Behavourial Interviewing

Once used to assess more senior and executive candidates, behavioural interviewing is now used to assess candidates at all levels and across a range of industries. The premise behind behavioural interviewing is that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations. The employer engineers their questions to elicit detailed responses aimed at determining if the candidate possesses the desired characteristics.

		You could be asked to provide specific examples from your past job history of how you dealt with certain tasks or issues, and what the outcome was.
		To best prepare for these types of interviews, Bluefin recommends that candidates use the “SAO” – Situation/Action/Outcomes method.
		To use this technique, aim to identify a number of examples from your past experience where you demonstrated valuable skills. These can be wholly positive experiences, such as goals that have been met or other accomplishments. They can also be situations that started out negatively, or with some particular type of problem.
		Firstly, outline the situation, then give details of the steps you took to undertake the task or resolve the issue, and finally, be prepared to discuss the benefits or consequences of your action, including the lessons learnt.
		Remember, that many behavioural questions focus on negative situations, so you’ll need to have examples of negative experiences ready, but try to choose those experiences that you made the best of or better still, those that had positive outcomes.
		Here are some examples of questions that may be asked in a behavioural style interview:
		Give me an example of a time when you had to analyse an established work process. What were the problems? What were the solutions? What was the result of your work and how did you manage any changes required? Tell me a time when you failed and the lesson you learnt from the experience? Describe a time when you had to deal with a difficult co-worker or customer? Give me an example of a situation when you took the initiative? What was the situation and what was the outcome?