How I Build and Run Behavioral Interviews

The key to reliable behavioral interviews is treating them like any other engineering problem: define the signal you need, allocate time to design the process, and execute consistently. Ben Kuhn shows that a two-hour prep investment-building a rubric, deciding on follow-up questions, and narrowing focus to one to three traits-turns a vague conversation into measurable evidence. During the interview he uses a tight kickoff prompt that forces the candidate to give context, problem, and action in a single sentence, then drills for details with timeline, outcome, and impact questions. This structure surfaces honesty, responsibility, and concrete results while filtering out vague platitudes. A scoring rubric applied at the end prevents the interviewer's bias from drifting and lets you compare candidates on the same criteria, turning subjective impressions into actionable hiring decisions. The article also warns about common failure modes such as vague generalities, poor communication bandwidth, lack of self-improvement mindset, and scapegoating, showing how a well-crafted rubric catches these early and keeps the interview focused on real performance.