Targeted Selection® Behavioral Interviewing System

The Most Accurate Interviewing System in the World

The cost of a bad hire stretches far. Salary, lost productivity, replacement costs, effect on team morale, and so much more.

That’s why so many companies use DDI’s Targeted Selection® (TS®), which is the most accurate interviewing system in the world.

Good hiring practices go beyond what happens in the interview. TS provides a structure for how interviewers should evaluate candidates and make hiring decisions, reducing bias, and revealing the behaviors that matter most on the job.

Master the Art and Science of Interviewing

Effective interviewing is both art and science. There’s art in how leaders initiate thought-provoking discussions while building rapport and gaining holistic data. There’s science in how leaders choose competencies for a role, structure interview discussions, and make hiring decisions.

Both elements are important to ensure that candidates have a positive experience and hiring teams collect consistent data to make fair, informed decisions. This combination of art and science sets Targeted Selection apart from other approaches to hiring.

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Focus on Key Behaviors for Job Success

Over decades of experience, we’ve seen a consistent trend: Managers hire primarily based on technical skills, as well as their idea of “culture fit,” which can be a recipe for bias.

But what often gets missed is behavior, which is the biggest factor in determining success or failure in a role. While there are several ways to test whether a candidate has the technical skills for a job, TS helps managers evaluate how candidates approach their work and the results of their approach.

Instead of requiring managers to create their own questions, Targeted Selection gives them a highly structured approach built around core behaviors that are essential to role success.

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Improve Data Accuracy with the STAR Method

If you’ve been asked an interview question that started with “tell me about a time when…”, the interviewer was probably using the STAR method.

DDI created the STAR method to help interviewers collect complete information from candidates. Here’s how it works: Interviewers ask candidates to share about situations/tasks (ST) they faced, the actions (A) they took, and—importantly—the results (R) of their actions.

STAR helps interviewers evaluate how a candidate approached challenges in the past. Interviewers can also use STAR to steer candidates away from pitfalls, such as talking theoretically about what they “would do,” giving answers that sound good but lack substance, or taking credit for others’ work.

Learn about STAR

It’s a great benefit when you see people have that ‘a-ha!’ moment that they can really use this…and you see that in the retention rates of our facilities.

— Jennifer Smith, Trainer of Virtual Programs, TKC Holdings

Create a Consistent and Equitable Hiring Process

It’s easy for bias to enter the interview process. One candidate might connect with one interviewer immediately, while another may struggle. In fact, a survey by CareerBuilder shows that more than half of hiring managers make a decision in the first five minutes about a candidate’s experience for a role.

With TS, interviewers use the same questions for each candidate and collect STAR responses, keeping the focus on behavior and results—not candidate impressions. Our integrated scoring models help hiring teams evaluate candidates thoughtfully and objectively.

As a result, TS creates a more equitable process in which all candidates have consistent experiences. Most importantly, the hiring manager is more likely to make an informed, fair decision.

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Interviewing Is Just the Start of the Employee Experience

Hiring the right person for the role is the first step in your talent strategy. Once they accept the job offer, it’s up to their manager to onboard them, make them feel included, coach them for growth, and help them succeed.

That’s why Targeted Selection is included in DDI’s Leadership Development Subscriptions. Subscriptions give you complete flexibility to develop your leaders. Align development with the most critical needs for your organization, like interviewing, and create a leadership culture that attracts, develops, and retains top talent.

Plus, a subscription includes our full competency library to anchor your interviews. We make it easy to give your leaders exactly what they need, when they need it, without the hassle.

Learn more about subscriptions

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Sample Learning Journey

See How It Works

Hiring the right people for the right roles helps you retain top talent. But you also need to equip leaders with the foundational skills to onboard and coach talent to achieve high performance and stay engaged over the long term.

With a DDI subscription, you can develop your leaders holistically with one solution. Explore a sample learning journey that shows how you can help leaders develop the skills to hire, onboard, and keep high performers from leaving.

View sample
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Become TS® Certified

We make it easy to develop your leaders’ interviewing skills in the way that works for your organization.

 You have the option to use DDI facilitators, or we can coach your team to become top-notch trainers.

DDI offers both virtual and in-person paths to become certified in TS. We’ll help you build skills that create a stronger, fairer, and more consistent process across your organization.

Explore certification options