Good to Great Behavioral Interviews

Michael Lewis’ new book– The Undoing Project– focuses on the work of Israeli psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky. The basic premise behind the book: Our ability to accurately forecast events or future behavior is skewed by outside biases which we might not recognize. When we render a prediction of success– whether it’s selecting an athlete in the NFL draft or a candidate for our company– we rely too much on the most recent or vivid events, accepted practices and legacy influences (think Moneyball). 

While that might work some of the time, Kahneman and Tversky’s research demonstrates it’s far less predictable than given credit for. An example: first-round NFL draft picks that turn out to be journeyman players– or in some cases, outright busts– while a fourth-round pick for the Dallas Cowboys (Dak Prescott) becomes the NFL Rookie of the Year.  (Full disclosure: as a lifelong Cowboys fan, I had to work that into this article. No apologies.)

What does this have to do with interviewing candidates? Well, I’ve been trying to connect the dots from this book with how companies make hiring decisions. Initially, it appeared the studies contradicted Behavioral Interviewing methodology. However, after reading some of the chapters (more than once), here’s my take: Behavioral Interviewing methodology is potentially incomplete without understanding the context surrounding the answers. 

Asking “Tell me about a time…” moves from a good to great question when you understand the candidate’s work environment: how his/her department is structured; where he/she fits in the overall organization; what support or resources are provided (or not).  The point: without taking time to understand these variables the Hiring Manager is taking a leap of faith with incomplete information. 

So, what’s the most efficient way to accomplish this? 

Start by asking candidates to describe where they fit in their organization– an organization chart, so to speak. This helps both parties– company and candidate– compare “apples to apples” and establishes the foundation for questions that follow. As a result, the Hiring Manager gains a much richer understanding of the candidate’s answers to behavioral questions.    

Credits: Gary Williamson, Ph.D and Managing Parter: PSP Metrics