Predicting Behavior - Through Interviews

Diane Lustenader, SPHR

Looking for a better and different way to question candidates so you can select new employees who have what it takes to be successful on the job and not just in an interview? The behavioral approach may be just what you need. Researchers find behavior-based interviews achieve the highest predictive accuracy.          

Traditional interviews tend to focus on qualifications, education, and experience and rely heavily on the candidate’s assessment of their personality traits, “I’m dependable and hardworking.”  While we need this information, it is not enough.  The proven premise for the behavioral process is that past performance is the best predictor of future performance in similar circumstances. 

Behavior-based interviews can help reduce the potential for unintentional discrimination through focusing on bona fide occupational qualifications and using a structured and consistent format with all candidates.  This system also can create a positive image of your company with candidates.

How Do I Start?

Using the behavioral approach starts right in the beginning at the “strategy” stage.  You have identified an opening, whether new or replacement, and must first understand the job and what it involves.   In objective, behavioral terms, you will describe the technical and performance skills the job requires.   

Process Steps

1. Analyze the position.
2. State the needs in behavioral terms.
3. Create your evaluation method.
4. Write behavioral questions.
5. Conduct interviews.
6. Evaluate candidates

First, everyone involved in the hiring decision will want to answer the following questions:

1. Is the position that of an individual contributor, a team member or a supervisor of others?
2. What types of decisions is this position authorized to make or types of problems is it assigned to solve and which must be deferred to others?
3. Does the position create or follow procedures?
4. What are the specific tasks, activities, responsibilities and results expected from this position?
5. How does this position interact with others within the department, the business, customers and vendors?
6. What are standards of performance by which this position is measured?
7. What equipment, machines and software must the position use to be effective?
8.  
9. Next, state the answers in behavioral terms.  For example, the successful incumbent in this position will need to:
10. Use a personal computer and be able to fully use a Windows operating system to create directories and files, back-up and retrieve files and perform routine maintenance.
11. Operate popular word processing, spread sheet, internet access and e-mail software.
12. Follow established guidelines and procedures.
13. Cope effectively with the pressure of many concurrent high-priority complex assignments.
14. Demonstrate the ability to identify early warning signs of problems which are costly if not detected and deflected.
15. Participate on a customer-focused team with others of diverse backgrounds.

Third, and very importantly, decide how you will evaluate and select candidates.  Produce the actual charts, weighting, point system or forms you will use and select the interviews and decision makers.  This will help you direct your question writing at exactly the types and balance of topics you need to make your final decision.

For example, we will select the next Technical Support Specialist based on the following criteria:

This makes it very simple to write a group of core questions that you will ask every candidate to secure enough information on all of the above topics to be able to evaluate each candidate fairly on these factors.

Writing Questions

You will now write a series of open-ended questions which request explicit examples of past job behavior.  Avoid close-ended questions which can be answered simply, “yes”, “no”, “1 year” and hypothetical questions which ask candidate how they might handle some future task.

Behavioral questions are based on a model. All of the following are typical “models” for behavioral questions:

1. Tell me about a time (an experience) when ....
2. Describe your experience at ...
3. Can you elaborate on ...
4. Give me a specific example of a situation where ...
5. Think of a specific time when you .... and tell me how you handled that situation.
6. Tell me about the last time ...
7. Give me an example of when (of how) (of the steps you take to) ...
8. It will help me get to know you better if you can tell me ...
9. Think back to a time when ...  Now please briefly set up the situation for me and then describe exactly what you did.
10. Tell me how you dealt with ....
11. When have you had to ... Be specific.
12. Sooner or later we all deal with ... Give me an example ...
13. Describe a situation …
14. It will help me if you can describe in more detail how you handled …

Type your questions on a form for the position allowing room for the candidate’s name, the date of the interview and sufficient room for your notes and evaluation next to each question.  Do not write on the candidate’s application; it is a legal document in which the candidate presents his credentials and experience.

Note taking requires lots of practice.  It is best when there are two interviews – one to ask questions and one to write notes or to alternate roles.  The results are worth it in many ways, however.  When you document what the candidates says (not your feelings about what is said nor your conclusions), you have a record that will allow you to better remember the examples they relate and give fair consideration to each person. 

Some interviewers just write down a “story name” and key works for each answer and then go back and fill in details after the candidate leaves so they can focus on the person.  Develop a system that works for you.

Conduct the Interview

While every part of the recruitment process should be conducted effectively and legally, there are two times when you have opportunities to make the applicant comfortable so they will be most responsive to your questions, when you contact them during telephone screening and when you greet them at the personal interview. 

