1. Training Workshop -The Art of Interviewing
Behavioural Event Interviewing / Targeted Selection
2. Workshop Ground Rules
During the workshop, remember to:
• Share openly
• Respect the other’s contribution
• Keep an open mind
• Be responsible for your learning
• No mobile phones !
• No meetings !
• Have FUN !!
3. Why Focus On Interviewing?
• Effective interviewing / selection helps identify people
who can and will do the job over a period of time.
• It is productive time invested.
4. Interviewing – Why Is It So Hard?
You have one hour or less to evaluate someone who:
• You probably have never met before
• May be nervous and who therefore may not do
themselves justice
• May see the interview as a “game” in which to sell
themselves and their achievements in a far more positive
way than is the case in reality.
5. Interviewing – Why Is It So Hard?
You, as the interviewer:
• May be short on time
• May be occupied with tasks
• May not have had time to prepare
• May be preoccupied with managing the interview process
than actually evaluating the candidate
Little wonder then that interviews so often result in hiring the wrong
candidate!
The challenge: An interview will always involve a judgement – but
how to make this judgment as objective as possible?
6. Absence Of Effective Interviewing
Organization’s challenges:
• Hiring people that do not meet the organizational fit
• High employee turnover - low morale
• Disrupted customer service / threat of losing business
• Focus of leaders on filling positions
• Lack of time for coaching & contributing to goals
• Increasing pressure to achieve goals
• Costs of hiring.
7. Consequences Of A Poor Hiring Decision
Higher Cost:
• Recruitment Fees
• Separation Costs
• Training Fees
Disruption:
• Time & Energy Spent Recruiting
• Reduced Efficiency
Lower Performance:
• Service
• Quality
• Productivity and teamwork.
8. Cost of Poor Selection
A hiring mistake costs 40% - 60%
of the position’s
annual compensation.
……as per study.
9. Exercise -
What Makes An Effective Interview
• For the interviewer, what makes an effective interview ?
• For the interviewee, what makes an effective interview?
• What barriers prevent you from conducting an effective
interview?
10. For the Interviewer, What Makes An
Effective Interview
• Preparation : the candidate’s resume is read thoroughly and
questions are prepared
• The interviewer knows what to look for in candidates
• The candidate does most of the talking, but the interviewer
controls the interview
• The interviewer asks the right questions in order to evaluate
the candidate accurately
• There is enough time for the interview
• The candidate is briefed fully about the role and the
company.
11. For the Interviewee, What Makes An
Effective Interview
• The interviewer is confident, enthusiastic, approachable
• The candidate is made to feel comfortable and attended to
• The interviewer listens to the candidate and does not
interrupt
• The interviewer allows time for the candidate to ask
questions
• The candidate’s questions and comments are dealt with
effectively
• There is enough time for the interview
• The interviewer briefs the candidate fully about the role and
the company.
12. Common Selection Problems
• Lack of preparedness by the interviewer: has not read
the resume, not prepared questions
• Lack of structured, consistent approach
• Lack of focussed questions
• The candidate talks too little
• The interviewer talks too much
• Interviewers overlook organizational fit
• Lack of data gathering during the interview
• Lack of exchange of notes among interviewers.
13. A Solution ...
Targeted Selection / Behavioural Event Interviewing
Aims to help hire the best fit candidate by :
• Building the selection process around job requirements
• Obtaining accurate behavioural information to predict
future behaviour
• Eliminating inconsistencies
• Equal treatment of all candidates.
14. Behavioural Event Interviewing:
What Is It?
An interviewing technique that is based on
three fundamental principles:
• Evaluate candidates against job capabilities
• Past behaviour is the best predictor of future
behaviour
• Ask the right questions.
15. Behavioural Event Interviewing
• First Principle:
It is essential to identify the required capabilities for the
job, and evaluate candidates against these capabilities
in a targeted way:
• Functional capabilities
• Behavioural capabilities.
16. What To Look For In Candidates – Functional
Capabilities
Functional capabilities are specified in Job Descriptions:
• Key functional capabilities are:
• Education: Is a degree/MBA required?
• What languages are required?
• Technical or professional qualifications:
• Are particular medical qualifications required?
• Does the job require IT skills?
• Does the job require other specialist skills?
• Work experience:
• What industry / sector / skills experience is required?
• Must the candidate have worked overseas?
• Must the candidate have lead a large team?
17. What To Look For In Candidates – Behavioural
Capabilities
• Behavioural capabilities are linked directly to the job/ role
• Desired behaviours to perform the job / role successfully
• Part of Job Description
• Also called Competencies.
18. Behavioural Event Interviewing
• Second Principle:
Past behaviour and achievement is the best predictor of
future behaviour and achievement:
• What people do or have done is a far better measure of
them than what they say !
• What people have actually achieved in the past is the
best predictor of their future capability.
19. Past Behaviour Is The Best Predictor Of Future
Behaviour
If a candidate makes the following statements in an
interview, would you accept them at face value?
• My weakness is that I sometimes push my people too hard, because I like
to get things done
• I’m a strong leader
• I’m a good team player
• I left my last job because I was looking for a new challenge
• I like working with people
• I really like the kind of opportunity you have
• I like interacting with people / customers
• I left my last job because I was looking for a new challenge
• I’m attracted to working for an organization that helps people.
