Behavioral Interviewing

Behaviors are formed over time through repetition. If an individual has done something in the past, they’re more likely to repeat it in the future.

Take, for example, a person who returns change at a store’s register after getting back too much. He or she is likely to be honest again when a similar situation presents itself in your restaurant — like, on the rare occasion; you leave cash on the desk in the office and forget to lock the door.

Exploring past behaviors requires a little digging. You’ll get a flat “yes” when you ask: “Do you consider yourself to be an honest person? The follow-up question is what puts the applicant on the spot and gives you important behavioral insights.

You simply ask about a specific time and place when honesty was demonstrated or put to the test. Example: “Tell me about a time when you demonstrated your honesty.”

Excerpted from the popular and easy to read handbook Staff Up: Assembling a Team That Sticks and Clicks. Click here to read more.