CHAPTER 7

INTERVIEWING
CANDIDATES
 Interview

An interview is a procedure designed to obtain information

from a person through oral responses to oral inquiries.

Interview is only one of several selection tools, why devote a

whole chapter to this one tool? ....... because interview is
the most widely used selection procedure. All managers do
not use tests or reference checks.
Basic Types of Interviews

Selection Interview

Types of
Appraisal Interview
Interviews

Exit Interview

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Selection Interview Structure

Selection Interview
Characteristics

Interview Interview Interview

structure content administration

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Selection Interview Formats

Interview Structure
Formats

Unstructured Structured
(nondirective) (directive)
interview interview

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 Interview Content

Types of Questions Asked

Situational Behavioral Job-related Stress

interview interview interview interview

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Types of Employment Interviews
Can be classified according to
1. how structured they are
2. their “content” – the types of questions they
contain
• Behavioral
• Situational
• Job-related
• Stress interview
3. how the firm administers the interviews
 How should we administer
the interview?
• One-on-one Interview
• Sequential (or serial) Interview
• Unstructured Sequential Interview
• Structured Sequential Interview
• Panel Interviews (board interview)
• Mass Interview-panel interviews several candidates
at the same time
• Phone Interviews
• Video/Web-Assisted Interviews
Three Ways to Make the Interview Useful
Structure the interview to
increase its validity

Making the Carefully choose what sorts of

Interview Useful traits are to be assessed

Beware of committing
interviewing errors

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 What errors can undermine
an interview’s usefulness?
• First Impressions (Snap Judgments)
• Not Clarifying What the Job Requires
• Candidate-Order (Contrast) Error and Pressure to Hire
• Nonverbal Behavior
• Impression Management
• Effect of Personal Characteristics: Attractiveness, Gender,
Race
• Interviewer Behavior
 How to Design an Effective
Interview
• The Structured Situational Interview
• Step 1: Analyze the job.
• Step 2: Rate the job’s main duties.
• Step 3: Create interview questions.
• Step 4: Create benchmark answers.
• Step 5: Appoint the interview panel and conduct
interview.
How to Conduct an Effective
interview
• Step 1: First, make sure you know the job
• Step 2: Structure the interview
• Base questions on actual job duties.
• Use job knowledge, situational, or behavioral questions
• Use the same questions with all candidates
• Use descriptive rating scales
• If possible, use a standardized interview form
• Step 3: Get organized
• Step 4: Establish rapport
How to Conduct an Effective
interview (Cont’d)
• Step 5: Ask questions
• Don’t
• Ask questions that the candidate can just answer
with a yes or no
• Put words in the applicant’s mouth or telegraph the
desired answer
• Interrogate the applicant as if the person is on trial,
and don’t be patronizing, sarcastic, or inattentive.
• Monopolize the interview by rambling, nor let the
applicant dominate the interview
How to Conduct an Effective
interview (Cont’d)
• Step 5: Ask questions (Cont’d)
• Do
• Ask open-ended questions
• Listen to the candidate to encourage him or her to
express thoughts fully
• Draw out the applicant’s opinions and feelings by
repeating the person’s last comment as a question
• Ask for examples
 How to Conduct an Effective
interview (Cont’d)
• Step 6: Take brief, unobtrusive notes during the interview
• Step 7: Close the interview
• Step 8: Review the interview
 Using a Streamlined Interview Process
1. Conduct
3. Prepare the
for the
interview
interview
• Have
Knowledge
a plan and experience
• Follow
Motivation
your plan
4. •Match
Intellectual capacity
the candidate to the job
• Personality factor
2. Formulate questions to ask
in the interview
• Intellectual factor
• Motivation factor
• Personality factor
• Knowledge and experience factor
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Guidelines for Interviewees
1.Preparation is essential.
2.Uncover the interviewer’s real needs.
3.Relate yourself to the interviewer’s needs.
4.Think before answering.
5.Remember that appearance and enthusiasm are
important.
6.Make a good first impression.
7.Ask questions.
FIGURE 7–2 Examples of Questions That Provide Structure
Situational Questions
1. Suppose a more experienced coworker was not following standard work procedures and
claimed the new procedure was better. Would you use the new procedure?
2. Suppose you were giving a sales presentation and a difficult technical question arose that
you could not answer. What would you do?
Past Behavior Questions
3. Based on your past work experience, what is the most significant action you have ever
taken to help out a coworker?
4. Can you provide an example of a specific instance where you developed a sales
presentation that was highly effective?
Background Questions
5. What work experiences, training, or other qualifications do you have for working in a
teamwork environment?
6. What experience have you had with direct point-of-purchase sales?
Job Knowledge Questions
7. What steps would you follow to conduct a brainstorming session with a group of employees
on safety?
8. What factors should you consider when developing a television advertising campaign?