20. Behavioural Event Interviewing
• Third Principle:
Ask the right questions:
• Questions must generate specific examples of what the
candidate has done or achieved in the past
• Specific Example = Action + Outcome (use the “STAR”
concept)
• Candidates should be selected on the basis of how well
these examples of past behaviours and achievements
match the required capabilities of the job.
21. Behavioural Event Interviewing – Asking The
Right Questions
The right questions are ones which obtain specific
examples (action + outcome), from the candidate’s past
achievements, of the capabilities you are looking for in the
job.
The Right Questions To Ask:
• Questions Which Gather Data
• Questions Which Probe For Background
• Questions Which Probe For Action
• Questions Which Probe For Outcomes.
22. • Introduce a general area or topic to discuss with the
candidate
• Are open ended – i.e cannot be answered in one word –
“ yes” or “no”
• Get the candidate to talk about what they have done in
the past
• Are usually in the past tense
• Are succinct but specific.
Data Gathering Questions
23. Examples:
• Tell me about the most challenging project you have
been involved with at your current job
• Describe a situation in which you had to overcome a
major obstacle to accomplish an objective
• What were your top three achievements in that job?
• Give me an example of when you have demonstrated
leadership.
• What challenges did you face in that role?
• Tell me about the most challenging project you have
been involved in.
• How did you approach that problem?
Data Gathering Questions
24. Questions Which Probe For Background
Examples:
• Describe your department’s organization and how you fit
into it.
• Who initiated the project? Whose idea was it?
• Did you lead the project or were you a team member?
• Who else was on the team, and what role did they play?
• What was the issue?
• For how long were you involved with the initiative?
25. Questions Which Probe For Actions
• Are follow up questions from Data Gathering questions
• Elicit more data /detail about what the candidate
actually did
• Probe specifically :
• What was the Action?
• Who did What?
• Most important questions to ask to determine whether
the candidate has the required capabilities.
26. Questions Which Probe For Actions
Examples:
• What did you actually do?
• How did this initiative start?
• What was the very first step?
• Take me through what you did, step by step.
• Describe to me in detail what happened.
• How did you respond to that challenge?
• How did you approach that problem?
• What did you do differently?
• Walk me through the meeting. What happened first?
27. Questions Which Probe For Outcomes
Examples:
• What was the final result?
• What did you actually achieve?
• Specifically what financial results did you achieve?
• Specifically what improvements resulted from your
action?
• Can you quantify for me the results you achieved?
• What could have been done better?
• What were the consequences of the action that you
took?
28. Helping Gather Data - “STAR”
• STAR – a complete behavioural example
• Situation / Task = Why?
• Action = What done and how done?
• Result = Effect of Action?
29. Wrong Questions To Ask
• Leading Questions
• Closed Ended Questions
• Theoretical Questions.
30. Ineffective Questions
Leading Questions:
- The desired answer is provided in the question.
- Reflect the interviewer’s assumptions or
preferences.
Poor:
“You like to keep busy all the time, don’t you?”
Better:
“Tell me about a recent time at work when you didn’t have much to do.”
Poor:
“Are you tactful when communicating with customers?”
Better: ___________
31. Ineffective Questions
Closed Ended Questions:
- The answer usually has a one-word response.
- Discourage expression and elaboration.
Poor:
“Have you ever had a bad customer service experience?”
Better:
“Tell me about your worst customer service experience.”
Poor:
“Do you think you would like to work here?”
Better:
32. Ineffective Questions
Theoretical Questions :
- Generate vague responses or “textbook” answers.
Poor:
“What should you do when you disagree with a client?”
Better:
“Describe to me an instance when you disagreed with a client?”
33. Is What The Candidate Telling Me Real Or
Not?
Candidates who are fabricating tend to:
• Use the word “we” rather than “I” when describing their
achievements
• Become vague or evasive when probed for specific
examples of achievements
• Try to change the subject
• Adopt defensive non-verbal communication:
- Avoid eye contact
- Less re-assuring tone of voice
- Fidget
- Adopt a more “closed” body posture – eg, crossed
arms.
34. Summary - Interview Preparation
Before the interview, be sure to:
• Read the job description for the position
• Be clear about the required capabilities for the position:
Functional capabilities
Behavioural capabilities.
• Read the candidate’s resume thoroughly
• Prepare the questions you want to ask the candidate
• Prepare information to share with the candidate about
the job opportunity and the company
• Prepare the physical arrangements – meeting room, etc.
35. Interview Structure
Here is a suggested structure:
• At the beginning, exchange pleasantries and establish a rapport:
- Helps candidates relax and “be themselves”
- Acts as a “bridge” to the interview process
• Review the interview agenda with the candidate:
- Explain the areas you would like to cover, and tell the
candidate that he/she will have an opportunity to ask
questions
• Provide an overview for the candidate on:
- Yourself
- Your role
- The job opportunity
- The company
Ask the candidate to provide a brief overview of their career so far, in no more
than 5-10 minutes
36. Interview Structure (cont’d)
• Then proceed with the specific questions to target required job capabilities, and
any other areas you want to probe
• Provide time at the end to address any questions the candidate may have
• Explain to the candidate what the next steps will be, following the interview
• Close.
