!

ob lnLervlewlng or conducLlng a [ob lnLervlew ls one of several and Lhe mosL wldely used selecLlon Lool
lL has proved mosL rellable and Lhe employers always rely on lL ln preference Lo any oLher Lool lL ls a
process deslgned Lo predlcL fuLure [ob performance by candldaLes oral responses Lo oral lnqulrles lor
havlng a beLLer comprehenslon of !ob lnLervlewlng lL wlll be helpful Lo go Lhrough Lhe deflnlLlons of
lnLervlew and [ob lnLervlew
An lnLervlew as deflned ls a conversaLlon beLween Lwo people (Lhe lnLervlewer and Lhe lnLervlewees)
where Lhe lnLervlewer ask quesLlons from lnLervlewees Lo geL lnformaLlon from Lhem !ob lnLervlew
on Lhe oLher hand ls generally deflned as a conversaLlon beLween an employer and a [ob candldaLe
where Lhe employer evaluaLes a candldaLe for prospecLlve employmenL ln Lhe organlzaLlon 1he Lwo
deflnlLlons show LhaL an lnLervlew ls a general Lerm used for all klnds of lnLervlews lL glves ouL Lhe
broad ouLllnes of Lhe Lerm lnLervlew !ob lnLervlew on Lhe oLher hand ls speclflc Lo employmenL
Powever Lhls ls a common mlsconcepLlon LhaL [ob lnLervlew ls a unllaLeral process whlch ls noL correcL
1he above deflnlLlon of !ob lnLervlew ls very slmllar Lo deflnlLlon of !ob lnLervlewlng buL noL LhaL of [ob
lnLervlew as lL does noL glve Lhe full plcLure and ls lncompleLe
lor ob[ecLlvely deflnlng [ob lnLervlew lL ls lmporLanL Lo know Lhe purpose of a [ob lnLervlew
!ob lnLervlew urpose
1he purpose of [ob lnLervlew ls ellclLlng lnformaLlon lf on Lhe one hand Lhe lnLervlewer wanLs Lo know
Lhe candldaLe ln greaL deLall lncludlng abouL Lhe lnLanglbles llke hls quallLles poLenLlal aLLlLude and
Leamwork Lhe candldaLe wanLs Lo know Lhe flnanclal healLh worklng envlronmenL and plans of Lhe
employer besldes whaL he wlll be geLLlng ln Lerms of compensaLlon 1he employer uses Lhe lnformaLlon
ellclLed Lo declde wheLher Lo offer [ob Lo Lhe candldaLe whlle Lhe candldaLe uses Lhe ellclLed
lnformaLlon Lo declde wheLher Lo accepL Lhe offer lf made
lL ls obvlous as earller dlscussed Lhe percepLlon LhaL [ob lnLervlew ls a unllaLeral process ls wrong as
lL ls a bllaLeral one 1he facL LhaL even lf Lhe employer flnds a candldaLe well sulLed for Lhe [ob and wanLs
Lo hlre hlm unless Lhe candldaLe agrees Lo Lhe offer of employmenL Lhe employer cannoL hlre hlm ls Lhe
sLrongesL proof of Lhe bllaLeral naLure of [ob lnLervlew
!ob lnLervlew lmporLance
AlLhough noL all employers use LesLs or even reference checks buL Lhey conslder [ob lnLervlew as vlLal
for maklng a correcL declslon !ob lnLervlew helps ln sollclLlng relevanL lnformaLlon permlsslble under
Lhe law from candldaLe by puLLlng quesLlons and llsLenlng Lo Lhe answers 1he lnLervlewer may pursue
polnLs of lnLeresL as Lhey develop lrrespecLlve of lndusLry or naLure of [ob Lhe lnLervlewer wlll always
probe Lhe followlng baslc quesLlons
uoes Lhe candldaLe have necessary skllls quallflcaLlon and experlence Lo do Lhe [ob?
Would Lhe candldaLe dlsplay Lhe rlghL characLer aLLrlbuLes and aLLlLude requlred for Lhe
[ob
Would Lhe candldaLe ad[usL ln Lhe organlzaLlon culLure?
