Skills of Interviewing
HRM
Domain
Key skill & activity for managers & HRM
Interpersonal communication
Cognition/information processing
Perception (selective)
Problem-analysis & decision-making
(managerial behaviour)
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HRM
Interview Experience
What is the best & worst experience that you
have had
 As an interviewer
 As an interviewee
What made these experiences – best/worst?
What would have prevented & improved the
worst experience?
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HRM
The interview
More than just a conversation
"…. A specialist form of two-way
communication conducted for a
task-related purpose." (Whetton 1995)
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HRM
Expectations and propositions
Information generated via the interview process
provides data for decision-making
Training enhances performance – both as an
interviewer and interviewee
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HRM
Types of interview
Research/information gathering
Selection
Counselling/support
Appraisal
Development
Complaint/grievance
Disciplinary
Exit
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HRM
Common approaches
Unstructured
Stress (validity?)
Semi-structured
Structured
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HRM
Issues
 Your role as a decision-maker/actor
 Interview purposes & objectives
 Structure and content
 Environment (physical and psychological)
 The interviewer – NPower, NAch, NRelate
 Data collection and processing strategies
 The communication exchange (interviewerinterviewee) – explicit, implicit, verbal and non-verbal
 Organisational policy and expectations
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HRM
The Selection Interview
Preparation and organisation
The interview process
Interviewing skills
Discrimination between candidates
Finalising the decision & "contract"
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HRM
Preparation Products
 Job descriptions & authorisation
 Job criteria - competencies
 Personnel specification (profile/model of ideal candidate)
 Essentials - desirables - disqualifiers
 Applicant information from various data sources
 Selector preparation and appreciation of
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role demands, choices, constraints, ambiguities, priorities, overloads,
pressures/conflicts, organisational change
the social milieu - rules and tensions
 Selector egoism, the political process of “justifying” the selection.
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HRM
The Psychometric-Objective Model
Assumptions
Eternal optimism
Smooth programmed administration
Measured, controlled, predictable, systematic search often using
psychometric techniques
Match evidence of qualities to job
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Compare with social process approach
Interplay between selection events
Social and ritual aspects. Audition. Power vetting
Candidate & selector feelings/responses
Intra organisational negotiation & adjustment
Candidate - given fair opportunity or “club” scrutiny
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HRM
Interview Strategies
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Frank and friendly vs. Interrogation & stress
• Simulate stress. Put on the spot? Validity? Spurious appeal?
Strengths and weaknesses of
• individual interview
• sequential interviews
• panel interviews
Biographical journey
• Critical events and experiences - what, why, how, options,
plans, outcomes?
• Problem-solving - “imaging yourself as ...what would you do
if...?
GASP
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HRM
The GASP Interview
Greeting
Acquiring Information
Supplying Information
Parting
Interviewer Preparation
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HRM
GASP – Greeting & rapport
Genuine positive regard – Move towards
Calm, neutral, no interruptions, safe.
Maintain rapport
 seating voice, eye contact, warmth and body
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posture.....NVC
Preparation & “contract of interest & expectation”
Smooth gear change
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HRM
GASP - Acquiring Information
 Listen more - talk less.
 Objectivity, bias, stereotyping & premature judgement
 Not adversarial. Halo, horns and doppleganger
 Taking notes
 Question carefully (preparation)
 well-structured, open-ended questions
 probe and link
 direct, leading, trick and taboo questions
 Emphasise biography/experience, explanation/analysis
 Mental agility and hypothetical questions
 Interview flow with control: - agenda, space, time
 Summarise periodically and conclude
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HRM
Asking questions
Open-ended, well-sequenced, well-structured
Tell me about …..Six honest serving men
Closed (pros & cons?)
Probe, link and follow-up (control)
Leading (candidate adaptation)
Intrusive
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HRM
GASP - Journey
 Recent & significant jobs/projects
 contributions, events/phases, initiatives, products, achievements,
decisions. Strengths and gaps
 Competencies from REAL experience
 knowledge/understanding, analytical skill, written/numeric,
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specialist & technical.
attitudes & values, drives & motivation
 Interpersonal relations – visualise with others
 Education, training, learning & development
 Personal & domestic topics - relevance/irrelevant
 Applicant’s questions about
 the organisation and the job - current & prospective
 terms of employment
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HRM
GASP: Supplying Information
 cutting it short (horns/halo, premature judgement)
 equal opportunity to all candidates
 intimation of acceptance (verbal + non-verbal)
 Potential for misunderstanding. No promises.
 Communicating a decision
 hints to attractive candidates (in a competitive situation)
 intra-organisational bargaining
 the decision in writing
 subject to references
 Career advice to rejected candidates? Culture?
