rr using behavior based structured interviews

7/25/2019 RR Using Behavior Based Structured Interviews

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CORPORATE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

LITERATURE KEY FINDINGS

Using Behavior-Based Structured Interviews

2004 Corporate Executive Board

CATALOG NUMBER: CLC12N73XL

Finding 1: Research suggests that due to the alignment with job responsibilities,types of questions used, and consistency across candidates, structured interviewsprovide a more valid assessment tool than traditional interviews and as a resultincrease quality of hire.

Increase quality of hire and reduce productivity lossesWhile structuredinterviews can prove costly and time-consuming to implement, they ultimately reducecosts because they bring top-performers to the organization.

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Research suggests that there is a 48 percent difference in high-performing andlow-performing manager personal productivity, which for an organization with 20 $60,000-a-year managers would amount to a $576,000 annual productivity loss that may be avoided byhiring candidates with the best fit.

Link to organizations core competenciesMany organizations define

competencies that employees should demonstrate in their role, but few align theirinterview process with their core competencies and thus miss opportunities to bringdesired actions and behaviors into the organization. A structured interview buildsquestions based on job competencies, therefore allowing companies to assesscandidates ability to perform in the role more effectively.

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Wilsons Leather developed a behavior-based interview system to test a candidates integrityand work ethic, two core recruiting criteria, and then develops a customized structuredinterview based on a candidates responses. Stores run by managers with high assessmentscores report 14 to 20 percent higher-than-average sales.

Use questions that effectively evaluate performanceAccording to theJournal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, the types of questions askedduring structured employment interviews increase the interviews validity and reliability.Examples of question types include the following:

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Table 1: Structured Interview Question Types

Question Type Description

BehavioralQuestions

Research suggests that past performance both in and out ofthe workplace accurately predicts a candidates futureperformance, therefore behavioral questions can helprecruiters and hiring managers select candidates with the rightskills.

Critics of behavioral questions note that applicants can distorttheir responses; however, research has found that usingdescriptive rating scales helps interviewers achieve validanswers from applicants.

SituationalQuestions

Hypothetical situation-based questions allow applicants withvaried work experience to respond to questions they may havenever faced in the workplace.

These questions help recruiters to benchmark applicants job

knowledge against standardized criteria.

Job KnowledgeQuestions

These questions assess applicants basic or technicalknowledge needed to perform the position.

Organizations can adjust questions difficulty level based on ajobs skill requirements.

Assess candidates consistentlyTraditional interviewing often produces thehalo effect, where recruiters hire candidates similar to their own personality or workstyle, resulting in possible discrimination issues and organizational groupthink.Structured interviews ensure that recruiters evaluate and select candidates based onuniform, job-related criteria.

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According to Workforce.com,a majority of Fortune 500companies and governmentagencies use some form ofbehavior-based structuredinterviewing during therecruiting process.

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CORPORATE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL PAGE 2USING BEHAVIOR-BASED STRUCTURED INTERVIEWS KEY FINDINGS


Finding 2: To use structured interviews effectively, companies should perform athorough job analysis, develop behavioral-based questions and assessment criteriabased on that analysis, and provide training to interviewers.

Implement structured interviews methodicallyDr. Del Still, author of High Impact

Hiring, developed the following structured interview process to help HR and hiringmanagers increase the quality of hire:

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Step 1: Job Analysis

HR should work with hiring managers to perform a thorough job analysis toidentify specific competencies and work habits candidates shoulddemonstrate. Then, HR and hiring managers should create a job descriptionand experience-based questions around the job analysis.

Step 2: Interview Process

HR should review all questions for illegal inquiries and determine how tostructure the interview. The recruiter and hiring manager should ask andassess all candidates using the same question roster.

Step 3: Candidate Evaluation

HR and the hiring manger should rank all candidates on their demonstration ofrequired competencies and work habits to make employment decisions.

Design interview questions according to the job description and its relevantfunctionsEffective structured interviews assess candidates previous relevant jobexperience. Organizations should develop questions around job characteristics toassess candidates qualifications systematically.

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Select assessment tools to score interviews and select candidatesWhendeveloping structured interview questions, hiring mangers and recruiters shoulddevelop a rating scale on a continuum of possible answers ranging from a greatanswer to a poor answer. These ratings should link directly to job criteria and rank allcandidates ability to perform necessary job duties.

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Train interviewers to ensure that structured interviews are uniform amongcandidates so the interviews remain a valid hiring toolA recent Duke Universitystudy found that many interviewers assist candidates by avoiding hard questions oroverlooking negative employment history. Managers should train interviewers to notcoach applicants, stray from the interview agenda, provide verbal or non-verbalsignals, or favor one applicant over another.

