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Developing Behavioral QuestionsFiled Under: General

Behavioral questions seek responses from candidates based on their real-life work experiences. Each response should demonstrate the practical use of key skills and abilities necessary for success
in the job under consideration. Asking each candidate the same behavioral questions ensures fairness and consistency in the interview process. But more than that, the procedure provides a fair and equitable means of objectively comparing each candidate’s qualifications—and protects you from charges of illegal hiring practices.
Open Behavioral Questions

Prepare open behavioral questions for all identified mandatory success factors. Their purpose is to reveal key behavioral information by encouraging a candidate to talk about past situations in which the use of a particular skill was important.

Plain English

Open behavioral questions Questions that cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” They require a candidate to discuss at length an incident from the past that required a working knowledge of specific skills.

Because open behavioral questions seek descriptions of real-life personal and interpersonal situations, they usually begin with phrases such as these:

• “Tell me about …”
• “Describe a time when you …”
• “Give me an example of a time in which you …”
• “Describe the most significant …”
• “What did you do in your last job when …”
• “Describe a situation in which you …”
• “Relate a personal story in which you …”
• “Relate a scenario where you …”
• “Narrate a situation in school when you …”
• “Describe an opportunity in which you …”
• “Tell me about an occasion in which you …”

TIP

Don’t worry about silences during the interview, when candidates attempt to think of appropriate behavioral responses to questions. Your questions are not only causing them to think, but to openly discuss areas that may be sensitive.

Occasionally a candidate will have to be prompted to provide more information about a disclosed situation or problem. You can accomplish this by using additional open probes such as these:

• “Oh?”
• “Tell me more.”
• “Really?”
• “Please go on.”
• “What happened then?”
• “I’d be interested in knowing more about that.”

Probes such as these not only encourage a candidate to provide more information, but they also offer assurance that you’re listening and interested in what’s being said.

TIP

Structured behavioral interviewing is not designed to find a candidate with “all the right answers.” In fact, the ideal candidate should be one who demonstrates a steady growth in competence and skill over time. Candidates who are courageous enough to reveal behavior that they now recognize to be faulty demonstrate growth and maturity.

Taken From: 10 Minute Guide to Conducting a Job Interview