Chapter7:7:

Chapter
InterviewingCandidates
Candidates
Interviewing

What is an Interview?
More than just a discussion.
It is a procedure designed to obtain information from a person
through oral responses to oral inquiries.
Employers use several interviews at work, such as performance
appraisal interviews and exit interviews.

Basic types of interviews

Selective Interview
Is a selection procedure designed to predict the future job
performance based on applicants oral responses to oral
inquiries.

We can classify selection interviews according to

1. How structured they are.
2. Their content Types of questions they
contain
3. How the firm administers interviews

Unstructured vs. Structured

interviews

Unstructured Interviews
Also called non-directive interviews
The manager follows no set of format
There is seldom a formal guide for scoring right or wrong
answers
It can be described as little more than a general conversation.
Most selection interviews can fall into this category.
Questions are not specified

Structured interviews
The employer lists the question ahead of time
May even list and score possible answers for appropriateness.
McMurrays Patterned interview is one early example.
The interviewer followed a printed form to ask a series of
questions. Such as:
How was the persons present job obtained?, etc.

Interview Content

Situational Questions
In a Situational Interview, the
employers asks the candidate what
his or her behavior would be in a
given situation.

Behavioral Questions
Behavioral
Interviews
ask
applicants to describe how they
reacted in actual situations in the
past

Job Related Questions

In a job related interview, the interviewer asks
applicant questions about relevant past experiences
The questions does not revolve around hypothetical
or actual situations or scenarios
Instead, the interviewer asks job related questions.

Other types of question

In a stress interview, the interviewer seeks
to make the applicant uncomfortable with
occasionally rude questions
The aim is supposedly to spot sensitive
applicants and those with high or low stress
tolerance

How should we administer

the interview?

Employers administer interviews

in various ways: One on one or by
panel of interviewers, sequentially
or all at once and computerized or
personally

One on one interview

Two people meet alone and one
interviews the other by seeking oral
responses to oral inquiries.

Sequential Interview
Several
persons interview the applicant, in
sequence, one on one and then make a hiring
decision.
Unstructured sequential interview each interviewer
generally asks questions as they come to mind.
Structured sequential interview each interviewer
rates the candidate on a standard evaluation form,
using standardized questions.

Panel Interviews
Also known as Panel Interview
An interview conducted by a team of interviewers
(Usually 2 or 3), who together interview each
candidate and combine their ratings into a final
panel score
Contrasts with one on one interview

Mass interview
A
panel
interviews
several
candidates simultaneously. The
Panel poses a problem and then
watches to see which candidate takes
the lead in formulating the answer.

Phone Interviews
Employers do some interviews entirely by telephone.
These can be more accurate than face-to-face interviews
for judging an applicants conscientiousness, intelligence
and interpersonal skills.
Neither party need to worry about thinks like
handshakes or appearance, so each can focus on
substantive answers.

Video/Web Assisted Interviews

Recruiters or employers conduct a preliminary interview
online.
Applicants use their Camera supported PC or iPad, then
at appointed time, they link to cisco via web video for the
pre screening interview
Video interviews reduces travel and recruiting expenses.

Guidelines according to Career FAQs

Make sure you look presentable
Clean up the room
Test First
Do a Dry run
Relax

Computerized Interview
A computerized selection interview is one in which a job is
candidates oral and/or computerized replies are obtained in
response to computerized oral, visual, written, question and/or
situations.
Presents the applicant with a series of questions regarding his or
her background, experience, education, skills, knowledge, and
work attitudes that relate to the job for which the person has
applied.
Interviews that are most taken online.

3 ways to make an
interview useful

Use Structured Situational

Interviews
Structured interviews are more valid
unstructured
interviews
for
predicting
performance.

than
job

They are valid partly because they are more reliable.

Situational interviews yield a higher mean validity
than do job related interviews.

Carefully select traits to assess

Interviews are better for revealing some traits than others
Interviewers were able to size up the interviewees
extraversion and agreeableness.
What they could not assess is accurately were the traits
that often matter most on jobs like conscientiousness and
emotional stability.

Beware of committing interview

errors
Understand the various errors that can
undermine any interviews usefulness.

Errors that undermine

interviews usefulness

First Impression
(Snap Judgments)
Interviewers tend to jump into conclusions make snap
judgments about candidates during the first few minutes of
interview
First impressions are especially damaging when the prior info
about the candidate is negative
Interviewers are more influenced by unfavorable than favorable
information about the candidate
Their impression are much more likely to change from
favorable to unfavorable and unfavorable to favorable.

Not clarifying what

the job requires
Interviewers who dont have an accurate picture of what the job
entails and what sort of candidate is the best suited for it usually
make their decision based on incorrect impressions or stereotypes
of what a good applicant is.
They then erroneously match interviewees with their incorrect
stereotypes.
You should clarify what sorts of traits your looking for and why,
before starting the interview.

Candidate-Order error and

pressure to hire
This means that the order in which you see the applicants
affects how you rate them.
In one study, the managers had to evaluate a candidate who
was just average after first evaluating several unfavorable
candidates.

Non-verbal behavior
Applicants non-verbal behavior (smiling, avoiding your gaze and
so on.) can also have a surprisingly large impact on his or her
rating.
Non-verbal behaviors are probably important because
interviewers infer your personality from the way you act in the
interview.

Impression Management
Also called self presentation
Its the process by which people seek to manage and control
the other people perception regarding them
There is often a tendency for people to try to present to them
as soon as to impress others in a socially desirable way.

Interviewer behavior

Designing a structured situational

interview
Step 1:Analyze the Job Write a description with a list of job
duties, required knowledge, skills, abilities and other worker
qualifications
Step 2: Rate the Jobs Main duties Rate each job duty.
Step 3: Create interview questions create interview questions
for each job duties.
Step 4: Create benchmark answers
Step 5: Appoint the interview panel and conduct interviews

How to conduct an effective interview

Step 1: Make sure you know the job Do not start the
interview unless you understand the job and what human skills
youre looking for. Study the job description
Step 2: Structure the interview
Base the questions on the actual job
Use job knowledge, situational or behavioral questions,
Use the same questions with all candidates
Use descriptive rating scales
Use a standardized interview form

Step 3: Get organized Hold the interview in a private room

where phone calls are accepted and you can minimize interactions
Step 4: Establish Rapport Start by putting the person at ease.
Greet the candidate and start the interview by asking a non
controversial questions.
Step 5: Ask Questions Try to follow the situational, behavioral
and job knowledge questions that you wrote ahead of time.
Step 6: Take brief, unobtrusive notes during interview Takes
notes or jotting down notes on what the interviewee says.
Step 7: Close the interview Try to end the interview on a
positive note. Make rejections diplomatically

Step 8: Review the interview review your interview notes,

score the interview guide answers and make a decision.