By Rolando Lopez

In my last article I mentioned that there was both an art and a science to behavioural interviewing (BI), and spent most of the article discussing what I believed to be the high level methodology of that science.   My main point was that a behavioural interview is a science that:  a) starts with a prescribed list of attributes and behaviours; b) is focused on a structured and consistent assessment process, and c) completed by a strong method to document and correlate a candidate's fit against the attributes and behaviours.

At the heart of the BI is the dialogue between recruiter and candidate, which, when done correctly, will reveal (or not) the candidate’s behaviours which are important to the company.  This dialogue can be compared to a graceful dance:  someone leads and the other follows. A successful BI is one where the recruiter skillfully leads the dance, and the "technique" that reveals their good graces is the art form better known as probing . This installment focuses on the basic mechanics of this all important technique.

Probing Defined

The Meriam-Webster Dictionary defines “probing” as:

• “To search into and explore with great thoroughness: subject to a penetrating investigation”

Putting it into the context of a BI, the technique of probing is the recruiter’s ability to:

• Search into a particular experience/situation shared by the candidate,
• Explore with great thoroughness specific “moments in time” of that experience/situation, and
• Penetrates that moment in time to investigate evidence (or not) of the specific behaviours in question.

Starting the dance

How do you know that the dance is about to begin?  When the first move is made. Most experienced recruiters know what this first move is, and it typically goes like this:  "Tell me about a time when..."

The recruiter's next move either sweeps the candidate off their feet, or reveals that they have "two left feet". Expert behavioural interviewers know how the rest of the dance goes. They lead the candidate into an experience-rich sequence of dialogue, using probing techniques to maneuver through the "dance" then skillfully transitions to another experience-rich sequence. Dancing from one sequence to another, they uncover, bit by bit, the evidence of the behaviours they are looking for, all the while making the candidate appreciate the graceful dance that they find themselves engaged in.

The skillful sequence

After the "Tell me about a time when..." question is asked, the sequence, in its basic form, is simple and straightforward:

1. Discern key events
2. Zero-in on a specific moment in time
3. Probe at that "moment"
4. Transition to the next sequence (key event)

Discerning key events

As the saying goes, "it takes two to tango". This is very much the principle in the art of probing.  After the question is asked, the candidate must respond in kind, and the richness of their response is critical to a good interview.  How do you know that the candidate's response is a rich one? When it is full of key events.   Examples of key events are: 

• a specific conversation
• an important meeting or presentation
• a key decision made
• a significant action taken or executed

Experienced BI interviewers listen carefully at the candidate’s response and takes notes of these "key events". When they feel there is enough "key events" to carry them through the rest of the interview, they strategically choose one of the key events and go to the next part of the sequence.

Zeroing in on a specific moment in time

When the interviewer leads the interview, they are skillful at interjecting at the right time of the "dance" to zero in on a specific key event, otherwise known as a "moment in time". How do they zero in? Consider some of the more common approaches:

• "You mentioned earlier that you had a conversation with your boss... let's focus on that a little more... "
• "You mentioned the sales meeting that you put together... pretend I'm a fly on a wall at that meeting..."
• "Take me back to that time when you decided to..."

When they are firmly rooted to a specific moment in time, the probing then begins..

Probing at that "moment"

Expert interviewers keep probing simple.  Remember the definition of probing?  Search – explore – penetrate – investigate.  How is this done?  Consider the common questions asked: 

• “What did you do?”
• “What did you say?”
• “What were you thinking?”
• “What were you feeling?”
• “What else did you do/say?”
• “What happened next?

Remember that the definition also mentions that probing happens "with great thoroughness". This implies that a skilled interviewer continues leading by keeping the candidate focused on that moment in time, probing three or four times, until the evidence of behaviour starts to surface. 

Transitioning to the next sequence

Finally, when the skilled BI interviewer has exhausted the moment in time, they lead again, taking the candidate to a new sequence, where the probing technique starts all over again.   How does this happen?  Typically you will hear common "sequencing sentences" like:

• "I want to fast forward to another event that you mentioned earlier where you had a conversation..."
• "Let's switch gears now, and talk about the big confrontation with that angry co-worker you mentioned earlier..."

Final thoughts

What’s the moral to the story?  A graceful dancer doesn’t just happen overnight – practice makes perfect.  The same goes for probing and the behavioural interview.  The more you practice the technique, the more you improve.  In addition, the more you get critiqued by other skilled interviewers and experts, the more skillful you become. 

Hopefully, as you read this article you will realize that BI is an intricate art form. This article is merely a high-level analysis of the dance – not a step by step instruction.  There are many certified, qualified “dance instructors” out there, You can learn it by reading about it and following the moves, or have an expert show you step by step. Dance on!