Each year our office offers at least one workshop on interviewing. Today, we will focus on a type of interview that is relatively new, yet being used more and more in the legal field: behavioral interviewing. Statistics suggest behavioral interviewing is 55% predictive of future on-the-job behavior because behavioral interviewing asks that you explain and provide context for your past behavior. Traditional interviewing is only 10% predictive. Here are 5 tips to help you master the art of behavioral interviewin
1) Use the STAR Technique
STAR stands for Situation Task Action Result.
The situation provides the context of the story and helps you set the stage.
The task describes the challenge or event you faced and the outcome you expected.
Action (using “I” or “we”) describes what was done in response to the challenge or event.
The result allows you to discuss what was accomplished (or not accomplished!) and what you learned from the experience.
This technique is similar to IRAC, where Situation = Issue; Task = Rule; Action = Application; Result = Conclusion
2) Focus on the competency
Behavioral questions are designed to help an interviewer assess core competencies (or, as we generally call them, skills). As you prepare for an interview, try to come up with examples of experiences that can help identify multiple key skills that are relevant to the position. For example, if a firm asks a question like: “We expect our interns to jump in with both feet, but we don’t want them to drown. Tell me about a time you started a task and realized partway in that you weren’t quite sure what you were doing,” core competencies you could speak to might be communication, problem solving, or initiative/independence.
The most common competencies assessed in a behavioral interview are: communication, analytical/problem-solving, teamwork/interpersonal, integrity, ethics, leadership, initiative, adaptability, self-awareness, time-management, entrepreneurial
3) Relate ANY past experience
Even if you don’t have a great deal of work experience, you can speak to experiences you had from undergraduate or graduate school, campus activities, volunteer work, membership in an organization, etc. It’s great to talk about various areas of your life and not just focus on one experience. Ultimately, the interviewer is concerned with the BEHAVIOR and not the setting in which the behavior was performed (work vs. school).
4) The best way to prepare is to…reflect!
You’ve made it to law school, which means you have great experiences to share! The hard part is actually REMEMBERING when you’ve made a mistake or a time when you had a misunderstanding with a co-worker. Spending just a few minutes coming up with example stories that are adaptable can ensure you are setting yourself up for success. Don’t just reflect on positive experiences! Have at least one negative experience in your arsenal that you can share in order to explain how you made the best of the situation or established a positive outcome.
5) Quantify your results
When you are sharing the result part of the STAR technique, make sure you quantify. Numbers always impress employers!
Tagged: employers, interviewing, job search strategy
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