!ob lnLervlew ls Lhe besL meLhod Lo know Lhe candldaLes ln all relevanL aspecLs llke [ob knowledge
communlcaLlon skllls and hls / her personal background 1he lnLervlewer underLakes Lhls exerclse for
assesslng Lhe fuLure [ob performance of Lhe candldaLe lf resume shows gaps beLween employers [ob
lnLervlewlng ls Lhe rlghL forum Lo enqulre abouL lL lL also allows Lhe lnLervlewer Lo geL an ldea of Lhe
candldaLes personallLy and verbal communlcaLlon ablllLles
LaLesL sLudles have conflrmed valldlLy of Lhe lnLervlew and LhaL lL ls generally a good performance
assessmenL meLhod
lollowlng are Lhe essenLlal sLeps before [ob lnLervlewlng acLually Lakes place
!ob lnLervlew lannlng
As Lhe famous quoLe goes lf you fall Lo plan you plan Lo fall Lhe flrsL loglcal sLep ls plannlng 1he
lnLervlewer could geL Lhe mosL from Lhe lnLervlew by plannlng ln whaL he wanLs Lo learn from
candldaLes ln Lhe [ob lnLervlew
CrlLlcal areas Lo focus ln Lhe lnLervlew plannlng
AL Lhe ouLseL a declslon a declslon wlll be made abouL Lhe lnLervlewlng panel lf Lhere ls speclflc
company rule abouL lnLervlewlng panel Lhose wlll be followed ln Lhelr absence head of organlzaLlon
Lakes Lhe declslon for managemenL grade employees and head of human resource deparLmenL for oLher
employees 1he mosL senlor member of Lhe panel musL head Lhe lnLervlewlng panel Puman resource
person ln Lhe panel usually acLs as Lhe coordlnaLor lf he does noL head Lhe panel ln whlch case anoLher
P8 represenLaLlve ls coopLed as a non lnLervlewlng coordlnaLor lf Lhere ls more Lhan one lnLervlewer
whlch mosLly ls Lhe case ln flnal lnLervlews each lnLervlewer ls glven Lhe Lask of quesLlonlng Lhe
candldaLe wlLh respecL Lo speclflc areas Lo declde hls sulLablllLy usually whlle Lhe lnLervlewer who has
speclallzed knowledge of Lhe secLlon /deparLmenL where Lhe candldaLe wlll work wlll quesLlon Lhe
candldaLe abouL hls knowledge experlence and ablllLles abouL Lhe [ob 1he member represenLlng
human resource ask quesLlons abouL Lhelr personallLy values compaLlblllLy wlLh Lhe organlzaLlon
culLure poLenLlal Lo grow and ablllLy Lo learn
lnformaLlon provlded ln a candldaLes appllcaLlon for employmenL wlll be probed more deeply aL Lhls
sLage for proper quesLlonlng ln Lhe lnLervlew When revlewlng resumes Lhe lnLervlewer should look for
Work and educaLlon experlence from whlch lnLervlewer can develop evaluaLlve quesLlons
WhaL Lhe candldaLe wanLs Lo hlghllghL ln hls resume wlll show hls benL of mlnd When revlewlng
personal hlsLory forms lL ls lmporLanL Lo noLe
a) AmblgulLy ln employmenL hlsLory lf any le beglnnlng / endlng daLes duLles and LlLles
b) Lack of undersLandlng abouL Lhe lLems or quesLlons
c) LmploymenL/educaLlon gaps
d) 8eason for leavlng prevlous [ob(s)
e) Spelllng and vocabulary errors
1hls lnformaLlon wlll show Lhe candldaLes sLablllLy preparedness aLLenLlon Lo deLalls and hls grasp of
wrlLLen communlcaLlon and lnLervlewer can develop quesLlons abouL Lhem 1he lnLervlewer should go
Lhrough Lhe [ob descrlpLlon and Lhe [ob speclflcaLlon 8evlewlng Lhe [ob funcLlons and requlremenLs
before Lhe lnLervlew enable hlm Lo glve Lhe candldaLe correcL lnformaLlon of Lhe [ob and Lo answer any
quesLlons Lhe candldaLe may have 1hls wlll help hlm ln maklng a proper preparaLlon for Lhe lnLervlew
