Built on the belief that "past performance is the best predictor of future success," this particular interviewing style relies less on general questions and more on specifics. Questions usually begin with phrases like, "Tell me about a time when . . ."or "Give me an example of . . ."
Interviewers who favor this format usually develop their line of questioning around the traits and skills they deem important for success in the position and/or the organization. For example, if a job involves extensive customer service, an interviewer might ask you to "Tell me about a time when you had to handle an irate customer." For a position that requires teamwork, you might be asked to "Give me an example of a situation where you demonstrated your skill as a team player."
Knowing how these interviewers structure their questions makes it easier for you to prepare good responses. Think about it: If an interviewer prepares to question you by reviewing the job description to determine the required skills and traits-and then asks for specific examples that demonstrate those characteristics--you clearly need to go through a similar preparation process.
Katy Piotrowski, a career counselor with Job Works in Fort Collins, Colorado, uses job descriptions for available positions to prepare clients for behavioral inter-views. (If no job description is available, she asks clients to track down similar job descriptions through the Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1998.) With job description in hand, her clients then are able to determine the skills and traits interviewers are most likely to ask about.
Let's say the employer states he wants someone who is a "team player." You can expect to be asked questions like these:
Tell me about a time when you had to rely on a team to get things done.
Give an example of a time when you had to persuade people to do something that they didn't want to do.
Give an example of your leadership style.
Candidates who understand the technique and are prepared to handle such interview questions have a definite edge over those who are unaware of this trend and must be coached by interviewers to respond appropriately.
To make sure that their candidates are prepared to handle behavioral interviews, Noah Bernstein and Margaret Bernstein divide up their preparation responsibilities. While Freeman coaches candidates on the best ways to handle general questions (and develop a consultative selling approach), Morrell gets them ready for the behavioral portion of the interview.
An easy way to start preparing for behavioral questions involves resume review. Go through your resume with a fine-tooth comb and memorize examples. Then, bring your resume to the interview so you can use it as a prompter.
By going through your resume line-by-line (in search of relevant examples), you can get comfortable with how you plan to answer questions you're most likely to be asked.
"This is a great way to build confidence for an interview," says Piotrowski. "It's a way of reminding yourself what you have to offer."
The less confident you feel about a specific circumstance or qualification, the more you need to prepare and rehearse your response. Consider a Colorado educator who interviewed for a position as director of distance learning technology. Although she had an extensive background in continuing education, she didn't feel qualified to handle the technical aspects of the position.
When she brainstormed examples, she realized that she had coordinated teleconferencing sessions for an audiotape series and worked on a planning program for developing Internet-based programming. By the time she finished reviewing her resume and accomplishments, she realized that she could do the work. Needless to say, this research translated into a much stronger interview.
While working at Hewitt Associates, a benefits consulting firm in Lincolnshire, Illinois, Anneliese Crawford and her colleagues were counseled to interview candidates primarily with behavior-based questions.
"It speaks to the whole issue of 'fit,'" says Crawford. "You can tell more about how a person really thinks and acts by the way they answer the question."
"The idea behind behavioral interviewing is that you can tell much more about a person's attitudes, work habits and skills by hearing them describe real actions taken in real circumstances than by letting them speak in the abstract about themselves," says Allen Salikof, president and CEO of Management Recruiters International Inc.
MRI -- a Cleveland-based search firm
Some candidates find the format of the question unsettling. In the pressure of the moment, they simply can't think of a single example. To overcome that obstacle, Tom Washington recommends developing a list of experiences that cover the waterfront of skills and characteristics required for the position you seek.
Along the same line of thinking, MRI offers the following three-step approach:
- Identify your chief skills or strengths and be ready to describe in detail actual experiences which exemplify each one. Remember dates, names, quantities or measurements of success and other facts that will convey the situation to the interviewer.
- Understand the job description for the available position and be prepared to recall specific actions and behaviors which address the skills required to perform this job.
- Don't make vague proclamations of your skills. Small but telling actions and behaviors are more important than grandiose but unsubstantiated claims of job success.
Expect interviewers to ask negatively phrased questions that reveal your weaknesses and flaws as well as your strengths. Again, don't fall into the trap of demeaning yourself just because you're anxious to comply. If your stories don't illustrate you positively, there's no reason to tell them.
Says Tom Washington, "Whenever you speak, your intention should be to sell yourself, not merely to answer the questions."
Says Piotrowski, "In preparing your responses, make sure you have a bow on the package." By this she means that your story must have a positive outcome, for instance, a lesson you learned from the problem or mistake.
