Workbook No.

A Step by Step Guide to General and Behavioral

Interviewing

Michelle Elrod
Assistant Director
MBA Career Services
Fordham University
404.323.1003
mthurmmi@aim.com

Marci Thomas
Clinical Assistant Professor
Department of Health Policy & Management
UNC Chapel Hill
404.353.2848
marci@unc.edu
 Contents

Unleashed Potential Workbook Series 3

Introduction 4

Preparation 5

Understanding Yourself 5

Crafting the Message 6

Types of Interviews 9

Telephone Interviews 10
General and Behavioral Interviews 12

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Unleashed Potential

This workbook is the fifth workbook in a seven part series of workbooks designed to assist graduate
students and experienced hires in:

creating a compelling unique selling proposition to deliver to potential employers enabling

them to get the interviews with potential employers they want
conveying their story in a clear concise manner that will provide potential employers with a
business imperative for hiring them
negotiating compensation and benefit packages that are right for them

The Unleashed Potential Fundamentals Core Series- Unleashing Your Career Potential consists of:

Workbook 1: Getting Prepared

Workbook 2: Using Your Network to Market Yourself and Identify Opportunities

Workbook 3: Your Executive Presence

Workbook 4: Designing a Cover Letter and Resume that REALLY Tell Your Story

Workbook 5: General and Behavioral Interviewing Strategies

Workbook 6: Hands on Guide to Case Interviewing

Workbook 7: Closing the Deal and Salary and Benefit Negotiations

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Introduction

Imagine: Its September 2009 and you are having the time of your life. You have landed your dream job,
one that will really help you to unleash your potential. Its a great feeling. So how do you get from
where you are now to that point? Its really a 10 step process:

1. Understand yourself- discover what you want and create a strategy to get it (Workbook 1)
2. Build a workplan for the search (Workbook 1)
3. Develop a networking strategy (Workbook 2)
4. Identify potential employers (Workbook 2)
5. Evaluate how you come across to the potential employer and refine your executive presence
(Workbook 3)
6. Craft a dynamite cover letter and resume that tells your story and gives employers a reason to
hire YOU (Workbook 4)
7. Prepare for general and behavioral interviews (Workbook 5)
8. Prepare for case interviews (Workbook 6)
9. Use proven strategies for follow-up (Workbook 5 & 6)
10. Close the deal and negotiate the salary and benefits that fit your needs. (Workbook 7)

It is important to remember that looking for a job can be a job in itself. This means that time must be
spent doing the things that will get you exactly the job you want. Some of these things will be easier
and more pleasant than others but all of them are important.

Consider what you would do if you were planning a wedding or a party. You would make a list of to
dos that were mutually exclusive and completely exhaustive. But some people just write a resume and
cover letter and hope that their placement service will do the rest. No matter how good the placement
service, this just wont happen.

After a brief review of some of the topics covered in previous workbooks, this workbook will give
candidates a step by step guide through the process for general and behavioral interviewing.

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Preparation

The first step in the search process is to understand yourself. Many candidates never get what they
really want from the search because they act in a ready, fire, aim manner. Without proper
preparation it will be much harder to craft a compelling message and communicate it to the intended
audience, in this case, the potential employer. Like it or not, life is a sales process. You are constantly
selling yourself and your ideas wherever you go.

Some people have trouble with the concept of selling looking at it as pushy, sleazy, coercive and not
becoming of a professional. If that is true of you then look at this as a process designed to educate the
potential employer on what you can do for them and how you are the perfect fit for the job.

Fit is a very important concept. Consider the man who walks into a store selling womens shoes. He
selects a beautiful pair of leather shoes in the latest style and tries them on. For most men this would
not be a fit. It doesnt mean that the shoes are not beautiful and of high quality. They just arent a fit for
him. He is not rejecting the shoes, in fact if he were in the market for shoes for a woman, he might take
them. This may also be true with a particular employment situation. Not all candidates will be a fit for
all jobs or even all employers. Companies have specific cultures and not everyone will fit even if they
have identical skills.

