News > Headlines


Recruiting Strategies: Getting Back to Behavioral Interviewing

Let's say that you want to determine a potential nurse's problem-solving abilities, especially in a highly-charged situation that involves an incensed patient. Most interviewers will ask the predictable question...

"How would you deal with an irate patient?"

Not a bad question, but you're giving the applicant an opportunity to respond with a "canned" answer which probably will not produce any revealing information. Instead, ask a behavioral question that is based on the candidate's personal experience, not just a hypothetical situation.

Behavioral interviewing is based on specifics - a problem faced in the past, the action taken to overcome the problem, and the results attained. Because past behavior is the best indicator of how a candidate will react in the future, you may want to consider asking the question this way:

"Give me an example of a time when you had to deal with an irate or emotionally-charged patient. Describe the circumstances, your decisions in handling the situation, and the outcome."

See the difference? In responding, the candidate may pause for a few seconds to gather their thoughts. This is normal and acceptable. If it becomes obvious that their silence is creating a tense or embarrassing situation, move on to the next question. However, be sure to come back to this question before the end of the interview to get your answer.

Once the candidate provides a sufficient response, look for opportunities to ask natural follow-up questions, such as: "Lead me through your thought process on how you handled this patient in the hours or days following the incident." This type of questioning should give you insight to the candidate's nature and core values. And these types of questions are perfectly legal, as long as you are careful to keep focused on behaviors which are relevant to the skills, experience and behavior required to perform the job.