Hiring the right person for the role is one of the most important decisions you can make as a Manager because turnover can be extremely costly. Most hiring managers use a combination of interview techniques to ensure they are making the best hire. That being said, behavioral interview questions are one of the best ways to figure out who is the best person for the job.
What are behavioral interview questions?
Behavioral interview questions seek to understand how you've handled various situations or problems in the past in order to predict how you might behave if a similar situation were to arise.
So why do Hiring Managers use this method in interviews?
To predict how candidates will handle future situations
Your answers to behavioral interview questions can reveal your character traits, abilities and skills to handle certain situations. The logic behind behavioral interview questions is that using past behavior is a way to more accurately determine the future performance or success of the individual. Behavioral interview questions ask the applicant to describe actual past behavior on the job, which in turn helps you predict their future behavior.
For better candidate comparison
Behavioral answers will give you stronger comparisons between candidates that easily asses their approach to the position. Instead of asking traditional questions such as “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” and “How do you define success?” behavioral interview questions enable you to imagine each candidate in a similar scenario to determine who might handle it best according to the needs of the role.
To learn what they really need to know about a candidate
It's great when a candidate can share a story about a successful project, but it's even better when a Hiring Manager can understand how the candidate built the plan, leveraged resources, or collaborated with a team to get it done. Behavioral interview questions help Hiring Managers uncover all the small decisions, actions, and soft skills that lead to results.
How to prepare for behavioral interview questions
If you're looking for a proven way to get ready for behavioral interview questions, I have put together the 10 behavioral interview prompts every candidate should prepare as a part of The Ultimate Guide to Interview Prep which is included in The Perfect Candidate Course.