Behavioral and situational interviews favor interview questions that compel candidates to think on their feet and discuss how they have handled specific work-related challenges in the past and how they will problem solve a future situation. The underlying idea is that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Behavior-based interviews are focused on what a person has done in the past and the success they enjoyed as a result. If an individual has a track record of success in their past, the chances are very good that, that individual will carry that success with him or her to the next employer.

It will also help reveal if the candidate is a good potential fit for your organization. In smaller businesses, it is not only the business owners who wear many hats, so you are looking for employees who are flexible and willing to pitch in to get the job done. When it comes to improving your interview skills, it is best to ask questions that will get at their effectiveness in handling tough problems, working with ambiguity, dealing with conflict, and making decisions with limited information.

Today, inherent talents and passion count for much more than a list of past jobs on a resume. Business owners take the preliminary step of identifying the talents required to perform well in the job, rather than merely listing the tasks the employee will have to perform. Just because a candidate has done the job before does not mean the candidate is good or passionate about it.

The behavioral and especially the situational interview questions are very useful to elicit stories that can help assess how the candidate would behave when facing that situation in a real event. Thus, the questions need to be specific and phrased in unexpected ways to avoid standard familiar responses.