Remember the goal of the interview is to collect information that will help you predict the candidate’s performance on the job.

The steps of the interview are:

1. Greet applicant
• Offer beverage
• Discuss weather, traffic, parking – nothing personal
2. Set the stage
• Introduce your self and your position
• Summarize the position being interviewed for
• Establish interview goals, roles and time
• Discuss note taking
• Introduce behavior-based questions
3. Control the Interview by redirecting questions – stay focused
• Ask structured questions
• Allow silence
• Probe to clarify understanding
• Seek contrary evidence
4. Allow candidate’s questions in addition to providing the following at the close of the interview
• Position description
• Company history
• Product/service description
• Benefits summary
5. Close interview
• Thank candidate
• Explain other steps (other tests, tour or interviews may follow)
• Provide schedule for decision
• Does their interest continue?
6. Complete your interview notes and make your evaluation/rating after the candidate leaves

No answer or a vague answer

Handling the answers to these questions takes practice.  Candidates may have little experience with this style of interview, so make sure you explain and perhaps give an example of a question and specific answer.  There is frequently a need to allow silence while a candidate thinks about providing you a specific example.

If the silence is uncomfortable long (more than 15 seconds), assure the candidate that most people need time to consider these questions. 

You may need to restate the question to given them a better understanding of what you’re seeking.  Instead of asking for the most difficult time when a situation occurred, perhaps ask for the first, or most recent.

Sometimes the candidate will provide and answer using words like “generally”, “we”, “always”.  This is a time to ask again, more definitely, “what was your role in this situation?”

At times candidates will provide you enough behavioral information on skill in 2 questions rather than the 4 you wrote.  Skip those extra questions and refer back to them at the end if you have time available.  Move on to questions on other skills and behaviors so you get a thorough picture in the time available. 

Don’t get charmed by an interesting story about something you’re very familiar with and lose focus.  When you go to evaluate your candidate, it will be clear quickly that you concentrated too much of the interview on one area and have insufficient data to rate all the areas of consideration.

Using follow-up probes

Probing for recency, longevity, frequency and confirmation of the behavior by others is important because these are factors which raise the predictive accuracy of the answers.

If you need more information, here are questions to ask:

1. When did this happen most recently?
2. How often does this occur?
3. When did you first develop this ability?
4. Did anyone notice this and praise you?
5. What triggered your decision to ... ?
6. How did you (your supervisor/your subordinates) react to ... ?
7. How did you handle that situation the next time it happened?
8. What is it about you that drives you to .... when others ....?
9. How did you learn to …?

Also, seek “contrary evidence” to the conclusions you reach.  If you have decided that a candidate doesn’t like to follow rules, ask a question such as, “Tell me about a time when you followed rules and procedures to solve a problem, even when it would have been faster not to.”  This question shows you as being even-handed and fair minded.  It is your job to get a well-balanced picture of the candidate, not a one-sided one.  This same rule applies even when you are getting all positive responses from a candidate.  Seek out “contrary” evidence to make sure you have not missed a short-coming.

Your evaluation

There are many systems of evaluation, numeric, qualitative and simply Yes/No.  Whichever you choose, make sure you base your evaluation on the facts from your notes.

Compare the candidate’s responses to the criteria you established in steps 2 and 3, when you established the evaluation measures based on behaviors and skills.  Consider the degree to which the candidate’s response matched a specific criterion as well as the longevity, recency, frequency and confirmability of the behavior.  Also consider whether the candidate related undesirable behaviors.

In a sample system, you would score an exact match of behaviors exhibited frequently and consistently throughout the candidate’s career a 10.  If the candidate had a partial match of the desired behaviors, done more recently, but less frequently, you would rate it a 5.  If the candidate related examples which were performances antithetical to the desired behaviors, then you would rate it a 1.

Consider each evaluation factor separately and avoid central tendency (all 5’s), halo effect (all 10’s) and other common rating errors.

If you weighted the scores, apply the final weighted scores in ranking your candidates based on the interview.  Of course, you will be considering the interview along with other factors such as reference checks, scores on tests and other bases.  Following is an example of how one candidate’s interview might be evaluated.

Interview Weighting Example

Candidate A

Candidate Comparison

Each factor, such as interview, references and tests could be further weighted for consideration. 

A Final Word

The impact of your selection certainly reaches the company’s bottom line and your own effectiveness and productivity.  With a little practice and a bit more structure, you will be conducting a legally defensible process with more agreement at the “finish line” because of the front-end development of the hiring criteria.

The Recruitment Process