Hiring mistakes are very expensive for employers. Retention of employees is important because it is
expensive to onboard and train them. In addition, the time it takes for an employee to get up to speed
on a new job results in certain amount of lost productivity. For that reason, employers have gotten
more structured in the way they recruit. Some give personality tests for fit. Most use behavioral and
other interviewing techniques to screen out those that do not display the core qualities that are
necessary in a particular job.

Understanding Yourself

Workbook 1 provides a process for candidates to use to prepare for the search. It employs a process
similar to the one companies use to perform strategic planning. In the process the candidate will
identify:

their mission, vision and values

satisficers and dissatisficers in a job situation
strengths and weaknesses
opportunities in the market and those parts of the market that may be limiting to their long
term potential
what skills are necessary for a particular employment situation
the core competencies the employer is looking for

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Crafting the Message

Many people go into the job search from the perspective of whats in it for me? Where it is important
to understand that the employer and job will meet or exceed your expectations, that is not the way to
sell yourself. It is important to view each employer and ask the questions:

What can I do for them?

How can I add value to the company/organization?
How do my values match up with theirs?

To do this it is important to go to their website and learn about them. Other great sources would be
employees of the company/organization.

EXERCISE

1. Name and type of company/organization

2. What is their mission and vision and what do they strive to do in the market place?

3. What is my mission and vision? What qualities am I looking for in an employment situation?

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4. What qualities is the company/organization looking for in an employee? Employers are looking
for core qualities and the interviews will be designed to determine whether the candidate has
exhibited these qualities in previous employment or other situations. Clearly employment
related experiences are more valued by employers. After all, past experience is said to be the
best predictor of future performance. However, some candidates do not have significant work
experience. In those cases it is permissible to use experiences in school or in volunteer positions.
It is not a good idea to use family experiences. Put an X next to the qualities below that you
believe are most relevant to the position you are seeking.

Quality Employer seeking You have exhibited this

quality in the past
Success in prior employment, X
personal achievement in school or in
volunteer situations
Education in areas they are seeking
Communication skills (written)
Communication skills (verbal)
Motivation (self motivation), drive
and ambition
Presentation skills
Analytical and problem solving skills
Ability to challenge ideas and
present solutions diplomatically
Ability to sell ideas
Ability to sell products or services
Integrity, ethical values
Team player
Sense of direction and career goals
Energy/ enthusiasm
Creativity
Stability and Maturity
Balanced personality (well rounded)
Flexibility/adaptability
Sense of humor
Ability to think independently
Ability to think on your feet
Reliability
Strong work ethic
Computer skills (analysis)
Ability to structure and organize

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5. What is my USP (unique selling position)? Make a list of what you believe are the most
important strengths from the chart above (and any other qualifications you believe are
relevant). For each of these qualities create a WSGAT (whats so great about that?).

Quality Whats so great about that? How the quality would

(WSGAT) help the employer?

6. How can I convey my USP to the employer in 30 seconds to 1 minute? This is commonly referred
to as the elevator pitch. You may not have to give it as such but you should be prepared to.

7. List areas on which to focus for interview preparation:

a. Strengths (areas where there is a strong story)

b. Needs for improvement (this is bound to happen and the candidate can confront the
situation head and find a way to express how the experience they have is just as
relevant).

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Types of Interviews

There are several ways that interviews can be conducted.

Telephone
In person
In social situation or networking situations

The process may involve several different types of interviews. The potential employer may
begin with a phone screen and invite those candidates for formal interviews that are chosen out
of the phone screened applicants. The next interviews could be in a social situation such as a
meet the company/firm cocktail party or reception. These are not official interviews but they
are interviews in that the current employees attending the event are assessing the candidates
they meet for fit. Therefore, everything a candidate says or does counts. I have seen otherwise
viable candidates wash themselves out of the process at the social events.

Those that make it through the first round of interviews may find themselves invited for an
office interview or site visit. This does not mean that the process is over. It is never over until
the offer is extended. The office interview could lead to other interviews for successful
candidates. Some employers, primarily professional services firms move on to case interviews.
Some employers require candidates to take personality tests or tests designed to assess the
knowledge of competencies they believe are critical to job performance. An example might be a
test of financial concepts such as present value, break even etc.

Interviews are typically one on one. However, some employers put the candidates in front of
panels of people who all ask questions and assess the candidates responses. Where this is a
very grueling situation, it is also an opportunity to show poise under fire. This may be a very
necessary skill for a particular employer.

