Download Behavioral Interviewing Skills

Jackie Ramstedt, CAPS, CAM, CAS
President, National Speaker, Performance Expert
CMO Chief Motivational Officer
Word count without title and bio: approx.. 1690
The Human Element: Behavioral Interviewing Skills
As with most organizations, your people are your greatest asset. But it seems that in OUR industry, we
still habitually hire out of desperation, a shortage of time to fulfill the position, from a seemingly
dwindling pool of “really good talent”, AND with little forethought into what we actually NEED for the
position we are trying to fill! More importantly, we don’t hire people to FIT into our existing teams to
make that team run more cohesively… more efficiently…more productive.
Hiring the RIGHT Person for the RIGHT Job!
The skills, talents, abilities, personalities and experiences that employees bring to your company are the
“heart” of what separates your company from the competition. Although competitors may have
basically the same apartment styles, same amenities, same marketing advantages, same prices, they
don’t have the same PEOPLE.
Why bad hires are bad for your company’s reputation!
Rich Layton, Paul Shay, and Matt Terronez, from www.WalktheTalk.com, wrote a book entitled “Three
Dimensional Interviewing” about the results of interviewing 500 companies in a nationwide, study,
regarding hiring the wrong employee and what effects it had on the rest of the team. Here were their
findings:
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68% of the companies experienced a decrease in employee morale
66% experienced a decrease in work productively
51% had a dramatic increase in training costs
40% increase in severance costs
54% experienced a loss of customers or market share
So what does this tell us? Actually it says a whole lot about trying to put the proverbially “square peg in
the round hole”. By not finding out more about a new employee’s “historical work behavior
background” we risk damage to our entire team’s performance, loss of our good customers (residents),
and higher expenses to solve the problem of getting rid of the mistake.
The art of communication: What is behavioral interviewing?
How can we interview to find not only the best candidate for the specific job requirements, but the best
PERSON that will help make the performance of that particular team more productive? What process
should we follow? What questions should we be asking instead of those “vague, general standard” type
questions that will solicit the “REAL” qualities we need to make a successful match? GREAT
QUESTIONS!
Ramstedt Enterprises, Inc.
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Jackie Ramstedt, CAPS, CAM, CAS
President, National Speaker, Performance Expert
CMO Chief Motivational Officer
Behavioral interviewing is based on a singular premise: a technique used by employers in which the
questions asked assist the employer in making predictions about a potential employee's future success
based on actual past behaviors, instead of based on responses to “hypothetical questions”.
Questions such as “Tell me what your top 3 strengths are?” does not tell the employer if in fact those
strengths are realistic, any examples of using those strengths, or just the employee’s opinion of
themselves.
Questions can be categorized by specific skill sets such as honesty, time management, delegation,
conflict resolution, or motivation. Here are some great questions to solicit more realistic responses:
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Computer Skills
– What specific computer skills helped most with your last job?
– Describe what computer report you used to track renewals?
Customer Service Skills
– From your past experience, how did you handle an upset resident?
– How would you handle this situation…? “you overheard another employee speaking
unprofessionally to a resident”
Decision Making Skills
– Was there ever a decision you made that you regretted making?
– Give me a specific example of a time when you had to conform to a policy with which
you did not agree.
Conflict Resolution Skills
– What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? Give me an example.
– Tell me about a recent situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer or coworker.
Initiative Skills
– Tell me about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job
done.
Team Building Skills
– Describe a time when you anticipated potential problems and developed preventive measures.
– What was the best idea you ever had for building a good team?
So how can you hire the RIGHT people for your company?
It’s a simple three step process: prepare for the process, conduct the interview utilizing the behavioral
interviewing questions, and evaluate the candidates.
Step 1: Prepare for the Interview
Create a detailed Job Profile
 Use a common industry recognized job title to clarify the position. Summarize all tasks of that
position in order of importance.
 Make sure to indicate if the position is full time, part time, seasonal or temporary. Include working
conditions such as travel time, physical abilities needed to do the job and a summary of the basic
qualifications needed, education, skill specifications, licenses, software knowledge, etc.
