Behavioral interviews have been a favorite technique in the recruiting world for many years. By asking questions that encourage candidates to explain how they might handle themselves in a given situation, an interviewer will be able to gauge their personality, reactions and overall fit with the company and position. How do you determine whether their answer will demonstrate their ability to fit in with your existing corporate culture? Here are some tricks to understanding what they are really saying.
Go beyond skills to accomplishments.
When you’re asking them about what they do, don’t just focus on the daily duties. Find out how they utilize what they know to benefit their employer. Ask them to tell you about a time when they felt particularly proud of a contribution to their organization. These responses will give you an idea of how they see themselves contributing to a company.
Listen to how they answer, not what they answer.
More importantly, you want to gauge their responses for tone and attitude. If they speak negatively about previous experiences there is no reason to assume they won’t feel the same way in this job. You want to understand their motivations and why they respond the way they do.
Ask them to describe the environment they thrive in.
Someone who prefers to work in a professional and conservative environment will not feel at home in a creative and loosely organized company. Their answer will also give you an idea of whether or not they’ve researched your company culture before the interview.
Ask what they liked most about their last job.
If someone can’t find a single appealing quality from their last position, they may have other issues in the workplace. Find out what they liked and, more importantly, why they liked it. Even if that position wasn’t a good fit for them, concentrating on their genuine interests will help them fit in better in a new environment. You can build off those passions and interests with the new position, allowing the potential employee to really thrive with your company.
Ask how they view their coworkers and supervisors.
Lastly, you want to know how they work with the people around them. They will be spending more time with their co-workers and supervisors than they spend at home with their families, so these relationships need to count. How they answer this question will tell you a lot about how they view the people they work with every day.
At CornerStone Staffing, we have unmatched staffing services in the DFW area for clients and job candidates. Contact our great team today to get started on meeting all of your employment needs!
