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
 New Interviewing Style
 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 3 4 5
Dimensions Bottom 20 Next 20% Middle 20% Next 20% Top 20%
%
1. Working X
with group

2.

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

Dimension Dimension Score Weight (optional) Cumulative Total

1. 5 x 25 = 125

. . .
. . .
. . .

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