TalenX Behavioural interview guide
- 1. Behavioural Interview Guide to Identify High-Potential Talent People Analytics Company Behavioural Interview Guide 1
- 2. Table of contents Why the behavioural interview matters 3 The Five Factors that predict potential 4 Why Openness? 5 Why Extraversion? 7 Why Conscientiousness? 9 Why Agreeableness? 11 Why Emotional Stability? 13 Get the information you need in your next interview 15 Behavioural tips During the interview 16 Another way to assess candidate potential 17 About TalenX 18 Behavioural Interview Guide 2
- 3. Behavioural Interview Guide 3 Why the behavioural interview matters Jim Collins, the author of the book Good to Great, said it best, “A company limits its growth based on its ability to attract enough of the right people”. The “right people” isn’t just about getting people with the right “hard skills” (e.g. python programmer, CPA, CFA etc.), but also finding those who demonstrate the “soft skills” (e.g. leadership, collaboration, creativity, resolving conflict, time management etc.) to thrive in your company culture, work well with your team, and in your role. According to a 2019 LinkedIn report1 survey of 5,164 talent professionals, 80% say that soft skills are increasingly crucial to company success, especially as we come closer to the age of automation. Soft skills like creativity, persuasion, collaboration, time management and adaptability were all highlighted as important. However, understanding someone’s soft skills is tough. While hard skills are easy to evaluate based on a review of the candidate’s resume, assessing someone’s potential to perform certain soft skills is no easy task, especially within a 45-minute interview session. Fortunately, science2 has shown us that carefully curated behavioural interview questions are a proven means to evaluate every possible soft skill. By investigating a candidate’s behavioural competencies, you’ll know if the candidate has what it takes to perform in the role and your company. 1. LinkedIn 2019 Global Talent Trends 2. Schmidt, F. (2016). The Validity and Utility of Selection Methods in Personnel Psychology: Practical and Theoretical Implications of 100 Years of Research Findings.
- 4. Behavioural Interview Guide 4 The Five Factors that predict potential There are many different reasons why a candidate demonstrates a high potential to succeed in a company. Factors such as the company’s mission, vision, culture, values, expectations, and people, in general, can all affect how one succeeds in the role. However, there are some common soft skills and behaviours found among high-potential candidates. Here are some of the most important soft skills hiring managers look for during the interview (not ranked in order of importance): 1 Openness to Experience 2 Conscientiousness 3 Extraversion 4 Agreeableness 5 Emotional Stability In modern-day personality testing, practitioners and academics identified these five factors that predict potential and performance in the job. Behavioural Interview Guide 4
- 6. Why Openness? Openness is described as one’s willingness to try new things, explore different possibilities, and creating innovative ideas. Individuals who display high levels of Openness tend to look for new and creative solutions, learn new things, and demonstrate a strong willingness to challenge the status quo. On the other hand, those who display lower levels of Openness tend to adopt a more conservative approach, with a stronger emphasis to follow the current way of doing things. Here are some popular questions to evaluates one’s level of Openness: Behavioural Interview Guide 6 Tell me about a time when you had to learn about a new technique or concept quickly. How did you approach the situation? What was your strategy? + Absorbs knowledge quickly + Seeks information from diverse sources in an attempt to understand the topic/concept thoroughly – Only covers a narrow range of information when gathering information – Relies too much on one information source Give me an example of a time when you developed a new and creative solution to a problem. How did you develop your solution? How did others react to this? + Produce original ideas + Seeks out new and innovative ways of approaching a situation – Relies on others to generate new ideas – Thinks within traditional frameworks Can you tell me about a time when it was essential that you followed policies or procedures? + Readily follow established methods + Consistently demonstrates the need to adhere to policies – Challenges established rules, but in a non-constructive way – Deviates from procedures without considering the impact it has on others 1 2 3 Top Choice
- 7. Behavioural Interview Guide 7 Extraversion
