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Telephone-Adminstered Behavior Based Interview Technique

The document discusses the effectiveness of behavior-based interviews as a selection method in the employment process, highlighting their predictive validity in assessing future performance. It outlines a four-step process used by a consulting firm to develop a telephone-administered behavior-based interview, which demonstrated success in predicting candidate performance and retention. The findings suggest that such interviews can be a cost-effective tool for organizations, particularly when candidates are geographically dispersed.

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1 views

Telephone-Adminstered Behavior Based Interview Technique

The document discusses the effectiveness of behavior-based interviews as a selection method in the employment process, highlighting their predictive validity in assessing future performance. It outlines a four-step process used by a consulting firm to develop a telephone-administered behavior-based interview, which demonstrated success in predicting candidate performance and retention. The findings suggest that such interviews can be a cost-effective tool for organizations, particularly when candidates are geographically dispersed.

Uploaded by

mattkleisier.delacruz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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FOCUS ON BUSINESS PRACTICES 383

maintaining visibility in the job market are vital to success. As


communication teachers and practitioners, we need to highlight strate-
gies such as these that will best equip our graduates for the global
job market.

References
Gilleard, C., & Hawkins, P. (2004). If only I’d known. Making the most of higher education—
A guide for students and parents. Warwick, UK: Association of Graduate Recruiters
Publication.
Grant, T., & Borcherds, R. (2008). Communicating @ work—Boosting your spoken, written
and visual impact (2nd ed). Pretoria, South Africa: Van Schaik.
Rosa, C. 2007. The effectiveness of the job applicant selection process. Retrieved March 9,
2008, from http://www.mba.co.za/article.aspx?rootid=6&subdirectoryid=1666

Address correspondence to Terri Grant, Professional Communication Unit, School of


Management Studies, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, 7701, Cape
Town, South Africa; email: [email protected].

A REVIEW OF A TELEPHONE-ADMINISTERED
BEHAVIOR-BASED INTERVIEW TECHNIQUE
Gary C. Oliphant
Stetson University
Katharine Hansen
Quintessential Careers
Becky J. Oliphant
Stetson University
DOI: 10.1177/1080569908321429

THE EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW is intended to provide insight


into a candidate’s future performance by evaluating the oral responses
to the questions presented by the interviewer. For decades, researchers
have studied many facets of the interview and have produced mixed
results as to the predictive validity of the employment interview
(McDaniel, Hartman, Whetzel, & Grubb, 2007; Posthuma, Morgeson,
& Campion, 2002). Still, interviewing represents the most popular
employee selection method among practitioners. If hiring the right
person for the job is crucial to the success of any organization, why do
employers continue using the employment interview? We offer some
explanations and then describe a technique that has offered promising
predictive results for a Midwestern consulting firm.
384 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION QUARTERLY / September 2008

Why Use Interviews?


The following are offered as reasons that practitioners continue to use
employment interviews even though academic research has shown
low predictive validity. First, the interview indirectly adds value to the
process beyond that of a selection tool in such areas as recruitment,
public relations, and feedback. Second, managers believe a face-to-
face interview will yield more valid judgments on several observable
interpersonal dimensions of behavior (i.e., interpersonal skills, self-
assurance, and social poise). Third, managers may continue to use the
interview because of company policies, habits, experience, ease, or the
feeling of power. Fourth, the employment interview may be a valid pre-
dictor of performance that academic researchers have failed to replicate.
Recent studies of employment interviews have concluded that struc-
tured interviews offer greater predictive validity (Judge, Higgins, &
Cable, 2000; McDaniel et al., 2007; Weekley & Ployhart, 2006).

Structured Versus Unstructured


Although academic research has failed to support the predictive valid-
ity of employment interviews overall, recent studies of employment
interviews have concluded that structured interviews are more valid
than unstructured interviews (Cortina, Goldstein, Payne, Davison, &
Gilliland, 2000; Ployhart, 2006). It appears that the structured interview
is gaining momentum in the workplace as the tool of choice by
employers. The behavior-based interview, a type of structured inter-
view, appears to be one the most popular techniques used by employ-
ers in the marketplace. A representative of a national management
company recently stated to the authors that most Fortune 500 compa-
nies use behavioral interviewing to select their candidates. Universal
Studios of Florida, for example, used the behavioral method to hire
8,000 hourly workers. Universities are preparing their students for
behavior-based interviews, as evidenced by copious information on the
Web sites of college career service offices.
The basic premise of the behavior-based interview is that past
behaviors predict future behaviors (Bowers & Kleiner, 2005). The
interviewer must determine what key behaviors are important for the
vacant position. Then the interviewer will ask the job applicants
open-ended questions about how they have handled past events that
are similar to those they will face in the job they are applying for.
FOCUS ON BUSINESS PRACTICES 385