Let me give you a personal example: If I were asked to describe a time when I had to take a stand on an unpopular position, I'd probably talk about my graduate school advisor, who believed that masters-level psychologists like me shouldn't go into private practice because they needed more clinical experience. I agreed that more supervision would help; but I felt that if I could use my entrepreneurial skills to develop a client base, I could also afford to purchase the services of a quality supervisor. So I did. The end result was that I received clinical supervision from one of the most competent psychologists in the city-and it was someone whom I had hand-selected to teach me.
I believe that this example demonstrates my willingness to go against conventional wisdom without sacrificing my personal integrity or professional development. But I wouldn't leave it up to the interviewer to figure that out. Rather than simply tell the story and hope the interviewer would get the point, I'd explain it by adding, "I tell you this story because . . ."
Structuring Your Stories
After reviewing your resume and deciding which stories you want to tell, you must write down, edit and rehearse your stories. Although this is a time-consuming process, it's well worth the effort. Since most of us aren't natural born storytellers, it's always a good idea to know what you plan to say and how you plan to say it. That way you minimize the risk of (1) drawing a blank; (2) telling the wrong story; or (3) rambling on and on.
In general, your stories should follow what experts call a "P-A-R" format. The "P" stands for Problem. Start your story by describing a problem or situation that you needed to fix: "Our customers are complaining about bad service," "My employees had a bad attitude about their work," "Two of my co-workers couldn't get along with each other."
The "A" stands for Action. After you have succinctly described the problem, you need to describe the action you took to rectify that situation: "I appointed a customer service representative to personally handle problematic accounts," "I read my employees the Riot Act about their bad attitude," I took my co-workers to lunch and encouraged them to make up."
Finally, the "R" in the P-A-R formula stands for Results. In the results statement, you demonstrate the effectiveness of your actions: "As a result of my actions, customer service problems were virtually eliminated," "Employee performance, as measured by annual performance appraisals, improved considerably," "My co-workers started working together as a team and, using their combined talents, increased sales revenues by 20%."
Problem: Sally was a sales representative for a publisher. She was hired to follow in the footsteps of a disreputable former rep who had tarnished the company's image with existing and potential customers. Sally's challenge was to rebuild the company's reputation and restore customers' faith.
Action: Sally began by reviewing the files of existing customers to determine whether problems had existed. Then, she met with each current (and former) customer in her territory to introduce herself and assure them that past problems had been remedied. She also guaranteed that she would personally oversee their accounts to make sure that there were no recurring problems. And, with her man-ager's permission, she offered price incentives that would encourage them to try again. Once the orders began to come in she maintained a hands-on approach to ensure that customers received the best possible service.
Result: 75 percent of lapsed clients became active clients. More than 50 percent of existing customers increased sales. Net result: More than $500,000 in new business the first year.
Disconcerting as behavior-based interview questions can be, they're nothing more than a request for an example that goes along with the standard/typical question. Instead of preparing twice (for one interview) you can kill the proverbial "two birds with one stone" by ensuring that your answers to standard (or typical) questions include illustrative examples. Since it helps to tell stories to anchor information, you can be ready for both eventualities by preparing in this manner.
Anneliese Crawford has added her own unique spin to the P-A-R format. She suggests more of an R-A-P format-that you start with the result-because accomplishments capture an interviewer's attention. Next, she suggests describing your actions and finally the problem that was solved. In that way, you make your accomplishments stand out boldly.
"When interviewers are results-oriented, you can really catch their attention right away," says Crawford. "Otherwise you might lose them while describing the fine points of the problem."
If you're really savvy, you can vary your approach by using both strategies within the same interview. For example, if you are describing a particularly thorny problem, you might want to use the P-A-R approach in order to emphasize the very real challenge you faced. If, on the other hand, you achieved a particularly spectacular end result, you might want to use the R-A-P format in order to emphasize the results (which, in this case, may be more important than the problem). For example:
Result: Sally could choose to start her story by saying "I increased sales by more than a half million dollars in my first year with ."
Action: When I first took over the new territory, I knew that it was important to develop strong relationships with my customers. I wanted them to know that they could trust me to deliver what they needed. I made it clear that this was a new be-ginning, that whatever problems they had had were in the past and that I would personally supervise their accounts and guarantee the results.
Because I was dealing people who had had difficulties with our company in the past, I was able to offer financial incentives to bring back lapsed customers and encourage existing customers to expand their orders.
Problem: What I needed to address openly was the fact that many customers did have problems with our company in the past but those days were over. Fortunately, I was able to win their trust and, equally important, deliver what I promised- which is why I achieved such good financial results.
What to Do When You Don't Know the Answer
Behavior-based interviewers can be like bulldogs who won't give up until they secure the information they want. You don't have to answer every question just because it was asked. There are times when you really won't have an answer. Much as it may hurt to say "I'm sorry. Nothing comes to mind," there are times when that is the most honest answer. Rather than lie, you're better off being honest about what you really have and haven't done.