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Jackie Ramstedt, CAPS, CAM, CAS
President, National Speaker, Performance Expert
CMO Chief Motivational Officer
Prepare the Room and Yourself for the Interview
 Not in your office! Interview away from telephones and other interruptions. Prepare by putting a
note on the door, “Interview in Process: Do Not Disturb”.
 Have bottled water for both yourself and the applicant.
 Create a “note taking” page for your notes. Never write on the application or resume itself.
 Make a time schedule and stick to it. You need enough time to get to know the applicant as well as
you can and get your behavioral interviewing questions answered.
 Finally, make sure you are mentally ready for the interview, too. Sometimes we are so caught up in
“other duties” we are physically there, but not mentally present. Remember you are looking for that
“best fit” for your existing teammates.
Step 2: Conduct the Interview
Which Behavioral Questions Will You Need?
 Determine which of the skill set areas from the Job Profile needs and match to the appropriate
Behavioral Interviewing Questions. You don’t want to have too many questions, but you need to
have the “right ones” to glean the right skills most valuable in this position.
 Use their application or resume information to help you formulate a “true picture” of this applicant
actually doing the job for you.
Be Aware of RED FLAGS during the Conversation
 Gaps in employment history, lack of clarification of previous job duties, or technical status can be
areas of concern of behavior and skill abilities.
 Face to Face interviews allow you, the employer, to assess the candidates and give them a clear
picture of the job expectations.
Give Them Time to Ask Their Questions too
 Remember it isn’t all about “selling them on the job”, but allowing them to ask you questions about
the position and the company. Letting them know they are part of more than just the job they are
applying for will give them the feeling of how your company’s culture works together.
Step 3: Evaluation of the Information
Analysis of Each Applicant
 Put all the information together including contacting references, background checks, etc. to make the
best decision for the position.
 Review those Behavioral Questions and compare by asking yourself...
o “How will the person fit in with the other team members?”
o “Would the other teammates feel comfortable with them? Respect their authority? Will they
complement the shortcomings of the other teammates?”
o “Do they have the personality to work well with other teammates, residents, corporate,
vendors, prospects, etc.?”
o “Which applicant had the best all around skill set to add value to the position?”
o “Which applicant had the most believable response to the Behavioral Questions?”
Ramstedt Enterprises, Inc.
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Jackie Ramstedt, CAPS, CAM, CAS
President, National Speaker, Performance Expert
CMO Chief Motivational Officer
Finally: Why is Behavioral Interviewing So Important?
Companies go through thousands of applications and resumes each year. Many hire those who apply,
thinking they have found that “perfect fit” just to find out in a few weeks that they really didn’t find out
enough about the individual and it wasn’t a good fit at all. And once again, the challenge of finding that
good employee continues. How can you grow a business team if you constantly have to replace
members of the team?
The key successful fulfillment of a position is to get comfortable with the interviewing process and these
behavioral questions not only for new hires, but for annual reviews to support decisions to promote,
reward, demote, transfer, or in some cases terminate.
Remember, the best indicator of future behavior is always historical behavior whether dealing with day
to day operational situations or those emergencies that require quick, fast on your feet, logical thinking.
Dedicated, forward thinking, self motivated individuals have had those traits and skills all along. Our job
is to differentiate these exceptional applicants with those historical traits from those who are just “great
interviewees” with a good gift of gab. Time is the equalizer.
So, how do you build a high-performance team? One GREAT HIRE at a time!
Jackie Ramstedt, CAM, CAPS, CAS
Jackie Ramstedt is a “repeatedly requested”, nationally renowned
Motivational Keynote Speaker, National Trainer, Consultant, and
Performance Coach who has more than 29 years of experience in the
multi-housing industry. She speaks to thousands of industry professionals
on a national level every year for the National Apartment Association,
Multifamily Pro Annual Brainstorming Events, the Institute of Real Estate
Management (IREM),National Affordable Housing conferences and
numerous state and local associations and management companies
throughout the United States and Canada. www.JackieRamstedt.com
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