Introduction
Interviewing is an effective approach in an organization that helps recruiters select
suitable candidates. Behavioral based interview is a style that focuses on the interviewee’s past
experience in solving future issues. The logic behind behavior-based interview is that it enables
recruiters to predict an employee’s reaction to a specific situation that may arise in the
organization (Doll, 2018, p. 47). Behavior-based interview is a beneficial selection method
because it focuses on specific candidates’ experiences, which reveals the abilities, personalities,
and skills.
Questions in an interview require specific approach in giving the desired response. In
behavior-based interviews, interviewees use STAR (situation, task, action, and result) technique
as a strategy to respond to the questions (Doll, 2018, p. 46). The technique represents steps
candidates utilize to describe a situation (S) in which an even occurred. The second stage entails
describing the task (T) where an individual had to complete and the issue, he/she was trying to
solve. Action (A) is the next phase that requires the candidate to state the action he/she took to
solve the issue or complete the task. Lastly, an individual explains the results (R) of the taken
actions (Doll, 2018, p. 46). Therefore, the STAR technique enhances once response during
behavior-based interviews to become a suitable choice for selection.
Position A
An interviews aim is to review the suitability of a candidate for a given position. When
using the behavior-based approach, the first step entail assessing an individual’s cognitive
abilities for the responsibilities associated with the rank (Tatem, Kokas, Smith, & DiGiovine,
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2017, p. 576). Thus, the interviewee should use STAR to justify their compatibility with the
tasks.
Position B
Interviews also review candidates’ abilities using behavior-based approach depending on
the problem that may arise. For instance, an interviewee may explain a challenge that they solved
in the previous organization (Doll, 2017, p. 47). While there may be different techniques in
selecting a suitable employee, behavior-based technique is essential as it highlights the
individual’s actual ability to complete a task or solve a problem.
Styles of Interviewing
There are various interview styles that the panel can choose in assessing a candidate such
as, (i) conventional unstructured interview, (ii) structured conventional interview, and (iii)
structured behavioral interview. In conventional unstructured interview the recruiter holds an
informal conversation with a candidate to enquire about his/her skills (Alonso & Moscoso, 2017,
p. 184). There is no script that guides the conference and thus the flow of the topic depends on
the response of the interviewee. Structure conventional interview is a common style that follows
a series of guidelines or script to obtain information on questions about credentials, experience,
technical skills, and self-evaluations (Alonso & Moscoso, 2017, p. 184). Finally, structured
behavior interview entails evaluation of past actions and results.
Compare and Contrast Behavior Based Interview and other Styles
Each type of interview varies from behavior-based interview, particularly through the
design and strategies to acquire information. Both structured and unstructured conventional
interviews are common and traditional styles in most organizations. In this scenario, the recruiter
asks questions that focuses on understanding information that are in a guided script while in
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behavior-based interview, the interviewer asks questions to determine how the candidate utilized
professional skills in the past (Alonso & Moscoso, 2017, p. 183). In addition, conventional
interviews, recruiters aim at aligning one’s career interests with the company while behavior-
based aims at predicting future performance of an individual.
Pros and Cons
While behavior-based interviews are largely used in organizations, they have both merits
and demerits. One of the advantages is that, unlike other conventional interviews that does not
prepare interviewees for the job requirements, this style critically evaluates candidates and
prepare them for future challenges (Srinivasan & Humes, 2017, p. 82). Secondly, candidates get
an equal chance of being selected in that recruiters assess an individuals’ suitability in a role
based on past experience thereby eliminating the probability of biasness (Srinivasan & Humes,
2017, p. 82). Lastly, the interview style is versatile and can be used to assess a variety of
competencies, such as adaptability, coachability, and willingness to collaborate (Srinivasan &
Humes, 2017, p. 82). While the process has its merits, it also has a set of demerits.
While behavior-based interviews have numerous advantages, it also has it disadvantages.
For instance, since recruiters do not use a specific guideline in selecting a suitable candidate,
they require prior brainstorming to determine each candidates’ abilities (Tatem et al., 2017, p.
577). As a result, the process may become time-consuming or may lead to bias, particularly
against women candidates (Alonso, Moscoso, & Velo, 2017, p. 20). Furthermore, the process
requires professional and experienced interviewers since not everyone is a natural interviewer
and the latter will thereby require intense training sessions (Srinivasan & Humes, 2017, p. 84).
Thus, the interview approach poses its cons despite having beneficial features.
Recommendations
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Most organizations utilize traditional interviews. methods due to the challenges
associated with behavior-based interviews. The recruiters lack adequate experience on this
approach. Consequently, firms need to train their hiring managers and give them adequate
information that they should utilize when conducting behavior-based interviews. Lastly,
executives in a company should sensitize their recruiters on the power of behavior-based
interviews in selecting candidates that will perform in a given position. Therefore, while the
process may have challenges, minor rectifications can enhance companies’ selection methods.
Conclusion
While there are concise and straightforward approaches to conduct interviews, it is also
important for interviewers to embrace behavior-based interviews. Without adequate training,
recruiters and hiring managers can result to poor candidate experience. Furthermore, they may
end up recruit individuals to credentials and skills thereby resulting to poor performance. Thus,
behavior-based interviews give reliable information of whether an individual would perform
effectively in future and solve anticipated problems in the company.
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References
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Differences and biases in interviewer ratings. Journal of Work and Organizational
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Alonso, P., Moscoso, S., & Velo, J. F. S. (2017). Structured behavioral interview as a legal
guarantee for ensuring equal employement opportunities for women: A meta-analysis.
The European Journal of Psychology Applies to Legal Context, 9 (1), 15-23. Retrieved
from https://journals.copmadrid.org/ejpalc/art/j.ejpal.2016.03.002.
Doll, J. L. (2018). Structured interviews: Developing interviewing skills in human resource
management courses. Management Teaching Review, 3(1). Retrieved from
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Srinivasan, L., & Humes, M. (2017). Behavioral interviewing essentials (and why you should
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Tatem, G., Kokas, M., Smith, C. L., & DiGiovine, B. (2017). A feasibility assessment of
behavioral-based interviewing to improve candidate selection for a pulmonary and
critical care medicine fellowship program. Annals of the American Thoracic
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