Behavioral Interview Questions: Recruiter’s Ally in the Battle for Talent

By Phil Quigley, Vice President, Consulting Services Accelerate Mobile Apps, Inc. Talentron.com

“Recruiters change history” bragged a successful Hong Kong headhunter. "Think about it—the people we hire determine the success or failure of the business. There’s a war for talent out there and we can’t afford to lose it.”

My employer had retained this company, a distinguished global search firm, to recruit a Managing Director for the Asia-Pacific Region. Over a beer—actually multiple beers—he shared his not so secret search strategy: network like crazy, romanticize the job and the client, and ask what he called “high value” behavioral interview questions.

I was about to apply my version of this search strategy, including deploying a suite of key behavioral interview questions, in my quest for a new Managing Director. No small challenge!

Behavioral Interview Questions…not a Fad!

Behavioral interview questions are not some nerdy, flavor of the day hiring technique. In truth, they’re the recruiter’s best friend, essential interviewing “power tools”, and the keys to a successful hire.

Talent acquisition professionals learned this fundamental law way back in Hiring 101. It’s simply the process of asking questions about problems the candidate has confronted, the actions taken to resolve them, and the results achieved. Behavioral interview questions transform “fishing expedition” interviews into productive and objective explorations of the candidate’s actual achievements. Behavioral interview question’s reveal discipline, drive, motivation, and resilience—“will do factors” that define the individual’s success profile.

So after booting out the headhunter for grandiose talk and pedestrian performance, I took on the Managing Director recruiting challenge.  Fortunately my company, a high profile pre-IPO internet company with a growing presence in Asia, was considered a great place to work. Its powerful employer brand and reputation for valuing employee contributions generated some excellent Managing Director prospects. We were building a talent acquisition pipeline.

A Dozen “High Value” Behavioral Interview Questions for Senior Leaders

After shortlisting the three most promising candidates, I pulled out my interview evaluation form and used the following list of behavioral questions as my interview guide for my conversation.

• Share with me the personal criteria for selecting your most recent position including the ‘must haves’.
• Describe the kind of workplace environment and organizational culture that has brought out the best in you.
• Share a success story with me of how you helped to develop the career of a promising employee.
• Tell me about a time when a decision you made had a measurable impact on the bottom line performance of your business.
• Walk me through the steps you took in helping your company transform itself.
• Talk about the actions you took to win the support of corporate skeptics who resisted your efforts to implement change.
• Tell me about a time when you had to make sweeping changes in the leadership ranks of a past employer.
• In your last position, take me through the actions you took in the first 30 days to enroll people in your vision and agenda for success.
• Tell me about a time when you had to adapt your leadership style to a new organization.
• Talk me through the process you’ve implemented to cut costs in a previous position.
• Tell me about the business decision you’ve made that was most detrimental to company profits.
• Tell me about a time you had to integrate two vastly different corporate cultures after an acquisition.

Behavioral Interview Questions that Close Candidates

A recent Managing Director candidate said, “Those behavioral interview questions that you asked me made my decision easy," she said. "You showed me that your organization is highly selective about hiring—you have a high bar for talent, and you care about the people you recruit. This is the kind of company I want to work for…one that values great talent and puts people first. You don’t have to sell me on the job…I’m all in!”

Behavioral Interview Questions Create Great Employer Branding

By asking behavioral interview questions that reveal the candidates talents, strengths, and aspirations, you create the kind employer branding experiences that sell your company as a great place to work.  Even if you don't hire them, they'll view their experience positively. Pretty soon the buzz will build on all the social media platforms that your company is a true talent magnet, a place to learn, grow, have fun, and build great careers!

Tell me about your experience recruiting senior leaders.