Chapter Seven

Interviewing Candidates
Basic Types of Interviews
Managers use several interviews at work, such as performance appraisal interviews and exit interviews.

we can classify selection interviews according to:

1. How structured they are.

2. Their ―content‖—the types of questions they contain.

3. How the firm administers the interviews (for instance, one-on-one or via a committee).

Structured VS Unstructured Interviews

• In structured (or directive) interviews, the employer lists the questions ahead of time. He or she also
may even list and score possible answers for appropriateness.

*An interview following a set sequence of questions.

• In unstructured (or nondirective) interviews, the manager follows no set format.

*An unstructured conversational-style interview in which the interviewer pursues points of interest as they
come up in response to questions.

Interview Content (What Types of Questions to Ask)

situational interview : A series of job-related questions that focus on how the candidate would behave in a
given situation.

behavioral interview : A series of job-related questions that focus on how the candidate reacted to actual
situations in the past.

* Vanguard uses an interviewing technique it calls STAR. Vanguard managers ask interviewees about a
particular situation (S) or task (T) they faced to uncover the actions (A) the candidates took, and the results
(R) of their actions.

OTHER TYPES OF QUESTIONS

job-related interview: A series of job-related questions that focus on relevant past job-related behaviors(the
interviewer asks applicants questions about job-relevant past experiences).

stress interview: An interview in which the applicant is made uncomfortable by a series of often rude
questions. This technique helps identify hypersensitive applicants and those with low or high stress
tolerance.

Puzzle questions: are popular. Recruiters see how candidates think under pressure.
How Should We Conduct the Interview?
- Employers also administer interviews in various ways: one-on-one or by a panel of interviewers,
sequentially or all at once, computerized or personally, or online.

- Most selection interviews are probably still one-on-one and sequential.

* In a one-on-one interview, two people meet alone, and one interviews the other by seeking oral responses
to oral inquiries. Employers tend to schedule these interviews sequentially.

* In a sequential (or serial) interview, several persons interview the applicant, in sequence, one-on-one, and
then make their hiring decision.

unstructured sequential interview: interview in which each interviewer forms an independent opinion
after asking different questions.

structured sequential interview: An interview in which the applicant is interviewed sequentially by

several persons; each rates the applicant on a standard form.

panel interview An interview: in which a group of interviewers questions the applicant. mass interview
A panel interviews several candidates simultaneously.

PHONE INTERVIEWS: Employers also conduct interviews via phone. Somewhat counter intuitively,
these can actually be more useful than face-to-face interviews for judging one’s conscientiousness,
intelligence, and interpersonal skills.

COMPUTER-BASED JOB INTERVIEWS: A computerized selection interview is one in which a

job candidate’s oral and/or keyed replies are obtained in response to computerized oral, visual, or written
questions and/or situations.

ONLINE VIDEO INTERVIEWS: With phone and tablet video functionalities like Face Time™ and
Skype™, Web-based ―in-person‖ interview use is widespread.

Online Video Interview Preparation:

● Look presentable. It might seem strange sitting at home in a suit, but it could make a difference.

● Clean up the room. Do not let the interviewer see clutter.

● Test first. As Career FAQs says, ―Five minutes before the video interview is not a good time to realize that
your Internet is down . . .‖

● Do a dry run. Record yourself before the interview to see how you’re ―coming across.‖

● Relax. The golden rule with such interviews is to treat them like face-to-face meetings. Smile, look
confident and enthusiastic, make eye contact, and don’t shout, but do speak clearly.

Avoiding Errors That Can Undermine an Interview’s Usefulness

Keep three things in mind—use structured interviews, know what to ask, and avoid the common
interviewing errors.
First: structure the interview. Structured interviews (particularly structured interviews using situational
questions) are more valid than unstructured interviews for predicting job performance.

for example, the same interviewer administers the interview more consistently from candidate to candidate.

- Situational structured interviews: yield a higher mean validity than do job-related (or behavioral)
interviews, which in turn yield a higher mean validity than do ―psychological‖ interviews (which focus more
on motives and interests).

Second: interviews are better at revealing some things than others, so know what to focus on.
Third: whether the interview is in person or online, effective employment interviewers understand and
avoid the following common interview errors.

First Impressions (Snap Judgments): Interviewers tend to jump to conclusions—make snap

judgments—about candidates during the first few minutes of the interview (or even before it
starts, based on test scores or résumés).
* Add to this two more interviewing facts:

First: interviewers are more influenced by unfavorable than favorable information about the candidate.
Second: their impressions are much more likely to change from favorable to unfavorable than from
unfavorable to favorable.

Not Clarifying What the Job Requires: Interviewers who don’t have an accurate picture of
what the job entails and the sort of candidate that’s best for it usually make their decisions
based on incorrect stereotypes of what a good applicant is.

Candidate-Order (Contrast) Error and Pressure to Hire:

candidate-order (or contrast) error :An error of judgment on the part of the interviewer due to interviewing
one or more very good or very bad candidates just before the interview in question.

Pressure to hire: accentuates this problem. Researchers told one group of managers to assume they were
behind in their recruiting quota. They told a second group they were ahead. Those ―behind‖ rated the same
recruits more highly.

Nonverbal Behavior and Impression Management :

* The applicant’s nonverbal behavior (smiling, avoiding your gaze, and so on) can affect his
or her rating.

* Nonverbal behaviors are probably so important because interviewers infer your personality
from how you behave in the interview.

IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT : Clever candidates capitalize on that fact.

