Three Big Mistakes To Avoid In Your Behavioral Job Interviews

Three Big Mistakes To Avoid In Your Behavioral Job Interviews

In today's sophisticated job market it's a big mistake to think you can just "wing-it" conducting a behavioral job interview. Employment interviewing is very demanding because a lot of money's riding on a relatively short period of time, an inadvertently asked question may result in a lawsuit, and the decision you make you may have to live with for a long time.Hiring decisions are among your most important decisions and aren't something you can do safely 'by the seat of your pants'. You need to plan your interview to avoid the three most common mistakes; talking too much, the "Halo Effect" and telegraphing the desired answers to your questions.Applicants Will Tell You What You Want To HearNever forget applicants come to the interview with the goal of giving you the answers they think you want to hear, and the best people you interview will have prepared for it. Public libraries are packed with books and CDs on how to out-interview the interviewer.It's probably fair to say most people going out to be interviewed these days are far better prepared than the managers and business owners asking the questions. What this means for you is that if you want genuine, meaningful answers that aren't rehearsed, you need fresh behavioral interview questions applicants haven't studied in all the books and been asked in other interviews.In exactly the same way that the best applicants will have studied interviewing and prepared answers to the questions they're anticipating, you also need to prepare your interviews to get beyond these rehearsed answers, to avoid the three most common mistakes made by behavioral interviewers, and to get a systematic coverage of each candidate in the three areas of ability, motivation and manageability.You want to make the interview seem as conversational as possible to help get the applicant to speak freely. This requires planning and knowing the questions you've prepared well enough in advance to make it seem spontaneous if you want to get candid responses. It requires real skill to create this type of goal-oriented casual conversation.You need to develop a list of questions for each of the traits you've determined essential in your job analysis and personality profile, and systematically question your applicants on these points. Well-crafted behavioral interview questions will enable you to control the flow of the interview while the applicant does most of the talking.Talking Too MuchOne of the most common mistakes made by inexperienced interviewers is talking too much. You don't want to spend more than twenty percent of the interview time talking, because the time you spend talking leaves less time for listening. At least eighty percent of the interview time should be spent listening if you're going to get the maximum relevant information in the minimum amount of time.Planning and knowing your questions in advance enables you lead and control the interview without dominating it - and it's much easier to lose control of an interview than many think, particularly with a candidate who's had a lot of experience in job interviewing.Some job candidates will try to get you to do as much of the talking as possible to better understand what you're looking for and tailor their answers accordingly. Remember, you learn little while you're talking so resist the temptation to comment in depth on their answers, or share opinions that aren't related to the job.Part of the problem many managers have with talking too much during the interview results from having achieved their success because they have good verbal skills. Their leadership position often makes them inclined to be more comfortable talking. They tend to dominate the discussion rather than appreciating that listening time in the interview is more valuable.Lead the discussion but don't dominate it spending more than twenty percent of the interview talking. Only by planning ahead and knowing what you're seeking will you know when it the interview is getting off course.Preparing your interview questions enables you to concentrate on what's being said rather than thinking about your next querry, and the greatest obstacle to good listening is thinking about what you're going to say next. Without planning behavioral interview questions that systematically probe ability, motivation and manageability, the interview will suffer from a lack of balance - and won't give you coverage in all the important areas you need answers.The Halo EffectPlanning your interview will help you avoid another common mistake mentioned at the beginning of the program known as the "Halo Effect" - the tendency for a single prominent characteristic to overshadow unconsidered negatives. It's making fast assumptions that aren't balanced by overvaluing a single trait.It results in part, from the tendency to hire on the basis of chemistry, and to hire those who reinforce your own self-image. The "Halo Effect" makes for selective listening - only listening to the responses you want to hear.To avoid the trap of the "Halo Effect", don't prejudge applicants too much before the interview based entirely upon their resume or recommendations, since these prejudgments tend to influence the way you conduct the job interview. The tendency here that's a problem is to only seek information that affirms the assumptions you've already made.Another way to avoid the trap of the "Halo Effect" is to moderate your enthusiasm for any candidate whose resume or initial appearance makes an especially strong positive impression on you.Some initial impressions, of course, are valuable and give you directions to explore. But they should only be trusted if you can obtain subsequent information that supports these impressions. Seek confirmation through questions of any strong positive impressions you intend to base your decision on.Look for the flip side of a trait. It often seems true that a characteristic that's a strength in one setting is a liability in another. For example, aggressiveness and tactfulness are both important business skills, yet often seem oppositely linked. A trait which strikes you as extremely positive may have a flip side you're not considering.Another way to avoid the trap of the "Halo Effect" is to remember that an interview that results in no unfavorable information is a poor one. It lacks balance. You need to know their strengths as well as their shortcomings to make a sound hiring decision. To be effective evaluating others in the special circumstances of a job interview, you must discipline yourself and resist making judgments too quickly to avoid the trap of the "Halo Effect."Telegraphing The Desired AnswerAnother common mistake if you don't plan your questions is to telegraph the answers you'd like to hear. Questions such as, "Do you consider yourself a self-starter?" reveals an obvious intent. The interviewer wouldn't be asking if it wasn't important.It's actually more difficult to create a question that doesn't reveal a preferred answer than most people realize. It's not something you can do best during the interview when all your attention should be focused on listening.Keep your questions short and concise. The more words it take for you to ask a question, the more likely you are to telegraph the desired answer. Never ask several questions in one breath, or you won't get a satisfactory answer to any of them.Another way of telegraphing your desired answer is to offer a detailed description of the qualities the job requires early in the interview. You should offer a general overview of what you hope to accomplish, but it's a mistake to reveal details about the position at the beginning of the interview.The whole idea behind the behavioral job interview is to get information before giving it to get an accurate picture of the applicant's performance. If you tell a candidate the position requires perseverance and good people skills, any intelligent applicant will give you answers that emphasize those traits - whether they're actually strong points or not.For your behavioral job interviews to be truly effective, you must avoid the three most common mistakes of talking too much, the "Halo Effect" and telegraphing the desired answers to your questions.

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