Behavioral Interviews

By Matt Krumrie, Star Tribune Sales and Marketing

Last update: November 25, 2004 - 10:00 PM

Behavioral interviews are becoming increasingly popular. Psychologists developed this interview format in the 1970s. One reason for its rebirth in the workplace now is the number of résumés that are enhanced or exaggerated. Behavioral interviewing is a good way to ask for proof.

"This is an interviewing technique employers use to determine whether you are a good fit for the job," says Carole Martin, "the Interview Coach" (www.interviewcoach.com). Martin has over 18 years of experience in human resources and staffing in behavioral interviewing techniques. "This is accomplished by asking questions that pertain to your past behavior. The information gained through this technique is used as an indicator of your future success. In other words, the answers you give about your past experiences will be used to predict your future performance – if you did it before, you can do it again," says Martin.

The key to behavioral interviews is how the questions are phrased, says Martin. Here is what to expect:

- A behavioral question will be very specific. For example, when asked, "Tell me about a time when you solved a problem," the key words are "a time." This calls for a specific example.

- When traditional or "what if" questions are asked, you can use your imagination to come up with an answer. For example when asked, "What would you do if you had a problem to solve?" "if" is the clue that the interviewer wants to hear your thought process – how you think through a problem. This question does not require a past experience example.

- An example would be if you claimed you were very organized on your resume. A natural question for the interviewer would be, "Tell me about a time when you organized a project." It is now your task to let the interviewer know that you have had success when organizing a project or event.

Martin, who also has authored "Interview Fitness Training" and "Boost Your Interview IQ," says preparation is essential to acing the behavioral interview.

"Preparing your stories before the interview will take the mystique out of behavioral interviewing and allow you to tell the success stories you want your interviewer to hear," says Martin.

Matt Krumrie is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights, MN,and has six years of experience reporting on the employment industry.E-mail subject ideas to janelson@startribune.com.

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