12 Apr How To Use Behavioral Interview Questions

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As any business owner who’s ever had to hire someone knows, there’s a lot riding on interviews. Hiring the wrong candidate can cost you time and money—two things that you can’t afford to waste. You want to be sure that the team you build is going to give your business the best shot at success. 

For that reason, it’s extremely important that your interviews are engineered to allow you to gain as much information as possible about the candidate in front of you, and that means using behavioral-based interview questions. Here, we’ll go over what behavioral interview questions are, how to use them, and why they’re an indispensable part of the hiring process. 

What Are Behavioral Interview Questions?

Behavioral interview questions, as their name implies, focus on the candidate’s behavior, rather than their qualifications. They’re usually open-ended questions in which a candidate is asked to describe a particular situation they faced, or how they handle certain types of challenges in the workplace. They’re a great way to assess skills that might not show up on a resume (such as interpersonal skills, conflict management, problem solving, and leadership). 

Best Behavioral Interview Questions 

Behavioral interview questions are extremely effective interview tools, but choosing the right ones requires some forethought and strategizing on your part. To start with, think about what you value most in a candidate—is it ingenuity? Critical thinking skills? The ability to negotiate? Your behavioral interview question should prompt the candidate to give an example of a time that they displayed that behavior or skill. 

For instance, the following are examples of common behavioral interview questions and what they can tell you about a candidate:

• Question: Give an example of a time that you ran into conflict in the workplace. How did you handle it?
  
  This question can be really helpful in revealing potential red flags about how someone has handled conflict in the past (and how they might do so again in the future). Note that the question is phrased in a carefully neutral way so that it’s not leading the candidate’s answer in any way.
• Question: Describe a time when you had to react to unexpected circumstances. What happened, and what did you do?
  
  This question is a great way to evaluate a candidate’s adaptability and grace under pressure.
• Question: Talk about a time when you failed or made a mistake at work.
  
  Everyone makes mistakes, and being able to learn from them and adjust moving forward (rather than trying to hide them or be dishonest) is crucial. Asking someone to give an account of a mistake or failure can help you assess their moral character. 

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