Behavioral Interviewing

You have an opening within your company and you need to find someone, STAT!  Of course you run an ad, post it on any online job boards and put it out to your network.  Then you are inundated with resumes.  After getting through the bulk of them you begin interviewing promsing candidates.  You need people to do the job, but how do you find out if they know what they are doing, and if they will work well at your company.

Welcome to Behavioral Interviewing.  This is the world of open-ended sentences, situational questions and room for interpretation.  But it also gives you some insight into how someone will handle themselves in the future.  Many companies have converted their interviewing to be behavioral because you can learn how someone has reacted under certain conditions in the past, and offers insight into how they will conduct themselves at your company.  While these types of interviews can tell you how someone has dealt with a similar situation, it does not eliminate people who haven't experienced that.  Instead of not answering the question, they can draw on many areas of their lives to give a good example of how they think and how they handle themselves. 
 
So how do you conduct a Behavioral Interview?  Well, it's the same way you would conduct any interview, but you ask more situational questions.  Interview questions should be open-ended and give the interviewee plenty of topics to cover. 
Some examples:

• What was the biggest personal challenge you have had to deal with and what have you learned from it
• Have you ever had a situation where you needed to convince someone that your viewpoint was correct, and how did you do that?
• Give me an example of how you have dealt with a difficult co-worker to work together to produce results on a project.

When you are interviewing, give the person ample time to think and form an answer to the question.  With some of them being detailed questions, it can take a little time for the interviewee to frame an answer that addresses the topic and explains their response.  But their responsiveness can be telling too--if they fumble and don't provide you with enough information about the situation and their solution, are they good communicators?  Or are they quick on their feet.  Not everyone needs to be, and you need to decide if it is  needed in this role?  So, note instances where they respond strongly, and those they struggle with.  It will be telling about how they handle themselves in the future.

Now I think it is hard to have an entire interview conducted this way.  Here's my formula for interviewing:

1. Introduction:  Welcome the interviewee to your office and company.  Thank them for making it to the meeting.
2. Break the Ice:  Engage in light conversation to get both of you comfortable with each other.  Remember, interviewing is nerve racking, and sometimes the best employees don't have a lot of experience doing it.  So engage them in some chit-chat about someting applicable to the interview, company, season, anything.  You may also want to let them know a little bit about your company and about the position you are hiring for.  But give general information, so that you don't lead their information too much during the interview.
3. Transition into the substance of the interview:  I like to bring up areas of their background that interest me.  I may mention that they have a very interesting title within a department or that it is impressive how long they have been with their last employer.  I also like to ask questions about where people have lived if they have moved around a bit.  It tells me a little about their background and personality.  During this serious part of the interview, ask some general questions along with some behavioral questions.  I think this keeps the conversation flowing, and keeps the energy up.  Keep notes on their resume or application, especially items that are very relevant to your company and to the job opening.  
4. Share Information:  If appropriate, tell a little more about the challenges of the position or anticipated outcomes, and have the person respond with information about how they've dealt with similar issues or effected positive changes.
5. Do they have the skills you need?  Specific skill questions should be brought up early in the interview.  Examples would be finance responsibilities, software systems used, number of people managed, etc.  These are necessary skills you need in the position, and if they don't have them, most likely you don't need to continue on with a lengthy interview.  
6. Dig deeper.  If an answer seems deficient, ask for more detail or clarification.  You want to make sure you feel you delved into areas that are important for the position, for you, and for the company.  If you have a nagging feeling about something, rephrase the question again or ask it again in regards to a different situation.  It's those little questions that sometimes cause you to make the ultimate decision about an employee--so ask now.  It could be a misunderstanding or a true point of concern for you. 
7. Wrap Up:  Wind down the interview by asking if they have any questions, let them know your timeline for hiring and any next steps.  Next steps can include reference checks, additional interviews, drug screens and physical exams.  Thank your interviewee for coming in.  If you think they are a viable candidate and it makes sense, introduce them to other staff members or give them a brief tour of the facility.  
8. Write down your thoughts:  When the person has left, make notes about your impression and plans for follow-up.  Compare these notes from all of your interviews so that you can determine who had the skills, abilities and personality to match the position.  
9. Move Forward:  Identify your best candidate and then get that person moving through the hiring process, because you have a job that needs doing, and you just found the best person for it.