Interviewing

Why are interviews unreliable?

1. Too much mouth, not enough ears 2. Comparing apples to oranges 3. Halo effect 4. First impressions 5. Contrast effects 6. Attributional biases 7. Lack of preparation

Remember…

 Interviews should not be the sole selection tool utilized in interviewing applicants.

Clear Goals

1. Working together effectively 2. Information about résumé, application, and testing 3. Allow applicant to ask questions

Structured Style

1. Structured interview v. Glorified Application Bank 2. Structured interview

"the questions are standardized, the information required is job related, the interviewers apply the same frame of reference to each applicant, and the information gathered is pre-organized to be rationally comparative and therefore useful".

New Interviewing Style

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How do you get interviewers to change their interviewing style?

1. Share Proof 2. Provide recognition and awards

Things To Do: Before The Interview

1. Who should be there?

2. What training should interviewers have?

Things To Do: Before The Interview

3. Designing structured interview questions

a. Job analysis b. Address items not assessed earlier c. Job specific with pre-determined answers d. Validated

Things To Do: Before The Interview

4. Determining particular interview questions

a. Open-ended b. Situation/behavioral c. Customize some questions

Examples of Situational Interview Questions and Scoring Scales 1. Your spouse and two teenage are sick in bed with colds. There are not relatives or friends available to look in on them. Your shift starts in 3 hours. What would you do in this situation?

1 (low) I’d stay home—my family comes first.

3 (average) I’d phone my supervisor and explain my situation.

5 (high) Since they only have colds, I’d come to work.

Examples of Situational Interview Questions and Scoring Scales (cont’d) 2. A customer comes into the store to pick up a watch he had left for repair. The repair was supposed to have been completed a week ago, but the watch is not back yet from the repair shop. The customer is very angry. How would you handle the situation?

1 (low) Tell the customer the watch is not back yet and ask him to check back with you later.

3 (average) Apologize, tell the customer that you will check into the problem, and call him or her back later.

5 (high) Put the customer at ease and call the repair shop while the customer waits.

Examples of Situational Interview Questions and Scoring Scales (cont’d) 3. For the past week you have been consistently getting the jobs that are the most time consuming (e.g. poor handwriting, complex statistical work). You know it’s nobody’s fault because you have been taking the jobs in priority order. You have just picked your fourth job of the day and it’s another “loser.” What would you do?

1 (low) Thumb through the pile and take another job.

3 (average) Complain to the coordinator, but do the job.

5 (high) Take the job without complaining and do it.

Examples of Behavioral Description Interviewing Questions and Scoring 1. It is often necessary to work together in a group to accomplish a task. Can you tell me about the most recent experience you had working as part of a group?

(The following are probe questions.) a. What was the task?

b. How many people were in the group?

c. What difficulties arose as a result of working as a group?

d. What role did you play in resolving these difficulties?

e. How successful was the group in completing its task?

f. How often do you work as a part of a group?

Examples of Behavioral Description Interviewing Questions and Scoring (cont’d) 2. Tell me about a time when you aided an employee in understanding a difficult policy.

(The following are probe questions.) a. What was the policy?

b. How did you know that the employee was having trouble understanding?

c. What did you do or say that helped?

d. How did you know that you had been successful?

e. What steps did you take to change the policy?

Examples of Behavioral Description Interviewing Questions and Scoring (cont’d) Applicant Assessment Form for Scoring Behavioral Description Interview 1 2 Dimensions Bottom 20 % 1. Working with group 2.

Next 20% 3 Middle 20% 4 Next 20% 5 Top 20%

X

10.

X

Examples of Behavioral Description Interviewing Questions and Scoring (cont’d) Applicant Assessment Form for Scoring Behavioral Description Interview Dimension 1.

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Dimension Score 5 x Weight (optional) 25 = Cumulative Total 125

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10.

3 x 10 = 325

Things To Do: During the Interview

1. Introduction 2. Convey expectations 3. Allow applicant to ask questions 4. Ask structured questions

Things To Do: After the Interview

1. Evaluate applicant’s responses 2. Nonverbal communication?

Prussia’s 7-Step Checklist

1. Restrict the scope of the interview 2. Limit pre-interview data 3. Structure interview questions

a. Take notes

4. Ask only job related questions 5. Formalize scoring

Prussia’s 7-Step Checklist

6. Train interviewers 7. Conduct interview

a. Plan setup b. Establish rapport/expectations c. Ask open-ended questions, don’t interrogate, listen d. Close e. Review