HR Key Functions

The success of many companies and departments depends on choosing the right person doing the job. For any particular job positions there are specific skills the worker should cover. For example – creativity, analytical thinking, ability to concentrate, communication skills – oral and verbal, effective team playing, problem-solving skills, flexibility, technical competency, ability to work in harmony with co-workers etc.

To be an excellent expert in your field is not sufficient – big results are based on joint actions, brainstorming, fresh ideas and high quality teamwork. The harmony build up in a team is very important in order to achieve higher goals. The orders and tasks are not specified by the management in a company any more, just the contrary - they are the results of many brainstorm meetings, personal contribution, conversations between colleagues and accumulation of ideas. The energy in human brains and bodies can lead to excellent outcomes or to controversies among colleagues and weak results. That is why choosing a powerful, smart and energetic team player is the key to the success in your department.

A non-traditional behavioral interview aims to display whether or not the applicant is able to tackle efficiently issues and solve problems, to communicate well with others, to demonstrate initiative and to work well in a team. The basic pillar of behavioral interview is that past performance shows future performance and attitude towards colleagues and work. In order to measure behavior at work the hiring manager should make a list with situations related to the position. The questions must be short, clear and job related.

The hidden meanings of those questions are - - > Situation - - > Action - - > Results !!!

Asking questions what the applicant has done in the past is useful to collect information what the applicant will do in the future. Past experience is a reliable sign for a future condition.
The following articles are good sources to gain more knowledge of the issue.

1. More Than a Gut Feeling – The Behavioral Interview
Extract: “…The behavioral example you ask for should be a specific life history event. It has to be a specific example to be effective. Don’t let the candidate generalize. The candidate might say, “I calm customers down by allowing them to vent.” This may be a good technique but it doesn’t give a specific example. Make sure you keep asking until you get a specific past work event. Make sure you follow up if the example isn’t specific enough and get the information you need…”

2. Behavioral Job Interviews Benefit Candidates
Extract: “…There is a practice in behavioral interviewing called the STAR technique. STAR stands for situation, task, action, result. It basically lays out a plan of how job candidates can (and should) respond to behavioral interview questions. When a behavioral-based interview question is asked, job candidates should pull from their background and experience to identify an appropriate situation which occurred in their career. From this they can then describe what their goal was in dealing with the situation, what action they took and finally, the end result…”

3. Behavioral Interviewing Helps Employers Staff up Their Office

4. Behavioral Interviewing 101
Tips and useful information put into a ppt-presentation.

5. Behavioral Interview questions

6. Behavioral Interviewing Technique

7. 10 Killer Job Interview questions and Answers

8. How to Master the Behavioral Interview

Extract: “…What Are the Three Types of Questions in Behavioral Interviews?... Open questions. These are questions that will allow you to use the SAR format and answer in a clear and concise manner. The employer will likely follow up with additional probing questions, looking for signs that you may not have been completely honest… Closed questions. These are questions that are asked for the purpose of verifying something you may have indicated during the application process or earlier in the interview. The employer is looking for consistency in your answers… Why questions. These are questions that require you to give a logical and decisive explanation for a previous action. The employer is not judging your action, but rather your ability to reason, logic and make a decision…”

9. Behavioral Interviewing
A detailed guide as a pdf-document – easy to download and read.

10. Behavioral Interview Guide
An enormous useful guide with important advices!

11. Behavioral Interviewing
In this article you are going to find some examples to download. Read them carefully!
The questions are ordered in themes as team work, confidentiality, attention to detail, change management etc.
We strongly recommend you to read this article and to go through the available files.

12. How to Answer Behavioral Interview Questions

13. Behavioral Interviewing Strategies
The ever best guide on how to think and speak during a behavioral interview!