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Preparing for Behavior-Based Interviews

 


 

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Preparing for Behavior-Based Interviews

 

If you’ve gone on any interviews recently, you may have noticed a change in the way questions are asked. No longer are the questions simply “what are your strengths and weaknesses?” Now many interviews begin along the lines of “tell me about a time when…” Whether you’ve already experienced the second type of questions or are just learning about them, there’s a good chance you’ll encounter them in a future interview. This new approach is known as a behavioral interview, and hiring managers around the country are using it to help them find the best candidates for their open positions.

 

In behavioral interviewing candidates are asked pointed, specific questions to determine how they’ve responded to particular situations in the workplace. The idea is that past behavior is a predictor of future behavior, so how you behaved once is probably how you would respond if faced with a similar situation. These questions may seem designed to trip you up, but they’re not. Read on for tips on how to prepare for behavior-based interviews.

 

Refresh Your Memory

Take the time before an interview to refresh your memory about situations you’ve encountered in your current role. Behavior-based interviews typically include questions that reference specific situations or issues that you might have dealt with, so take the time to think through difficult, unexpected, or new situations, recalling how you dealt with them and assessing what you learned or would do differently in the future. While you won’t know exactly what the interviewer may ask, having a few different situations in mind will make it easier for you to find one that best answers the question, without making you seem too rehearsed.

 

ON TOPIC

Jeff Dunn, Intel Corporation

 

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Jeff Dunn is campus relations manager at Intel Corporation. He has more than 20 years of corporate recruiting experience, including 11 years at Intel. He frequently conducts workshops on successful job search tips and strategies.

 

Has the shift to behavioral interviews improved hiring decisions at your organization?

 

Hypothetical questions and scenarios are too easy to answer, and they’re not useful in evaluating skill sets. Behavioral interviews, on the other hand, improve hiring decisions because they explore a candidate’s past behaviors as the best indicator of future performance. During behavioral interviews, the questions asked of the candidate are job related, which helps interviewers avoid getting into discriminatory situations.

 

Is this approach used for all positions and all levels?

 

Intel has been using behavioral interviewing for more than 20 years at all levels within the company.

 

What competencies can a candidate showcase during a behavioral interview?

 

Candidates can demonstrate both functional and interpersonal skills during a behavioral interview. They should be prepared to give examples of functional skills, such as project management, analyzing financial statements, coding with C++, and so on. Interviewees can illustrate their interpersonal skills with stories that highlight flexibility, teamwork, judgment, and tolerance of ambiguity. Candidates should expect to hear questions like, “Give me three reasons to hire you.” The answer to this question showcases their top strengths and could be used in response to a number of questions.

 

JOB OPENINGS

 

Des Moines, Wash.

Highline College

 

Orlando, Fla.

TLC Engineering Solutions

 

Rocklin, Calif.

Sierra College

 

Chino, Calif.

Inland Empire Utilities Agency

 

Tahlequah, Okla.

Oklahoma State University Center for Health Services

 

Grinnell, Iowa

Grinnell College

 

Denver, Colo.

Scott Contracting

 

Durham, N.C.

Zoetis

 

Sarasota, Fla.

City of Sarasota

 

 

PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

The Native American Congressional Internship gives Native American and Alaska Native students a first-hand look at Federal-Tribal relations and allows them to work on issues important to their communities. This fully funded, ten-week summer internship in Washington, D.C., is open to undergraduate, graduate, and law students.

 

The WW Graduate School is a new kind of master’s degree in education. It’s personalized to a candidate's skills and knowledge. It focuses on what they need to know to meet the challenges of today’s classrooms—and to shape tomorrow’s classrooms, too. Do you have students or colleagues with a background in math or science who would make extraordinary teachers? Urge them to apply by March 2, 2020.

 

This conference brings together extraordinary defenders to the extraordinary island of Maui. Our mission is to create a platform where builders and defenders can share a cultivated interest in making impactful and long-lasting changes for the state of product and web security.

 

The NIH Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers (MOSAIC) program is designed to facilitate the transition of promising postdoctoral researchers from diverse backgrounds, such as individuals from groups underrepresented in the biomedical research workforce at the faculty level, into independent faculty careers at research-intensive institutions.

 

The National Inventors Hall of Fame honors the men and women whose patented inventions have changed our world. We rely on a panel of experts in science, technology, engineering, and patents to evaluate each nominee on the following criteria: patent, progress, perseverance, and passion. If inducted, you or a colleague could join the ranks of work-changing inventors.

 

Applications are encouraged from American Indians and Alaska Natives with a demonstrated interest in cancer prevention and control. Applications will be available in January in due in March.

 

We invite professionals, scholars, and researchers to submit papers to journals or to join the editorial board or reviewer team.

 

Physics and physical science departments at minority-serving institutions (MSIs) or community colleges can apply for a $1,000 grant to bring guest speakers to their institution for colloquium or seminar presentations. The aim of these travel grants is to provide opportunities for both the speaker, to disseminate her/his research, as well as for the institution, to bring in talented scientists.

 

Students 18 and older interested in wildlife conservation and environmental stewardship are encouraged to apply for a paid internship with the largest conservation system in the world.

 

 

GO PLACES WITH AISES

The current AISES Internship Opportunities are the , the , and the .

 

 

 

 

 

Every spring the seven Regional Conferences gather student and professional members to champion each other and expand their knowledge and skills through a wide variety of workshops and sessions.

 

The 2020 NAISEF will be both an in-person and virtual science fair held at Oklahoma State University on April 4. NAISEF winners will receive cash prizes and the Grand Award winner for the Senior Division will receive a chance to participate in the International Science and Engineering Fair.

 

SAVE THE DATE

 

February 16–18
Pechanga Resort Casino, Temecula, Calif.

 

October 15–17

Spokane, Wash.

 

VIDEO SPOTLIGHT

 

Professional Networking: How to Add Value to Your Connections

RESOURCES FOR AISES MEMBERS

 

AISES events, like the and , , and meetings are great opportunities to network.

 

Have you had a chance to check out the AISES Twitter feed? to get up-to-date info on what’s going on with the organization and the latest happenings in Indian Country.

 

ONLINE RESOURCES
US Army Corps of Engineers

 

 

 

 

OUR MISSION: The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) is a national nonprofit organization focused on substantially increasing the representation of American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, First Nations, and other Indigenous peoples of North America in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) studies and careers.

 

Paths to Opportunities and Winds of Change are published exclusively by AISES.

 

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