Bei research

1. Behavioural Event Interview
 Behavioural vs.TraditionalInterviews
o Traditional Interviewsisthe mostcommontype of interview.
 The interviewconsistsof aseriesof questionsthatmayor maynot be
standardized.
 In additiontorespondingtoquestions,interviewerwouldbe expectedto
ask articulate,well-formedquestions.
 Traditional interviewingmethodsdonotworkwell toidentifycompetencies
primarilyfortworeasons:
 First,mostpeople don’tknow whattheir competencies,strengths
and weaknesses,reallyare.HarvardpsychologistChrisArgyrishas
shownthat people’s“espousedtheoriesof action”(whattheysay
theydo) bear norelationtotheir“theoriesinuse”(whatthey
actuallydo).
 Second,people maynot reveal theirreal motivesandabilities.Most
interview questionsare “leading”andmostpeople cangive the
“sociallydesirable”answer:whattheythinkthe interviewerwantsto
hear.
 As a result,people’sself-reportsof background,strengths,andpreferences
do notprovide reliable informationabouttheircompetencies.
o Behavioural interview isquite differentinseveralwaysfromtraditional interviewing
techniquesandare one of the most effective waytoJobcompetencyAssessment:
 Insteadof askinghow youwouldbehave inaparticularsituation,the
interviewerwill askyoutodescribe how youdidbehave andinterpretthe
competenciesinvolved.
 Interviewerwill questionandprobe (thinkof “peelingthe layersfroman
onion”) andwill askyouto provide detailswhichwillnotallow youto
theorize orgeneralizesoasto pinpointcritical competencies.
 The behavioural interviewerisfact-findingandwill focusonyouractual past
actions,notwhat you"should"or"would"have done.Some interviewers,
however,will follow-upwithquestionssuchas,"Lookingbackonthis
experience,whatwouldyoudodifferently?"
 You may notget a chance to deliveranypreparedstories.
 The behavioural interviewerismore interactivewithyouandwill continue
probingwith follow-upquestionsorrefocusinginordertogetthe
informationneeded.
 The behavioural interviewmaybe longerandthe interviewerwilllikelybe takingcopious
notes.
 Basic problemswiththe traditional interview
o Considersome typical questionsof the traditional interview:
 Describe yourstrengthsforme.
 Describe yourweaknesses.
 How didyoulearnaboutus?
 Where do yousee yourself fiveyearsfromnow?
o Example of Traditional Interview
 Q. How informativeare these questions?
 A. Notmuch,because theydeal withgeneralitiesthatsayhardlyanything
aboutthe candidate.Infact,mostcandidatesare likelytoanticipate these

