3.1(d) Behavioural interviews
Behavioural interviews are linked with a high success rate. The theory behind behavioural interviews is that past behaviour predicts future behaviour. This means you will not be asking applicants questions that ask them to imagine what they would do in future situations-eg ‘What would you do if you had a team member that you didn’t get on with?’ Instead you ask them to recall specific situations in the past and tell you what happened, in terms of the situation, their actions and specific results.
The questions asked should seek to have applicants demonstrate their ‘competencies’ or behaviours rather than technical skills. This is because you can evaluate technical skills relatively easily through looking at qualifications, experience and samples of work. If the applicant finally chosen lacks a technical skill, they can learn this skill. On the other hand, behaviours such as teamwork, leadership, ability to learn, organisational skills, etc, are difficult to evaluate and if someone is lacking one of these, it is difficult for them to learn it.
Examples of behavioural interview questions are;:
- “Tell me about a time when you worked in a team that experienced conflict.”
(The applicant would need to then be prompted with questions such as ‘What did you do?’ and ‘What was the result?’ Be careful to draw out what the applicant did if the situation described is one that involved a team. You may need to ask ‘Exactly what was your role?’)
- “Tell me about a project or role that you’ve taken on that is outside your job description.”
(The applicant would need to be prompted with questions such as “Why did you take on this role?” and ‘What was the impact on your department” and “what was the outcome”)
- "Describe a time when you had to cope with strict deadlines or time demands.”
What follow up questions would you ask for this?
Applicants may have had limited experience that directly relates to the question that you ask. It is a good idea to have a back-up question in case you don’t get at the information that you want.
Topic 2 also discusses behavioural interviews.