Effect of Personal Characteristics: Attractiveness, Gender, Race : Unfortunately, physical
attributes also distort assessments. For example, people usually ascribe more favorable traits and more
successful life outcomes to attractive people. Similarly, race can play a role, depending on how you conduct
the interview.

interviewer Behavior : The interviewer’s behavior affects interviewee performance and rating.

* Some interviewers play amateur psychologist, unprofessionally probing for hidden

meanings in what the applicant says. Others ask discriminatory questions. In summary,
interviewing errors to avoid include:
● First impressions (snap judgments).

● Not clarifying what the job involves and requires.

● Candidate-order error and pressure to hire.

● Nonverbal behavior and impression management .

● The effects of interviewees’ personal characteristics.

● The interviewer’s inadvertent behaviors.

How to Design and Conduct an Effective Interview

structured situational interview : A series of job-relevant questions with predetermined answers

that interviewers ask of all applicants for the job.

The basic idea is to :

(1) write situational (what would you do), behavioral (what did you do), or job knowledge questions

(2) have job experts (like those supervising the job) write several answers for each of these questions, rating
the answers from good to poor.

Designing a Structured Situational Interview:

Step 1: Analyze the job. Write a job description including: a list of job duties; required knowledge,
skills, and abilities; and other worker qualifications.

Step 2: Rate the job’s main duties. Rate each job duty, say from 1 to 5, based on how important it is to
the job.

Step 3: Create interview questions. Create situational, behavioral, and job knowledge interview
questions for each job duty, with more questions for the important duties. The people who create the
questions usually write them as critical incidents.

Step 4: Create benchmark answers. Next, for each question, develop ideal (benchmark) answers for
good (a 5 rating), marginal (a 3 rating), and poor (a 1 rating) answers.

Step 5: Appoint the interview panel and conduct interviews. Employers generally conduct
structured situational interviews using a panel, rather than one-on-one. Panels usually consist of two or three
members, preferably those who wrote the questions and answers.
How to Conduct an Effective Interview
Step 1: know the job. Don’t start the interview unless you understand the job’s duties and what human skills you’re looking for.
Study the job description.

Step 2: Structure the interview. Any structuring is better than none. If pressed for time, you can still do several things to ask
more consistent and job relevant questions, without developing a full-blown structured interview.

Step 3: Get organized. Hold the interview in a private place to minimize interruptions. Prior to the interview, review the
candidate’s application and résumé. Note any areas that are vague or that may indicate strengths or weaknesses.

Step 4: Establish rapport. The main reason for the interview is to find out about the applicant. Start by putting the person at
ease. Greet the candidate, and start the interview by asking a noncontroversial question, perhaps about the weather that day.

Step 5: Ask questions. Try to follow the situational, behavioral, and job knowledge questions you wrote out ahead of time.

Step 6: Take brief, unobtrusive notes during the interview. This helps avoid making a snap decision early in the interview,
and may help jog your memory once the interview is over. Jot down the key points of what the interviewee says.

Step 7: Close the interview. Leave time to answer any questions the candidate may have and, if appropriate, to advocate your
firm to the candidate. Try to end the interview on a positive note. Tell the applicant whether there’s any interest and, if so, what
the next step will be.

Step 8: Review the interview. Once the candidate leaves, review your interview notes, score the interview answers (if you used
a guide), and make a decision.

(Go into the interview with an accurate picture of the traits of an ideal candidate, know what you’re going to ask, and be prepared
to keep an open mind about the candidate).

Competency Profiles and Employee Interviews

Use the same job profile (competencies, traits, knowledge, and experience) for creating interview questions
as for recruiting.

Profiles and Employee Interviews

Table 7-1 Asking Profile-Oriented Interview Questions

Employee Engagement Guide for Managers
Building Engagement: A Total Selection Program

Many employers create a total selection program aimed at selecting candidates whose totality of attributes
best fits the employer’s total requirements. The program Toyota Motor uses to select employees for auto
assembly team jobs illustrates this.

Toyota’s Total Selection Program

The Toyota Way

Step 1: an in-depth online application (20–30 minutes).

Step 2: a 2- to 5-hour computer-based assessment.

Step 3: a 6- to 8-hour work simulation assessment.

Step 4: a face-to-face interview.

Step 5: a background check, drug screen, and medical check.

Step 6: job offer.

Developing and Extending the Job Offer

The judgmental approach :subjectively weighs all the evidence about the candidate.

The statistical approach :quantifies all the evidence and perhaps uses a formula to predict job success.

The hybrid approach: combines statistical results with judgment.

Statistical and hybrid are more defensible; judgmental is better than nothing.

The Job Offer Main Parameters

* the human resource director, for instance discusses the offer’s main parameters. These include, for
instance, pay rates, benefits, and actual job duties.

* There may be some negotiations. Then, once agreement is reached, the employer will extend a written job
offer to the candidate.

Issues to Consider with the Written Offer

- In a job offer(letter), the employer lists the offer’s basic information. This typically starts with a
welcome sentence. It then includes job-specific information (such as details on salary and pay), benefits
information, paid leave information, and terms of employment (including, for instance, successful
completion of physical exams).

- an employment(contract), may have a duration (such as 3 years). the contract will also describe
grounds for termination or resignation, and severance provisions. The contract will almost always also
include terms regarding confidentiality, nondisclosure requirements, and covenants not to compete. the
employment contract (and, occasionally, the offer letter) may include a relocation provision.