Competency Based Behavioral Interviewing
Behavioral interviewing is a job interviewing technique where candidates are asked to describe past performance and behavior to determine whether they are suitable for a position. Behavioral-based interviewing provides a more objective set of facts to make employment decisions compared to other interviewing methods.
When writing behavioral questions, you use leading introductory phrases.
- Give me an example of….
- Tell me about a time when…
- Think about a situation where you had to…
As a search committee, you will need to identify the job-specific competencies, or the knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors necessary for job success. Once these essential competencies are determined, the next step will be to develop interview questions based on these competencies.
Preparing for a Competency-Based Behavioral Interview
Job specific competencies can be matched with candidate strengths in the pre-hire phase of employment to clarify expectations and help in the selection process. Behavioral questions that are linked to job-related competencies may be used in the structured interview to help identify top qualified candidates.
The interviewer identifies desired skills and behaviors, and then structures open-ended questions and statements to elicit detailed responses. A rating system is developed and selected criteria are evaluated during the interview. Even if you don’t have a great deal of work experience, companies expect you to be able to relate past experiences – from undergraduate or graduate school, campus activities, volunteer work, membership in an organization, etc. – to the job for which you are interviewing.
Role of Human Resources
UMKC Human Resources is available to provide guidance throughout the search process by offering several services.
- Behavioral Interview Question creation/evaluation
- Evaluation form creation/evaluation
- Candidate screening
- Interview tips/guidance