This workbook will address telephone and general and behavioral interviewing. Workbook 6
addresses case interviewing.

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Telephone Interview

More and more employers are utilizing the telephone interview in order to pre-screen
candidates. Since more and more people work from virtual office locations, this can save a
company time and money. One advantage of the telephone interview from the candidates
point of view is that it can be done from virtually anywhere and the candidate doesnt have to
get dressed up to do it. However, these can also be situations that hurt the candidates chances
if the candidate is not careful. Some of the challenges candidates will face in a telephone
interview:

Adopting a casual posture- when dressed for an interview candidates may feel more
professional and communicate this to the potential employer through voice and the
way they speak. One trick that telemarketers use to keep their voices from becoming
monotone is to smile when they speak. This conveys a more upbeat tone and conveys
enthusiasm. It really works! A mirror also helps focus and helps the candidate monitor
their facial expressions.
Distractions- when an interview is not face to face the candidate should find a quiet
place with no distractions. Be sure you do not have a computer nearby. Some people
find it almost impossible to ignore emails and text messages resulting in loss of
concentration. Using a land line is important. The last thing the candidate wants to do
is irritate or frustrate a potential employer or recruiter.
Anticipating the conversation- This is a very difficult things to do. Since the candidate
cant see the person on the other line to monitor body language and see when they are
about to speak, the candidate runs the risk of interrupting the potential employer or
recruiter. Silence can be intimidating. If there appears to be a prolonged silence the
candidate could use the opportunity to ask a question.
Be prepared- This involves
o having the notes you have made about the company/organizations mission,
vision and values and core qualities with you for the interview
o having the notes you have made on your unique selling proposition with you for
the interview
o Practicing with someone over the telephone to ensure that your answers are
succinct and not rambling. Also watch for Ums. You can practice recording
yourself. Listen to the recording. It may be painful but could help improve your
interviewing skills.
Ending the interview- Hopefully this is only one step for you in the process. You will
want to write down a question to ask at the end of the interview about next steps if the
interviewer does not bring it up.
Follow-up- You will want to follow up with a thank you note. An email is a very quick
way of following up. Be sure the email is like a letter with a salutation and closing.

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Otherwise it will look abrupt. You will also want to check your spelling before you send
it and send it with confirmation so you are sure that it reached the recipient and you did
not misaddress it. It is also a good idea follow up interviews with written thank you
notes. They will help you to stand out above the crowd. Failure to send a thank you
note at all can be the kiss of death.

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General and Behavioral Interviewing

There are different types of general interview styles, the most challenging being the behavioral
interview. Do not be misled into thinking that because you are not shy, you can answer these
questions succinctly and effectively. Without some pre-planning you may find yourself stumped
or answering questions that were not asked.

Interview style: Exploratory interview

Approximate length: 30 minute
Objective: To weed out candidates, determine fit and narrow the interview pool of candidates
for future rounds
Format:
Waiting room area greeters- Larger companies/organizations have greeters in a waiting area to
help warm up the candidates. They are forming an impression too.

Introductions- 5 minutes. The interviewer forms an initial impression based on appearance,

handshake, initial greeting and manners. The interview starts the moment the recruiter sees
you. This may take place in the waiting room.

Exploring what you know about the industry, the company/organization and the job- 5-10
minutes. It is important to be prepared. You may understand the overall industry in general but
do you know the issues related to the specific part of the industry served by the
company/organization. If you are not familiar with the issues facing the industry, it would be
hard to demonstrate that you are really interested. Consider going to Yahoo finance and
retrieving the annual report (10K) of a public company in that sector. Managements discussion
and analysis will provide you with interesting commentary on the industry. If you can get the
financial statements of the company/organization itself you can perform even better analysis.
You should always spend time going through their website. Use Google to obtain recent press
about the company/organization. You will, at a minimum want to know:
What is the overall strategy of the company/organization?
Who are their competitors?
How is the company/organization structured (geography, issues, products, functions)?
What is the culture of the company/organization and what do you really like about that?
What is the most profitable area of the organization?
How profitable is the company/organization taken as a whole?

