Academic MSO Competencies Behavioral Interviewing Guide UC Davis Staff Development & Professional Services Revised January 2008
Academic MSO Competencies Behavioral Interviewing Guide Context This academic management services officer (MSO) competencies behavioral interviewing guide provides you, the hiring manager, with a tool for interviewing and selecting academic managers. Central to the role of a hiring manager is promoting the campus Principles of Community, thus fostering a civil and respectful environment and building a diversified workforce that represents all members of this community. The academic MSO competencies were developed after consultation with academic management services officers, assistant deans and a cross-section of department chairs from all colleges on campus. The competencies include: 1. Leadership 2. Business and Financial Analysis 3. Analysis and Planning 4. Human Resource Development 5. Community Building 6. Communication Contents Basic Principle of Behavioral Interviewing Guidance on Assessing Candidates for Selection to MSO I, II, III Positions Academic MSO Competencies Checklist Interview Matrix Sample Behavioral Interview Questions Staff Development & Professional Services, January 2008 1
Basic Principle of Behavioral Interviewing Behavioral interviewing is built on the basic principle: Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. Thus, a candidate s responses to questions are based on past work behaviors rather than being focused on what he/she might do in the future. Responses focus on facts and actual behaviors, reducing the chances that a candidate will tell what he/she thinks you want to hear. The behavioral interviewing process can target the abilities and characteristics that help people make the most of their technical competencies on the job; the how factors. For example, if you have determined that Achievement is a priority competency for an open position, in addition to technical ability, you would ask questions to get to how a person has achieved results in the past. How does a person take initiative and ensure that a project is completed? Under the competency of Community Building, how does a person build a work community where people are motivated to do their best work? Under the competency of Communication, how does a person communicate with people from diverse cultural backgrounds and all levels of the organization? Guidance on Assessing Candidates for Selection to MSO I, II, III Positions This model for differentiating academic MSO level positions for selection is all inclusive, meaning that each level builds upon the previous level and reflects increased complexity and a broader organizational view. The MSO I or threshold level represents minimum competency levels required. At the MSO II or operational level, the candidate would need to demonstrate at least four competencies at the threshold level and the remainder at least at the operational level. The hiring department would determine which four competencies it needs at the threshold level and which they need at the operational level. MSO I: level All competencies at threshold level or better. MSO II: level At least four competencies at threshold level, remainder at least at operational level. MSO III: level Three or more competencies at mastery level, remainder at least at operational level. Staff Development & Professional Services, January 2008 2
Academic MSO Competencies Checklist This checklist can be used in the planning process for filling an academic MSO position. For example, say that this position is a Level II operational level. First, determine the priority of each competency for this position. Then determine which 4 competencies can be at Level I the threshold level and which 3 competencies you would like to see at Level II - the operational level. After interviewing a candidate and completing the Selection Tool, compare the results for each candidate against this checklist. Position: Dept: Level: I II III (circle one) Competency Priority for this position I II III Leadership Business and Financial Analysis Analysis and Planning Human Resource Development Community Building Communication MSO I: level All competencies at threshold level or better. MSO II: level At least four competencies at threshold level, remainder at least at operational level. MSO III: level Three or more competencies at mastery level, remainder at least at operational level. Staff Development & Professional Services, January 2008 3
Interview Matrix Using this matrix after the interview: Circle the level at which you assessed the candidate based on the responses he/she gave during the interview. For example, if you assessed a candidate to be at a mastery level in the competency of Leadership, circle in that column. Leadership Business and Financial Analysis Analysis and Planning Human Resource Development Community Building Communication MSO I: All competencies at threshold level or better MSO II: At least four competencies at operational level, remainder at least at threshold level MSO III: Three or more competencies at mastery level, remainder at least at operational level Staff Development & Professional Services, January 2008 4
Interviewing Tips Approach to Behavioral Interviewing In behavioral interviewing, ask the candidate to tell you about specific, actual past events in which he or she played an active role. You listen for evidence that the person demonstrated behaviors in those situations that are identical to or similar to the competencies you are looking for. For example, if you hear about a candidate trying to persuade a supervisor to change a decision so the unit would benefit, that would constitute evidence of the Leadership competency. If the candidate was successful in persuading the supervisor to change a decision, you might assess that competency level at a Level I, or a Level II, depending upon the complexity and regularity of the situation. Getting this type of behavioral information can greatly increase the effectiveness of the interview process. Specifically, this approach is more reliable and effective than asking candidates to say what they would do in a hypothetical situation. Guidelines for Developing and Asking Behavioral Interview Questions Develop questions that will elicit from candidates examples of their behaviors in given situations and whether they would be likely to repeat those behaviors. During the interview, look for patterns of behaviors. A candidate is likely to repeat behavioral patterns. Inquire about behaviors that are contrary to patterns you ve noted. Avoid asking leading questions that imply a correct or specific answer. During the Interview: 1. Focus in on what seems significant After getting a brief overview of the event/situation, follow up on specific aspects of it: Tell me more about how you were involved You mentioned tell me more about that What was your role in? How did you demonstrate...? What part of the project was significant to you why? What stands out as a milestone, decision point that you were involved in? 2. Keep the candidate focused on actual past events Keep questions brief, specific, and in the past tense (the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior) What did you do then? What were you thinking when that happened? What did you say? How did you feel when it happened? What led up to that decision? What happened next? Staff Development & Professional Services, January 2008 5
