The Behavioral Interview a.k.a. “Hello, Brain? Are you in there?” Leigh Ann Burns Naas Drug Safety Research & Development, Pfizer

Behavioral Interviewing Focuses on experiences, behaviors, knowledge, skills and abilities that are job-related Asserts that "the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in a similar situation." Companies pre-determine the skill sets required for a particular position (e.g., leadership, critical thinking, team building, influencing, communication, decision-making, etc.), then structure open-ended questions and statements to elicit detailed responses The questions asked assist the employer in making predictions about a potential employee's future success based on actual past behaviors, instead of based on responses to hypothetical questions Interviewees who are prepared can do well; those who aren’t…

In the Behavioral Interview… You are asked to give specific examples of when you demonstrated particular behaviors or skills. General answers are not what the employer is looking for. You must describe in detail a particular event, project, or experience and you dealt with the situation, and what the outcome was.

Example 1 “Building Relationships” The Set-Up In this job, you will be representing our department on multidisciplinary teams. It’s very important to build good relationships at work but sometimes it doesn’t always work. Additionally, it may not be uncommon to find that individuals have competing priorities for their time – from their Line and from the Project Team. The Question Give me a specific example of a time when you had to deal with an angry customer or co-worker. What was the problem and the outcome? How would you asses your role in diffusing the situation? A Typical Response…

Example 1 “Building Relationships” The Set-Up In this job, you will be representing our department on multidisciplinary teams. It’s very important to build good relationships at work but sometimes it doesn’t always work. Additionally, it may not be uncommon to find that individuals have competing priorities for their time – from their Line and from the Project Team. The Questions Give me a specific example of a time when you had to deal with an angry customer or co-worker. What was the problem and the outcome? How would you asses your role in diffusing the situation? If you can, tell about a time when you were not able to build a successful relationship with a difficult person. Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa)

How to Approach the Behavioral Interview Be Prepared! You can’t BS your way through these interviews. Conduct a job analysis (ask for a job description) –What are the necessary skills (other than technical)? –What makes a successful/unsuccessful candidate? –What is the most difficult part of this job? Review example questions (Google “behavioral interview” – you’ll find lots!) and think about how you would answer each one with a specific example from your past performance Identify several examples from your past experience where you demonstrated key behaviors and skills that employers typically seek –Focus on situations that exploit key attributes… –But also have some situations in mind that may have started out negatively but either ended well, you made the best of the situation, or you learned something from the outcome –Try to vary your examples – don’t take them just from the one project team you are on

The STAR Approach Situation or Task, Action, Result Don't describe how you would behave. Describe how you did actually behave. If you later decided you should have behaved differently, explain this. The employer will see that you learned something from experience. You may use work experience, activities, hobbies, volunteer work, school projects, family life - anything really - as examples of your past behavior –Note: Some companies insist you describe situations that have occurred only within the past 1-2 years Don’t ramble and go off on tangents Listen carefully. If you’re unsure of the question, re-phrase it.