It is also a good idea to gain an understanding of the types of activities that are covered in the
description of the job. You can read the website, you can ask alumni or students or others that
work there.

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This is where your WSGAT comes in handy. You will want to work how you are uniquely
qualified and good fit for the company/organization into the conversation where possible.

Validating the Candidate for the Position- 10-15 minutes. The interviewer will want to confirm
that you are a viable candidate. If your resume has been prepared so that it conveys your
message and USP then it will be easier to come across in a convincing manner. Workbook 2
discusses how to construct the cover letter and resume using words that tell your story.
Remember the WSGAT!

Some questions that you may be asked are:

1. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? Translation: Are you just trying to fill a
gap now or do you see a progression for yourself? Do you have initiative and ambition?
2. Why are you making a career change now into a different field? Translation: Tell me
why you wont tire of this field too. Convince me that what you have done up to this
point is useful for my company/organization?
3. Why do you believe you are qualified to _____? Translation: You have no relevant
experience on your resume. What makes you think you would add value to this
company/organization?
4. We are interviewing more than 100 people for this position. Why should we hire you?
Translation: I want to see if you have really thought this out and really care about this
position. I also want to see if you can react under fire.

Remain positive no matter what. Do not get defensive. Be prepared for anything and
everything. Remember, a few moments of silence are better than launching forth in a
reactionary manner. Stay poised and confident.

Close- 5 minutes. Do not relax. It is not over yet. But this is your time to ask questions about
the company/organization and make any last points you want to make. You could ask:

Could you give me an example of an assignment I would be given after a few months on
the job?
How would the company/organizations strategy to ________ impact me and my
opportunities?
What do you value most about working for ____________(company/organizations
name)?

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 EXERCISE

Without looking at anything you have written thus far, answer the questions below.

1. What do I know about the industry/company/organization I am targeting?

2. What is my USP and how does it fit in with the company/organizations strategy?

3. What do I have to offer the organization and why do they need it (WSGAT?)

My Compelling Strengths WSGAT

4. Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years?

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5. Why are you making a career change now into a different field? (if applicable)

6. Why do you believe you are qualified to _____? (if you have a lack of experience,
address this head on)

7. We are interviewing more than 100 people for this position. Why should we hire
you?

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Interview style: Behavioral interview

Approximate length: 45 minutes

Objective: To determine whether your core qualities are a match for the organization. This gives the
interviewer the ability to determine whether:
you have really exhibited the qualities that you say you have
you are able to tell your story with examples
you are able to show what you learned from your experiences
Format:
Greeting- 5 minutes

Interview questions- 35 minutes

Close- 5 minutes

To prepare for a behavioral interview you will want to determine the qualities that are most likely to be
important to the company/organization. Concentrate on examples for these qualities first. Then
consider examples that support the other qualities on the worksheet.

Behavioral interviews are designed to elicit the things that the candidate has done. Frequently
candidates will want to tell the interviewer about their philosophy or thoughts on a particular topic (i.e.
heres what I think). The questions should be answered heres what I did.

The candidate may want to use this framework to answer questions.

Great question. When I was _________________ (i.e. in a specific situation) I

___________________________________________(describe what happened). I
_______________________________________(heres what I did). The result was
______________________________________( heres how my actions affected this situation,
heres how it turned out). As a result I learned _____________________________( even if the
result was positive and it doesnt have be, tell the interviewer what you learned.)

EXAMPLE

Interviewer: Can you tell me about a time when you used creativity and initiative in order to solve a
particular problem?

Candidate: Great question. In my job as a junior consultant for a consulting firm I realized that it took a
significant amount of time to edit and make changes to presentations that would be made to clients and
potential clients. Since time is important in a consulting firm I decided to do something to improve the
amount of time it took to create and edit presentations and devised a template from previous
presentations that met firm standards. I thought it would be helpful for the consultants not to have to
start from scratch. They could adapt the template to their projects. From some quick math I calculated
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that the edits alone took about 16-20 hours per project. At $150 an hour the time savings would be
significant, especially since several presentations are made on each engagement. I took the template to
my supervisor who then took it to senior management. They were not only highly complementary but I
also got a high impact award for taking this on. I learned that no idea is too small to bring to the
attention of leadership and that even someone at the analyst level can make a difference.