2. questionsand,therefore,have well-rehearsed,“stock”answersthat
probablysaylittle aboutthem.
 Q. Can we do better?
 A. Yes,the behavioral interview facilitatesthe gatheringof more diagnostic
informationthanthatobtainedintraditional interviews.
 Q. Do employmentinterviewspredictjobperformance?
 A. Traditional interviewstendtobe poorpredictors of jobperformance,
probablybecause theyare notrepresentative samplesof TYPICAL
performance.The distinctionbetweentypical andmaximalperformance is
important,because we are primarilyinterestedinpredictingtypical job
performance,notmaximal performance..
 Q. Why are performance-basedinterviewssuperiortounstructured
interviews?
 A. Because theyprovide relativelyobjectivegroundsforanevaluationthus
providinganaccurate descriptionof typical jobbehavior.
 VideoLink:
 What isBEI
o The objective of a BEI is to get very detailed behavioral descriptions of how a
person goes about doing his or her work. The interviewer's job is to elicit
complete stories that describe the interviewee's specific behaviors, thoughts, and
actions in actual situations.
A behavioral interview isastructuredinterview thatisusedtocollectinformation
aboutpast behavior.Because pastperformance isapredictorof future behavior,a
behavioral interviewattemptstouncoveryourpastperformance byaskingopen-
ended questions.Eachquestionhelpsthe interviewerlearnaboutintervieweepast
performance inakeyskill areathat iscritical to successin the positionforwhichhe
beeninterviewed.The interview shouldbe conductedface-to-face whenever
possible
o BEI’s can be one of the mostreliable toolsinpredictinganapplicant’sfutureon-the-
jobperformance.
o The theoryof behavioreventinterviewing(BEI) issimple.Itconsidersthe bestway
for an organizationtopredictanindividual’sfuturebehaviorandperformance isto
have the individual talkabouttheirpastcompetencies,behaviorandperformance.
There are additional benefitstoboththe organizationandthe individualaswell.
o Thisinterview style isbasedinthe belief thathypothetical responses –whichare
whatmost people give andwhatmostinterviewersaskfor - do not predicthow a
personwill actina future situation.Infact,mostof the time the answersan
interviewee providesare whattheybelievethe interviewerwantstohear.
o The additional benefitsBEI’sprovide are the opportunitiesforHRdepartmentsand
interview panelstouse astandardizedassessmentmethodtomeasure the
responsesandqualificationsof theirprospects.Employersneedtohire the
candidate whohasthe bestskillsforthe job.Beingmeasurable isincreasingly
importantas itprovidesconsistent,quantifiableproof thatthe bestcandidate has
beenchosenandthat the final decisionisdefendable.The rootof a BEI is therefore
inthe developmentandthe deliveryof standardizedquestionswhichallowseach
individualbeinginterviewedtobe measuredbasedontheirownresponses.
o KeyElementsof A Behavioral Interview
 Structure
 Interviewsshouldbe carefullyplannedintermsof the information
aboutthe organizationandthe jobto be sharedwithcandidates,
specificquestionstobe asked,whatkindsof probesorfollow-up
questionswill be allowed,andthe lengthof the interview.

3.  Standardization
 Standardizationisakeycomponentof equal employment
interviewingbecause itgrants all candidatesthe same kindof
opportunitiestodemonstrate theirpotential. Rememberthat
interviewsare intendedtogathera sample of jobperformance and,
therefore,candidatesshouldbe judgedaccordingtoequally
representative samples.
 Many interviewerswishtobuildrapportwiththe candidate anddo
so byturningthe interview intoaninformal conversation. Informal
conversationsresultindifferentquestionsbeingaskedof different
candidates.Comparingtwocandidateswhohave beengiven
completelydifferentopportunitiesislike comparingapplesand
oranges;candidate 1 shouldnotbe creditedforexperience shared
inthe interview if candidate 2wasnot providedanopportunityto
share similarexperiences.
 Rapport iscertainlyimportant, becauseitincreasesthe likelihood
that the best-performingjobcandidateacceptsthe offer,andto
ensure thatthe image of the organizationismaintainedorenhanced
inthe eyesof the candidateswhoare notofferedaposition.
Selectionisatwo-wayprocessbecause candidatesare alsoselecting
an organizationforwhichtheywouldliketowork.However,aswe
will explainlater,tomaximize the amountof relevantinformation
obtainedfromthe interview,one doesnotneedtoaskthe exact
same questions fromall applicants.Instead,one shouldtailorthe
questionstothe particularexperiencesof eachcandidate inlightof
the competenciesrequiredbythe job.
 Job-relatedness
 Askingjob-unrelatedquestionswillnotonlyplace the organization
at risk,but alsoyieldaninvalidpredictionof future job
performance. One shouldexaminethe jobanalysisandmake sure
that questionstaprelevantcompetenciesthatare reallyneededfor
the job.An interviewercouldbe biasedandplace excessive
emphasisona single jobrequirementthats/he deemsespecially
important.Forinstance,considerarestaurantmanagerhiringa
replacementforachef whohas takenanotherjobafteronlythree
monthsinthe position.The managerdecidesthatone of the most
importantjob requirementsisthatthe personshouldkeepthe
positionforquite some time.Eventhoughretentionmaybe
important,the managermaybe placingtoomuch emphasisonthis
single attribute,losingsightof otherimportantrequirements.A
well-conductedjob analysis,whichincludesinputfromanumberof
knowledgeable sourcesof jobinformation,islikelytobalance the
importance of retentionwiththatof otherattributes.
 Why BEI
o It’simportantto assesswhetherthe candidate demonstratestraitsthatfit your
workplace culture.BEIquestionssolicitreal-life experiential responsesthatprovide
a way to evaluate skills,knowledge,andbehaviorsversusphilosophical views.The
candidate’sresponsesare atrue indicationof how the candidate willbehaveand
performinfuturework-relatedsituations.

