Most companies use behavior-based interviews for leadership jobs.
Many leaders are really bad at them.
I have seen many highly qualified candidates not get hired because of their inability to tell the right story in the right way.
In a Behavioral Based Interview, candidates are asked to describe a situation, share what happened, and communicate the results. In other words, to share a story.
Behavior-based questions work well because they require the candidate to draw on real experiences and communicate stories in an articulate way.
They can also backfire, when great candidates bomb the interview because of lack of preparation.
How to Stink at a Behavior-Based Interview
- Pick the wrong story, usually the first one that comes to mind
- Select a story with a bad ending
- Get carried away in your story-telling, sharing too much detail and going in circles
- Leave out the detail, leaving too much to the imagination.
- Forget to share the point of your story
- Share a story in which you did not have a central role (sharing someone else’s success)
- Over-use of the word “I” when you are describing an effort you led
- Keep using the same job or example over and over (don’t laugh, this is one of the most common mistakes)
- ???
How to Prepare for Success
- Make a list of the competencies or skills most required for the job
- Go back through your work experiences, and find the best examples (stories) that showcase your skills in these areas.
- Develop a plan for which stories you plan to share
- Build out your stories to include brief context, specific actions, and results
- Practice telling them to a mentor or friend
- ???
It is useful to keep a journal or archive of your best stories that you can call on as needed. Capture the details while the story is fresh so it will be easier to recall when the time is right. I am known for reminding my team to “remember this story” for their next interview or elevator speech, right after we have experienced a success.
Also, most leaders I know are more than willing to help their teams prepare for interviews and to consider the right stories to include. It is helpful to do a mock interview or two with a boss or mentor before you are even looking for the next opportunity.
Interviews are biased. That’s the major reason I’m a proponent of job benchmarks.
We ask, what if the job could talk? What behaviors, motivators/values, and soft skills is the job seeking? Then we assess candidates vs. the job, run a gap report, and go from there. This goes a long way towards reducing the bias.
About a third of your hiring decision is based on the benchmark. You still need to review resumes, reference checks, interviews, etc.
http://endgamebusiness.com/blog/let-the-job-talk/
Steve, I really like the concepts you shared and the link to your great article. Thank you so much. I encourage others to click on this link.
I have to agree with Steve above. The only sure way of knowing if a candidate is right is to hire him/her and probate him/her.
Thanks so much for joining the conversation, Linus. Can’t that be tough and expensive in many ways?
Karin, one other stinker for me: I use “We” too often. We build such strong team commitment with our company sometimes I forget to take the we out and focus on the “I”. I have started a journal as you mentioned above and it has really helped me to work on my we’s and I’s. Great blog topic!
Billy, yes… I do see that happen quite a bit as well. So glad to hear you keeping a journal of your stories. That should help in your training as well, I imagine. Thanks for commenting and enriching the conversation.