What's the Deal with Behavioral Interviews?

Studies report that the cost of employee turnover can be anywhere from six months salary to as much as two times annual salary. And that is just the monetary cost. When setbacks to the organization are factored in, it’s clear that it is critical for organizations to hire and retain the right employees.

To do that, many employers first conduct behavioral interviews.

Behavioral interviews are designed to focus on your knowledge, skills and abilities based on past experience. One benefit for employers is that, with the structure for behavioral interviews, interviewers are less likely to ask illegal questions. Research also shows that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. This means that employers asking behavioral questions can assess for job and role fit by learning about what you have done before.

For Interviewees:

The good news for interviewees is that you can prepare for behavioral interviews using the STAR or SBI method.

For example, if you were asked:

Tell me about a time you needed to get information from someone who wasn’t responsive. What did you do?

You could respond using the STAR method, like the example below.

When I worked at XYZ Industries, most of my work was cross-functional. There, when working on a project with the 123 department, the head of the department did not respond to emails. I didn’t understand because the head of the department was friendly and receptive during face-to-face meetings. The lack of email response was beginning to affect our timeline, so I reached out to the head of the department by phone to follow up on the emails and action items that needed to be addressed. Before finishing our call, I asked for a preferred communication method. The head of the department shared that she was inundated with emails and preferred to receive phone calls to indicate action needed on projects. From then on, I reached out by phone and, as a result, we completed our project and secured funding for the next 5 years.

In the example above, the STAR method is broken down as follows:

Situation: When I worked at XYZ Industries, most of my work was cross-functional. There, when working on a project with the 123 department, the head of the department did not respond to emails. I didn’t understand because the head of the department was friendly and receptive during face-to-face meetings.

Task: The lack of email response was beginning to affect our timeline.

Action: I reached out to the head of the department by phone to follow up on the emails and action items that needed to be addressed. Before finishing our call, I asked for a preferred communication method. The head of the department shared that she was inundated with emails and preferred to receive phone calls to indicate action needed on projects.

Result: From then on, I reached out by phone and, as a result, we completed our project and secured funding for the next 5 years.

By responding using STAR, you are providing all of the details that the interviewer is searching for. With those details, the interviewer can determine and accurately describe to others on the hiring team why you are capable of managing the responsibilities associated with the role.