Behavioral-Based Interviews: A Step-by-Step Guide for Contractors

When it comes to reliably predicting a candidate’s success in a role at your contracting company, nothing beats a behavioral-based interview.

On a scale of one to five hearts, how much do you LOVE interviewing job candidates? 

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

We’re guessing… not much. 💔

What if we told you there’s a system that takes the pain out of the process? 

That makes interviews purposeful and helps you easily zero in on a primo candidate that will succeed in the role and LOVE being a team member.

It’s called behavioral-based interviewing and it will TRANSFORM your hiring process.

What is a behavioral-based interview?

A behavioral-based interview focuses on a candidate’s past behavior and how they used their soft skills to handle specific situations in their previous work experience.

The questions posed should be open-ended and encourage the candidate to delve into actual examples, as opposed to discussing hypothetical scenarios.

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Why are behavioral-based interviews useful?

Interviewing is one of the highest leverage skills a business owner can invest in, yet Breakthrough Academy has found it’s something most contractors completely overlook. Which is a real shame, as poor interviewing can lead to increased turnover, bad hires and a sour team culture.

You may be surprised to learn that not all interviews are created equal. There are two forms of interviews: structured and unstructured. Behavioral-based interviews fall squarely into the first category.

Here’s how the two kinds differ:

Unstructured interviews 

Unstructured interviews are fluid, generally without any set question list. The job interview is basically a chat with the candidate where the conversation flows wherever it goes and afterwards the hiring manager decides whether or not to move forward based on their general impressions. 

These interviews really only convey about 14% of a candidate’s past performance, which means a LOT of potentially useful information is left off the table.

Structured interviews

Structured interviews, on the other hand, involve questions devised based on careful consideration of the job requirements. Each candidate is asked the same questions, and often there’s a scoring system to make comparisons straightforward. 

This interviewing method provides a more realistic picture of a candidate’s suitability for the role and has proven to be one of the most effective methods for predicting their future success.

How to conduct a behavioral-based interview

Step 1: Define who you’re looking for

Start by getting down to the brass tacks of what the job entails, and which qualities the ideal candidate should possess.

You’ll have to think on multiple tracks here. You want someone with the right traits for the role, but also with values that fit your company.

Pinpoint the qualities associated with each aspect of the role:

• Do you want a sales manager who knows how to work a room (affable)?
• Do you want a project manager who’s a pro at solving conflicts (diplomatic)?
• Do you want an office manager who never misses an email (detail-oriented)?
• Do you want a crew lead who can find their way around a spreadsheet (tech-savvy)?

This process demands a bit from the ol’ noodle, but it’s ultra important as it sets the foundation for the rest of your interview system. After all… if you don’t know what you’re looking for, how will you know when you’ve found it?

Step 2: Ask the right type of questions 

Okay, once you’ve figured out who you need, it’s time to compose the job interview questions. 

This. Is. Key.

We cannot overstate the importance of this step.

So, what’s the “right” type of question? One that is open-ended and NOT hypothetical.

You want to leave space for the candidate to elaborate on their experience. Don’t underestimate the value of a solid anecdote. When it comes to behavioral-based interviews, there’s a lot of substance to be found in stories.

To demonstrate, here are a couple questions with sample answers. Which one is more likely to ensure the interviewer understands the candidate’s customer service capabilities?

Sample Question #1: “Have you interacted with many demanding customers?”

Sample Answer #1: “Yeah, I’ve dealt with my share of nightmare clients.”

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Sample Question #2: “Tell me about a sticky customer service situation you’ve had. How did you handle it?”

Sample Answer #2: “I once had a customer call me at 2am with a whole new vision for their basement, which we were half-finished at that point. I listened politely, then told them it sounded like an interesting idea and I’d swing by with coffees in the morning so we could chat about it properly. After I explained what it would entail, they decided to stick to the original plan. Turned out they were just looking for reassurance that everything was going to be great.”

Later, we’ll provide more example questions that will help with this step. We also have an Behavioral Interviewing Guide that will guide you through the process of coming up with stellar behavioral-based interview questions.

Step 3: Practice active listening

Alright, so you know which traits you’re looking for, you’ve got your questions ready to suss out whether the candidates have them… now what?

Now, you start interviewing. Beyond that, you start actively listening. Yes, you’ll need to give them a run-through of the role, but after the formalities are out of the way and you start working through your questions, really LISTEN to what they say. Don’t just focus on your next question.

What are you listening for, exactly?

The STAR method. This is a set of criteria of what to listen for in a candidate’s response. Here’s what the acronym stands for:

• Situation – A brief explanation that gives some context of the experience. 
• Task – The activity or goal they were responsible for in the specific situation.
• Action – How they achieved the goal or completed the task. This should be the bulk of their story.
• Result – The outcomes, takeaways or lessons learned from the experience. They could be metrics, but should also encompass some personal growth.

Step 4: Use an objective scoring system

An objective scoring system is really the crux of structured, behavioral-based interviews. No matter how great your questions are, you still need to make a decision on which candidate to hire. You’ll undo all your thoughtful previous work if you wing this step.

There are a whole plethora of things that can skew your perspective, such as the order that candidates were interviewed, your own personal biases… even what you ate for lunch.

So take the guesswork out of it. Here’s how:

1. List the traits you recognized earlier that are pivotal to the role.
2. Ask each candidate the same questions designed to showcase each trait.
3. Review the candidates’ answers for each trait.
4. Assign the candidate a rating for each trait.
5. Tally them up.

By the end, you should have a very clear – and objective – picture of which candidate is the best fit for the role.

Examples of behavioral-based interview questions

Here are some “Do’s & Don’ts” of how to frame behavioral interview questions for a few different job traits.

Good Leadership

❌ Have you led many teams?

✅ Tell me about a time you demonstrated leadership in helping diffuse a team conflict.

Perseverance

❌ Are you goal-oriented?

✅ Tell me about a time you failed. How did you handle the situation?

Communicative

❌ Do you enjoy communicating with customers?

✅ What’s the most difficult conversation you’ve had to have with a customer?

Time Management

❌ Do you use a calendar app?

✅ What’s your system for keeping your schedule under control and getting things done on time?

As you’ve probably clocked by this point, preparing and conducting behavioral-based interviews is a bit of an art. While it takes a little extra time and thought, the payoffs are tremendous. 

Better retention, smoother projects, higher profits.

For contractors, this is one art form definitely worth perfecting. 

Get started today with this Behavioral Interviewing Guide.