This document provides an overview of behavioral interviewing techniques used by employers. It explains that behavioral interviewing assesses a candidate's past performance in similar situations as the best predictor of future performance. Candidates should prepare compelling stories from their own experiences that demonstrate how their skills match the employer's needs. The CALL method is recommended for structuring answers with the Circumstances, Actions, and Lasting Legacy of each experience. Sample behavioral interview questions target skills like decision making, leadership, motivation, communication, interpersonal skills, planning and organization. Candidates should review the job description, research the company, and develop detailed yet succinct stories from their past to demonstrate these skills through behavioral interviews.

1. Behavioral Interviewing
Job Club November 2015

2. What is it?
• Interviewing technique used by employers that asserts that the most
accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in a similar
situation.
• It pulls stories from the candidates about real life experiences
• To sell yourself – respond to questions in a way that shows the potential
employer your sills match the employers’ needs

3. Use the Call Format
•Assess your answers using the CALL format
•C= circumstances: what you were tasked with doing
and why
•A= Actions: Explain what steps you took
•LL=Lasting Legacy: Explain the results you achieved

4. Behavioral Interviewing
• Traditional Interviewing vs. Behavioral Interviewing
• Tell me about yourself vs. relating stories
• Research company: Learn everything you can
• Review job description
• Determine skills necessary and valued by company

5. Decision Making and Problem Solving
• A situation where you used good judgment and logic
• A time when you had to be quick in coming to a decision

6. Leadership
• Have you ever had trouble getting others to agree with your ideas
• Describe most challenging group where you had to gain cooperation

7. Motivation
• Tell me a time you went above and beyond the call of duty
• Example of a situation in which you positively influenced actions of others

8. Communication
• Describe a situation in which you were able to communicate with another
individual who did not personally like you
• Describe a time when you had to use written communication to convey an
important argument or idea.

9. Interpersonal Skills
• Give me an example of what you have done in the past to nurture teamwork
• Give an example of an unpopular decision you’ve made and what the result
was and how you managed it

10. Planning and Organization
• When scheduling your time, what method do you use to decide which items
are priorities?
• Describe how you’ve handled a sudden interruption to your schedule

11. How to Prepare
• One you determine what questions might be asked based on needed skills – look
back on your past experiences and develop stories to answer.
• Be detailed but succinct
• Describe challenge, actions you took, results of actions
• Quantify results when you can

12. Resources
• Acing the Behavioral Interview by Jeanne Knight
• 100 Questions by Human Resources Expert Sharon Armstrong