Chapter 6
Interviewing Candidates
Outline of Chapter 6
 Basic features of interviews
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Types of interviews
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Administering the interview
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Structured versus unstructured interviews
Interview content: types of questions
Personal interviews
Computerized interviews
High-performance insight
Online interviews
Are interviews useful?
Outline of Chapter 6
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What can undermine an interviews usefulness?
First impressions
 Misunderstanding the job
 Candidate order error and pressure to hire
 Nonverbal behavior and impression management
 Effect of personal characteristics: attractiveness, gender, race
 Interviewer behavior
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Outline of Chapter 6
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Designing and conducting the effective interview
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The structured situational interview
 Step 1: Job analysis
 Step 2: Rate the job’s duties
 Step 3: Create interview questions
 Step 4: Create benchmark answers
 Step 5: Appoint the interview panel and conduct the interviews
Outline of Chapter 6
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How to conduct an interview
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Review the interview A streamlined effective interview
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Structure your interview
Prepare for the interview
Ask questions
Close the interview
High-performance insight
Summary
What You Should Be Able to Do
 List the main types of selection interviews
 Explain and illustrate at least six factors that affect the
usefulness of interviews
 Explain and illustrate each guideline for being a more
effective interviewer
What You Should Be Able to Do (Cont.)
 Effectively interview a job candidate
 Explain how to develop a structured or situational
interview
 Discuss how to improve your performance as an
interviewer
Interview 101
 An interview is a procedure designed to obtain
information from a person through oral responses to oral
inquiries
 A selection interview is a selection procedure designed
to predict future job performance on the basis of
applicants’ oral responses to oral inquiries
Basic Types of Interviews
 Selection interview’s three classifications are to be
discussed fully in this chapter
 Appraisal interviews are given following performance
appraisals and will be discussed later
 Exit interviews are performed when employees leave the
company and will be discussed in later chapters
Selection
Interviews
How Interviews Are Structured
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Directive
Content
Interview content
Situational
Puzzle Questions
“Mike and Todd have $21 between them. Mike has $20
more than Todd. How much money has mike, and how
much money has Todd?”
Interview Administration
 How it’s administered
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Personal
Unstructured sequential
Structured sequential
Panel
Mass
Computerized Interviews
 Computers, not people
 Specific questions
 Multiple-choice format
 Rapid-fire sequence
 Requires concentration
 Helps reject unacceptable candidates
 Saves time
Are Interviews Useful?
 Interviews are a good predictor of performance
 Interviews should be structured and situational
 Be careful what types of traits you try to assess
What Can Undermine Success in an
Interview?
 First impressions
 Job misunderstanding
 Candidate order error
 Interviewer behavior
 Personal characteristics
 Nonverbal behavior management
1. Explain and illustrate the basic ways in which you can classify
selection interviews.
2. Briefly describe each of the following possible types of
interviews: unstructured panel interviews; structured sequential
interviews; job-related structured interviews.
3. For what sorts of jobs do you think computerized interviews are
most appropriate? Why?
Effect of Personal Characteristics
 Attractiveness
5 Steps in Interview Design
How to Structure and Conduct Your
Interview
 Base questions on actual job duties
 Use knowledge, situational questions and objective
criteria to evaluate
 Train interviewers
 Use same questions
How to Structure and Conduct Your
Interview
 Rating scales to rate answers
 Use panel interviews
 Use a structured interview form
 Control the interview
Prepare for the
Interview
 Do interview in a quiet room with no interruptions
 Review resume and make notes
 Know the duties of the job
 Focus questions on skills that are a must
 Don’t make snap judgments
Establish Rapport
& Ask Questions
 Put the interviewee at ease
 Begin interview with an ice breaker
 Be aware of the applicant’s status
 Follow your list of questions
 Ask for examples
 Mention you will contact references
Close and
Review
 Leave time to answer questions
 End on a positive note
 Inform in writing of a decision if that’s your policy
 Review notes and fill in structured form
 Timely review reduces snap judgments
How to Be a Good Interviewee
+ Be prepared by learning about the company, the job and
the recruiters
+ Uncover the interviewer’s real needs and relate to those
needs
Streamlining Interviews
Interviewer must get questions around these four factors
answered
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Knowledge and experience
Motivation
Intellect
Personality
Questions on the
4 Factors
 What must the candidate know to perform the job?
 What experience is absolutely necessary to perform the
job?
 Are there any unusual energy demands on the job?
Questions on the 4 Factors
 What should the person like doing to enjoy this job?
 Is there anything the person should not dislike?
 Are there any essential goals or aspirations the person should
have?
 Are there any specific intellectual aptitudes required?
Questions on
the 4 Factors
 How complex are the problems the person must solve?
 What are the critical personality qualities needed for success?
 How must the job incumbent handle stress, pressure, and
criticism?
 What kind of interpersonal behavior is required in the job up the
line, at peer level, down the line, and outside the firm with
customers?
Stick to the Plan
 College experiences
 Work experiences—summer, part time, full time (one by
one)
 Goals and ambitions
 Reactions to the job for which you are interviewing
Stick to the Plan
And Find a Match
 Follow the plan
 Probe the four factors
 Summarize the strengths and weaknesses
 Draw conclusions
 Compare with job description
 Bingo!
Summary Slide
 Outline
 What you should be able to do
 Interview 101
 Basic types of interviews
 Selection interviews
 How interviews are structured
 Content
Summary Slide (Cont.)
 Puzzle questions
 Interview administration
 Computerized interviews
 Are interviews useful?
 What can undermine success in an interview?
Summary Slide (Cont.)
 Effect of personal characteristics
 Five steps in interview design
 How to structure and conduct your interview
 How to structure and conduct your interview
 Prepare for the interview
Summary Slide (Cont.)
 Establish rapport & ask questions
 Close and review
 How to be a good interviewee
 Streamlining interviews
 Questions on the 4 factors
Summary Slide (Cont.)
 Stick to the Plan
 And Find a Match
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Value-based hiring builds employee commitment