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Using Situational Interview Questions to Effectively Evaluate a Candidate

Situational interview questions are similar to behavioral questions aimed at assessing how a candidate would react in a particular situation. While behavioral questions usually focus on finding out how a potential applicant has actually performed in the past, situational questions involve giving a job seeker a hypothetical to uncover how they’d act in a similar situation.

Situational questions can be an invaluable tool in the hiring process when used effectively to evaluate candidates.

  • You learn how a candidate thinks. Provide a hypothetical situation and ask the candidate how they would solve a problem or respond to the situation. The candidate will need to answer on the fly, so you’ll see how their brain works as they puzzle through the problem and provide a solution which is hopefully creative and innovative. Both the answer and the process used to arrive at the answer can provide important insight.
  • You get to determine whether the job seeker can respond to pressure. Being asked to respond to a particular hypothetical situation can be stressful for a job candidate. You’ll get to see how the candidate reacts and whether he can keep his cool and provide an answer or whether he becomes flustered.
  • You can see whether a candidate can step out from behind prepared answers. It’s easy for candidates to sound good when they memorize prepared answers. A situational question forces a candidate to come up with an answer on the fly so you’ll get a better glimpse into their innate skills and abilities.

A good candidate will excel at answering situational questions. If you are looking for quality candidates in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, consulting with staffing professionals is a smart choice. High Profile Staffing is a trusted staffing firm with a vast network of skilled job candidates who are ready to work. Give us a call at 972-991-7900 to learn more about how we can help you with the hiring process.

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