In our pursuit of the best candidate, in addition to testing and assessment, TECO Energy uses of behavioral interviews for all positions. Though the number of interviewers may change for some positions, all candidates that come into our organization will have had to participate in at least one behavioral interview throughout the selection process.
The foundation of our interviewing methodology traces back to the research performed by Tom Janz, who found consistently throughout his research that “the best predictor of future performance is past performance in similar circumstances.” One method of identifying an individual’s past performance is to ask questions designed specifically to understand previous experiences.
A behavioral interview is a structured interview, which means that all of the candidates that interview for the exact same job posting will receive the same questions.
Behavioral interview questions are written in a manner that assists in predicting a candidate’s future success based on their previous experiences. The intention of this interview approach is for the candidate to give specific examples of times they demonstrated particular skills or behaviors. Giving a vague or general answer is not what the interviewer is looking for. Instead, the interviewer is asking the candidate to describe a particular experience, project, team, task, etc. in as much detail as possible. Specifically, they are looking for the background to the situation or task, the actions that were taken and the result of those actions.
TECO Energy utilizes behavioral interviews in order to compare candidates in a standardized and fair manner.
Look through your resume carefully and think about each item listed and what particular skill(s) or aptitude enabled you to develop. The more concrete your examples, the better.
For example, if you’re asked, “What have you done in the past to contribute toward a team environment?” the interviewer is not looking for an answer such as, “I was involved in lots of projects that involved other employees in the company.” That response is far too vague. Refer to a specific incident or project, such as, “When I was overseeing the budget analysis project, I felt it was important to get different perspectives, so I invited employees from other departments to sit on the committee. It turned out to be a good idea. Their involvement really paid off. The project was successful and it has become a standard practice to involve everyone in these sorts of tasks.” Keep in mind that the interviewer is looking for enough real “evidence” to validate the experience that they found in your resume that qualified you to be candidate for the job.
When coming up with specific examples, do not forget to consider experiences that may not have made it onto your resume. Generally, it is best to use examples related to your previous work experiences. However, for those individuals who may be rejoining the workforce, or joining the workforce for the first time, examples involving school projects/tasks, sports team experiences or any other organizational involvement will be just as sufficient. Be sure to use the most recent examples. The only types of examples we try to steer candidates away from using are those involving personal information.
During the interview, if you need a moment to think of an example, say so. Interviewers understand. With your responses, be sure to include the following when answering your questions:
Keep in mind there are no right or wrong answers. The interviewer is simply trying to understand how you behaved in a given situation. How you respond will determine if there is a fit between your skills/experience and the position you are interviewing for. Be sure to listen carefully, give clear and concise responses, and most importantly, be honest.
The following are sample questions you may encounter in a behavioral interview. Keep in mind that they will vary depending on the knowledge, skills and experience required for the job:
Helpful links to more information on behavioral interviewing:
