Using Interview Questions that Work for You

Listed below are some commonly asked interview questions. We've all used one or more of these questions, hoping to elicit information that adds to our evaluation of a job applicant. As comfortable as we may be with these questions -- and others like them -- they share a basic flaw that limits their utility. Do these sound familiar?

• Tell me about yourself.
• What are your primary strengths as an employee?
• What is your philosophy of managing people?
• Describe your ideal work environment.
• Where do you see yourself in five years?

Research tells us that questions asking for specific behavioral examples give us the richest and most useful information. Remember the adage "The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior?" Notice that none of these frequently used questions ask for specific examples of past behavior.

Tell me about yourself.
Tiffany gives you information that you've already read in her cover letter and resume. She gives you a general description of her skills and work experiences. She says that she likes to golf and go to the art museum. But her response to this question tells you nothing about how she has behaved in the workplace.

What do you see as your strengths as an employee?
Al shares with you that he's a great problem solver, that he's witty and well liked and a particularly effective team leader. But his response to this question gives you no information about the last project he led or how he handled a pivotal but particularly sensitive negotiation.

What is your philosophy of managing people?
Jennifer tells you she believes everyone should be treated fairly, and that she works hard to develop her people and build teamwork. Without being asked for specific examples, she doesn't tell you that she didn't respond to repeated requests from her down-line manager for additional resources for her team or that there are frequent comments made by people in her department about feeling "out of the loop."

Describe your ideal work environment.
Dave lets you know that he prefers a fast-paced work environment where he is confronted with new challenges each and every day. He says he likes an open and honest exchange of ideas and coworkers who aren't afraid to question his decisions. Not having been asked for an example of a situation where he had a disagreement with a direct report, Dave doesn't tell you about the two people he transferred after they suggested alternate approaches to product delivery problems.

Where do you see yourself in five years?
Bryan confides that he'd like to move ahead in your company and be in line for a vice-presidency in a lead business unit. What you don't find out with this question is that he's never put in more than a six-hour day of real work since he left college.

Behavior-Based Interviewing
To learn about how a candidate functions in the workplace, we need to ask for specific behavioral examples. And there should be no hesitancy in asking a second or third time if the first question is met with overly general or hypothetical responses. Interview questions produce valuable information when we follow these steps:

• Before interviewing a candidate, construct a list of skills and attributes necessary for successful performance in the job being applied for
• Working from this list, design questions about past behavior that will elicit information about how the candidate demonstrated each skill or attribute in a previous job situation
• In the actual interview, use follow-up questions to get more information when responses are vague or unclear -- "Tell me a specific example," "What did you do next?" "What was the outcome?"

If you'd like help with these steps, you may want to consider using our EASI·InterviewsTM online tool. You tell us about the specific skills and attributes needed for a particular position, and we'll construct a list of behavior-based interview questions tailored to meet your needs.