Chapter 4. Probing or Follow-Up Questions

Sometimes, candidates will not provide complete STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Results) responses to a question; other times you may simply want to get more information or clarification beyond what the candidate provided. There are a number of reasons that candidates don’t give complete STAR responses. For example, candidates may be:

  • Unfamiliar and therefore uncomfortable with behavioral/ competency interviewing

  • Trying to avoid an area or issue

  • In the habit of speaking in generalities

  • Reluctant to talk, for some specific reason

  • Inherently shy

Whatever the reason, asking probing or follow-up questions allows you to get sufficient information on each situation to enable you to make an accurate assessment of ...

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