Interviewing is an integral part of any recruitment process, giving the employer the opportunity to meet the prospects on a one-to-one basis and at the same time gain insights in their knowledge, experience and behaviour besides what is declared on their resume. The whole idea behind the process of interview is to select a candidate whose interests, values and skills match the requirements of the organization. Ideally, choosing the right kind of interviewing technique can go a long way that matches the retention needs of the organization and position. HR teams of many organizations favour behavioural interviewing that focuses on the prospect’s past experiences and his or her potential to handle situations when the need arises.
Relying on past experiences is of little importance with new thoughts and conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion taking over as “past behaviour predicts future performance” is no longer considered a right approach to assess a candidate’s potential.
The following key points are being effectively used in behavioural interviewing by HR managers and recruiting firms to ensure that they pick the best candidate and not the privileged one.
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1. Leave the preconceived notions behind
Being influential or even coming from a reputed college or having privileged experiences does not necessarily qualify one to be selected. Upon conducting a behavioural interview, one should use probing questions to dig deeper into the candidate’s responses. By digging deeper into the responses, one can gauge the candidate’s ability to contribute to the organization. Breaking the trend of asking the traditional behavioural interview questions and using the unbiased approach may spring surprises in potential hires.
2. Situational problem-solving techniques
Previously behavioral interviewing questions were drawn from the specific context of the working world. All this has changed today. A candidate has to self-educate himself or herself before entering the corridors for a job interview. Moving the focus from the specific work context, in this era, unbiased behavioural interview questions are the new norm. In this tech-savvy world and with the intelligent generation, employers too feel the need to change their perspective and focus more on situational and life-related experiences rather than their academics. The HR teams challenge them with problem-solving situations abilities that reveal the candidate’s competencies and behaviour with real-life examples.
3. Focus on future
Behavioural interview questions, when applied correctly, reveal insight into how a candidate thinks. Generally, behavioural interviewing questions benefit candidates who have already tasted success in their specific set of endeavors and they will easily get through the interview. But one must remember in order to reach the maximum level of performance one has to have a team with diverse minds to raise the bar of success. One needs to test the potential of their recruits by selecting candidates who can do justice to the job rather than to a candidate who is already a pro with it. There have been instances where candidates with non-traditional backgrounds have proved their mettle when given a chance. On a concluding note, the assumption that “past behaviour predicts future performance” needs to be reviewed minutely.
References:
- “Behavioral Interviewing Reinvented” | Monster.com | Jim Kennedy
- “Behavioral Interviewing: The Achilles Heel of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” | Emily Leinbach | July 21st, 2020
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