Guide to Successful Job Interviewing

Have you ever experienced a “tough interview?”  Did you feel like you were "on the spot" during the entire interview? Chances are it was a behavioral interview.  I’m conducting almost a hundred of these per year.  I’ll tell you what behavioral interviews are and what you can do to prepare for them….and trust me, you had better prepare.

What is a Behavioral Interview?

Behavioral interviewing is a style of interviewing that was developed in the 1970's by industrial psychologists. Behavioral interviewing asserts that "the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in a similar situation." It focuses on specific examples in your past that shed light on particular traits.  If you hear a question begin with “Tell me about a time…” that’s a behavioral interview question.

If you’re not able to actually “tell me about a time” and instead say things like “well, I’m always (fill in blank with trait), then you’re going to get pressed for more specific details. If you can’t come up with more details, you’re out.

What are hiring managers doing behind the scenes?  They are developing traits and behaviors that they need for a particular position (such as competitiveness, coachability, optimism, organizational skills, etc.) and then developing behavioral questions for each trait.  “Tell me about a time when you were….” “When was the last time you were….”  “What’s the hardest you’ve ever had to work….”

Here's an example of how this might read during an interview with an unprepared candidate.

Hiring Manager: Tell me about the last time you were competitive.

Candidate: I’m always competitive! (Thinking this is what I want to hear)

Manager: Great.  How about today?  Please give me a specific example demonstrating how you were competitive today.

Candidate: Well, um, uh…... (Candidate exits stage left)

What should you do to do well in a Behavioral Interview? 

1.  Make sure you reference specific examples.  Give me dates, client names, etc.  This lends credibility to the story you’re telling me.  Without the details, I’ll be getting the feeling that you’re making it up.

2.  Relax and think about your response. Don’t feel pressured to respond quickly.  A well thought out specific answer will sound much better than a rushed general answer. Take a few moments to think about what you’re going to say. I know it will feel like lifetime but it will be worth it.

3.  Prepare for the interview.  You can read the job description and jot down traits and characteristics that jump out at you.  Then you can formulate your own guesses as to the behavioral questions I’m going to ask you….and develop your answers.  If you see references to “competitiveness” in the job description, be ready for me to ask you “Tell me about a time when you were in the most competitive situation.”

4.  Expect all interviewers to give you behavioral interview questions. If you’re prepared for a behavioral interview and you DON’T get them, you can breathe a sigh of relief.  If you do get behavioral interview questions, you’ll be prepared, more relaxed and make a much better impression.

If you do these things, I can assure you that you’ll do far better in the interview process than 90% of your competing candidates out there and increase your chance of landing the job!