Using a “Blended” Approach to Extend the Power of Behavioral Interviewing
Extensive research has shown behavioral interviewing to be the most predictive interviewing approach in use today. However, it has some significant drawbacks and problems. Interviewers and candidates find behavioral questions overly awkward and formal. They do not flow naturally as part of a normal conversation about the person and the job, and they feel more like an interrogation and impede the exchange of information. They do not provide information about other important aspects of the person like motivations, interests, and depth of experience.
Blended Interview Approach
To avoid these problems, interviewers should try a blended interview approach. The Blended Interview is based on the seminal book, Behavior Description Interviewing. This book describes various interview question types that are useful for collecting different kinds of information such as:
- Biographical Facts, Credentials, and Achievements
- Technical Knowledge
- Experience/Activity Descriptions
- Self-Evaluative Information
- Behavior Description Questions (behavioral questions)
The authors note that while behavioral questions provide the best predictive information, the other question types have high value for other purposes. These question types can be used to:
- Establish rapport and put the candidate at ease which makes for a more productive interview
- Provide a conversational flow and context for asking behavioral questions
- Obtain better and more complete responses to behavioral questions
- Provide information on the whole person including
- Interests and enthusiasm for the position
- Depth of relevant job experience
Natural Conversation with Blended Interview Questions
The Blended Interview blends these various question types in a natural conversational flow to:
- Collect the best behavioral information possible
- Generate a full view of the candidate
- Provide a superior candidate interviewing experience
Contact OMNIview to find out more about how to use Blended Interviewing to extend the power of behavioral interviewing.
