Boston Hiring and HR Blog

Employers everywhere want to know the secret to finding and retaining that seemingly elusive star performer.

In a recent survey of around four hundred Massachusetts executives, almost half listed that finding and retaining top talent is among their top priorities in relation to their organization. It’s no wonder why so many organizations listed this, as no one can afford to make hiring mistakes in today’s economy.

As a fast growing and virtually free technique, many organizations are turning to behavioral interviewing.

Behavioral interviewing, which is more than 40% more effective than traditional Q&A style interviewing, was developed in the 1970s by industrial psychologists. It was introduced to HR managers as a way to pinpoint potential employees’ soft skills, such as creativity, drive, values and versatility. By asking job candidates specific questions about past performance and experiences, future performance can accurately be predicted.

Typical behavioral interview questions are usually not questions at all but more often than not start out with something like, “Tell me about a time…” or “Give me an example of…” or “Describe a situation where…” Asking these questions can identify specific attributes you may be looking for in an employee and prove to you that he or she will meet up to your expectations.

For example, to find out if your Boston Job candidate has initiative, you might want to ask a question like, “Give me an example of a time when you went above and beyond the call of duty.” Or, if you want to know if your potential employee has creativity you could say, “Tell me about a problem you had to solve in a unique or unusual manner. What was the eventual outcome? How satisfied were you with the outcome?”

It is said that one of the biggest mistakes hiring managers make is hiring for skill and firing for behavior. As the market continues to flood with unemployed candidates, we advise you to take a closer look at the benefits of having a solid behavioral interview strategy for 2009.