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FIGURE 7–3 Suggested Supplementary Questions for Interviewing Applicants
1. How did you choose this line of work?
2. What did you enjoy most about your last job?
3. What did you like least about your last job?
4. What has been your greatest frustration or disappointment on your present job? Why?
5. What are some of the pluses and minuses of your last job?
6. What were the circumstances surrounding your leaving your last job?
7. Did you give notice?
8. Why should we be hiring you?
9. What do you expect from this employer?
10. What are three things you will not do in your next job?
11. What would your last supervisor say your three weaknesses are?
12. What are your major strengths?
13. How can your supervisor best help you obtain your goals?
14. How did your supervisor rate your job performance?
15. In what ways would you change your last supervisor?
16. What are your career goals during the next 1–3 years? 5–10 years?
17. How will working for this company help you reach those goals?
18. What did you do the last time you received instructions with which you disagreed?
19. What are some things about which you and your supervisor disagreed? What did you do?
20. Which do you prefer, working alone or working with groups?
21. What motivated you to do better at your last job?
22. Do you consider your progress in that job representative of your ability? Why?
23. Do you have any questions about the duties of the job for which you have applied?
24. Can you perform the essential functions of the job for which you have applied?
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 ROLE PLAYING
Examples of questions that provide Interview Structure

•Job Knowledge Questions

•1. What steps would you follow in changing the fan belt on a Toyota Camry?
•2. What factors would you consider in choosing a computer to use for work?

•Experience Questions
•3. What experience have you had actually repairing automobile engines?
•4. What experience have you had creating marketing programs for consumer
•products?
Behavioral (Past Behavior) Questions
5. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a particularly
displeasing person. What was the situation, and how did you handle it?
6. Tell me about a time when you were under a great deal of stress. What
was the situation, and how did you handle it?

Situational (What Would You Do) Questions

7. Suppose your boss insisted that a presentation had to be finished by
tonight, but your subordinate said she has to get home early to attend an
online class, so she is unable to help you. What would you do?
8. The CEO just told you that he’s planning on firing your boss, with whom
you are very close, and replacing him with you. What would you do?
APPLICATION CASE
THE OUT-OF-CONTROL INTERVIEW
Maria Fernandez is a bright, popular, and well-informed
mechanical engineer who graduated with an engineering
degree from State University in June 2009. During the spring
preceding her graduation, she went out on many job interviews,
most of which she thought were conducted courteously
and were reasonably useful in giving both her and the
prospective employer a good impression of where each of
them stood on matters of importance to both of them. It was,
therefore, with great anticipation that she looked forward to
an interview with the one firm in which she most wanted
to work: Apex Environmental. She had always had a strong
interest in cleaning up the environment and firmly believed
that the best use of her training and skills lay in working for a
firm like Apex, where she thought she could have a successful
career while making the world a better place.
The interview, however, was a disaster. Maria walked into a
room where five men the president of the company, two vice
presidents, the marketing director, and another engineer
began throwing questions at her that she felt were aimed primarily at tripping
her up rather than finding out what she could offer through her engineering
skills.
The questions ranged from being unnecessarily discourteous
(Why would you take a job as a waitress in college if you’re
such an intelligent person? ) to being irrelevant (Are you
planning on settling down and starting a family anytime
soon? ).Then, after the interview, she met with two of the
gentlemen individually (including the president), and the
discussions focused almost exclusively on her technical
expertise. She thought that these later discussions went
fairly well. However, given the apparent aimlessness and
even mean-spiritedness of the panel interview, she was
astonished when several days later the firm made her a job
offer. The offer forced her to consider several matters. From
her point of view, the job itself was perfect. She liked what
she would be doing, the industry, and the firms location.
And in fact, the president had been quite courteous in
subsequent discussions, as had been the other members of
the management team. She was left wondering whether the
panel interview had been intentionally tense to see how
she’d stand up under pressure, and, if so, why they would
do such a thing.
Questions

1. How would you explain the nature of the panel interview

Maria had to endure? Specifically, do you think
it reflected a well-thought-out interviewing strategy
on the part of the firm or carelessness on the part of
the firms management? If it were carelessness, what
would you do to improve the interview process at Apex
Environmental?

2. Would you take the job offer if you were Maria? If you re
not sure, what additional information would help you
make your decision?

3. The job of applications engineer for which Maria was

applying requires (a) excellent technical skills with respect
to mechanical engineering, (b) a commitment to working
in the area of pollution control, (c) the ability to deal
well and confidently with customers who have engineering
problems, (d) a willingness to travel worldwide, and
(e) a very intelligent and well-balanced personality. List
10 questions you would ask when interviewing applicants
for the job.