Be Prepared for Behaviour Descriptive Interviews

• If you have been through a few job interviews, you know that interviewers generally ask a number of questions to draw out information about
• you (your skills, abilities and personal characteristics)
• your past employment and related experience
• your ability to fulfill the requirements of the job
• your knowledge of the company and the job
• your plans for the future.
  

The questions they ask may be direct (e.g. "What five words would you say describe you best?") or indirect (e.g. "What would you do if..."). The How to Answer Typical Interview Questions article in the Tip of the Week archive at www.alis.gov.ab.ca/tips/archive.asp describes how to prepare for a traditional job interview. This article is about how to go one step further to prepare for a behaviour descriptive interview.

An increasing number of interviewers are using behaviour descriptive interviewing techniques. This means they ask you to describe past behaviour instead of asking you how you would handle a hypothetical situation. For example, they may ask you to describe a time when:

• you had to deal with a difficult problem
• you went above and beyond the call of duty
• your work or an idea of yours was criticized
• you had a problem working with others on a team project
• your schedule was suddenly interrupted
• you did not agree with an employer's policy.

The specific type of situation they ask you to describe will depend on the requirements of the job you are being interviewed for. For example, interviewers looking for decisive job candidates will ask you to describe a situation where you had to make decisions quickly.

After you have identified an event in your past that relates to the type of situation the interviewer has asked about, the interviewer will probe for more detailed information about what you said or did, and what happened as a result. Therefore, it's important that you recall the situation clearly and concisely and that your story reflects well on you as an potential employee. Behaviour descriptive interviewers are not interested in generalizations about how you usually behave or might behave in the future. They want to know what you actually did.

The following tips will help you to prepare for a behaviour descriptive interview:

• Start by analysing the job requirements. What work-specific, transferable and personal management skills are required to do the work well? If you can, get a copy of the job description and then list the skills required for each task. For help with this step, check out the Interview Questions and Your Skills article in the Tip of the Week archive at www.alis.gov.ab.ca/tips/archive.asp
• Think of several situations in which you have used the skills the job requires (e.g. leadership skills, problem-solving skills, communication skills). These situations do not have to be directly related to work—they may be related to leisure activities, volunteer work or school projects. If you are a student, look through your research papers and list the skills needed to complete projects.
• Develop at least three short, but detailed and specific, stories about how you handled situations similar to those you might encounter on the job. Each of your stories should have a beginning, middle and end. Begin with a brief description of the situation (e.g. a problem you faced, a task you were assigned), then describe what you did. End by describing what happened as a result of what you did. If you can, include numbers that confirm the positive results you achieved.
• Be prepared to provide examples of times when things didn't turn out as you planned. What did you do then?
• If none of your prepared stories fit the requirements of the questions asked in an interview, take time to think about your answers. You can't anticipate all of the possible questions, so be prepared to think on your feet.
• Be honest. Interviewers will ask follow-up questions to test for accuracy and consistency.

The 6 Species of Interviewers

Six Interview Mistakes
The last thing you want to do is make a gaffe in an interview because you don't know any better. Avoid these.

1. Confusing an Interview with an Interrogation.

Most candidates expect to be interrogated. An interrogation occurs when one person asks all the questions and the other gives the answers. An interview is a business conversation in which both people ask and respond to questions. Candidates who expect to be interrogated avoid asking questions, leaving the interviewer in the role of reluctant interrogator.

2. Making a So-Called Weakness Seem Positive.

Interviewers frequently ask candidates, "What are your weaknesses?" Conventional interview wisdom dictates that you highlight a weakness like "I'm a perfectionist," and turn it into a positive. Interviewers are not impressed, because they've probably heard the same answer a hundred times. If you are asked this question, highlight a skill that you wish to improve upon and describe what you are doing to enhance your skill in this area. Interviewers don't care what your weaknesses are. They want to see how you handle the question and what your answer indicates about you.

3. Failing to Ask Questions.

Every interview concludes with the interviewer asking if you have any questions. The worst thing to say is that you have no questions. Having no questions prepared indicates you are not interested and not prepared. Interviewers are more impressed by the questions you ask than the selling points you try to make. Before each interview, make a list of five questions you will ask. "I think a good question is, ‘Can you tell me about your career?'" says Kent Kirch, director of global recruiting at Deloitte. "Everybody likes to talk about themselves, so you're probably pretty safe asking that question."

4. Researching the Company But Not Yourself.

Candidates intellectually prepare by researching the company. Most job seekers do not research themselves by taking inventory of their experience, knowledge and skills. Formulating a talent inventory prepares you to immediately respond to any question about your experience. You must be prepared to discuss any part of your background. Creating your talent inventory refreshes your memory and helps you immediately remember experiences you would otherwise have forgotten during the interview.

5. Leaving Your Cell Phone On.

We may live in a wired, always-available society, but a ringing cell phone is not appropriate for an interview. Turn it off before you enter the company.

6. Waiting for a Call.

Time is your enemy after the interview. After you send a thank-you email and note to every interviewer, follow up a couple of days later with either a question or additional information. Try to contact the person who can hire you, and assume that everyone you met with has some say in the process. Additional information can be details about your talents, a recent competitor's press release or industry trends. Your intention is to keep everyone's memory of you fresh.