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Literature suggests that organizations should provide training in the following:o Behavioral questioning styleo Focus on the why, how, and what candidates learned from their experienceso Listening skills to assesses candidates credibility and genuineness

Research suggests that

organizations can use structuredbehavioral interviews for avariety of reasons, includingthose listed below:

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Evaluating applicants on job-basedcore competencies preventsrecruiters from assessing unrelatedknowledge or skills.

Organizations can increase thedepth of their applicant pool byinterviewing candidates based onbehaviors rather than vocationalexperience.

Organizations reduce legal risks byasking applicants the same

questions, assessing them againstthe same criteria, and rating themusing the same method.

ConductInterviews

EvaluateCandidates

PrepareQuestions


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Finding 3: Organizations can develop structured interview questions aroundcandidates experience, job level, and work habits to assess candidates skills,ability, and cultural fit in the organization.

Assess and benchmark candidates skills through specific interview

questionsHiring managers can ask a variety of questions to assess candidatesability to perform specific job responsibilities based on their previous experience,as detailed below:

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Past Work Experienceo Describe a time when you had to criticize or discipline the performance of someone

who worked with you or for you. How did you handle the situation? What was theresult?

o Recall a time when you made what you consider a mistake or a bad decision on thejob. How did you handle the situation?

o What approaches worked best for you in the past in communicating with your boss?With your co-workers? With your subordinates?

Previous achievements and future goalso Describe a time when you set specific work goals for yourself. What was the result?o Describe the major highlights of your career so far and describe your future goals.

o Describe a work emergency or crisis of some kind in which you were involved.What was your role? What did you do?o Describe a situation when you felt you went beyond the call of duty in helping a client.o Describe a challenge you faced in a previous situation and how you responded.o In your most recent position, what did you learn? How did you apply this learning?o What are examples of work-related situations that you find stressful? How do you

typically handle such stress?

Ability to work in teamso Describe a situation when you took charge as a leader in a work situation without being

formally assigned to that role by your supervisor.o In your past work experience, how have you worked with difficult clients or co-workers?o Was there a time when you fostered a team environment among a previous group of

co-workers?

Previous Managerso Describe what you liked and disliked about management styles you have observed in

previous jobs.o Describe a work situation in which you delegated responsibility successfully.

Alternatively, discuss a time when your delegation of responsibility did not work outwell. How did you handle that situation?

Structured interview questions

can help interviewers elicitjob-related competencies andbehaviors from candidates thathelp interviewers assesscandidates experiences in thefollowing categories:

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SituationThe context in whichthe behavior or action took place

ActionWhat the candidateactually did in the situation

Result The outcomes of thecandidates actions or behaviors.


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Finding 3 (continued)

Assess candidates ability to work within an organizations cultureWhen usingstructured interviews, many organizations question candidates technical skills,core business skills, and behavioral competencies. However, to help ensure that the

successful candidate will be engaged in the organization, hiring managers should alsoassess candidates for cultural fit. Examples of cultural traits that customer- andprocess-focused organizations may want to address include the following:

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Table 2: Possible Cultural Traits to Assess During Structured Interviews

Customer-FocusedOrganizations

Ability to respond to change

Approachability

Compassion

Creativity

Customer focus

Interpersonal savvy

Listening skills

Process-FocusedOrganizations

Cautiousness Detail orientation

Organizational agility

Planning capabilities

Priority setting Process management

Problem solving

Thoroughness

Question managerial candidates about their experienceFor managementpositions, interviewers should ask candidates specific questions that avoid generalitiesand assess job-specific skills that can be adapted to different industries:

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Table 3: Behavior-Based Interview Questions for Managers

Question Rationale for Asking

Tell us about a best-in-classstandard or practice that you haveintroduced.

Demonstrates strong competency in resultsorientation

To adapt to lower-level managers, ask about astretch goal candidates established for theirteam

Describe a situation when asubordinate was able to changeyour mind.

Identify candidates who excel in team leadership

Tell us about the most unpopulardecision you have made.

Demonstrates skills in leadership andnegotiation

Describe a time when you werefaced with a challenging situationthat involved balancing competinginterest in your personal life withworkplace issues.

One large pharmaceutical company uses thisquestion to allow candidates to show when theywere effective, creative, and found solutionsbeyond the norm during difficult situations

Who was your best/worst boss ormentor?

Allows the candidate to describe the skills theyadmire and may emulate

What are two areas of professionaldevelopment you are working on?

