Behavioural interviews judge candidates on evidence of what they have actually done, not on confidence or fluency. This guide, the framework Maxwell Stephens uses in its own assessments, covers six competencies: adaptability, culture add, collaboration, leadership, growth potential and prioritisation. Each has five questions, what good looks like and warning signs, with a four-level scoring scale.
Most hiring decisions still rest on the interview, and most interviews are less reliable than the people running them believe. Unstructured conversations reward confidence and fluency. Behavioural interviews reward evidence.
The Behavioural Interview Guide is the framework Maxwell Stephens uses in its own assessments, shared so that every interviewer on a panel works to the same standard. It helps hiring managers identify high-potential candidates on the strength of evidence, behaviour and judgement, not just experience on paper.
The guide covers six competencies that matter in almost every Facilities Management appointment: adaptability, culture add, collaboration, leadership, growth potential and prioritisation. For each one it sets out what good looks like, five behavioural questions, what to listen for, warning signs and a probe specific to Facilities Management.
It also explains how to run a behavioural interview in six steps, provides a four-level scoring scale with guidance on using the scores, and closes with an interviewer checklist to use before, during and after each interview.
What the data says
The evidence behind structured, behavioural interviewing.
- Structured interviews have the highest mean validity of common selection methods (.42), compared with .19 for unstructured interviews. Source: Sackett et al., Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 2023
- 90% of UK organisations use some form of selection interview; 52% use competency-based interviews. Source: CIPD, Resourcing and talent planning report 2024
- Four in ten UK employers (39%) admit their staff's interviewing and assessment skills should be improved. Source: Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), Hiring mistakes are costing UK businesses billions each year, 2017
- A poor hire at mid-manager level on a £42,000 salary can cost a business more than £132,000. Source: Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), Hiring mistakes are costing UK businesses billions each year, 2017
- 41% of UK organisations that selected candidates in the past year said new recruits always, mostly or sometimes resigned within their first 12 weeks. Source: CIPD, Resourcing and talent planning report 2024
See it in practice
Head of Facilities for The Royal College of Psychiatrists
The Royal College of Psychiatrists engaged Maxwell Stephens to recruit a Head of Facilities who could combine operational FM expertise with events management and the ability to work credibly with members and senior stakeholders. Alongside screening and tailored shortlisting, we carried out in-depth behavioural assessments of each candidate's interpersonal skills, leadership capability and ability to perform in a demanding, fast-moving environment. It shows how behavioural assessment helps identify the right leader when a role depends as much on judgement and relationships as on technical credentials.
Read the full case study or browse all case studies.
Related reading
- Competency-Based Questions Explained
- How to Conduct an Effective Facilities Management Interview
- Why Good Facilities Managers Are Hard to Recruit
Practical guides
Free Maxwell Stephens guides on the same subject:
- How to Interview Facilities Management Candidates Properly
- Facilities Manager Interview Questions Guide
- The Psychology of Great Hiring Decisions
- Interview Scoring Template
Who this resource is for
Hiring managers, Facilities and Workplace leaders, HR and talent acquisition teams, and anyone who sits on an interview panel for a Facilities Management appointment.
Talk to Maxwell Stephens
Maxwell Stephens is a specialist Facilities Management recruitment consultancy. If you are planning an FM, estates or workplace appointment, contact us for a confidential conversation, or read our case studies to see how comparable searches were run.