Click here to enlarge imageThis is the area we tend to either minimize or take for granted, assuming we can figure this out through intuition. What tends to happen — in lieu of a structured behavioral interviewing program — is that we hire people like us, who may or may not serve the practice well. Or, we end up asking open-ended questions where candidates can generalize and provide answers that sound good and describe what we want to hear. Unfortunately, we discover deficiencies after they are hired, which has a negative impact on the success of the practice.
Impact
All three dimensions are important and require balance. Behavioral interviewing supports this by drawing a more complete picture of the candidate. Arguably, the cultural fit is the most important dimension of the three. Just as Pythagorus stated, "The square of the hypotenuse is equal to the sum of the squares of the two catheti in a right-angled triangle," we can draw a parallel in the context of hiring. My hypothesis is this: "In the world of hiring, the impact of the organizational/cultural fit is equally important to the sum of the impact of the other two dimensions combined." (See Diagram B below.)
Approach
Developing a behavioral interviewing program involves seven simple steps:
1) Develop a list of what behavioral characteristics you are looking for in a prospective employee. In a typical dental office, this might include such qualities as loyalty, stability, flexibility, being a team player, or being a self-starter.
2) Define each of these characteristics as they apply to your particular situation. For example:
Team Player: Makes explicit efforts to cooperate and encourage others to take part in joint efforts.
• Seeks and includes others' input
• Answers questions and shares expertise with others
• Shares credit for success and accomplishments with others
• Keeps others informed about progress of issues
3) Develop one or two questions for each characteristic that will elicit a person's preferences or likely behavior in a given situation.
For instance, in continuing with our example of the team player:
• Can you tell me about a situation where you had to coordinate your activities with three or more people?
• Can you tell me about a situation where you had to work with a group to get a job done?
4) Introduce the overall process.
Tell candidates that you'll be asking them to respond to questions about specific situations, and that you will want an overview of the situation, some key events, their role in these events, and the outcome of the situation. Advise them that you will be going back and asking more detailed questions — going through the situation "scene by scene" — and suggest that the candidate use a recent example, preferably within the last year or two. Explain that you will be using this information to gain a better perspective on who they are and how they might better fit in with the culture of your office.
5) Conduct the interview.
Ask one question at a time, requesting a specific example from candidates that will help describe their role in the particular situation. It's very important when you go back to ask detailed questions that you keep candidates anchored to a "point-in-time" before moving ahead to the next "scene" in the situation. As the candidates tell their stories, note observations of the desired, key behavioral characteristics. This includes positive confirmation that a candidate possesses the desired characteristic, as well as negative confirmation when candidates do not possess these characteristics. Most candidates will tend to generalize their storiess and provide a summarized view of how they handle situations. It is vital to stick to one particular situation to elicit the detail you want and go "one scene at a time."
6) Perform a post-interview analysis.
Immediately after the behavioral interview, analyze your observations and place each desired behavioral characteristic into one of the following categories:
Observed: Heard clear evidence of the behavior.
Not Observed: Either didn't ask a question that led to this characteristic or could not uncover specific examples.
Concerns: You heard evidence suggesting the candidate either might not possess or clearly does not possess the desired behavior.
7) Do a synthesis evaluation.
The outcomes from the behavioral interview need to be aggregated with the rest of the overall interview process. The interpersonal skills, abilities, and preferences that you observed from the behavioral interview need to be considered with the technical, process, specific job skills and the industry knowledge and experience to arrive at a fully-balanced decision. As mentioned earlier, the behavioral characteristics form one dimension that must be used within the context of the other two dimensions to make a better and more informed hiring decision.
Although there are few guarantees in life, behavioral interviewing provides a proven mechanism to obtain more insights into a potential candidate's interpersonal skills and preferences during the recruitment process. These insights help determine if there is a solid match between the candidate's innate abilities and the requirements of the immediate position and the roles they may play in the future and the organization's culture.
Behavioral interviewing also can help improve your ability to recruit the right candidates and advance your overall recruiting effectiveness.
Whether you are replacing an entire staff or just adding that one key employee, finding the right person for the culture in your office is critical to your success. It has been my experience that when properly done, the behavioral interview is highly accurate in predicting the behavior of potential new employees. It has now become an integral part of my hiring process, and I think you will find it to be an important tool in maximizing the potential for a successful hire in your office.