19 Great Interview Behavioral Questions From Indeed To Include In Recruiting

Hiring mistakes cost money – lots of money. Google the topic: Recruiting and interviewing is expensive.

The cost of a bad hire can reach up to 30% of the employee's first-year earnings — US Department of Labor.

Bad hires cost $240,000 in expenses related to hiring, compensation and retention — The Undercover Recruiter.

74% of companies who admit they've hired the wrong person for a position lost an average of $14,900 for each bad hire — CareerBuilder.

There are over 33 million small business owners in the United States. Hiring is done without HR background or understanding about identifying candidates that are a match for skills, abilities, knowledge and culture fit. Additionally, unconscious bias and inadequate evaluation of critical skills is not collected by business owners which can cost millions.

Using Behavioral-based questions in an interview is one way employers like to try and find the right fit for their job. Behavioral Questions are questions that ask for specific examples from a candidate about his or her past behavior on the job. Using past behavior is a proven technique used to more accurately determine the future performance or success of the individual, says Carole Martin, the Interview Coach.

Nancy Branton, a career and leadership coach, who is the CEO of the Workplace Coach Institute, agrees.

“Behavioral questions are important to include in interviews because past behaviors are most predictive about future behaviors,” says Branton.

Branton points out that in addition to behavioral questions, it’s important to include other questions to find out more about their work experience, how interested the candidate is in the position, how well their style will fit the culture of the organization and to learn about their career goals.

But behavioral interviewing is effective because research shows that most hires are made based upon gut feeling and whether the interviewer(s) like the person and feel comfortable with them, says Beverly D. Flaxington, The Human Behavior Coach and author of several books, including Understanding Other People: The Five Secrets to Human Behavior.

“Unfortunately most research shows that you can only trust your gut when it comes to hiring about 50 percent of the time,” says Flaxington. “And a bad hire is costly and disruptive.”

Indeed (2020) shared 19 behavior questions that employers can include when interviewing candidates.

1. Describe a time when your boss was wrong.

2. How did you handle the situation?

3. How would you feel about reporting to a person younger than you?

4. Describe a time you went above and beyond at work.

5. Tell me about the last mistake you made.

6. What do you want to accomplish in the first 30 days of this job?

7. Describe a time you got angry at work.

8. Describe a time when you had to give a person difficult feedback.

9. Describe a time when you disagreed with your boss.

10. Would you ever lie for a company?

11. Tell me about how you dealt with a difficult challenge in the workplace.

12. What do you really think about your previous boss?What has been the most rewarding experience of your career thus far?

13. How would you deal with an angry or irate customer?

14. Describe a time you chose to not help a teammate.

15. Describe a time you went out of your way to help somebody.

16. Describe a time when your work was criticized?

17. What do you want to accomplish in the first 90 days of this job?

18. Do you think you could have done better in your last job?

19. How would you fire someone?

So how would a behavioral answer sound during an interview? Let's use the question - Why should we hire you?

Tip: While this question may seem like an intimidation tactic, interviewers generally bring this up to offer you another opportunity to explain why you’re the best candidate. Your answer should address the skills and experience you offer and why you’re a good culture fit.

Example: “I have a passion for application development that’s grown stronger over the course of my career. The company’s mission aligns with my personal values and, from my limited time in the office, I can already tell this is the sort of positive culture in which I would thrive. I want to work for a company that has the potential to reshape the industry, and I believe you’re doing just that.” For more on answering this question, visit Interview Question: “Why Should We Hire You?”

Want to discuss hiring practices for your company? Contact Isabella at isabella@internpursuit.tech