The Importance of Conducting Behavioural Interviews

The authors say structured behavioural interviewing is the most reliable assessment method, and they note that with training and practice, "even an intelligent novice can master the basics".

The questions they suggest, which should be tailored to relate to specific situations the candidate might face when working in the organisation, include:

 "Describe a time when you needed to work under an intense deadline"; or "Tell me about a situation in which you managed conflicting interests among your colleagues"; or "Explain how you saw a new product through to completion".

"The assessor should probe for details of the candidate's exact actions and reasoning at the time," the authors say. "The candidate should not be allowed to discuss hypothetical scenarios or make vague statements about what 'we' did. The objective is to find out whether the individual's past reveals the specific competencies you're looking for."

After the interview, the panel should have a "rigorous, disciplined conversation about the evidence. This conversation should not be allowed to veer off into vague discussions of overall impressions or of how well everyone hit it off with the candidate."

The authors recommend that each interviewer score candidates on a matrix of specific attributes. "They then tabulate the data and gather to review their combined ratings, explore differences in their judgments, and arrive at a consensus on which candidates should be finalists. This process naturally results in a bias against including any candidate about whom a strong consensus cannot be reached."

Ultimately, following formal reference checks, the direct boss is the one who should make the decision, the paper says.

The authors' research also found:

• half of companies rely primarily on the hiring manager's "gut feel", selecting a candidate they believe to have "what it takes" to be successful. Further, hiring decisions are based mainly on interview performance, with little attention paid to reference checks;
• in a quarter of cases, the executive selected was the only candidate considered. The authors, however, advocate the simple rule of "meeting a dozen";
• many firms take no steps at all to ensure new employees are integrated into the company's culture, expecting them to "plug and play";
• "best practice" companies audit and review their recruiting practices in the same way they would their financial systems.