Assesses a candidates capacity for growth bothpersonally and professionally

Describe a crisis and how youmanaged it.

This question shows if candidates panicked,acted on incomplete information, communicatedeffectively, and prioritized actions while leadingtheir team through crisis

When is it OK to lie? This question helps candidates define moral

boundaries by showing how they think about and

communicate questions of integrityDescribe the job you are applyingfor.

This question ensures that candidatesexpectations of the position are accurate

Why are you interested in thisposition?

This open-ended question helps a candidatedescribe what drives them to succeed

Organizations can includecultural assessments throughoutthe entire recruiting process,

including the following areas:18

Candidate selectionTargetcandidates at organizations withsimilar organizational culture andvalues.

Job postingWrite jobadvertisements that reflectorganizational culture. Ensure thatinternal and external recruitersknow the organizations cultureand values.

Interviewing Ask candidatesbehavioral questions based onorganizational culture to gaininsight into cultural fit.


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1Society for Human Resource Management, "Behavioral-Based Interviews Take Many Forms," www.shrm.org

(November 2002/ Revised January 2004). [Accessed 16 November 2004].(Due to copyright restrictions, a copy of this article cannot be provided.)

2Author Unknown, "Human Resources Department Management Report," IOMA(September 2002).

(Obtained through Lexis-Nexis, a division of Reed Elsevier, Incorporated).3Arthur Bell, Ph.D., "How to Use Behavior-Based Structured Interviewing," www.Workforce.com(Date Unknown).

(Obtained through http://www.workforce.com). [Accessed 16 November 2004].4Blake Lowry and Perry Alter, "Applying Core Competencies to Selection Interviews," www.HR.com(Date Unknown).(Obtained through http://www.hr.com). [Accessed 16 November 2004].5Paul J. Taylor and Bruce Small, "Asking Applicants What They Would Do Versus What They Did Do:

A Meta-Analytic Comparison of Situational and Past Behaviour Employment Interview Questions,"Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology(2002). (Obtained through EBSCO).6Author Unknown, "The Structured Selection Interview: A Sound Method of Assessment,"Public Service Commission of Canada(Date Unknown). (Obtained through http://www.psc-cfp.gc.ca).

[Accessed 16 November 2004].7Arthur Bell, Ph.D., "How to Use Behavior-Based Structured Interviewing.

8Mary Joki Ebb, Esq., "Structured Interview: Powerful Retention Tool," CFG Update(January/February 2001).

(Obtained through http://www.cfginsurance.com). [Accessed 16 November 2004].9Society for Human Resource Management, "Structured Behavioral Interviewing: Oldie But Goodie," www.shrm.org

(November 2002/ Revised January 2004). [Accessed 16 November 2004].(Due to copyright restrictions, a copy of this article cannot be provided.)10Author Unknown, "The Structured Selection Interview: A Sound Method of Assessment."11Arthur Bell, Ph.D., "How to Score a Behavior-Based Structured Interview," www.Workforce.com(Date Unknown).(Obtained through http://www.workforce.com). [Accessed 16 November 2004].12

Arthur Bell, Ph.D., How to Use Behavior-Based Structured Interviewing.13

Author Unknown, "Using Behavioral Interviewing to Help You Hire the Best of the Best," HR Focus(1 August 2004).(Obtained through Factiva).14

Arthur Bell, Ph.D., "Examples of Behavior-Based Questions and Follow-Ups," www.Workforce.com(Date Unknown).(Obtained through http://www.workforce.com). [Accessed 16 November 2004].15Catherine Neiner, "Making the Case for Behavioral Interviewing," Wetfeet.com(December 2000).(Obtained through http://www.wetfeet.com). [Accessed 16 November 2004].16

John Miraglia, "Recruiting in the Fourth Dimension," Electronic Recruiting Exchange(11 February 2003).(Obtained through http://www.erexchange.com). [Accessed 16 November 2004].17

John Miraglia, "Using Corporate Culture in Recruiting and Selection," Electronic Recruiting Exchange(20 May 2003).(Obtained through http://www.erexchange.com). [Accessed 16 November 2004].

18John Miraglia, "Using Corporate Culture in Recruiting and Selection."

19Sarah Hood, "Hire Echelon," Canadian Business(7 June 2004). (Obtained through EBSCO).20Arthur Bell, Ph.D., "Examples of Behavior-Based Questions and Follow-Ups," www.Workforce.com(Date Unknown).(Obtained through http://www.workforce.com). [Accessed 16 November 2004].

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