>> Knowing where to start when it comes to preparing for a consistent, inclusive interview can be really overwhelming. Should we wing it? Or should we even ask? Should I Google some questions? What can we do to ensure we're being fair and consistent? How do I make sure the candidate has a positive experience? Let's go over some things we can do to help ensure that we're properly preparing for an unbiased behavioral based interview. Take a few minutes to review the behavioral based interview training. This training covers how to conduct a behavior based interview and the purpose behind them. In a nutshell, behavior based interviewing allows candidates to reflect on their previous experiences. And in this model, candidate responses are a pretty good indicator of how they may behave in similar situations in the future. For example, if you're interested in learning about someone's ability to build inclusive relationships, you may ask something along the lines of, tell us about a time when you led a team of people who had differing workstyles? If a candidate's response to this question aligns with the key success criteria for your role, it's likely they'll be successful in this area. You should prepare questions in advance so you and your team are set up for success. Assign someone to be a bias checker during your debrief discussions. This individual will ensure your discussions are backed by data and tangible examples instead of those gut feelings and assumptions. They'll keep an eye out for biases, including stereotyping or conformity bias or affinity bias or halo effects. A recruiter tip: beware of power dynamics. Hiring managers and those in positions of power should definitely focus on listening during debriefs, and they should share their feedback last. When you ask behavioral questions, you should listen for the situation, the task, action and result. What was the situation that the candidate was in? What was their responsibility or task? What was their goal or what did they set out to do? And what was the outcome? Use this framework to dive into the details of the candidate's response. Be prepared to ask follow up questions. Let's say the candidate answers the question in response to building inclusive relationships, but you feel like you're missing something. Maybe you're curious about how they approach certain situations. Maybe you're curious about what happened after they had certain conversations. You should ask open ended questions, something along the lines of take us back to that conversation, or how did you approach that? Or what were some things you considered prior to communicating with that person? If you feel like the candidate's response is not specific enough, dig in deeper. Ask the candidate to provide some context or paint a picture of the situation. A few other examples of common follow up questions might include: what did you learn from this situation? What was your specific responsibility in this situation? Or if the candidate isn't being specific, ask them for an example when they applied the approach or philosophy that they mentioned. Well, what should and shouldn't I ask? So get specific. The goal of an interview is to get down to every detail of the example given. Also, avoid asking leading questions. Remember that you're trying to gather a full set of information on a candidate and how they approach situations rather than leading them on a path. By definition, a leading question is a question that prompts or encourages the desired answer. Sometimes our biases can come through in the questions that we ask candidates, and this may especially show up if we're interviewing internal candidates or someone that we've crossed paths with in the past. For instance, say the candidate mentioned that their communication with someone on their team was successful. A contextual question may sound something along the lines of well, you mentioned that the way you communicated with your team member was successful. How did you know that to be the case? Versus a leading question, which may sound something along the lines of it sounds like you were very proactive in communicating with your team member. You must have followed up with them to see how that had been received, right? Well, how will you know when the candidate has given enough information? The goal of an interview is to gather data about real life situations where your candidate has been successful. There is no set time when you will know when you have enough information. So unfortunately, this is likely a judgment call on your part, but you do want to emphasize both breadth and depth in your interview. Try not to dwell too long on one question to the exclusion of others. It typically takes between 6-8 minutes per question in this module. Talented candidates may have a variety of communication styles. Our biases tell us that great conversationalists and interviews are more successful, but this might not be the case. Be sure to structure your interview process to appreciate different communication styles. Create anchors ahead of time for each question. Anchors will help you and your team evaluate each candidate against consistent criteria. To do this, get your Google Doc up, create three sections, one focusing on far exceeding requirements, one for meeting requirements, and one representing a significant skill gap. Rate candidates on a five point scale and give candidates half points if need be. If you feel like a candidate meets expectations, but maybe they have some skills that lean into exceeding the requirements of the competency, give the candidate a 3.5, a four, 4.5, and the same thing applies for significant gaps. Numbers aren't absolute. For example, just because you give someone scores of fours and fives, they still might not be the person that you hire. Coming out of interviews, the intent is to get the groupings of high and medium viability candidates who might be strong and successful in the role. You can also use short phrases instead of scoring, for example, strong or moderate or noted gaps. And be sure that your hiring team meets prior to the interviews to discuss how each member of the team perceives and defines these anchor requirements. It's important to know the diverse perspectives of the team before you interview and eventually sit down together and explain your respective ratings. Create a rating rubric to document your scores. To help mitigate bias, be sure that anyone involved in assessing candidates has their own tab and encourage interviewers to refrain from reviewing each other's scores during their assessment. After all candidates have been interviewed, set up a time to have a final debrief conversation where you'll discuss the output and who might be most successful in the role. After the interview, ask yourself: based on what the candidate demonstrated during our time together, would they be successful during this role? If they're missing something, can we train for it? Focus on fact, not feeling. People are complex. Do we have the capacity to train for the skill? Is the candidate willing to learn the things that they're unfamiliar with? Am I making any decisions for the candidate like whether or not they're overqualified? Keep these questions in mind. Also be sure to review the blue bar for illegal or inappropriate interview questions. Age, national origin, marital status or religion are some of the many topics to avoid. As a rule of thumb, try not to cram too many questions in where you only have time to obtain surface level answers. Give all candidates the same experience and make sure the candidate is clear on their responsibilities and the position. Lastly, if they did well and weren't the selected candidate, be sure to reach out to them and encourage them to apply to other roles. There are several things you can do to ensure that your team is prepared. A few easy steps will go a very long way. Remember, practice makes progress. For additional resources, review the information below or contact Talent Acquisition at talent.acquisition@umich.edu.
Preparing for a Behavior-Based Interview
From UHR-Communications Staff January 31, 2024
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Sharpen your interview skills and increase the consistency of evaluating candidates with behavior-based interviewing. The optional resources referenced in the video include:
- Behavioral Based Interviewing (LinkedIn Learning course, free to U-M faculty, staff, students and temporary employees)
- Blue bar handout that is distributed during the Practicing Behavior Based Interviewing course taught by U-M Talent Acquisition
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