Behavioral interviews are a vital component in the contemporary recruitment process enabling organizations to examine whether a candidate’s previous behaviors can be translated in predicting how they will perform on the job. This article presents key principles, approaches and key questions that will enable you carry out successful behavioral interviews aimed at identifying the best candidates for a particular position. One will understand how to frame progressive behavioral interview questions and the application of the STAR method in structuring the interviews. Additionally, effective onboarding can significantly enhance employee retention and performance. For more on this topic, visit our article on “How to Optimize Your Employee Onboarding Process for Better Retention.”

What is a Behavioral Interview?

The majority of interviews tend to evaluate the abilities of the applicants, without giving regard to how they acted in face of certain work situations, in the past. According to the reasons behind this style of interviewing, it is believed that what candidates have done in the past can be relied upon to predict how successful they will be in the future. Whereas classical interviews explore the responses in the forms of situations that have not yet happened, in behavioral interviews, the aim is to draw out stories from candidates instead.

During a behavioral interview, for instance, candidates may be asked to explain how they exhibited certain skills such as leadership skills, problem-solving skills, and teamwork skills in the past. Behavioral interview is not like situational interviews which concentrate on imaginary/ hypothetical situations; it gives a better understanding of the abilities of the candidates.

Behavioral vs. Situational Interview

Most notably, the difference between behavioral and situational interview techniques is the frequency of variation of the forms of questions. In a situational interview, a candidate is required to put herself in a certain conflicted state in the future and propose a way of dealing with it. A behavioral interview instead, focuses on the past by asking how a person coped with comparable situations. Both are valuable but used for different purposes.

Use situational interviews when you want to gauge future performance under hypothetical conditions. Use behavioral interviews when assessing how past experiences align with current job requirements.

Why Behavioral Interviews are Effective in Talent Acquisition

Identifying Core Competencies

A behavioral interview is the best in evaluating the key elements such as leadership, problem solving, and adaptation. Since each behavioral question is built around the practical aspect, it is easy for the interviewers to understand the candidate’s experience in relation to the expectations, demands, and requirements of the position in question.

Assessing Cultural Fit

Cultural fit is another crucial element that behavioral interviews help identify. Candidates can be evaluated on whether their past experiences and values align with the company’s culture. For example, asking about team dynamics or past collaborative projects can reveal a lot about whether they will thrive in your work environment.To enhance this aspect of the hiring process, you may find it useful to read about “how to create a positive candidate experience”

Studies show that such behavioral interviews have been found to improve the effectiveness of hiring decisions by as much as 55% over traditional approaches. This is a very good indication of this method’s utility on predicting job performance, especially in the long term.

Key Steps to Conducting a Successful Behavioral Interview

Step 1: Preparing the Right Behavioral Questions

The initial phase involves drafting both technical and behavioral interview questions for the particular position in line with the expected behavior. For instance, when evaluating one’s leadership ask this question – “what is an example of a project where you were leading a team through a very difficult phase?”

Common categories for behavioral questions include:

• Leadership and teamwork
• Problem-solving
• Adaptability and time management
• Customer service and communication skills
  

Step 2: Using the STAR Method to Structure Questions and Answers

Behavioral interviews usually incorporate the STAR technique (Situation, Task, Action, Result) when putting forward questions or responding to them. It assists candidates in coming up with specific illustrations from their history that enable the interviewers to rate their replies more rationally.

• Situation: Ask the candidate to describe the context of a particular challenge.
• Task: Clarify what role they played in that situation.
• Action: Ask what specific steps they took.
• Result: Evaluate the outcome and the impact of their actions.

Step 3: Creating a Structured Interview Format

A structured interview ensures consistency across candidates, helping to eliminate bias. Create a format where every candidate is asked the same technical and behavioral interview questions, so responses can be compared more easily. Structured formats are particularly useful when evaluating candidates across diverse teams or departments.

Step 4: Evaluating Responses Objectively

Once candidates respond using the STAR method, evaluate their answers by focusing on the specifics. Avoid letting personal biases affect your assessment by using an objective scorecard. Look for examples that directly demonstrate the required competencies.

Top Behavioral Interview Questions to Ask

Leadership and Teamwork Questions

Ask candidates questions that reveal their leadership style and how they collaborate within teams. Example questions include:

• “Tell me about a time when you had to lead a project or a team.”
• “Describe a situation where you had to mediate a conflict within a team.”