lnLervlewer should deflne Lhe [ob and candldaLes quallLy and whaL quallflcaLlons Lhe candldaLe musL
have for dolng Lhe [ob 1he lnLervlewer should declde abouL Lhe skllls and compeLencles requlred for Lhe
[ob for evaluaLlng Lhrough Lhe lnLervlew Pe should ldenLlfy Lhe knowledge aLLrlbuLes and skllls Lhe
candldaLe needs for success lnLervlewer should deflne goals and deLermlne how Lhe new employee
should add value Lo Lhe organlzaLlon
lnLervlewer should ldenLlfy Lhe essenLlal duLles and responslblllLles of Lhe [ob and any worklng
condlLlons whlch affecL Lhe [ob performance
lnLervlewer should develop a llmlLed seL of speclflc quesLlons Lo probe Lhe candldaLes sLrengLhs
weaknesses amblgulLles and hlghllghLs observed ln Lhe resume
!ob lnLervlew reparaLlon
lnLervlew preparaLlon ls a very lmporLanL parL of Lhe process as good lnLervlewlng depends on proper
preparaLlon Lack of preparaLlon by lnLervlewers causes problems durlng lnLervlews AlmosL a Lhlrd of
lnLervlewers ln a survey confessed Lhey had forgoLLen a candldaLes name and a quarLer sald Lhey had
gone lnLo an lnLervlew unprepared lnLervlewlng ls Lhe mosL lmporLanL Lhlng LhaL a manager does lL ls
hlghly negllgenL Lo wasLe hours Lrylng Lo lnLervlew someone when he (lnLervlewer) ls so unprepared for
Lhe [ob lf he ls noL prepared he should noL wasLe hls Llme and oLhers and hls own A person fully
conversanL wlLh Lhe lnLrlcacles of a [ob lnLervlew and Lralned ln lnLervlewlng skllls should be selecLed as
an lnLervlewer An advance preparaLlon cans help ln ensurlng professlonal and effecLlve lnLervlews
!ob lnLervlew preparaLlon sLeps lnclude
A) 1he lnLervlewer should make sure LhaL he ls well equlpped wlLh all Lhe necessary lnformaLlon before
Lhe lnLervlew Pe should have already sLudled Lhe Cv resume or any paper prepared by Lhe P8
deparLmenL elucldaLlng Lhe hlghllghLs as well as candldaLes weak and gray areas so LhaL no Llme ls
wasLed durlng Lhe lnLervlew ln geLLlng Lhls lnformaLlon ln Lhe beglnnlng as well beqoo ls bolf Jooe
) Pe should creaLe an lnLervlew evaluaLlon form for each candldaLe 1he purpose of Lhe form ls Lo raLe
each candldaLe wlLh respecL Lo knowledge experlence ldenLlfled skllls and compeLencles
C) Lnough Llme glven Lo candldaLes beLween daLe of recelvlng lnLervlew call and daLe of lnLervlew so
LhaL Lhey can make ad[usLmenLs for any prevlous engagemenLs also conslder days of rellglous
observance LhaL mlghL affecL a candldaLes avallablllLy ln Lhls regard
u) Lnough Llme be scheduled wlLh each candldaLe Lo allow for a relaxed lnLervlew More Lhan flve
lnLervlews on a slngle day ls asklng Loo much from an lnLervlewer Lherefore lL ls advlsable Lo keep Lhe
number of lnLervlews on Lhe lesser slde 1he lnLervlewer would noL be lnLerrupLed and he wlll be
allowed Lo concenLraLe on Lhe [ob he ls dolng
L) ArrangemenLs for a dlgnlfled and enLhuslasLlc welcome of Lhe candldaLes ComforLable seaLlng wlll be
avallable for Lhe candldaLes before and durlng lnLervlewlng keeplng Lhe concepL of employer brandlng
ln vlew Lhe occaslon wlll be used for esLabllshlng Lhe lmage of Lhe company on poslLlve llnes
8easonable Llme wlll be provlded beLween lnLervlew Llme lnLlmaLed Lo Lhe candldaLes keeplng ln vlew
Lhe esLlmaLed Llme Laken ln an lnLervlew eg forLy flve mlnuLes Lo avold wasLage of Lhelr Llme roper
