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Behavior-Based Interviews
and Questions
What is Behavior Based Interviewing?
Behavior based interviewing focuses on
experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities that are job
related. It is based on the belief that past behavior and performance
predicts future behavior and performance. You may use work experience,
activities, hobbies, volunteer work, school projects, family life -
anything really - as examples of your past behavior. Current employment
literature indicates that there is a strong trend towards this type of
interviewing. In addition to questions found in many current resources,
you should also consider the following in your interview preparations.
What Do Employers Evaluate in A Behavioral Interview?
Employers are looking for 3 types of
skills: Content Skills, Functional - also called Transferable Skills, and
Adaptive - also called Self Management Skills.
Content Skills -- Knowledge that is work specific such as computer
programming, accounting, welding, etc. expressed as nouns.
Functional or Transferable Skills -- Used with people, information
or things such as organizing, managing, developing, communicating, etc.
expressed as verbs.
Adaptive or Self-Management Skills -- personal characteristics such
as dependable, team player, self directed, punctual, etc. expressed as
adjectives.
How Are Behavioral Questions Different from Other
Types of Interviewing Questions?
There are 3 types of questions typically
found in interviews:
- Theoretical questions -- Questions
that place you in a hypothetical situation. These questions are more
likely to test your skill at answering questions rather than in doing a
good job.
- Leading questions -- Questions that
hint at the answer the interviewer is seeking by the way they are phrased.
- Behavioral questions -- Questions
that seek demonstrated examples of behavior from your past experience and
concentrate on job related functions. They may include:
- Open-ended questions -- these
require more than a yes of no response. They often begin with "Tell
me...", "Describe...", "When...".
Example: Describe a time you had to be flexible in planning a
work load.
- Close-ended questions -- Used
mostly to verify or confirm information.
Example: You have a degree in psychology, is that correct?
- Why questions -- Used to reveal
rationale for decisions you have made or to determine your level of
motivation.
Example: Why did you decide to major in this program at UM rather
than at a small private college or larger university?
How Can I Best Answer Behavior-Based Questions?
Think of "PAR for the Course". A complete
answer to a behavior-based question must explain the task or problem for
which you were responsible, the specific action you took, and the results
of your actions. Your answer must contain all of these components to be
a PAR answer. Tell the interviewer a "story" (with a beginning, a middle,
and an end) about how you used a practical skill.
Problem (P) -- Advertising revenue was falling off for the Daily
News and large numbers of long-term advertisers were not renewing
contracts.
Action (A) -- I designed a new promotional packet to go with the
rate sheet and compared the benefits of DN circulation with other ad media
in the area. I also set-up a special training session for the account
executives with a College of Business professor who discussed competitive
selling strategies.
Result (R) -- We signed contracts with fifteen former advertisers
for daily ads and five for special supplements. We increased our new
advertisers by twenty percent (quantities are always good) over the same
period last year.
Can You Give Me An Example of A Complete PAR Story?
Right before Thanksgiving break, most of
the guys had gone home for the weekend break. Our fraternity president and
vice president had already left for home when we got a call that one of
our brothers had been involved in a car accident. I volunteered to go to
the hospital to be with him and then called his parents. I also made
arrangements for them to stay at a nearby hotel when they got there. They
were pleased I had taken time from my own weekend to help them. Our
chapter advisor congratulated me for keeping a cool head and handling the
situation. Iıve since decided to run for chapter office.
More Interview Articles
Check out our Job Interview page with more
information and tips on what to expect at the interview.
Take a look at Common Interview Questions
that follow the Behavior-Based model.
Appearance tips and advice -
How to dress for an interview.
How about the toughest Interview Question of
all: What salary are you looking for?
İ 2007
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