Behavioral Interview Guide

27 Apr Behavioral Interview Guide

In a tough economy, recruiters have a larger pool of candidates to choose from.  For careers in Corporate Social Responsibility, Social Enterprises, and Nonprofit Management, a key to success is to blend values and skills in your interview answer.  The following fundamentals will enable you to increase your chances to translate an interview into an offer in any economy:

CRAFT YOUR STORY

First, review the job description to craft your story! The job description advertised by an employer is a ‘wish list’ of the skills and attributes they are looking in the perfect candidates.  All recruiters know that they will never find the perfect candidate.  However, your goal is to demonstrate through your interview how your profile is the closest they can find to that of the dream candidate they have in mind.  To do so, review your experiences and skills, and draw connections between your background and the position’s description.  In addition review the organization’s values statement online and conduct informational interviews to clearly articulate how your values system and that of the organization align.  Use result-oriented statements and examples to demonstrate your fit with the position.  These stories and examples can be drawn from paid or unpaid positions, what counts is your ability to clearly highlight and demonstrate how close you are to the dream candidate the recruiter is looking for.

TRANSLATE YOUR PAST INTO A FUTURE THE INTERVIEW CARES ABOUT

Second, research the organization to translate your past experiences into keywords and statements that are relevant and engaging to the interviewer.Use print and online resources along with informational interviews to gather information about the organization, industry trends, and about the position.  Translate your research into statements and questions to highlight your values-based fit through your relevant knowledge and experiences.  Also use your research to craft researched questions you can use to engage with the recruiter during the interview process.

WHAT TO EXPECT

CONGRATULATIONS!  Being invited for an interview means that you are among the few that successfully used their resume, cover letter and networking channels to demonstrate that you have similar values than those embraced by the organization, along with the job skills highlighted through the job description!  This is a solid foundation that you need to use and build upon during the interview process.  An employer will be using the interview process to further evaluate three things:

• Competency: Do you have the academic background, technical qualifications and skills to do the job?
• Soft Skills: Do you have the personal characteristics and competencies necessary for effective performance?
• Fit: Are you a good fit with the organization based on shared values and goals?

Beyond consulting firms that have traditionally been using case interviews as an integral part of the interviewing process, an increasing number of employers now include case questions to their interview procedures.  If you know you might be facing a case interview in the hiring process, we suggest the following resources – CasePlace by the Aspen Institute provides socially and environmentally responsible cases that will help you get ready.  McKinsey and Co. has also created a series of free videos that will further help you get ready for case interviews.  Finally, LiveCareer has created a resource page that will further help you sharpen your case interviewing skills!

The fact that you have been invited to an interview is a great sign, it proves that through your resume and the previous steps you have taken in the hiring process you have convinced the recruiter that you meet the basic criteria and qualifications for the job.  The recruiting team will use the interview process to further investigate your background and how your personality and interpersonal skills match the candidate they are looking for.  Recruiters also want to assess how likely you would be to accept the job if they were to make you an offer (recruiters are reviewed and evaluated based on their conversion rate of number of job offer accepted over number of offers made). 

Be prepared to present your relevant accomplishments and credentials, as well as to reiterate how excited you are in joining their organization:

• Engage the recruiter through your non-verbal cues (lean forward, make eye contact, use tone to highlight the key points of each of your stories/examples)
• Have 2-3 results-oriented statements ready for skills areas relevant to the job (recruiters are trained to ask for multiple examples of your leadership skills – how to motivate peers/reports towards a goal, your ability to think critically and strategically about a problem you have to address, your analytical skills and your ability to generate results).
• For organizations that are hiring for just in time positions, the timeline of hiring is in general 6 weeks between the posting of the job and the hiring date.  Therefore, be prepared to also tackle questions about start dates and possible relocation in order to further emphasize your interest in the position and the organization. 
• If you don’t understand a question, ask for clarification. Do not guess.
• Observe and build on areas of interest as indicated by the interviewer’s non-verbal cues.
• Avoid being negative about previous jobs, supervisors, or organizations. Show the positive side of all situations.

Interview Protocoll (most are common sense tips, but might be easily forgotten when one is stressed and interviewing):

• Remain enthusiastic, energetic and engaging no matter how many interviews you have had that day/week.
• Smile, maintain eye contact and give a firm handshake.
• Think before you talk, momentary pausing to collect your thoughts is a sign of confidence.
• Be prepared to ask 4-5 pertinent questions to the interviewer and it is ok to have prepared a list.
• Do not ask about salary. If the interviewer asks you about salary, deflect back to them at least 2-3 times before providing them with a range that you have found through your research.
• At the conclusion of the interview, ask what the next steps in the interview process and time frame are.
• Close the interview by asking for the job and by highlighting your top 2 most relevant points you want the recruiter to remember about you as a candidate for the job.
• Write a thank you note within 24 hours (email is fine).
• If at all possible, do not write anything down until after the interview is over.
• Take note of the name of the recruiter/interviewer so that you can find their email address later on to send them a thank you note post-interview.

WHAT WILL I BE ASKED?

Basic questions:  As a management professional, you will be asked various versions of 4 basic questions:

• Tell me about yourself or Walk me through your resume.
• Why are you interested in this position and our organization?
• What relevant skills and experience do you have that will make you successful?
• What have you learned through your education and previous experience that makes you a better candidate for this job?

