Don’t Ignore the Warning Signs Discovered in Behavioral Interview Questions

Hiring managers and office supervisors have the opportunity to conduct interviews to track down that perfect candidate when you need to fill a position. Interviews allow you to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a potential hire, and they provide you with insight into a candidate’s personal character and professional experience. However, there’s so much an interview doesn’t measure. Asking opinions and quizzing someone on theoretical scenarios doesn’t show you how they’ll perform on the job. So how can we make the most of our time with talented applicants? By asking better questions.

Search for Facts

Any candidate can rehearse an answer to, “What’s your greatest weakness” and similar questions. Opinion-based questions are easy to manipulate – your candidate can shape their answer to their advantage. Experienced interviewers lead with fact-based questions, which leave no room for error. Asking a question about an applicant’s behavior will hopefully give you a better understanding of how this individual reacts in a given situation. Try a question like, “What’s the toughest decision you have made in the past six months?”, or ask about a situation where the candidate had to handle a conflict among peers.

Follow Up

You would be astonished at how much you can learn by simply following up with, “What happened next?”. Following a fact-based behavioral interview question with a simple, “How did that work out” can give you a good idea of the interpersonal skills and problem-solving abilities of a potential employee. It also helps you detect any red flags: unprofessional behavior, disorganization, or laziness.

Keep It Simple

You may be tempted to provide a lot of explanation to the potential hire. Don’t spend most of the interview talking: you’re there to listen. Of course, the candidate will have questions, and you have a responsibility to fill them in on what it’s like to work for your company. However, letting the interviewee do most of the talking will allow you to see if they sound a little too rehearsed, or if they haven’t done their research. These warning signs will indicate they’re not ready for the job.
If you’re ready to begin the interviewing process, seek out qualified candidates ready to hit the ground running. For a one-stop shop, you need Job Store Staffing. As a top staffing agency in Colorado, we can provide talented, pre-vetted workers to bring your team to the next level. Contact us today!

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