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The Surefire Way to Boost Your Score 135

Key general skills and traits to listen for:
• Communication skills: How was the language and communi-
cation style used by the candidate, for example, proper gram-
mar or appropriate stories? Were the voice and tone confident?

• Listening skills: How well has the applicant been listening?
Did she or he answer the question as asked?

• Focus: How prepared and informed is the candidate about
your company and the industry?

• Nonverbal skills: What was the candidate’s body language,
posture, and eye contact like? Did he or she sit stiffly or appear
natural and animated?

• Energy level: What were the levels of energy and enthusi-
asm? Was the candidate able to talk about his or her job with
passion?

a few months. The ideal situation is to have a win-win situation for all
concerned.
It is now time to get more specific about the job duties, and whether
candidates have the experience and the skills to do the job. To uncover
the story of their work history, ask behavioral-based questions. The an-
swers to behavioral questions will give you an indication of what the
candidates did before, somewhere else, and whether they are likely do it
again. The answers they reveal can be either positive or negative.

Behavioral Interview
Techniques
The behavioral interviewing technique allows employers to determine
whether someone is a good fit for the job. One way to accomplish this is
by asking questions that pertain to past behavior on the job. The infor-
mation gained through this technique is used as an indicator of the can-
didate’s future success. In other words, the answers someone gives about
his or her past experiences will be used to predict future performance.
This is not a new technique; it’s been around since the 1970s when