Have you hired someone with a lot of talent and skills only to realize later that they are not a good fit for the role? What could have gone wrong in the interview process then? How did they get through? The answer is rather simple. You probably followed the same old methods of shortlisting and interviewing candidates.
As a recruiter or an interviewer, you need to consider the fact that a lot of training institutes have mushroomed all across the country that train candidates to crack interviews. These candidates already know the kind of questions that are asked in the so-called aptitude tests and interviews. If you use the same old methods, you will eventually end up hiring people who are only good at cracking interviews.
You are wasting your time when you ask a candidate to take you through their resume, which you have probably already gone through. When you ask someone if they are a good team player or if they can work under pressure or meet deadlines; they are bound to say yes. Asking for strengths or weaknesses may not help either.
What questions to ask in interviews:
Ask the candidates if they had to finish a project well within a deadline; how they did it; did they have enough support from their peers and higher authorities; how did they plan; whether there were any obstacles; etc. Simply probe further when they are answering. It will allow you to know the following things about the candidates.
Are they good team players?
Can they plan and utilize resources well?
Can they work under pressure and meet deadlines?
Can they support and collaborate with others?
How are their presentation skills?
Were they (really) involved in the project they claim to have executed? (Ask them to furnish basic data or facts)
How do they overcome challenges?
These and much more aspects of their personality and working styles can be uncovered with the help of behavioral questions and hence you should ask more of them.
Here are three reasons why you should ask more behavioral questions in interviews:
1. You can avoid making bias-induced decisions:
Sometimes you are impressed by smart looks or style or simply because they share similar interests. Behavioral questions reveal the true nature of a candidate which should be the ultimate goal of an interview.
2. You can check behavior through quick simulations or case studies:
If you ask, “Are you good at convincing people?” they will say yes because now they know you are looking for someone good at it. Instead, make them convince you of something by coming up with a situation.
3. You can control attrition:
It helps control situations leading to attrition or layoffs resulting from ineffective hiring methods.
Thus, asking more behavioral questions will help you hire the right candidates who contribute to the success of your organization.
Sawan is a Learning/Training consultant with over thirteen years of rich experience in training. He has been associated with companies like Amazon, Various Multinational and Domestic Companies, Leading Training Organizations, and prestigious Educational Institutes. He is a go-to person for setting up and leading training teams, managing training programs, and creating and curating content for online and offline learning. He is passionate about helping companies revive their training interventions and enable their workforce to achieve business goals.