Behavioural Interviewing is Not the Holy Grail

I have worked in a number of different roles ranging from HR Strategy through to Operational Management in IT.  This means I‘ve spent many years recruiting staff, whether for my own team, being on an interview panel for colleagues, or across an organisation as the HR representative.

I have to confess that I started out fairly naïve about how to recruit well. Early on, I, like many others, fell prey to the myth that behavioural interviewing was the holy grail. But what I came to realise is that it can limit you to candidates with specific experience, potentially overlooking talented individuals seeking a career change.  This approach also neglects cultural fit and team dynamics – will your organisational culture motivate them, or make them desperately unhappy?

Another pitfall I discovered early on is that we often gravitate towards people similar to ourselves. They seem like a perfect fit because they talk in a way you can relate to and are able to give the right examples. They might not have all the criteria we are looking for but we’re willing to overlook that because they are just such a nice person.  BEWARE of overlooking the power of diversity! A healthy team thrives on a balance of perspectives. I learnt from a colleague the value of having someone challenge you during an interview and then to consider how that challenge might play out in the workplace.  Imagine the positive impact such a person could have on your company culture and professional growth!

At Neural Networks Consulting (NNC), we've developed a unique sales recruitment strategy that makes a distinct step away from the traditional behavioural/skills-based recruiting. Our focus is on natural talents, work values, and emotional intelligence (EQ).  We delve into what makes your top performers tick by modelling their behaviours. This, combined with an understanding of a candidate's EQ, allows us to create a recruitment process that gets it right the first time.

The best part? We can equip you with this powerful approach to supercharge your own recruitment efforts.

Ready to build your dream team? If you want to know more about how to establish a successful recruitment process for your organisation, call us on (03) 9555 7955 or email us.