4. o Behavioral competencyassessmentisanintegral partof the performance
managementprocessinhighperformingorganizations.
o BEI has certainlimitationseventhenitisone of the mostpreferredandwidelyused
competencyassessmentmethod.The methodof thematicanalysiscanovercome
mostof these limitationsmentionedabovethroughsearchingforandidentifying
patternsinthe person’sdetailedrecollections.These patterns,orthemes,may
reflectadispositionoranunderlyingcharacteristicof whicheventhe respondentis
unaware.Major reasonsforpopularityof BEIcanbe summarisedas:
 BEI has beenthe mosteffectiveassessmentmethodinidentifyingskill level.
 It doesnottendto generate informationaboutspecializedknowledge used
injob performance situationsbuttodetermineotherlevelsof competencies
(i.e.,motives,traits,self image,orsocial roles),the analystof these
interviewswouldhave toinferthe competenciesfromthe eventsdescribed.
 Further,itis one of the most effectivetechniquesforassessingmanagerial
behaviourasprovidesinformationonaspectsof managerial behaviourthat
wouldnotbe directlyobservable.
 The BEI representsasamplingof aperson’sbehaviourinthatit resultsin
informationaboutsix critical incidentsinthe person’srecentjobactivity.
 Thisallowsfordocumentationof apatternof demonstratingspecific
competencies.
 If such a samplingwere notobtained,asingle demonstrationof anaction
couldbe evidence of a uniqueeventratherthanof a competencythatthe
personpossesses.
 It can be consideredacontentvalidassessmentmethodasitobtainsa
sample of theperson’sactual behaviourinthe job.
 It ismore costeffective thanmanyothermethods.
 When is it used?
o Behavioral EventInterviewingcanbe usedto evaluate candidatesforanyposition.A
critical successfactor inselectingthe bestcandidate isseekingadequate
informationtoassesswhetherthe candidate’sskills,education,experience,and
behavioral traitsare agoodmatch withthe keyjobrequirementsand our
organization’sculture.
 Preparingforan Effective Interview
o Firstly,we mustidentifythe keycompetenciesanindividualmustpossestoexcel in
thisjob.
o Evaluate the currentjobdescription anddescribe the keycompetencies/specific
skillsortraitsyou are lookingfor(Time Management/Planning&Organising/
AttentiontoDetail /Initiative,etc.) inperformance successfactorsforthe job.
o If you have employeessuccessfullyperformingthe jobcurrently,listthe traits,
characteristics,andskillstheybringtothe job.
o Create a listof questions(thesecanbe bothbehavioural andtraditional) inline with
the keycompetenciesthataskthe candidate torefertopast examples
demonstratingtheseskills.
o (Fora listof sample questions,see ourfactsheeton'Examplesof Behavioural-based
InterviewQuestions').
o A structuredlistmakescandidate selectionmore defensible andallowsyoutomake
comparisonsbetweenthe variousanswersandapproachesof yourinterviewees.
 How to ConductBEI
o The Warm-up of an interview beginswithputtingthe candidate atease andmaking
him/herfeel welcomed.