- 8. Behavioural Interview Guide 8 Why Extraversion? Extraversion is a behavioural factor that taps into one’s propensity to be outgoing, confident in social situations, and leadership. Individuals who display high levels of Extraversion tend to enjoy being in social situations, lively and thrive in situations that require high levels of social interactions. In contrast, those who display lower levels of Extraversion (i.e. Introversion) tend to keep to themselves, introspective, and work better in situations that require little social interaction with others. Here are some of the most popular questions to ask: Describe a situation where you needed to persuade someone to see things your way. What steps did you take? What were the results? + Balances own interest with the other person’s perspective + Attempts to engage the emotion side of others when persuading – Is not aware of when to stop, or seem overly pushy – Makes little attempts to engage the emotions of others when persuading Tell me about a time when you had to make a tough decision at work. + Takes responsibility for own decisions + Works independently without the need for constant guidance – Resists making decisions while under pressure – Defer to others when making decisions Describe a time when you had to coordinate a group of people to achieve a task at work. How did you manage? + Gives clear directions to others to ensure that they were understood + Coordinates team activities – Display little need to control or organise others – Gives instructions to others with insufficient detail 1 2 3 Top Choice
- 9. Behavioural Interview Guide 9 Conscientiousness
- 10. Behavioural Interview Guide 10 Why Conscientiousness? Conscientiousness is a personality dimension that indicates one’s behavioural tendencies to be organised, systematic, meticulous and goal driven. Individuals who display high levels of Conscientiousness tend to prefer organisation, attentive to detail, and punctuality. In contrast, those who show lower levels of Conscientiousness tend to be more reactive, easy-going, and flexible with scheduling. Here are some of the most popular questions to ask: Tell me about a time when you had to meet a challenging deadline. What did you do to ensure you met the deadline? What problems did you encounter? + Readily recognises the urgency and importance of tasks + Organise and manage his/her time effectively – Requires more time than necessary to complete tasks – Shows little appreciation of the urgency of certain tasks Tell me about a time when you had to be particularly organised and systematic? How did you plan and organise your time schedules? How effective was your approach? + Approaches tasks in a systematic manner + Prioritise tasks and responsibilities according to their relative urgency and importance – Has difficulty arranging information and resources Sometimes, details just “fall through the cracks”. Give me an example of when this happened to you. How did you eventually find out? What did you do once you found out? + Monitors the quality of work outputs + Encourages others to pay close attention to details – Does not demonstrate a careful and methodical approach – Disregards quality assurance 1 2 3 Top Choice
- 11. Behavioural Interview Guide 11 Agreeableness
- 12. Behavioural Interview Guide 12 Why Agreeableness? Agreeableness is a measure of an individual’s tendencies towards sympathy, cooperation, and being considerate towards others. Individuals displaying high levels of Agreeableness tend to show a propensity towards connecting with people and being considerate of their needs and feelings. Individuals who display lower levels of Agreeableness tend to be Independent, with a preference to do things his/her way rather than conforming to other’s views and opinions. Here are some of the most popular questions to ask: Describe a situation where you had to be particularly supportive and caring for others at work? + Shows an understanding of what the other person finds important + Attends the emotional concerns of others before his/her own – Shows little to no understanding of what the other person finds important – Behaves in the same manner regardless of the needs of others Describe a time when you had to consider other’s views before coming to a decision? How did you go about identifying and understanding the perspective of others? What was the outcome? + Actively listens to the views of others, and summarises the information to ensure he/she understood + Promotes two-way dialogue, with an exchange of information, perspectives and feelings. – Express his/her own opinion while demonstrating little interest in what others are saying – Does not give full attention when listening to others Give me an example of a task you had to complete on your own without any guidance or supervision. How did you manage to work on your own? + Is comfortable figuring out solutions to problems by him/herself + Is comfortable working on projects or tasks without the supervision or instruction from others – Relies on the instruction from others to get stuff done – Relies on others to figure out solutions to problems 1 2 3 Top Choice
- 13. Behavioural Interview Guide 13 Emotional Stability
