Behavioral Interview Or Competence Based Interview

An increasingly common type of job interview you will come across is the behavioral interview or behavioral event interview.

This type of interview is also sometimes referred to as a 'competency based interview' and is based on the assumption that a job candidate's previous behaviors at work will be the best indicators of future performance.

In behavioral interviews, the interviewer asks each of the candidates to recall specific instances where the candidate was faced with a set of circumstances, and asks them to describe how they reacted. More about competence.

A competency based interview is the same process as for a behavioral interview. It is the intention to get the best from you, the candidate, whilst also fulfilling the needs of the organization to get the very best person for the job.

From your point of view, there are some easy steps to make the most of yourself and have a much better chance of success.

The number 1 tip is to make sure you claim all of the success that is rightly yours..."I did this..." etc. because this is essentially about your personal marketing and how you sell yourself.

Competency Based Interviews Are Based On Behaviors

Some typical behavioral interview questions that you might expect to hear:

• "Tell me about a project you worked on where the requirements changed half way through. What did you do to keep on track?"
• "Tell me about a specific instance when you took the lead role on a project. What did you do?"
• "Describe the worst project you worked on and how you maintained your discipline."
• "Describe a time you had to work with someone you didn't get on with."
• "Tell me about a time when you had to make an unpopular decision, and how you managed to make it work."
• "Give us an example of something you have done that made an improvement in the workplace."
• "What happened the last time you were late meeting a deadline?"

Because a bad hiring decision can be extremely expensive for any business in terms of having to re-hire, wasted training costs and the effects on other employees, selection techniques of this nature, using a behavioral interview have a better track record of identifying the best candidate than the traditional interview everyone is familiar with.

• Prepare well, but keep it sensible
  As long as you know the job you are going for, ask for details of what you will be measured against. Ask for a set of competencies. Ask for a job description. This sets you up to succeed, not just because you are better informed, but also because you have asked - which will impress the decision-makers, before you even get there!

• Get Creative
  Here is the time to use your own experiences to create 'stories' which you can use in the actual interview. These 'stories' are real scenarios that you have been a part of, which over a period of days and weeks beforehand, you write up. Maybe you will have 20+ initial ideas.

• Leverage!
  Take the very best scenarios and write them out, bullet points first. Then flesh them out, whilst referring carefully to the competencies you've been given. It is amazing how you can 'tune-in' your scenario to include many, if not all of the competencies. And if you can't fit them all in, there will be a use for them - later!

• Practice
  By reading through your scenarios (and by now you should not have more than six or seven) you will familiarise yourself with the contents, so well, that they will become second nature - even in the scary experience of a behavioral interview.

• In the Interview

  There are some tactics in here too!
  
  

  • Using your scenarios make just three key points about what you've been asked. Make them relevant and the right 'weight'. Not too long or too short.
  • After that, leave space for them to ask more - that's what they are listening for.
  • Say 'I' a lot - they want to know what your personal involvement and experience was, not 'the team' or 'they'.
  • Have fun - whilst not contrived, smile and make some simple jokes, if you feel comfortable with that - they want to employ happy as well as capable people.
  • Can't answer? That's fine. Make sure that you reflect on your shortcomings by saying things like, 'It's one of the first things I want to develop in my next job - if you did your stuff on your scenarios and your competencies well enough, you will have covered 90% of the bases well and you'll be forgiven for not being 'perfect'. If you are really stumped - say so!
  • Ask questions - relevant, about their culture, focus on developing you, opportunities - the positive 'peopley' things (remember it's your chance to see if you want to work with them!).
  • Also ask about current issues they may be facing - you did do your homework on them, didn't you?
  
  
• Strong Ending!
  Keep the whole thing light, even as you leave at the end. Have a conversation in general terms - about anything! Do make sure that you ask them some things that are about them - they will love it if you ask them some open (what, how, when, where, who) general questions about your new job! About something nice in the building or their clothes - take as it comes and do what feels comfortable!

Remember that competencies are there to help you and they provide a guide-map for your competency based interview success!

© 2005 Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com.

...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...

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