Invite dialogue. If the candidate can t remember, ask for a general sense of the event to spark recollection. If a candidate still can t remember or you are not getting any useful information, ask for another example/story. If you are getting generalities, philosophizing or hypothetical actions (e.g., The way our department did things was to ) redirect the candidate to specifics by saying something like, What did you do in this situation?" 3. Keep the candidate focused on his/her role in those situations If the candidate talks about we, ask, What was your role? 4. Probe for thoughts and feelings behind actions Questions about thoughts/feelings, reactions can provide information about what a candidate values or how he/she is motivated and will assist in evaluating behaviors expected for specific competencies. How did you reach that conclusion? How did you know what to do? What was your reaction to that? What were you thinking about at the time? What were you thinking before going into that meeting? What did you find satisfying/frustrating about that? 5. Keep your responses to a minimum Make the most of the time you have with the candidate to learn as much as possible. Comment to put him/her at ease and keep on track. Try to avoid verbalizing your own reactions (e.g., telling a related story, agreeing or disagreeing, expressing surprise or approval). Focus on learning more about the candidate s behavior in the situation. Refrain from asking leading questions questions that point a candidate toward a specific answer, or express a bias or judgment. For example: Leading Tell me what kind of preparation you did for the budget meeting. Did you check with anyone else before making that decision? What did you say to them when they criticized your recommendation? How did you know to go to the chair with that problem? Try this instead Tell me about the events leading up to the budget meeting. Could you say more about how you ended up making that decision? What happened next? What was the next step you took? Staff Development & Professional Services, January 2008 6
6. Assess what you heard What evidence did you hear for each competency for which you specifically probed? What were the actions, thoughts, feelings that you think provided evidence of each competency? How strongly did you hear that competency? For example, did you hear some ambiguous evidence once or twice, or clear evidence several times? What other competencies did you hear evidence of (even if you weren t specifically probing for it)? What other things of interest did you hear (e.g., skills, expertise that may be relevant to the position)? Staff Development & Professional Services, January 2008 7
Sample Behavioral Interview Questions 1. Leadership a. Tell us how you have built working relationships across an organization. b. Describe a time when you demonstrated leadership. c. Describe your experiences being a leader in a diverse environment. How did you model mutual respect for differences? d. Describe how you have gone about understanding the informal culture of an organization for whom you worked. e. Tell us about a situation where you influenced your supervisor to your way of thinking. What did you say and/or do to influence your supervisor? f. Describe a situation in which you demonstrated personal integrity. g. Describe a time when you were persistent in finding resources to achieve a goal. Did you achieve the goal? What specifically did you do to help achieve the goal? h. Tell us about a time when you were instrumental in finding a new, more efficient way of doing something. Describe your role What did you do to elicit support from others for the change? What part was most difficult for you? What part did you enjoy? What did you learn from your experience? 2. Business and Financial Analysis a. Describe ways that you have developed knowledge of an organization s structure, culture, and politics. b. Tell us about a situation when you were responsible for implementing a change at work. What was your role? How did you approach the situation? c. Describe, from your experience, three key principles of understanding/using a financial system. d. Tell us about your experience managing an organizational budget. In what ways were you successful? e. Describe a situation where you faced organizational barriers to accomplishing a goal. How did you address these barriers? What were some potentially touchy issues? How did you manage them? What would you do differently if a similar situation happened again? Staff Development & Professional Services, January 2008 8
f. Describe a recent situation when you managed multiple and sometimes conflicting priorities at work. What did you do to determine priorities? Would you do anything differently if that were to happen again? 3. Analysis and Planning a. Describe how you ve used an analytic technique to solve a problem and/or make a decision. What did you do to engage others in the process? b. Describe a difficult and/or controversial decision that you ve made in a previous job. Tell us about the process you engaged in to come to the decision. What was difficult about this situation? c. Tell us about a situation where you ve had to discover the root cause of a problem before you could solve it. How did you determine the root cause? What was the effect of your efforts? 4. Human Resource Development a. Describe what you ve done to continue to grow as a professional. b. How have you developed/mentored individuals who have worked for you? c. Describe a situation where you ve had to adjust your own behavior or style to build relationships with those who have different styles, cultures, and/or values. d. Tell us how you create a work-life balance for yourself and others at work. e. Describe how you have actively supported multiculturalism and diversity in a work environment. 5. Community Building a. Tell us about a time when you built a work culture that was inclusive and sensitive to differences among individuals. Describe how you established it. What was difficult, easy about building the environment? What would you do differently? b. Describe a situation where you created an environment in which individuals were inspired to do their best work. c. Describe how you ve collaborated with others to get something done. How did you approach this task? Staff Development & Professional Services, January 2008 9
6. Communication a. Tell us about a situation when you communicated with people from different cultures and with diverse perspectives. What values did you try to embody? What did you learn about yourself? b. Describe a situation where you have had to give feedback about poor performance. c. Describe steps that have you taken to facilitate a work environment of open communication? Staff Development & Professional Services, January 2008 10