Glossary

Small Business Glossary and Definitions

What is a Behavioral-Based Interview?

Behavioral-Based Interview is a popular job interviewing technique that has been used by companies such AT&T since the 1970s. The idea behind it is that the most precise predictor of an employee’s future performance is the person’s previous performance in comparable situations. It is regarded as predicting with 55 percent accuracy a potential employee’s behaviour versus only 10 percent accuracy for traditional interviewing.

Behavioural-based interviews are promoted as giving a more impartial set of facts upon which to base hiring decisions than other methods of interviewing. While standard interviews include general questions such as, “Tell me a little bit about yourself,” behavioural interviewing is far more in-depth. The person is asked to tell a behavioural story and then the interviewer will analyze it for specific behaviours, looking for abilities, skills, knowledge and experience the company is seeking.