Behavioral interviews are the best tool you have to identify candidates who have the behavioral traits and characteristics that you have selected as necessary for success in a particular job.

Additionally, behavioral interviews ask the candidate to pinpoint specific instances in which a particular behavior was exhibited in the past. In the best behaviorally-based interviews, the candidate is unaware of the behavior the interviewer is verifying.

As you read tips in How to Conduct an Effective Behavioral Interview below, please note that the actual behavioral interview is preceded by behavioral trait identification and a job description. The upfront work makes the behavioral interview effective and successful.

How to Conduct an Effective Behavioral Interview

Start by identifying what you want the employee to do in the open job.  These are examples of behavioral interview questions that were asked of the candidates. Keep in mind that the employer is seeking evidence of the behavioral traits established at the beginning of the hiring process. The applicant may or may not have figured out the behavioral characteristics the employer is seeking. If the candidate read the job posting carefully and prepared for the interview, a savvy candidate will have a good idea about what behavioral traits the employer is seeking.

• Tell me about a time when you obtained a new customer through networking activities.
• Give me an example of a time when you obtained a customer through cold calling and prospecting. How did you approach the customer?
• What are your three most important work related values? Then, please provide an example of a situation in which you demonstrated each value at work.
• Think of a customer relationship you have maintained for multiple years. Please tell me how you have approached maintaining that relationship.
• Your manufacturing facility shipped the wrong order to one of your important customers. Describe how you solved this problem both internally and externally.
• The quantity of parts and the part numbers of items available for sale change daily. Talk to me about how you have handled similar situations in the past.
• If you are hired as our sales representative, you may see the need to change the organization of the department. How have you approached such situations in the past?
• An example of a time when your integrity was tested and prevailed in a selling situation.
• Give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem.
• Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it.
•  Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you handled implementing it.
•  Have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? If so, how?
• What do you do when your schedule is interrupted? An example of how you handle it.
•  Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren’t thrilled about? How did you do it?
•   Have you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker? How?
• Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.

With answers to behavioral questions such as these, you have comparisons you can make between candidates and their approaches to selling. You have a good idea about how the candidate has approached selling situations similar to yours in the past. The values and behavioral characteristics and traits you have identified and sought out give you a much better idea whether the selected candidate is a good fit for your position. Use behavioral interviewing to select the sales representative most likely to succeed.