5. o Your tone of voice,eye contact,facial expression,bodylanguageandlevelof
enthusiasmall affectyourabilitytobuildrapportandimpactthe candidate’s
willingnesstobe openthroughoutthe interview.
o Next,explainthatyou’ll be askingaboutspecificexperiencesthey’vehadandhow
theyreactedincertainsituations.
o Let themknowtheycouldnothave preparedforthese questions,sonotto be
concernedif theytake a minute togathertheirthoughtsbefore responding,nor
shouldtheybe concernedif theiranswersdon’tsoundaspolishedastheymightina
traditional interview.
o Requestthemtoexplainthe situation,whowasinvolved,theirrole,actionstaken,
and results/outcomes.
o Let the candidate knowyouwill be takingnotesduringthe interview,andyoumay
brieflyinterruptthemfromtime totime tofurtherexplore orgainclarity.
o Ensure the candidate knowsthatthere will be timeforhim/hertoask questions
towardthe endof interview.
o Questionaskedcanbe askedforfollowing
 Task Preference - CompatibilityMatch
 To evaluate whetheracandidate’staskpreferencesarecompatible
withthe pace, people,task,andproblem-solvingrequirementsof
the openposition.Gainingawarenessof acandidate’slikesand
dislikesalsoprovidesinsighttotheirlevelof engagementandfuture
performance.
 Function-SpecificCompetency
 To focus and understand whether a candidate’s current knowledge,
skills and education meet the technicalrequirements of the position
 Organizational Competencies
 Theyare behaviorsortraitsrequiredforsuccessful performance for
all employees. Alsoexplore how theywouldprefertogetacclimated
to yourorganization’sproducts/services.
o ExitDialogsprovide time toanswerthe candidate’squestions,toshare what
yourorganizationhastooffer,andto relaynextsteps.
o Committo gettingthe answerstothe candidate asquicklyaspossible if you’re not
knowledgeable of all the specifics.
o Informthe candidate of the nextstepinthe hiringprocess,andshare future
expectations(e.g.,adecisionwillbe communicatedviae-mailwithinthe next
twoweeks).
o Thank the candidate fortheirinterestandtime spentexploringthe openposition.
 EightKeySteps of Behavioral Interview
o ReviewJobAnalysisMaterial
 Reviewthe jobtasksandresponsibilities
 Reviewthe competenciesnecessarytoperformthe tasks and
responsibilities
 Identifythe competenciesthatare requireduponentry
 ObtainconfirmationfromSMEs
 If a jobanalysisdoesnotexist,one will needtobe conducted
o Determine the Competenciestobe Assessed
 interviewsare more “hightouch”than other assessmentmethods,making
themgreat forassessing“soft”competenciessuchas:
 Teamwork
 Oral Communication
 Interpersonal Skills

6.  ConflictManagement
 Influencing/Negotiating
 Structuredinterviewstypicallyassess4-6competenciesunlessthe jobis
unique orat a highlevel
o Developthe InterviewQuestions
 Tipsfor WritingInterview Questions:
 Reflectiveof the jobandtiedto competenciesidentifiedthroughthe
jobanalysis
 Open-ended
 Clearand concise
 At an appropriate readinglevel
 Free of jargon
 Writtenwithsuperlative adjectives(e.g.,most,last,worst,least,
best)
 Potentiallyprovideacontextforthe question
 S.T.A.Rtechnique
 In a behavioral interview,the interviewerwill askquestionsabout
interviewee’s pastexperiences.A useful waytoprepare forthisstyle
of questioningistouse the STARtechnique.The STARtechnique isa
wayto frame the answerstoeach questioninanorganizedmanner
that will give the interviewerthe mostinformationabout
interviewee pastexperience.As intervieweeprepare toanswereach
question,considerorganizinghis responsebyansweringeachof the
followingcomponentsof the STARtechnique:
o What was the Situationinwhichhe wasinvolved?
o What was the Task he neededtoaccomplish?
o What Action(s) didhe take?
o What Resultsdidhe achieve?
 BehavioralInterview Questions
 Behavioral questionsaskaboutsituationsthatthe candidate had
experiencedandacteduponinthe past.
 The underlyingprinciple of thesequestionsisthatpastbehavior
predictsfuture behaviorand,therefore,candidateswouldhandle
future situationsinline withthe waytheyhadhandledsimilar
situationsinthe past.
 By obtainingthese behavioral examples,itispossible torate the
presence of specificcompetenciesthatare importantforthe
organizationandthe job.
 Questionsare formulatedtoelicitbehavioral descriptionsof each
competency.
 The ideal answersthatone isafter include three components:
o (1) the situationthe candidate faced,
o (2) whatthe candidate did(his/herbehavior),
o (3) the outcome or consequencesof whatthe candidate did.
If critical incidents(i.e.,examplesof outstanding,average,
or poor performance) have beenidentifiedaspartof the job
analysis,theyformthe basisof interview questions.
 Behavioral questionshave twoparts:
o (1) openingpart,whichframesthe type of competency-
relevantsituationthatthe interviewerhasinmindand