Their answers are rated as to whether they convey the desired behav-
ior for the job. In the business world, a poor hire can lead to addi-
tional costs (i.e., poor performance, retention problems, etc.) that
can have major effects on the firm’s bottom line. The firm that finds
the right tool in the selection process will have major advantages
among its competitors. The behavior-based interview appears to be
a tool that is improving the quality of hires in the marketplace.

Evaluation of a Behavior-Based Interview


We had the opportunity to evaluate a behavior-based interview tool
that was conducted by telephone by a large Midwestern consulting
company for a client hiring salespeople in the financial industry. The
results of the study found that the tool succeeded in predicting the
sales candidates who would be more likely to perform well and less
likely to leave the company. Whereas most telephone interviews are
primarily used as a screening tool to decide if the candidate will be
invited for an on-site visit, phone interviews were actually used as
the selection tool in the technique we reviewed.
The following is an overview of the technique we reviewed. The
firm used a four-step process to develop the behavioral interview.

Step 1: The firm conducted focus groups with key executives and top-
performing personnel within the organization to determine which
behaviors were necessary for success in the positions for which they
were hiring.
Step 2: The firm conducted in-depth interviews with a sample consisting
of the top-performing salespeople, as well as salespeople who had
average or below-average performance. Many businesses have con-
cluded that the best way to hire individuals who will succeed within
a given organization is to first understand why some of their people
are top performers while others are mediocre.
Step 3: The final interview consisted of the most predictive questions
measuring the dominant behaviors identified with successful sales-
people. Examples of behaviors included being a problem solver,
competitive, persistent, and optimistic.
Step 4: To evaluate the predictive validity of the behavioral interview,
job applicants were interviewed by telephone. The interviewers read
the questions to the job applicants in the same order and provided no
interpretation or clarification. This structured interviewing process
ensured equal treatment for each respondent.
386 BUSINESS COMMUNICATION QUARTERLY / September 2008

Following the telephone interview, an audiotape of the interview


was given to a trained job analyst to determine if the interviewee’s
responses matched the desired behavior for the job. For each
response that matched the desired behavior for that question, the
candidate received a point. If the response did not match the desired
behavior for that question, the response was scored as zero. Results
of the interviews were aggregated by behavior and overall score to
provide the basis for the firm to judge the candidate.

Findings and Conclusion


The results of the telephone-administered behavior-based interview—
measured in terms of performance and retention of salespeople over
29 months—showed considerable promise. The findings suggest
that applicants who scored higher in the behavioral interview per-
formed better on five different performance measures and were less
likely to leave the company. This type of interview could prove to be
an effective cost-saving tool for firms that have job candidates dis-
persed over a wide territory, thus saving travel costs while also main-
taining predictability and lower turnover costs.

References
Bowers, D., & Kleiner, B. H. (2005). Behavioral interviewing. Management Research News,
28(11/12), 107-114.
Cortina, J. M., Goldstein, N. B., Payne, S. C., Davison, H. K., & Gilliland, S. W. (2000). The
incremental validity of interview scores over and above cognitive ability and conscien-
tiousness scores. Personnel Psychology, 53, 325-352.
Judge, T. A., Higgins, C. A., & Cable, D. M. (2000). The employment interview: A review of
recent research and recommendations for future research. Human Resource Management
Review, 10, 383-406.
McDaniel, M. A., Hartman, N. S., Whetzel, D. L., & Grubb, W. L., III. (2007). Situational judgment
tests, response instructions, and validity: A meta-analysis. Personnel Psychology, 60, 63-91.
Ployhart, R. E. (2006). Staffing in the 21st century: New challenges and strategic opportuni-
ties. Journal of Management, 32, 868-987.
Posthuma, R. A., Morgeson, F. P., & Campion, M. A. (2002). Beyond employment interview
validity: A comprehensive narrative review of recent research and trends over time.
Personnel Psychology, 55, 1-81.
Weekley, J. A., & Ployhart, R. E. (2006). Situational judgment tests: Theory, management, and
application. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Address correspondence to Gary C. Oliphant, Department of Information Sciences,


School of Business Administration, Stetson University, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., Unit 8398,
DeLand, FL 32723; email: [email protected].

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