Human Recourses Management

Chapter - 8

Interviewing Candidates

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After studying this chapter,
you should be able to:
1. List the main types of selection interviews.
2. Explain and illustrate at least six factors that affect
the usefulness of interviews.
3. Explain and illustrate each guideline for being a
more effective interviewer.
4. Effectively interview a job candidate.

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. 7–2

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Types of Interviews
 Selection interview
– A selection procedure designed to predict future
job performance on the basis of applicants’ oral
responses to oral inquiries.
 Appraisal interview
– A discussion, following a performance appraisal, in
which supervisor and employee discuss the
employee’s rating and possible remedial actions.
 Exit interview
– An interview to elicit information about the job or
related matters to the employer some insight into
what’s right or wrong about the firm.
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Formats of Interviews
 Unstructured or nondirective interview
– An unstructured conversational-style interview in
which the interviewer pursues points of interest as
they come up in response to questions.
 Structured or directive interview
– An interview following a set sequence of
questions.

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Interview Content: Types of Questions
 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 they reacted to actual situations in the past.
 Job-related interview
– A series of job-related questions that focus on
relevant past job-related behaviors.

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Structured
Interview
Guide

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Structured
Interview
Guide
(cont’d)

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Structured
Interview
Guide
(cont’d)

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Interview Content: Types of Questions
 Stress interview
– An interview in which the interviewer seeks to
make the applicant uncomfortable with
occasionally rude questions that supposedly to
spot sensitive applicants and those with low or
high stress tolerance.
 Puzzle questions
– Recruiters for technical, finance, and other types
of jobs use questions to pose problems requiring
unique (“out-of-the-box”) solutions to see how
candidates think under pressure.

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Personal or Individual Interviews
 Unstructured sequential interview
– An 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.
 Panel interview
– An interview in which a group of interviewers
questions the applicant.

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Computerized Interviews
 Computerized selection interview
– An interview in which a job candidate’s oral and/or
computerized replies are obtained in response to
computerized oral, visual, or written questions
and/or situations.
 Characteristics
 Reduces amount of time managers devote to
interviewing unacceptable candidates.
 Applicants are more honest with computers
 Avoids problems of interpersonal interviews
 Mechanical nature of computer-aided interview
can leave an applicant dissatisfied.
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Factors Affecting Interviews
 First impressions
– The tendency for interviewers to jump to
conclusions—make snap judgments—about
candidates during the first few minutes of the
interview.
– Negative bias: unfavorable information about an
applicant influences interviewers more than does
positive information.

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Factors Affecting Interviews (cont’d)
 Candidate-order 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.
 Nonverbal behavior and impression
management
– Interviewers’ inferences of the interviewee’s
personality from the way he or she acts in the
interview have a large impact on the interviewer’s
rating of the interviewee.
– Clever interviewees attempt to manage the
impression they present to persuade interviewers to
view them more favorably.
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Factors Affecting Interviews (cont’d)
 Effect of personal characteristics:
attractiveness, gender, race
• Physically unattractive
• Female
• Of a different racial background
• Disabled

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Factors Affecting Interviews (cont’d)
 Interviewer behaviors affecting interview
outcomes
– Talking so much that applicants have no time to
answer questions.
– Letting the applicant dominate the interview.
– Acting more positively toward a favored (or similar
to the interviewer) applicant.

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Designing and Conducting the Interview
 The structured situational interview
– Step 1: Job Analysis
– 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 Interviews

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 How to Conduct an Effective Interview
 Structure your interview:
1. Base questions on actual job duties.
2. Train interviewers.
3. Use the same questions with all candidates.
4. Use descriptive rating scales (excellent, fair, poor)
to rate answers.
5. Use multiple interviewers or panel interviews.
6. If possible, use a standardized interview form.
7. Control the interview.
8. Take brief notes during the interview.

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 Examples of Questions That Provide Structure
Situational Questions:
1. Suppose a co-worker was not following standard work procedures. The co-worker was
more experienced than you 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 co-worker?
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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How to Conduct an Effective Interview
(cont’d)
Prepare for the interview
– Secure a private room to minimize
interruptions.
– Review the candidate’s application and
résumé.
– Review the job specifications
Ask questions
– Follow your list of questions.
– Don’t ask questions that can be answered yes
or no. 7–20
 Key Terms

Unstructured or nondirective
Interview
Structured or directive interview
Situational interview
Behavioral interviews
Job-related interview
Stress interview
Unstructured sequential interview
Structured sequential interview
Panel interview
Mass interview
Candidate-order error

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`RWE