You sit down with a candidate and instead of asking, “What are your strengths?” you ask, “Tell me about a time you solved a tough problem under pressure.” Behavioral interviewing centers on this moment—real stories from past work, not rehearsed pitches or hypothetical guesses. It’s a tool that helps hiring managers predict how someone will perform by understanding how they actually handled real situations for interviewing techniques.

This approach goes beyond technical skills. It exposes personality traits and cultural fit, essential for long-term success.

The Concept Behind Behavioral Interviewing

Behavioral interviewing, also called competency-based interviewing, focuses on actions linked to success. Instead of vague answers, candidates share specific past examples. Interviewers dig into challenges like tight deadlines, conflict resolution, or key achievements.

For example, if a candidate shares they frequently engaged in litigation against employers, that hints at a possible confrontational style. This kind of insight rarely appears on a resume but matters when assessing teamwork.

Conducting a Behavioral Interview: What to Expect

Expect questions that dig into actual past experiences related to the job’s demands and company culture. If you’re hiring in finance, for instance, you might ask about communication during audits, attention to detail when reconciling accounts, or problem-solving around billing errors.

Candidates walk you through those moments: what happened, what they did, and the outcome. This concreteness makes evaluation clearer.

Traits to assess in interviews

Good behavioral questions surface both technical skills and softer ones:

• Technical skills: Preparing reports, investigating discrepancies, mastering software systems.
• Soft skills: Problem-solving, handling stress, integrity, adaptability.

Management roles add leadership and resilience to the mix.

Both types matter. A technically strong candidate without teamwork or stress management skills often struggles in practice.

Importance of behavioral interviewing in hiring decisions

Hiring the wrong person carries real costs. You lose time and money on recruitment and training. Productivity drops. Morale dips. Customer satisfaction can falter.

Research shows replacing a salaried worker costs about $7,000, mid-level staff around $10,000, and senior executives near $40,000. In fields like accounting, bad hires risk errors in tax filing or financial reports that can damage a firm’s reputation.

Behavioral interviewing minimizes these risks by focusing on demonstrated patterns and fit.

Behavioral vs traditional interviewing

• Traditional Interviews ask direct questions for quick answers. They’re easy but often yield rehearsed, generic responses that don’t reveal true ability.
• Situational Interviews pose “what if” scenarios. They test decision-making but lack the reliability of actual past behavior.

Behavioral interviews offer a clearer window into how candidates work.

Preparing for a behavioral interview

Preparation means setting up a fair, evidence-based process:

1. Job Analysis: Clarify responsibilities, skills, and qualifications required.
2. Job Description: Create or update based on that analysis.
3. Competency Identification: Pinpoint key technical and behavioral skills, like accuracy for accounting or leadership for management.
4. Indicator Definition: Define what success or red flags look like for these skills, aligned with your culture.
5. Rating Scale Creation: Use consistent scoring to reduce bias.
6. Question Development: Craft questions starting with phrases like “Tell me about a time when…” focusing on real actions. For example: “Describe a situation where you resolved a difficult client issue.”

Keep them job-relevant. For leadership roles, go deeper into experience.

Using the STAR method

Use STAR to frame answers and evaluations:

• Situation: Candidate sets context.
• Task: Explains the goal or challenge.
• Action: Details steps taken.
• Result: Shares outcomes.

This method keeps answers clear and comparable.

Conducting the interview: Tips for interviewers

• Ask the same behavioral questions of all candidates for fairness.
• Follow up to clarify or probe details.
• Encourage candidates with less experience to draw from internships or academic projects.
• Take detailed notes separate from resumes. Notes provide concrete evidence for scoring.
• Set a warm tone with greetings and eye contact. Reduce anxiety quietly.
• Avoid questions that touch on personal or protected characteristics.

A standard session lasts about an hour with six to eight behavioral questions.

Structuring the interview session

1. Introduce your company and the interview format.
2. Outline the position.
3. Ask behavioral questions and discuss answers.
4. Allow time for candidates to ask questions.

This keeps things clear and respectful of everyone’s time.

FAQ

What is the main focus of behavioral interviewing?

Behavioral interviewing focuses on past actions and real experiences to predict future job performance and cultural fit.

How does the STAR method help in behavioral interviews?

The STAR method provides a clear structure for candidates to explain Situation, Task, Action, and Result, making responses easier to evaluate.

Why is preparing well important for behavioral interviews?

Preparation ensures job-relevant questions, clear success indicators, and consistent scoring, reducing bias and improving hiring decisions.

How do behavioral interviews differ from traditional interviews?

Behavioral interviews explore actual past behaviors, while traditional interviews often rely on hypothetical or rehearsed answers.

What types of traits can behavioral questions assess?

They assess both technical skills, like report preparation, and soft skills, like problem-solving and stress management.

Summary

Behavioral interviewing gives you a structured, evidence-based way to hire. It surfaces not just skills but fit—helping avoid costly hiring mistakes. With clear preparation, solid questions, and the STAR framework, you’ll better spot candidates ready to thrive for interviewing techniques.

Try this next week:

• Map out the key behaviors your next hire must show.
• Write three behavioral questions starting with “Tell me about a time…”
• Use STAR to guide your notes during interviews.

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