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HRM
GASP: Parting
Signal closure - NVC plus
maintain concentration
clarify future steps - the selection schedule
verify
 dates - holidays and availabilities
 phone, post
stand up, move, parting courtesies
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HRM
The Good Interviewer?
At times
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well-prepared
sharp & in focus, specific & rational
at times intuitive as well as systematically analytical & evaluating
• picking up nuances and rationalisations
• stepping back to see the whole interaction, fitting things together
and noting the time left and areas to cover....
Interviewer calmness helps the candidate to relax
clear perception
• Positive regard for the other
• Aware of self and biases
• Use productive silences & seamless asking of questions.
• Counteracts habituated boredom in interviews
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HRM
Yourself as an interviewer?
Good Points?
Weaknesses?
Interview exercise and analysis.
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HRM
GASP Interview Issues
 Premature decision
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Tentative, pre-determined views seldom altered at interview
accept/reject within 3-4 min. Gather evidence to confirm first impression
 Weak candidates make average candidates look good
 Unstructured interviews
 Propositions
 interview practice alone does not improve performance, training does
 Dramatic performance may not reflect job. Interviewees as actors.
 Panels - defer to influential. Poor correlation when choice is confidential
 Psychometric tests - weak evidence but belief/practice strong.
 Validity of the psychometric-objective model?
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HRM
The Potential for Distortion
Stereotyping
 Halo, horns, doppleganger effects
 function & dysfunction
Physical environment
Psychological state
Poor listening (active vs. passive listening)
Lack of interviewer competence
Defensive uniformities
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HRM
Stereotyping
 What is it? What form does it take?
 How does it occur?
 Common stereotypes
 Is there positive and negative value?
 Problems of signs, signifiers, interpretation.
 Body language
 Presentation of self - Front - stage and audience
 What dangers for fairness and equity?
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HRM
Types of interviews – APPRAISAL
One member of staff (usually a manager)
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appraises aspects of the performance of
another member of staff (usually a
subordinate)
Mediation and intervention mechanisms?
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HRM
Types of Appraisal Interview
Tell and listen
Tell and sell
Joint problem-solving
Mixed model interview
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HRM
The appraisal process
 Establishing the agenda
 The Interview
 Action planning
 Pre-interview form filling
 Handling disagreements e.g. grand parenting
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HRM
Types of interviews – COUNSELLING - 1
 The manager as counsellor – equipped for the role?
 Operational vs. personal counselling
 Directive   Non-directive
 Dependency, confusion & responsibility
 Trust and genuine positive regard
 GASP: Mixed model with substantial unstructured component
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HRM
Types of interviews – COUNSELLING - 2
 Opening up & expressing concerns (interviewee)
 Defining "the problems" – how the interviewee sees and
defines the problem
 Testing reality
 Mirroring assumptions
 Courses of action
 Closure and follow-up
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HRM
Types of Interviews – COMPLAINT/GRIEVANCE - 1
 Moan, gripe, complaint
 Grievance - a formal complaint made by an employee
against a colleague or the organisation
 Problems of "policy and procedure"
 Problem perception, information and power/status
 I'm OK, You're not OK. "Now I've got you, you SOS"
 Neutral processing
 Rescue the managers and establish KARMA
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HRM
Types of Interviews – COMPLAINT/GRIEVANCE - 2
 Verifying the claim rights
 Importance of shared, agreed information
 Safeguards in procedure
 Formality of the interviews
 Recognising "the person" - perception of self and
acting on the problem
 Equity – the complainant and the "complained about"
– the discrimination issue
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HRM
Types of interview – DISCIPLINE - 1
 Rights not to be unfairly dismissed
 Natural justice & reasonableness in procedure
 Disciplinary action
 Formally sanctioned, organisational action in which an
individual is informed that their work-related behaviour is not
acceptable.
 Reasons & "fair" dismissal"
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Conduct, capability, redundancy, statutory rule, some
other big reason
Automatically unfair.
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HRM
Types of interview – DISCIPLINE - 2
 Informal, prior supervisory communication & guidance
 Minor conduct which runs counter to express &
implied contractual obligations
 From irritation to substantial, non-fulfilment of
obligations
 Gross misconduct (severed roots)
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HRM
Types of interview – DISCIPLINE - 3
 Importance of evidence
 Defendant's rights – law & natural justice
 Equitable procedures
 Very formal, systematic interviews
 Representation
 Corrective versus punitive action
 Interview tension and reaction – the "afront"
 Recording and communication
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HRM
Types of interview – DISCIPLINE - 4
 Stress, bullying and constructive dismissal
 Appeals
 Intra-organisational bargaining & authorisation
 Managerial powerlessness
 Consistency of supervision and communication
 The trust/separation puzzle
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