Problem-Solving and Conflict Resolution Questions

To understand a candidate’s problem-solving capabilities, ask:

• “Give an example of a time you solved a significant problem in the workplace.”
• “How did you handle a conflict with a coworker?”

Adaptability and Time Management Questions

Explore how candidates manage shifting priorities or tight deadlines:

• “Tell me about a time you had to manage multiple projects simultaneously. How did you prioritize?”
• “Describe a situation where you had to quickly adapt to changes in your role.”

Customer Service and Communication Skills Questions

To assess communication skills, ask:

• “Can you provide an example of a time you explained a complex issue to a customer?”
• “Describe a situation where your communication style helped to resolve an issue.”

How to Use the STAR Method Effectively in Behavioral Interviews

Breaking Down the STAR Method

The STAR method helps candidates provide well-structured answers, and it allows interviewers to evaluate their responses thoroughly. It helps ensure that the answers include a full narrative, covering the context (Situation), the role the candidate played (Task), what actions they took (Action), and the impact of their work (Result).

Example Responses Using STAR

Here’s an example of a response to a leadership question using STAR:

• Situation: “Our team was falling behind on a critical project.”
• Task: “As the team leader, I needed to get us back on track.”
• Action: “I implemented a new project management tool and scheduled daily check-ins.”
• Result: “The team not only met the deadline but also improved our efficiency by 20%.”

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Behavioral Interviews

Asking Vague or Hypothetical Questions

Do not pose theatrical questions such as ‘What would you do if…?’ Such questions often solicit stock responses and fail to draw out the real experiences of the candidate. Rather, bringing forth specific situations from the candidate’s past that serve as evidences of how they have successfully dealt with comparable circumstances in the past.

Leading the Candidate

Leading questions can bias responses and make it difficult to objectively assess a candidate’s fit. Keep questions neutral to allow the candidate to share their authentic experiences.

How to Evaluate Behavioral Interview Answers

Look for Specific, Detailed Examples

When evaluating responses, focus on whether candidates provide detailed and specific examples. Vague answers or generalizations could indicate that the candidate lacks the experience you’re seeking.

Assessing the Relevance of Responses

Be certain that the samples shown are in line with the fundamental capabilities that you are evaluating. To illustrate, in the event that the post calls for high levels of leadership, seek instances where the applicant took the lead and achieved concrete success.

Using a Scorecard to Maintain Objectivity

The use of a scorecard will allow you to assess each argument in accordance with some established standard, thus helping you to maintain objectivity in your assessments. Assess the responses in regard to clarity, relevance and effectiveness of the actions undertaken by the candidate.

Real-Life Examples of Behavioral Interview Success

Example 1: Google’s Behavioral Interview Approach

It is common knowledge that there is an efficient interview process at Google. In particular, the way in which questions addressing technical and behavioral aspects of the candidates is applied to the interviews. For instance, the candidates are often asked by Google’s interviewers to give an example of an occasion in which they managed to overcome a difficult technical problem in a team.

Example 2: Amazon’s Leadership Principle-Based Behavioral Interviews

Amazon’s interview process is centered around its leadership principles. Interviewers ask candidates to provide examples that showcase how they embody these principles, ensuring that new hires align with Amazon’s core values.

FAQs about Behavioral Interviews

What are the top 10 behavioral questions in an interview?

1. Share a story on how you overcame work-related obstacle in your career.

2. Tell me about a time you were assigned the role of a team leader.

3. Relate a scenario when there was an issue and you had to resolve it.

4. Share an instance in your life when you made an important resolution.

5. Share an instance in your life when you did not resist but accepted and indeed embraced transition.

6. Cite an instance of your engagement when there were strict deadlines imposed.

7. Share an instance when you performed duties that were outside your everyday tasks.

8. Describe when it was difficult to communicate with a customer and how you managed to cope with the situation.

9. Discuss a time when you were assigned a project and it required tasks to be completed under resource constrains.

10. Share a mistake that you made and how you managed to come out of it.

What is the STAR method in interviewing?

To effectively address the behavioral interview questions you will be asked a specific situation is picked out and the challenge that faced you, the steps conformed to and the outcome of the endeavors.

What are the differences between behavioral and situational interviews?

Behavioral interviews focus on how candidates handled past situations, while situational interviews ask how they would handle hypothetical future situations. Both assess problem-solving but approach it differently.

What is a behavioral interview example?

An example of a behavioral interview question is the following one: “Describe a situation where you were assigned a difficult project and there were working with tight deadlines.” The candidate would then use the STAR method to structure their response.