7. o (2) follow uppartor probe(s),whichattempttonarrow
downthe detailsandinformationthatwere notnecessarily
describedinthe firstanswer.
o Generally,the openingpartshouldnotdisclose the desired
competency,inordertominimize candidates’potential
manipulationof theiranswersinlightof whattheythinkwill
impressinterviewers.
o Instead,openingquestionsshouldfocusonthe situation,
and notthe type of response oroutcome expectedfromthe
candidate’sanswer.
o For instance,assume thatone isdevelopingaquestionto
assessempathyfora customerservice job.
o Ratherthan asking,“Canyou thinkof a situationin yourlast
retail jobwhenyouhave hadto show empathyto a
customer?”one shouldaskaboutspecificcustomer
situationswhichdemandempathywithoutmentioning
“empathy”,suchas “In yourlast retail jobI assume you
musthave dealtwithirate customersat times;canyou think
of a particularlydifficultsituationinvolvingone of these
customers?”Suchsituationswouldhave alreadybeen
identifiedif one usedacritical-incidentsjobanalysis.
o If competencieswere inferredfromcritical incidents,one
wouldneedtoimagine similarincidentsorjobsituations
requiringsuchcompetency.
o Once the candidate has confirmedthats/he hashad
experience withsuchsituations,the interviewerdirectsthe
candidate toone particularsituation,oftenbyusinga
focusingadjective(suchasmostrecent,mostmemorable,
mostchallenging,mostdifficult,mostdisappointing).
 Answersneedtobe specificinBEHAVIORALterms;thatis,they
needtoinclude aclear descriptionof whatthe candidate actually
did.
 However,mostcandidatesdonotspontaneouslybringup
descriptionsthatrefertolife-historyeventsduringthe interview.
Instead,applicantsusuallygive opinionsandself-evaluations.
 Focusingonspecificsituationsmakesitmore difficultforcandidates
to distortinformationortospeakingeneral termsof whatthey
believewillimpressthe interviewer(e.g.,“Ialwayshave time formy
employeeswhentheyhave aconcern”).
 By askingabouta past incident,the interviewerismore likelytotap
whatthe candidate hasactuallydone ratherthanwhat the
candidate thinksshouldbe done.
 The interviewerisafterresponsestosituationsthatrelate tothe
relevantcompetencies,butagainthisshouldbe done byfocusingon
situationswhere suchcompetencyemerges,andnotbymentioning
the specificcompetencyorcompetencydefinition.
o Example:“Iam sure you have workedwithpeoplefromall
kindsof backgrounds. Do yourecall a situationthatwas
made most challengingbyworkingwithpeople whowere
quite differentfromyou?”

8.  Note that competenciesoftenreflectabstractconceptsthatdo not
easilylendthemselvestodirectobservation.
 Consideredbyname alone,competenciessuchasteamworkorself-
sufficiencycanbe interpreteddifferentlybydifferentpeople.
 Onlybygatheringbehaviorsthatdemonstrate the use of a
competencycanone decide if anindividual possessit.
 In thisrespect,definitionsof competenciesmustinclude behaviors
that furtherdefine andclarifythemtopreventdifferent
interpretationsbydifferentinterviewers.
o For instance,“consulting”canbe definedas“checkingwith
people beforemakingdecisionsthataffectthem;”this
definitionisastartingpointbutit leavesplentyof roomfor
interpretationregardingthe specificbehaviorsthat
constitute good(orpoor) consulting.
 Thus,it ishelpful tosupplementcompetencydefinitionswith
examplesof behaviors.
 Draw fromcandidate’sactual behaviorduringpastexperiences
whichdemonstrate job-relatedknowledge,skills,abilities,or
competencies
 The underlyingpremise isthatthe bestpredictorof future behavior
on the jobis pastbehaviorundersimilarcircumstances
 SituationalInterview Questions
 Situational questionspresenthypotheticalscenariosorsituations,
and ask candidatestodescribe how theywouldactinsuch
situations.Thus,situational questionsare more concernedwith
intenttobehave incertainwaysthanwithhavingactuallybehaveda
certainwayin the past.The answerstosituational questionsare
easiertoevaluate if judgedagainstaseriesof benchmarkanswers,
whichprovide examplesof goodaverage,andpoorresponsestothe
question.These benchmarkanswersare developedbypilot-testing
the question;answersgatheredinthispilot-testare thencondensed
intoa seriesof typical responsesorbenchmarks.
 Presentrealisticjobscenariosordilemmasandaskhow applicants
wouldrespond
 The underlyingpremise isthatpeople’sintentionsare closelytiedto
theiractual behavior
 Convene apanel of 6-7 SMEs
 SMEs familiarize themselveswith:
 The competenciesbeingassessedandtheirdefinitions
 Some tasksassociatedwiththe competencies
 DevelopInterview Questions:Behavioral Questions
 SMEs brainstormexperience-basedquestionsthatrelate tothe
competenciesandassociatedtasksof interest
 Convertintoquestions
 A secondgroupof SMEs shouldreadthe questionsandidentifythe
competencythattheybelieve the incidentbestillustrates
 DevelopInterview Questions:ExampleCompetency:InterpersonalSkills
 Showsunderstanding,friendliness,courtesy,tact,empathy,
concern,and politeness toothers;developsandmaintainseffective
relationshipswithothers;mayinclude effectivelydealingwith

