subject: Industrial Psychologists Created Behavioral Job Interview [print this page] A technique of interviewing known as behavioral interviewing was created by industrial psychologists and this technique has become very popular with those who do the hiring.
It is thought that past performance in a similar situation is the most accurate predictor of future performance. For those who are unfamiliar with this style of interviewing, a behavioral interview can be a difficult experience.
Unlike a traditional interview, a behavioral interview requires that job candidates to relate stories about their employment behaviors of your past. These stories are usually prompted by the questions that are directly related to the set of skills that the company has determined are required for a position.
Therefore, if strong team building and communication skills are required by a certain job, a candidate would be asked to talk about their past accomplishments in those particular areas. Behavioral interview questions frequently begin with rather vague phrases.
Although your experiences and skills might be a perfect match for the position that you are seeking, during the behavioral interview an interviewer might discount your candidacy if you struggle, or are unprepared for the format of the behavioral interview.
In order to prepare for a behavioral interview you need to put yourself in the shoes of the prospective employer and try to imagine what the perfect candidate for the position you are applying for would look like from the person who does the hiring perspective. Next, take some time to thoroughly review the job description and job posting, if you can get it, and research the company and its culture. You need to look for clues with regard to which skills are highly valued by the organization and that are required for the job. Next, based on your research, identify the skills that the successful candidate would have to have and those behavioral based questions that correlate to the skills that you may be asked during an interview.
After you've determined which of the questions are behavioral based you may be asked in an interview, you need to look back on your past experiences and develop stories in order to answer those questions.
You need to familiarize yourself with the style of the behavioral interview, practice and craft your stories, and do some homework on the position you are that you are trying to get hired for will help to make sure that you are ready if you should happen to come across a behavioral interview.
