“The most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in a similar situation.”

This statement is the premise behind behavioral interviewing, an interviewing technique created in the 1970’s by industrial psychologists. This type of interview is now becoming popular with employers. For those of you unfamiliar with this interviewing style, a behavioral interview can be a challenging experience.

Unlike traditional interviewing, which requires opinion-based answers to questions (tell me about yourself; what are your strengths and weaknesses; why do you want to work for this company?), behavioral interviewing requires job candidates to relate stories about their past employment behaviors. These stories are prompted by questions directly related to the skill sets the company has determined are required for a position.

For example, if a particular job requires strong communication and team-building skills, then, in a behavioral interview, candidates would be asked to recount past accomplishments in those areas. Behavioral interview questions often start with phrases like, “Tell me about a time when…” or “Describe a situation in which…” or “Give me an example of…”

The challenge with the behavioral interviewing style is that, while your skills and experiences could be a perfect match for the position you seek, an interviewer could discount your candidacy if you are unprepared for, or struggle with, the behavioral interview format.

So, how do you prepare for a behavioral interview?

First, you’ll want to put yourself in the shoes of the potential employer and imagine what the ideal candidate for the position would answer from the interviewer’s perspective.

Then, take the time to thoroughly review the job description and research the company and its culture. Look for cues as to which skills are necessary for the job and which are highly valued by the organization. Then, based on your research, identify what skills the successful candidate would have and which behavioral-based questions would correlate to those skills and might be asked in an interview.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 at 10:09 am and is filed under Interview, Job Search. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.