Behavioral Based Interviewing, NCENG June 9, 2015 Kevin Schaack

Effective Selection Systems An effective selection system has three primary components. Accuracy Equity Buy-In What do we mean by these?

Why Behavior Based Interviewing? Past behaviors are the best predictor of future behaviors. Interviewers should seek specific examples of past behaviors (SBO-situation, behavior, outcome) to best predict future behaviors.

What are Behaviors? Not hypothetical, opinion or future-oriented Examples of these? Objective vs. subjective Actions vs. words Will help predict whether or not they have required competencies

Parts of an Interview Greeting “The sell” Resume/Career questions Welcome Agenda “The sell” Resume/Career questions Behavior/Competency Based Questions Closing Questions Next steps

Tools for a Successful Interview Itinerary Interview guide / pre-planned questions Job description Candidate’s resume Strategy – who will cover what? Designated, quiet space Timeliness

Benefits of the Tools? Focuses on behaviors and skills Prepares interviewers for a successful interview Provides consistency in interview process across constituencies Promotes legal, defensible hiring practices

Preparing for an Interview Select interview team and communicate expectations to them Divide competencies up among team Review the job description Review candidate’s resume Develop interview questions based on identified competencies and candidate’s work experience Review interview schedule

Developing Interview Questions Review competencies and definitions Develop questions based on applicable competencies and their experience Ask questions based on the same competencies to all applicants Ask candidate to describe a specific situation, behavior and outcome (SBO) Avoid leading questions

Prepping the Candidate Explain the SBO format Tell them that there are no right or wrong answers Explain that you are taking notes and that we need to stay on schedule Give them time to think of responses Don’t bail them out Move onto next question if they blank

Probing Questions Do candidates answer questions in SBO format? Rarely Follow-up questions designed to gather missing information The candidate’s actions or lack of, are the heart of the behavior Ensure that you understand the result Seek contrasting examples

Managing the Interview & Building Rapport Use non-verbal cues – examples? Silence – what’s the impact? Note Taking – what does this tell the candidate? Time Management – tricks? Maintain / Enhance Self-Esteem Listen & Respond with Empathy

Note Taking Take notes openly Note only pertinent information Note observed behavior in interview Record key words Remember that interview notes are discoverable in a court of law

Red Flag Words We Normally or usually Was on a team that… If I think Always or never

The Sell Selling the position Selling the Company Share positive aspects of the position Explain where it fits in the department Tell success stories Career pathing Selling the Company Leaves a good impression Consistent message Why did you join?

The Candidate Experience Set time-frame expectation and follow through on them Explain the process and that decisions are made by the group Provide specific reasons for turn downs based upon examples provided Steer turned down candidates towards positions better suited for them

After the Interview Individually evaluate and score each candidate in each competency Conduct a group debrief session Set expectations for the team up front Objective facilitation – maybe a 3rd party? One candidate at a time Seek consensus hirable / not hirable decisions Final hiring decision – managerial discretion Robust note taking on all candidates Retain all documentation for at least one year

Candidate Evaluation Variables to consider: Similarity Recency Impact Relevance of competency to the job Trainability Communication – observable Attitude

Rating Scale This is ours, others may vary: 1 = far less than acceptable 2 = less than acceptable 3 = acceptable 4 = more than acceptable 5 = far more than acceptable What’s the most critical difference between ratings?

In Closing… Plan & Prepare for the interview Past behavior = future behavior Keep it specific Manage the interview & build rapport Focus on behaviors and outcomes Debrief to seek consensus Remember the candidate experience

Questions / Comments?

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