Hiring and Staffing
The Interviewing Process
With the amount of information geared towards the interviewee, it's no
wonder we ask ourselves, "Who's conducting this interview, me or the applicant?
As I searched for valuable information online for the interviewer, I was
overwhelmed with information on how to beat the interview, what to ask the
interviewer, top interview questions, and yes,
even the best answers to those top questions. This did not shock me, but I
did expect to find an equal amount of material for the interviewer. Not so.
Provided below is a brief overview of the interview process and some available
online resources.
Interviewing is a crucial and necessary hiring tool. Unfortunately, many do
not utilize the tool completely. Employment interviews serve many purposes:
- Verify stated credentials
- Probe extent of knowledge
- Find the perfect 'fit'
- Avoid a mishire
- Impress the applicant
Successful interviews are based on well-prepared, thought out plans. The goal
is to identify qualified applicants who 'fit' within the company. Whether you
are a novice or an expert, interviewing applicants is a tough job. In order
to stay ahead of the game, an evaluation of your current process may be in
order. The purpose here is to remind you of the basics and direct you to
valuable material online. The following areas will be addressed:
- interview structure
- legal pitfalls
- interview outline
Structure
The more structured an interview, the more reliable it becomes. In a
structured interview, prepared questions are asked consistently to each applicant.
This ensures consistency and comparability of information on the applicants.
Additional follow-up questions or probes may be necessary if an applicant
answers a question incompletely.
Structured interview can be classified into:
-
Traditional or Job-Related Interview
Focuses on past experiences (education, work activities, career goals,
and the like). It may include general questions interviewers commonly ask.
For example, "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" Problems arise when
questions are not specific to the job duties (see example above). When the
elicited information is on skills, abilities, and attitudes needed for job
success, the information retrieved from the applicant is more reliable
because of its job relativity.
-
Situational Interview
Assesses job-related attributes using situational questions, including job
knowledge and the applicants willingness to comply with job requirements.
For example, an applicant applying for a managerial position might be asked
how he would respond to a disruptive employee. When the questions are
developed, sample responses (good, average, and poor) are prepared.
This allows each candidate to be scored.
-
Behavior Description Interview
Assesses traits thought to be useful in a job by drawing
on an applicant's past experiences and then probing further. Applicants are
required to give specific examples of job performance and problems. If part
of the job duty is to handle customer complaints, the interviewer might ask
about the applicant's most difficult complaint. Then to probe further, ask
"What obstacles did he/she face? How were they overcome?". This is the most
valid interview approach.
Good interview questions start with a job description (analysis). The job
description includes tasks, responsibilities, and requirements. It should
be created by those who currently perform the job. This will reduce inaccuracies
and increase the interviewer's awareness of the actual job duties. It should
further:
-
Determine what competencies are needed for successful performance in the
job and then, rank them respectively.
- Prepare questions that measure each defined competency.
- Establish an evaluation method for the results.
Legal Pitfalls
As with most areas of human resources, legal guidelines apply and must be adhered
to in the interviewing process. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
requires employers to adhere to laws and regulations prohibiting discrimination
against applicants on the basis of:
- race,
- age,
- color,
- creed,
- religion,
- sex,
- disability, or
- national origin.
Individual states may impose additional regulations, which can be found at
State Employment Commissions. When asking questions, one must focus on
job-related questions to avoid legal implications. Potentially
discriminating questions
can be asked in a legal manner, as long as the focus is job-related.
It is also good practice to have more than one person interview the
applicant. This will increase the interview reliability and may, together
with a consistent, structured format; help prevent charges of discrimination.
Interview Outline
The outline of the actual interview should be constant with respect
to order, the content will change as it pertains to the job opening.
-
Build rapport.
You want the applicant to be at ease. Comment on something positive
from their resume.
-
Outline the structure of the interview.
Explain briefly what is about to happen and the timeframe
(so they do not feel as if they were cut short).
-
Gather information from the applicant.
Get out those prepared, legal, open-ended questions and fire away.
Probe, probe, probe.
-
Sell the company and the position being offered.
Notice the job description is not discussed in detail until after you
have asked them questions. This prevents the applicant from incorporating
his/her assets to fit the job description.
-
Close the interview.
Allow the applicant to ask questions. Make them aware of the next steps
(who will contact them and the timeframe). Thank the applicant for his/her
time.
Resources
-
Free Interviewer Training Online
Curry Business Systems, Inc. offers a free interviewer training course online.
It consists of five modules:
-
The overview
is just that - an overview. It explains each module and their objectives.
-
What to ask
discusses the types of information measured in the interview.
-
How to ask it
reviews methods for conducting an interview, focusing on the structured interview.
-
Legal considerations in the interview
reminds the employer of the legal aspects of conducting an interview.
-
Planning and conducting the interview
provides considerations and preparations to be made when interviewing.
-
Demo Interview Guide
ProSelect offers a demo for interviewing and selecting job applicants. A
sample system online provides interview guide concepts, a guide library
(by occupation), guide tips, how to create a guide or edit an existing one,
and more. The guide library is very useful and complete.
-
Sample Interview Script
contains a two part interviewing process, obtaining information about the applicant
and proving information about the job and your busniess. This two part process works
nicely because if the applicant is not suitable after stage one, there is no need to
proceed to stage two.
Would you like to share an interviewer's tip/technique or memorable interview experience
with you peers? Let me know and I will post them at
a later date.
