested in find out how a candidate handled himself when faced with a difficult co-worker (because, of course, when working with other people, it's certain that conflicts will arise) I may ask:
- "Joe, can you tell me about a time when you didn't get along with a co-worker?
- What was the sticking point between you two?
- How did you handle it?
- What was the outcome?
- What did you learn?"
There are numerous examples of other behavior-based questions, and far too many to list in this blog. I suggest going to "Google" and typing in "Behavior-based Interviewing" for additional examples.
Sadly, you still should prepare yourself for those awful standard interview questions, just in case your interviewer hasn't learned about Behavioral-Interviewing yet.
Kathleen Lapekas - PHR
Action HR Consultant
For Personal Attention to Personnel Matters....
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