9. individualswhoare difficult,hostile,ordistressed;relateswell to
people fromvariedbackgroundsanddifferentsituations;issensitive
to cultural diversity,race,gender,disabilities,andotherindividual
differences.
 Example Question:
 Describe asituationinwhichyoudealtwithindividualswhowere
difficult,hostile,ordistressed.Whowasinvolved,whatspecific
actionsdidyou take,and what were the results?
Activity:
Activity 1 - Develop Behavioral
Interview Questions
 Select competencies/associated tasks from a job analysis /
position description / job opportunity announcement
 Write a behavioral question for each competency
 Refer to the STAR model and the “Tips for Writing Interview
Questions” (Slides 11-12)
 Example shell for a behavioral question:
 Describe a time when you [Insert a specific task that
illustrates a job-related competency]. What was the situation,
what actionsdid you take, and what was the
result/reaction/outcome?
 Groups of 3-4
 Share the questions that you wrote
 Listeners link questions to competencies
 DevelopInterview Questions:Situational Questions
 Select competencies/associated tasks from a job analysis /
position description / job opportunity announcement
 Write critical incidents, or examples of effective and ineffective
behaviors or situations you have witnessed on the job which
reflect the competencies and associated tasks
 A second group of SMEs reads the behaviors and identifies the
competency that they believe the incident best illustrates
 Rewrite the retained critical incidents in the form of hypothetical
situational questions
 DevelopInterview Questions:Example Situational Question
 Competency:Interpersonal Skills
 Behavior:“CoworkerKathy”dealtcalmlyandprofessionallywitha
verydistressedclientwhodidnotreceive hercheckontime.
 Question:A veryangryclientwalksuptoyourdesk.She saysshe was
toldyour office sentheranoverdue check5 daysago. She claims
she has not receivedthe check.She saysshe hasbillstopay,and no
one will helpher.How wouldyouhandle thissituation?
Activity:
Develop Situational Questions
Activity 2
 Write Critical Incidents
 Select competencies and associated tasks from your materials

