This type of interview is a close relative of the behavioral interview. Questions used in situational interviews are directly derived from specific activities of the job. Applicants are asked these situational questions to evaluate how they might behave in the situation. Example of a situational question: A customer brings in a car for repair on Monday and is asked to return on Wednesday. The repair isn't finished when the customer returns on Wednesday. How would you handle the situation as the service manager? a. Tell the customer that the car isn't finished and to come back this afternoon. b. Offer your apology and tell the customer that you didn't have time to get to his car due to circumstances beyond your control. c. Reassure the customer that their car

will be ready shortly then go to the shop to get an accurate estimate of time needed to complete the repair. The major drawback to this type of interviewing is that it assesses the way the applicant would theoretically perform in this situation. This interviewing technique seems to favor applicants who can quickly assess what an interviewer might want to hear and offer this response, when in reality, the applicant might take a different course of action. Many interviewers using situational interviews have refined this technique by asking for a specific example of a similar experience to help them assess what the applicant actually did, not what he or she "would" do. This combination approach makes this technique highly valuable in assessing applicant performance in key areas of the job.