- 14. Behavioural Interview Guide 14 Why Emotional Stability? Emotional Stability is a dimension of personality that reflects a person’s tendency towards positive and negative feelings, handling uncertainty, challenges and pressure. Individuals who display high levels of Emotional Stability appear calm and relaxed before important events (e.g. a job interview) or under pressure. In contrast, those who score lower levels of Emotional Stability (i.e. Neuroticism) often worry before important events and may over-prepare before important events. Here are some of the most popular questions to ask: Describe a time when you worked in a very unclear and ambiguous situation. What was difficult to deal with in the situation? How did you deal with it? + Demonstrates acceptance of ambiguity in the work environment + Works confidently at times when information is not available or unclear – Demonstrates a lack of confidence when information is unavailable Tell me about a time when you had to do something that you had never done before at work. How did you respond to the situation? What did you learn about yourself? + Demonstrates determination and drive to overcome obstacles + Rises to meet the challenge – Is pessimistic about overcoming the challenge – Gives up easily, or relies on others to carry through tasks Describe a situation where you felt you were working under a high degree of pressure. How did it affect your work? What did you do to manage the stress? + Remains focused on work when under pressure + Maintains an optimistic outlook while in the face of challenges – Loses focus when working under pressure – Allows emotions to affect performance negatively 1 2 3 Top Choice
- 15. Behavioural Interview Guide 15 Get the information you need in your next interview While the interview questions can help you identify high potential candidates for your company, and select the best talent, asking the right questions may not guarantee that you will get those answers. Push your candidates to give you the information by doing the following: Use the STAR technique: As candidates answer the question, ensure that you make sure he or she can tell you the Situation, Task, Action, and Result. Don’t accept hypothetical responses: When asking the questions, make sure candidates tell you what specific behavioural examples, not hypotheticals. Give them time: Good answers come after you reflect, so don’t rush the candidates to give a response. Probe Deeper: Dig deeper into the candidate’s responses, and ensure you understood the information presented. 1 3 2 4
- 16. Behavioural Interview Guide 16 Behavioural tips During the interview Although it’s part of the assessment process, interviews are still considered a social interaction between two human beings. Before you enter your next interview, here are some useful reminders: At the beginning of the interview, try to make the candidate feel relaxed and establish rapport. 1 Encourage the candidate by appearing interested. Respond positive (e.g. head nodding or make ‘listening’ noises) and express interest to help the candidate speak freely. 3Reduce anxiety and uncertainty by introducing yourself, explaining the purpose of this interview, the length, and the general process. 2
- 17. Behavioural Interview Guide 17 Another way to assess candidate potential Have too many candidates to interview? Want to find other ways to assess your candidates? Personality assessments are an increasingly popular way to understand the human potential of candidates. Before meeting the candidate for the first time, you will understand the candidate’s potential to perform various soft skills, further ensuring that you will find the right candidate for your company. At TalenX, we are advocators for scientifically reliable and valid personality assessments to help decision-makers gain deep insights into their prospects and employees potential. Receive deep analytics into each candidate’s behavioural competencies and understand their strengths and weaknesses. With a proven track record, we help our clients, big or small, identify high potential candidates in an efficient and scalable manner. As a small firm, we were able to leverage TalenX’s expertise and experience to develop a talent acquisition strategy strong enough to compete with the largest firms in our industry. “ Edward Cumberlege Director, Sagamore Investments Mass Recruitment Study *Results may vary from client 1 By using TalenX, our clients reduced time to hire by 53% in comparison to without TalenX. 2 Number of interviews conducted before making a confident hire reduced by ~50%. 3 Overall quality of candidates inte rviewed improved by 38%. Without TalenX With TalenX Reduced Time-to-Hire Less Interviews Without TalenX With TalenX 70 days required 33 days required 10 per role 5 per role Better Quality Candidates Without TalenX With TalenX 5 8 53%Time saved 50%less interviews 38%better quality
- 18. About TalenX TalenX is a talent assessment solution offering detailed analytics about each candidate’s personality in a scalable and efficient manner. Look beyond the candidate’s resume and understand their human potential before meeting them for the first time. In the increasingly competitive world, we live in today, TalenX aims to provide organisations, large or small, the capability to strengthen their core assets – human capital. Behavioural Interview Guide 18 http://linkedin.com/company/talenx Visit our website www.talenx.io Like us on Facebook jon@talenx.io +852 9011 6995