Which type of interview focuses on past behavior to predict future performance?

The type of interview that focuses on past behavior to predict future performance is the behavioral interview. This method operates on the premise that past behavior is one of the best indicators of how an individual is likely to respond to similar situations in the future. During behavioral interviews, candidates are often asked to provide specific examples from their previous experiences that demonstrate their skills, decision-making processes, and how they handle various challenges and situations in the workplace.

This approach enables interviewers to gain insights into the candidate’s competencies, skills, and personality traits, as real-life examples can reveal how they have navigated situations in the past. Questions may include prompts such as "Tell me about a time when you had to overcome a significant challenge at work." The responses can then be evaluated based on the relevance to the requirements of the current position.

Behavioral interviews differ from situational interviews, which focus on hypothetical scenarios and how the candidate would respond, rather than on actual past experiences. Structured interviews follow a pre-determined set of questions regardless of the candidates' responses, while unstructured interviews are more open-ended and may lack a standardized format. Thus, the behavioral interview is specifically designed to leverage historical data for predicting future behavior, making it a powerful tool in recruitment and selection.