You also can ask for clarification. If you really don't understand what the employer is looking for, ask him to be more specific. Most employers will appreciate your interest and thoroughness.
That said, you should never provide information that will hurt you. When faced with negative questions, look for the positive spin. At times, that means taking the initiative to rephrase the questions.
For example, if asked to describe a time when you failed, you might reply, "I need you to help me out here. Since I tend to view most things as an opportunity to learn, I'm not sure I know what you mean by the term 'failure.' If you learn something from an experience, it can never be a failure. And I try to learn from everything I do. Would you like me to share a learning experience with you?"
If you're asked to describe a time when you lost your temper, you might say, "I do get angry sometimes but I almost never lose my temper."
Should you find that either the tone or the content of a question throws you off-balance, don't be afraid to buy time to regain your composure and collect your thoughts. In those cases, you might say to the interviewer: "Do you mind if I take a minute to collect my thoughts?"
Although silences can be uncomfortable, they can also be productive. Rather than rush into an ill-advised statement, make sure that you're in control of your communication. If that takes a little extra time, the interviewer will need to wait. Most interviewers will appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Strategizing Behavioral Questions
Behavioral questions pose a challenge to interviewees who are striving to make the interview a conversation between equals rather than an interrogation. However, it isn't impossible to have such a discussion. Many of the same techniques you use with standard questions can still be successfully employed in this situation. For example, you can almost always finish up your story (or response) by asking for feedback: "Is that the kind of example you were looking for?"
Nor should you be afraid to ask for clarification: "I'm not sure what kind of information you would like me to provide here. Can you be more specific?"
Fortunately (for interviewees), the tight labor market has forced interviewers to soften their styles a bit. Piotrowski has discovered that, in some cases, candidates are actually being given a list of the behavioral questions they will be asked before the interview.
Says Piotrowski, "Some of the employers who favor behavior-based questions realize it may be difficult to think of specific examples on the spot. When they're truly interested in knowing what you have done-not in testing your memory or your ability to function under pressure-then, they also see the value of giving candidates time to prepare thoughtful answers."
Her comment raises an interesting point. The most obvious use of behavioral questions is straightforward: It helps employers accurately gauge your skills and accomplishments. But it isn't the only thing some interviewers may be looking at. They may also want to see how you function under pressure and how clearly you think and communicate. You can give yourself a competitive edge by
The 25 Most Popular Behavior-based Questions
Tell me about a time when you . . .
- Worked effectively under pressure.
- Handled a difficult situation with a co-worker.
- Were creative in solving a problem.
- Missed an obvious solution to a problem.
- Were unable to complete a project on time.
- Persuaded team members to do things your way.
- Wrote a report that was well-received.
- Anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures.
- Had to make an important decision with limited facts.
- Were forced to make an unpopular decision.
- Had to adapt to a difficult situation.
- Were tolerant of an opinion that was different from yours.
- Were disappointed in your behavior.
- Used your political savvy to push a program through that you really believed in.
- Had to deal with an irate customer.
- Delegated a project effectively.
- Surmounted a major obstacle.
- Set your sights too high (or too low).
- Prioritized the elements of a complicated project.
- Got bogged down in the details of a project.
- Lost (or won) an important contract.
- Made a bad decision.
- Had to fire a friend.
- Hired (or fired) the wrong person.
- Turned down a good job.
Generating Rapport
It isn't always easy to generate rapport around behavioral questions. Because they're directives, they don't invite conversation (unless you initiate it) and they can make you feel as though you're being interrogated, not interviewed. However, certain strategies can give you more leverage and generate more rapport. Although some strategies were stated previously, they bear repeating:
- Just because you're anxious to comply with the question, don't tell stories that will hurt you. Any time you say negative things about yourself or anyone else, you introduce an element of hostility into the interview. By putting a positive spin on your stories, you help keep the tone of the interview upbeat and optimistic.
- Once you've told your story, explain what you hoped to show with it, rather than assume the interviewer got your point. This will show interviewers that communication and understanding are important to you and that you really want them to understand what you are trying to say.
- Ask for feedback. Find out how the interviewer is processing the response you gave. This will enable you to clear up misconceptions, clarify meanings and create the "feel" of real communication.
- Don't be so intimidated by the format that you're afraid to have fun with it. If you're a skilled conversationalist who thinks well on your feet, you can have a great time creating perfectly tailored responses: "Based on my understanding of your organization, I'd like to tell you about the time when ..."
- Finally, don't be afraid to say "I don't know" or "Nothing comes to mind right now." You can't invent experiences (either positive or negative). If a position requires certain expertise or style that you lack, it's better to find out before you take the position-not after. One real advantage to the current labor market is that candidates generally have more choices. So, if the job you're pursuing isn't right for you, you simply need to keep looking.
