In a situational interview, the focus is not on what someone has done – but on what they would do.
Recruiters analyse the role to identify situations critical to success. Based on this, they develop questions that explore how candidates would behave in those situations. The emphasis is on behavioural intention, not on actual past behaviour. The underlying assumption is that stated intentions are a good indicator of future behaviour. The situational interview is structured: all candidates are asked the same questions, making their answers easier to compare.
The difference from the behavioural interview lies in the time perspective. There, candidates are asked about actual behaviour in the past – based on the assumption that past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour. The drawback: most candidates have not prepared relevant examples. And because each describes different situations, the answers are less comparable.
Even so, I consider the behavioural interview to be the more valid overall – because it provides real evidence rather than statements of intent.
Articles on situational interviews (all articles)
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