10.  Brainstorm effective and ineffective behaviors that illustrate each
of the competencies
 Address elements of the STAR model
 Groups of 3-4
 Share the effective and ineffective behaviors that you wrote
 Listeners link behaviors to competencies
Develop Situational Questions
 Convert critical incidents into hypothetical scenarios or dilemmas
with situational questions
 Be creative yet realistic with hypothetical scenarios, dilemmas
 Refer to the “Tips for Writing Interview Questions”
o Developthe Probe Questions
 It may be necessarytouse probe questionstoguide the candidate in
providingthe three importantpiecesof informationnecessarytoaccurately
assesstheirresponse
 Decide beforehandwhetherornotprobe questionswill be allowed
 Make a listof acceptable probe questionsforeverycompetencyinterview
question
 DevelopProbe Questions –Do’s& Don’ts
 Do notuse leadingprobesthatconveythe answers
 Donarrow in onthe candidate’sspecificrolesandactions
 Seekclarificationwhencandidates say“we did…”or “our group…”
 Seekclarificationwhencandidatesare vague
 Do notchallenge bywordorexpressionanystatementsmade bythe
candidate
 Do ask open-endedquestionsunlesslookingforayes/noresponse
 Example ProbesforBehavioral Questions
 Situation/Taskprobes
o Who wasinvolved?
o What factors ledupto thissituation?
 Actionprobes
o How didyourespond?
o What was yourrole?
 Resultprobes
o What was the outcome?
o Is there anythingyouwouldhave done differently?
 Example ProbesforSituationalQuestions
 Situation/Taskprobes
o Why doyou believethissituationoccurred?
o What do youconsidertobe the mostcritical issuesinthis
situation?
 Actionprobes
o What isthe firstthingyouwouldsayor do?
o What factors wouldaffectyourcourse of action?
o That otheractionscouldyou take?
 Resultprobes
o How doyou thinkyouractionwouldbe received?
o What do youconsiderasbenefitsof youraction?

11. Activity
o Create probe questionsforthe behavioral andsituational questions
that youdeveloped
o Developthe RatingScale
 Decide onone proficiencylevelrange forall competencies
 Typicallybetween3and7 levels
 Label at least3 levels(e.g.,unsatisfactory,satisfactory,superior)
 DevelopaRatingScale for Behavioral Questions
 Determine behavioralexamplesfor eachproficiencylevel
 Convene the SMEswho developedthe behavioral questions
o SMEs individuallydetermine how actual employeesateach
proficiencylevelwouldrespond
o SMEs discussthese exampleresponsesandreachconsensus
on the mostrepresentativeresponsesforeachproficiency
level
o Use these behavioralresponse examplesasageneral guide
to match the candidate’sresponsewithaproficiencylevel
 DevelopaRatingScale for Situational Questions
o Determine how someone ateachproficiencylevel might
behave ineachhypothetical scenario
o Convene the SMEswho developedthe situational questions
 SMEs individuallydetermine how actual employees
at each proficiencylevelmightrespondtothe
scenarios
 SMEs discussthese exampleresponsesandreach
consensuson the mostrepresentative responsesfor
each proficiencylevel
 Use the hypothetical response examplesasa
general guide tomatchthe candidate’sresponse
witha proficiencylevel
Activity - DevelopRatingScales
o Groups of 3-4
o Developexampleresponses representingscoresof “1”, “3”,
and “5” forone behavioral andone situational questionthat
each of you hasdeveloped
o PilotTestthe QuestionsandInterview Process
 Determine howmanyinterviewerswillbe oneachpanel
 Determine howfinal ratingswill be determined(e.g.,consensus,majority,
average)
o DevelopanInterviewer’sGuide
 General Instructionsaboutthe Interview Process
 Definitionsof CompetenciesBeingAssessed
 QuestionsandRatingScaleswithExample Responses
 Example ProbesforEach Question
 General InterviewingTipsandPracticestoAvoid
o Documentthe DevelopmentProcess
 Maintaininterview developmentrecords,including:
 Descriptions(e.g.,name,jobtitle,levelof expertise) of all
participants,includingSMEs
 Interview developmentmaterials(e.g.,reference materials,previous
manuals)

12.  A descriptionof the developmentof the interview,includingthe job
analysisandthe questionandratingscale developmentprocess
 AcquiringEvidence –Questioning&ListeningSkills
o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kNIlIrocrU

