:-) said:
I have an interview question. My research tells me that SWA uses an interview technique termed “behavioral description”. In teaching about the technique, my old college HR textbook claims that the questions used are of no real importance. The text tells says that the behavioral description (BD) interview is looking for underlying attitudes/beliefs/values, and that a properly administered BD interview could be successful regardless of whether or not, specific job related questions are asked of the interviewee.
Here are the pertinent questions: How can interview prep services change the underlying attitudes/beliefs/values of an applicant? And, Does anyone know of a book that might help prepare for a BD interview?
I’ve searched the forum, and have read enough posts complimentary of prep services to have decided to use one, but I am still curious about how they can help. I also want to get a book (maybe “Winning Friends and Influencing People” would suffice) that might help shape my attitudes in the months leading up to a potential interview. Any suggestions?
Working toward a positive attitude,
Calvin
Calvin,
I am not sure what textbook you are reading, but the years I spent as a Hiring Manager, in addition to speaking with many HR Managers over the years, has garnered one common theme: Past Performance Predicts Future Behavior.
When asked a Behavioral Type of question, such as "Tell us about a time when you flew with a Captain that you did not get along with," it is amazing sometimes the answers that people will think are "acceptable" answers. My job, as an interview coach, is to see where possible pitfalls and danger traps can happen with my clients and steer them away from these areas of danger.
Let me provide you with an example.
I recently prepped one of my clients for the SWA interview with that very question. His answer was fine until he got to the point where he said that he put the guy on his "no fly" list. I stopped him in his tracks and told him that the statement could possibly be viewed as negative; that it could be turned on him as a person who could not get along with someone else. So, we formulated another ending to that story of what he learned from the situation that put him in a positive light, leaving out the no fly list comment. He was successful and has been contacted to continue in the process.
I had another woman who was interviewing for a Flight Attendant position. One of the behavioral questions asked in typical FA interviews is, "Tell us about a time when you handled a difficult customer service issue." This woman had worked as a Manager in a Day Care operation for children. She started to relate a story about how a strap was broken on a high chair and how a parent had complained about the safety of her child. She proceeded to tell me that "it was really no big deal." Now, looking at this from the context of being a former FA, in addition to being a parent of a baby, I stopped her and said, "Let me ask you something. If a passenger tells you they think they saw fire coming from the engine while on the taxiway, are you going to ignore that passenger and blow them off like it was not a big deal?"
I then told her that safety was the number ONE priority at an airline, and her answer to that question alone would have bounced her from the interview. I explained the potential pitfalls this question could cause and helped her to find another story that was not so dangerous.
This woman was not exceptionally quick on her feet, and I knew that no matter how much I prepared her for an airline interview, the job was not a good fit for her. But I could not predict with absolute certainty that she would fail, so I continued preparing her for these kinds of questions, as they are asked in virtually every interview, no matter what the industry. Learning to interview well is a skill that can be applied to any interview process in any company.
While she did not succeed in the FA interview process, she was able to attain a position as a Retail Manager, which did not require life or death decisions that needed to be made quickly.
When conducting interview prep, I do not have "mind control" over my clients. I simply see the potential problems in answers, explain why they could be a problem, and then help them to formulate answers that will keep them from getting asked the dreaded "follow-up" questions. When interviewing, a person needs to have a clear beginning and ending to their stories, trying always to end on a positive note OR if the situation did not end positively in real life, then I help them to figure out what they LEARNED from the situation.
In school, no one really ever teaches you how to interview, or for that matter, search for a job, negotiate a salary, or interview the company. I teach my clients about research and how to determine if the company they think they want to work for is a good fit for them.
For many of my clients, who truly have no idea what they want to do, I conduct assessment tests on their personality, which brings out areas of strength and weakness, and how they can ask questions in the interview that will help them ascertain whether that company will work well for them and their unique personality.
I hope I shed some light into the interview process and why the questions are asked. The information that can be gathered can be very enlightening from an HR viewpoint.
One thing that I suggest my clients do is to go on interviews with companies that you may not want to work for as a means to practice interviewing techniques. This way they are not going in cold to a potential employer and can work out some of the kinks in their answers. Further, I tell them that they never know what they might stumble upon in that process, finding a really great company that will offer them what they need.
Good luck to you in the coming months as you prepare for interviews!
Kathy