care wlll be Laken of candldaLes durlng Lhelr presence for [ob lnLervlew lncludlng servlng of
refreshmenLs and lunch
l) lnLervlewer should prepare Lo dlscuss Lhe [ob brlefly ln Lerms LhaL Lhe candldaLe can readlly
undersLand
C) lnLervlewers should prepare among Lhemselves for followlng a seL sLraLegy durlng Lhe lnLervlew Lo
make lL a successful exerclse
!ob lnLervlewers 8ole
1he lnLervlewer ls Lhe maln gulde and conLroller of Lhe [ob lnLervlewlng he musL Lo know hls
responslblllLles and Lhe role he ls golng Lo play ln Lhls regard lollowlngs are some lmporLanL elemenLs /
areas he musL concenLraLe Lo make [ob lnLervlewlng process a success
1) Culdlng Lhe lnLervlew ls Lhe mosL lmporLanL responslblllLy and he should make sure LhaL Lhe
lnLervlewlng process does noL go off Lhe Lrack 1he lnLervlewer should gulde Lhe lnLervlew LacLfully
wlLhouL hurLlng Lhe candldaLe ln any way Pe should concenLraLe on geLLlng compleLe and rellable
lnformaLlon wlLhouL causlng any lnconvenlence Lo Lhe candldaLe
2) 1he lnLervlewer should llsLen more and Lalk less Pe should llsLen aLLenLlvely and noL lnLerrupL
candldaLe unnecessarlly oslLlve aLLlLude wlll glve Lhe candldaLes Lhe confldence LhaL Lhey are
lmporLanL 1hls wlll encourage Lhem Lo communlcaLe freely durlng Lhe lnLervlew and Lhe lnLervlewer
wlll geL Lhe beneflL of learnlng mosL
3) 1he lnLervlewer wlll be dlspasslonaLe Pe should make Lhe lnLervlewees welcome by all means and
engage wlLh Lhem buL aL Lhe same Llme he wlll be checklng wheLher Lhe personallLy LralLs and skllls
requlred for Lhe [ob are presenL ln Lhe candldaLe 1he lnLervlewer musL conLrol hlmself from becomlng a
vlcLlm of love aL flrsL slghL or afflllaLlon wlLh hls own ersonallLy and lncllnlng Loward a candldaLe
Learnlng how Lo conducL an lnLervlew whlle remalnlng dlspasslonaLe wlll enable hlm Lo geL over LhaL
and assess wheLher Lhe person ls Lhe perfecL maLch for Lhe role whlch afLer all ls why Lhe lnLervlewer
and lnLervlewees are Lhere
4) 1he lnLervlewer wlll be conslderaLe and calm even lf he does noL agree wlLh Lhe candldaLe Pls polnL
of vlew wlll be heard and respecLed 1he lnLervlewer shouldnL lndulge ln argumenLs unnecessarlly and
be cool and Lo Lhe polnL 1he lnLervlewer musL focus aLLenLlon on Lhe candldaLe and Lhe lnLervlew Pe
should know LhaL he ls noL Lhere Lo show off hls knowledge or LhaL he ls noL Lhe lnLervlewer
3) 1he lnLervlewer should avold dlsLracLlon ln Lhe lnLervlew area and durlng Lhe lnLervlew lnLervenLlons
by anybody or of any klnd can dlsLracL Lhe lnLervlewer and candldaLe and may affecL Lhe process
resulLlng ln adversely affecLlng Lhe chances of a good candldaLe or cholce of a wrong candldaLe
6) 1he lnLervlewers wlll be Lralned ln lnLervlewlng and know how Lo avold lllegal quesLlons and errors
such as Lalklng Loo much and maklng hasLy [udgmenLs
7) lnLervlewers musL sLrlcLly follow Lhe plannlng and preparaLlon earller made for conducLlng Lhe
lnLervlew Any devlaLlon wlll [eopardlze successful lnLervlewlng 8epeaLlng Lhe quesLlons already asked
puLLlng quesLlons aL Lhe same Llme conLradlcLlng one anoLher show bad plannlng lnsufflclenL
preparaLlon or lack of boLh brlnglng bad name Lo Lhe lnLervlewers and lowerlng Lhe presLlge of Lhe
employer