13. Additional Information on the Topic
Sample of Behavioral InterviewQuestions
 Tell me about a time when you were on a team, and one of the members wasn’t doing his
or hershare.
 Tell me about a time when you felt a need to update your skills or knowledge in order to
keep upwith the changes in technology. How did you approach that?
 Describe a time when a customer got angry with you. How did you react? How did you
resolve thesituation?
 Please give me an example of a time when you took the initiative to improve a specific
workprocess.
 Give me an example of a time when you surpassed a customer’s expectations.
 Tell me about a time when a customer requested special treatment that was out of the
scope ofnormal procedures. What was the situation and how did you handle it?
 Describe a time when you had to use logic and good judgement to solve a problem.
 Tell me about a time when you had to cope with a stressful situation.
 Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision.
 Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills to solve a problem.
 Describe a time when you put your needs aside to help a co-worker understand a task.
How didyou assist them? What was the result?
 Behavioral questions usually begin with a statement like: 'Tell me about a time when...' or
'Describe a situation where...'
 The following are some examples of behavioral questions
 Describe a time when you were faced with problems or stresses that tested your coping
skills.
o What did you do?
 Give an example of a time when you had to be relatively quick in coming to a decision.
 Describe the system you use to keep track of multiple projects.
 Tell me about a time when you came up with an innovative solution to a challenge.
o What was the challenge?
o What was the outcome?
o What role did you play?
o What role did others play?
 Describe the most creative work-related project you have completed.
 Tell me about a situation where you worked with an upset customer or co-worker.
 Describe a difficult problem that you faced.
o How did you identify the problem?
o How did you go about trying to solve it?
 Describe a situation in which you were able to use persuasion tosuccessfully convince
someone to see things your way.
 Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation thatdemonstrated your
coping skills.
 Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment andlogic in solving a
problem.
 Give me an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to meetor achieve it.
 Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills toinfluence someone’s
opinion.
 Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to apolicy with which
you did not agree.
 Please discuss an important written document you were required tocomplete.

14.  Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call ofduty in order to get
a job done.
 Tell me about a time when you had too many things to do and you wererequired to
prioritize your tasks.
 Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split seconddecision.
 What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.
 Tell me about a time you were able to successfully deal with another person even when
that individual may no9t have personally liked you (orvice versa).
 Tell me about a difficult decision you’ve made in the last year.
 Give me an example of a time when something you tried to accomplishand failed.
 Give me an example of when you showed initiative and took the lead.
 Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a veryupset customer or
co-worker.
 Give me an example of a time when you motivated others.
 Tell me about a time when you delegated a project effectively.
 Give me an example of a time when you used your fact-finding skills tosolve a problem.
 Tell me about a time when you missed an obvious solution to a problem.
 Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developedpreventive
measures.
 Tell me about a time
The Right Way to Conducta Job InterviewVideo –Link
https://hbr.org/2013/01/the-right-way-to-conduct-a-job.html

15. Activities:
One method of developing the competencies described by D. C. McClelland (see Competency-
based Interviewing) is by conducting Behavioral Event Interviews. The objective of a BEI is to get
very detailed behavioral descriptions of how a person goes about doing his or her work. The
interviewer's job is to elicit complete stories that describe the interviewee's specific behaviors,
thoughts, and actions in actual situations.
BEIs are very focused, clinical-type, recorded interviews which can take from 2-2 1/2 hours to
complete. They require working with a candidate to develop a series of "behavioral events." After
each interview, the recording is analyzed for evidence of competencies. The total process of
recording the interview, creating transcripts and analyzing them for competencies can take up to
six hours per interview.
The major step in the BEI interview is to elicit behavioral events. The interviewee is asked to
describe, in detail, the five or six most important situations he or she has experienced in a
specific job. The situations should include two or three high points, or major successes, and two
or three low points, or key failures. The candidate is asked to answer five key questions.
"What was the situation? What events led up to it?"
"Who was involved?"
"What did you (the interviewee) think, feel, or want to do in the situation?"
Here you are particularly interested in the person's perceptions and feelings about the situation
and people involved in it.
How was the person thinking about others (e.g., positively or negatively) or about the situation
(e.g., problem-solving thoughts)?
What was the person feeling (e.g., scared, confident, excited)?
What did the person want to do - what motivated him or her in the situation (e.g., to do something
better, to impress the boss)?
"What did you actually do or say?" Here you are interested in the skills that the person showed.
"What was the outcome? What happened?"
Trained specialists analyze the BEI transcripts to identify competencies that appear in the
Behavioral Events. If the goal is to build a competency model, the process must be repeated with
8-12 "star" performers and 8-12 average performers, each providing five or six events. This
means that 80-144 events must be generated and analyzed for each job. In today's busy, lean
organizations, few interviewers have the time or resources for this level of individual analysis of
each candidate