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 EXERCISE

Tell your story below. Describe how you exhibited the qualities. Give specific examples. Do not
describe what you would do, describe what you actually did. Note that some of the questions
could be used for more than one core quality.

Question Your Story

Tell me about a time when you felt
you achieved success. How did it feel
and what did you learn?
Communication skills (written)

Tell me about a time when your

attention to detail paid off by
avoiding a costly mistake or
capitalizing on an overlooked
opportunity.
Communication skills (verbal)

Motivation (self motivation), drive

and ambition

Tell me about a time when it was not

clear how a project should be
handled and you figured it out on
your own.

Tell me about a time when others

were procrastinating and you
stepped in to make a decision or get
the ball rolling.

Presentation skills

Tell me about a time when you had

to make a presentation to a group.
What did you do to prepare? How
did it turn out? What did you learn
from it?

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 Question Your Story
Analytical and problem solving skills

Tell me about a time where you

analyzed a complex set of data and
solved a difficult technical problem.

Tell me about a time when your

conceptual ability solved a problem
on the job.

Ability to challenge ideas and

present solutions diplomatically

Tell me about a time when you heard

what the customer was really saying
about a product or service? (this
could be rephrased if you did not
have customers in a previous job to
be patients, supervisors, people you
supervised, clients, etc.)

Ability to sell ideas

Tell me about a time when you had

to convince someone of a position
you knew was right. How did you do
it? What was the outcome?

Integrity, ethical values

Tell me about a time when you

avoided expediency and even
personal gain in order to remain
ethical in your behavior.

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 Question Your Story
Team player

Tell me about a time when you

pitched in to get the job done even
though it meant sacrificing something
you wanted to do personally.

Tell me about a time when you

assisted someone in fulfilling their
responsibilities even though you
knew you would never be formally
recognized for it.
Energy/ enthusiasm

Tell me about a time when you were

unhappy about working with a team
or working on a project and managed
to do so showing energy and
enthusiasm.

Tell me about a time when being

enthusiastic about a project
sustained you in the face of
disappointment.

Tell me about a time when your

energy level was greater than those
you worked with.

Creativity

Tell me about a time your intuition

played an important role in crafting a
solution to a difficult problem.

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 Question Your Story
Stability and Maturity

Frequently when there are tight

deadlines or the direction for a
project changes midstream, people
lose their sense of composure. Tell
me about a time when there was
chaos in your job situation, yet you
managed to conduct yourself with
poise. What happened, what did you
do and what was the outcome?

Tell me about a time when you were

disappointed by an outcome. How
did you handle it and what did you
learn from it?

Flexibility/adaptability

Tell me about a time when you were

asked to do a specific task or project
and were also pulled onto another
project adding to your workload.
What happened, how did you handle
the situation and what did you learn
from it?

Sense of humor

Tell me about a time when you used

humor to diffuse a tense or stressful
situation.

Ability to think independently

Tell me about a time when the team

was sunk in analysis paralysis and you
demonstrated common sense.

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 Question Your Story
Ability to think on your feet

Tell me about a time when a

supervisor or someone at a higher
level than you in the organization
asked you a very tricky question
without warning. How did that feel?
How did you answer it? What would
you have done differently?

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 Question Your Story
Reliability

Tell me about a time when you were

given a project with a deadline but
your supervisor/manager was too
busy to help you figure out how to
accomplish the task. What did you
do? How did it turn out? What would
you do differently next time?

Strong work ethic

Tell me about a time when you had

to go above and beyond the
expectations of your supervisor/
manager.

Tell me about a time when your level

of commitment sustained you in the
face of numerous obstacles.

Tell me about a time when hard work

paid off on something of which you
are proud.

Ability to structure and organize

Tell me about a time when you

arranged things to be more orderly?

Sense of Direction and Career Goals

Tell me about a time when you

turned down a short term gain in
favor of your long term career
interests.

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 EXERCISE

After completing this module take a few minutes and analyze areas where you performed well
and areas you might need to improve. Create an action plan and just do it.

1. Areas where I believe I performed well.

2. Areas where I believe I need improvement.

Need for Improvement Action Plan Deadline for Where I can

Completion get help

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