Liz Benuscak
Liz Benuscak, CPRW, JCTC is Executive Director of Bi-Coastal, a full service firm specializing in career marketing for Sales, Marketing and Operations Executives. A designated Expert for TheLadders.com, Benuscak has been quoted in The LA Times, The Chicago Tribune and The Miami Sun Times and has appeared on national television as Career Expert for Better Homes and Gardens Magazine. A contributor to Mc Graw Hill's 101 Best Resume Series, she is distinguished among the top career experts in the US.
Even though the concept of Behavioral Interviewing has been around for quite a while now, it is a technique that is becoming much more mainstream due to its effectiveness. Employers have been using behavioral interviewing for about 15 years because this technique gives them an edge in identifying candidates who possess the qualities and performance history that they are seeking.
The key benefit of behavioral interviewing is that the way that a candid ate responds to questions providing past behaviors offers an accurate indication for their future performance. According to one study , behavioral interviewing is said to be 55% predictive of future on-the-job behavior, while traditional interviewing is only 10% predictive.
To evaluate a candidate’s value and potential, employers will implement behavioral interview techniques to determine the candidate’s potential for success. This is typically done by identifying job-related experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities that the company has decided are desirable in a particular position. For example, some of the characteristics that a firm may look for are:
- Critical thinking
- Being a self-starter
- Willingness to learn
- Willingness to travel
- Self-confidence
- Teamwork
- Professionalism
The interview will be structured around these topics with directed questions to gather past experience and successes in these areas to highlight the preferred characteristics. There are no ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions asked of the candidate. It is always open ended typically starting with, “Can you tell me a time when…” or “What has your experience been…. In the area of…..” The latest trend for behavioral interview is a rating system used to measure answers to the performance indicator questions.
It is your duty as a candidate to be able to provide answers to these types of questions readily and with a certain measure of composure. One thing that you must be careful about, however, is to not take over the interview by going on too long in your answer.
While this tool is becoming much more mainstream for many firms there are still those that may lag behind in the interviewing process. If you are not asked questions in a behavioral manner you should feel free to answer the m in that fashion – with the caveat that you don’t blather on ad nauseam.
When answering a question in a behavioral manner it important is that you provide a clear example of the challenges you faced, the actions that you took the and the results that you archived on the project or experience in question. We call it the C-A-R formula.
While at times it may be difficult to prep for a behavior -based interview due to the vast array of questions that could be posed to you, the best way to get ready for this type of interview is to review as much material about the firm that you can get your hands on and then look back at your own career and develop a portfolio of success stories that you can call upon during an interview. You should also go back over your resume and make sure that you can speak to each and every accomplishment on your resume.
To prep for any interview it is critical that prior to review your resume. Visualizing your history from the interviewer ’s perspective prior to the meeting will give you a sense of what they may ask and remind you of critical points that might have slipped your mind.
During the interview keep to the facts – tell your story as succinctly as possible and keep your mind’s eye on the prize! Happy Interviewing!