Behavioral Based Interviewing At NVR, we use an interviewing technique called “Behavioral Based Interviewing.” Please read our interviewing style to prepare for your interview. Good luck. WHAT IS BEHAVIORAL BASED INTERVIEWING? The behavioral based interview is founded on the premise that the best predictor of future performance is past performance. Rather than asking you directly if you have a particular skill or trait, the interviewer will ask you to provide an example of a time when you demonstrated the skill or trait he/she is seeking. These questions often will begin with phrases such as: “Tell me about a time when…” or “Describe a situation in which…” HOW CAN I BEST ANSWER BEHAVIOR-BASED QUESTIONS? An effective response to a behavioral based interview question will possess certain characteristics. It will be specific in describing the example situation or problem. It clearly will spell out the action taken by a candidate to resolve the situation. And it will state the result of that action or intervention. It is called the STAR technique: Situation/Task: Describe the situation in which you were involved or the task you need to accomplish. You must describe a specific event or situation, not a generalized description of what you have done in the past. Be sure to give enough detail for the interviewer to understand you. Action: Describe the action you took and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you are discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did – not the efforts of the team. Don’t tell the interviewer what you might do, tell what you did. Results: What results did you attain because of your actions? What happened? How did the event end? What did you learn? GIVE ME AN EXAMPLE OF A COMPLETE ‘STAR’ STORY. A few months ago, a customer called me to say she was canceling her order because of previous late deliveries. I was very concerned because she had been a loyal customer over the years. I immediately called her and scheduled an appointment for us to meet. During our meeting, we spoke about the problem and I admitted that, in the past, we have had some problems that caused late deliveries. I told her I would personally ensure that her future orders would be on time by following up on each one before shipment. Because of the conversation and my promise, she agreed to give us another chance! She remained a loyal customer and still does business with the company to this day. HOW CAN I PREPARE FOR A BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW? Analyze the type of position you are applying for. What skills do you think the position requires? Analyze your own background. What skills do you have that relate to your job objective? Identify examples from your past experience when you demonstrated those skills. How can you tell a story about your use of particular skills or knowledge? Concentrate on developing complete STAR answers and remember that a good story has a beginning, a midpoint and an end. Wherever possible, quantify your results. Be prepared to provide examples of when results did not turn out as you had planned. What did you do then? SAMPLE BEHAVIOR BASED QUESTIONS • Tell me about a time when your work or an idea of yours was criticized. How did you react? How did you handle the situation? • Describe a situation in which you were required to work under pressure and how you reacted? • Describe a time when you showed initiative. • Describe a difficult problem that you’ve had to deal with and how you resolved it. • Describe a situation that illustrates you ability to think on your feet. • How do you schedule your time during a typical day/week?