“So, tell me about yourself.”

It’s a fair assumption that we have all (at least once) sat across from an executive or a board member who has opened an interview with this statement. A statement that is often accompanied by a surreptitious scan of our résumé and an attempt by the interviewer to quickly ascertain where we have worked and what they will ask next. Typically, this interview is a cake walk. We’re able to offer as much or as little information as we like and freely share our most impressive accomplishments. However, on the other side of the desk, it is rarely a true gauge of whether a potential executive possesses the skills needed for the role. And this is the reason more and more organizations are training their hiring managers on a practice called “behavioral interviewing.”

Behavioral interviewing is based on the premise that the most accurate predictor of future performance is past performance in similar situations. When behavioral interviewing is implemented, it is reportedly 55% predictive of future on-the-job behavior compared to the 10% yielded by traditional interviewing.  According to a source I highly agree with, Results-Oriented Interviewing: Principles, Practices, and Procedures (Schmidt and Conway)

Sounds fairly intuitive. And perhaps not all that different from a traditional interview. In truth though, if you actually take part in a behavioral interview, you will know. Because the most notable difference between a behavioral interview and a traditional interview is specificity.

For example, in a traditional interview, you could be asked, “What were your responsibilities in this role?” While the query technically probes on past experience and behavior, its lack of specificity enables the interviewee to control what they choose to share. Another traditional interview trademark is to ask how you might perform in a future situation—e.g. “if you had a conflict between two team members, what might you do?” Again, it doesn’t seem like a softball question until compared to a behavioral interview, which avoids future, hypothetical scenarios due to their lack of accountability or results.

Instead, in a behavioral interview, you will often hear questions framed as “Tell me about a time…” or “Describe a situation when…” And you will also find that as you delve into your example, you will receive a number of probing questions, “What were you thinking at that point?” or “What was the outcome of that meeting?” The goal of a behavioral interview is to obtain as close to an objective set of facts as possible so the interviewer can then compare them to the behaviors and objectives of the open position.

So, how do you prepare for the behavioral interview you may or may not have? There are actually a few ways you can ready yourself for this interviewing technique.

1. Do your homework. And this is a little more involved than knowing a company’s performance or following them in the press. Organizations who have adopted behavioral interviewing identify the behaviors they are looking for prior to interviewing and spend the crux of the interview attempting to uncover those behaviors. The good news is characteristics required of executives don’t really vacillate from one company to the next. Know the culture, the performance measures and the behaviors associated with the position so you can be sure to demonstrate how your past experience aligns with the tactical requirements.

1. Become a great storyteller and craft your best stories beforehand. You should be able to recount five to ten stories that best demonstrate the characteristics your future employer is looking for. And also be prepared with at least two challenging/less positive stories—that hopefully have a positive outcome.

1. Know that you can lead a behavioral interview, even if your interviewer is not prepared. Once you become versed in behavioral interviewing prep, you can ask the interviewer about the behaviors they are looking for in the open position and then offer the anecdotes that align with their objectives.