Your goal in addressing each of these questions is to convince the recruiter that what you bring to the table as a candidate is as close as it gets to the ideal candidate profile described in the job description of the position you are interviewing for.  When appropriate weave in information you have learned through your networking conversation and your research to highlight your fit and desire to join their organization.  Practice your 30- to 60-second answers to these common questions and your CAR statements with peers and with a career coach to refine your strategy and maximize your ability to tailor your answer to convince an interviewer that you are their candidate of choice.

An extensive interview guide and tutorial is available for free on LiveCareer.  If you are a member of Net Impact, you can also access additional interviewing resources through their career programming.  Think about addressing each type of question by adding ‘and how does this make you the candidate I am looking for as a recruiter?’ at the end of each question.

“Tell me about yourself:” or “Walk me through your Resume” The 60-second response

As you know “Tell me about yourself” or “Walk me through your resume” are two very commonly used questions to start an interview.  Open-ended questions such as these are used by employers to assess how well you can focus and succinctly convey why you are a top candidate for this job.  Responses to this question should be geared to show understanding of your skills and interests, and how these and your past experiences would contribute to the position and organization.

Use a 60-second guideline when answering this question.

• Focus the first 10 seconds on any engaging personal information you wish to share (e.g., where you are from);
• Focus 10 seconds on your careers goals (e.g., the function you are interested in and are interviewing for);
• Focus the next 20 seconds on your relevant experience (e.g., work, leadership activities, internships, volunteer work, board service);
• Focus 10 seconds on your academic experience (e.g. major, course projects, travel abroad if relevant);
• Focus the last 10 seconds to discuss why you are interested in the position (given the background you just discussed).

Remember, this is a quick introduction to your key selling points highlighting why you are a great candidate for the position. The recruiter will come back to some of these points through other questions, which will provide you with the opportunity to elaborate.  Practice your ‘Tell me about yourself’ question with a friend or a networking contact to gain feedback!

Behavior-Based Interviewing and result-driven statements

Most employers will use behavior-based interview questions and take your past experience and results as a prediction of your future results and performance.   This prevalent view in interviewing is based on the premise that it is better to ask about how you did behave in a particular context than asking you about how you would behave in such circumstances.  Whether your answer was convincing or not, expect the recruiter to question, probe, and ask you for further details about the experience.  Choose examples carefully and make sure to design and deliver your answers by highlighting the Context of the situation, the Actions you took and the positive and measurable Results that you generated through your actions (for more on the CAR structure – see for example Blue Steps Advisors).

HOW TO ADDRESS QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR WEAKNESSES?

Some of the most challenging questions my coaching clients struggle to build a strategy around involve discussing their weaknesses. Again, thinking about the question behind the question can be very helpful. What does an interviewer seek to learn by asking questions such as, for example:

• What is your biggest weakness?
• If I were to talk to your current or most recent supervisor, what would s/he say are two things you need to improve upon?
• What are your areas of personal or professional growth/
• What are the challenges you foresee if you were to join our team?

These questions are designed to really uncover your thinking around (1) your ability to be self-aware about your strengths and areas of development, (2) outline that when you are aware of an issue, you set out to work on it, and (3) that weakness or work in progress will not become a liability for the team/employer who will hire you. To address this questions, I recommend that you use a sandwich method of outlining one positive trait (your self-awareness), the negative weakness or issue, and then end with a positive note (how you have concretely been working on this issue in a way that does not make the weakness a liability for the organization you’re interviewing with.

HOW TO CLOSE AN INTERVIEW?

Questions You Can Ask an Interviewer

At the end of interviews, you will be provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the recruiter.  Make sure to have a total of 4-5 questions that focus on industry trends, the organization (and its culture), and the position.  Each time you ask a new question, introduce your question by briefly highlighting what you have learned through your research and your informational interviews before asking your questions.  For example, instead of “what would you say is the general culture at your organization?” ask “I liked learning more about your values of [value 1], [value 2], and [value3], how are you living these values in your work?” Keep track of time and offer to continue the conversation off-line if you find that the interviewer is running late for his/her next interview.  Follow the lead of the interviewer if your interview slot is ending and you have more questions to ask. 

Ask about Next Steps and Time Frame

After the recruiter addresses most of your questions, thank the recruiter for his/her time, ask for the job, and highlight 2-3 reasons why your experience would be a great fit for the position.  Reiterating your 2-3 selling points at the end is sure to help the recruiter remember you in a positive light.  Offer a firm handshake and follow the interviewer’s lead on how to leave the room, and the interview area.

Send a Tailored Thank You Note

To demonstrate how your interest in the position was strengthened by the interview, it is key to send a tailored and individual thank you note to each of the interviewers you meet through the process.   If your interview is occurring at GCS, you can handwrite a thank you note and ask a GCS staff to deliver it to the recruiter before their leave.  Alternatively, you can send a thank you email to your interviewers.  Make your thank you note stand out by reminding the recruiter of 1 or 2 key points that make you a great candidate for the job.

Further Follow-up Steps

If you do not hear back from the recruiter based on the time line discussed during the interview process, follow up with the recruiter to reiterate your interest.  Unless otherwise indicated by the recruiter, a follow up call every 2 weeks maximum is most appropriate to reiterate your interest in the position.  Being pleasantly persistent is likely to pay off in any economy!

I also like this post on being pleasantly persistent by The Muse.