1. © 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved. PowerPoint Presentation by Charlie Cook The University of West Alabama t e n t h e d i t i o n Gary Dessler Chapter 7 Part 2 Recruitment and Placement Interviewing Candidates

2. 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. 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

3. 7–3 Basic Features of Interviews  An interview –A procedure designed to obtain information from a person through oral responses to oral inquiries (an interview is always oral)  Types of interviews –Selection interview –Appraisal interview –Exit interview  Interviews formats –Structured –Unstructured

4. 7–4 Types of Interviews  Selection interview –A selection procedure designed to predict future job performance on the basis of applicants’ oral responses to oral inquiries (job interview)  Appraisal interview –A discussion which is part of a performance evaluation, in which supervisor and employee discuss the employee’s performance in the firm and possible ways to improve performance (corrective actions)  Exit interview –An interview conducted on an employee who is leaving the firm to gather information about what’s wrong with the firm, it’s policies and practices etc. i.e. why is the employee leaving, what could be improved in the future etc?

5. © 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved.7–5 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 fixed sequence of questions.

6. © 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved.7–6 Interview Content: Nature of Interview  Situational interview –An interview that asks how a candidate would behave in a particular situation in the future, i.e. what course of action he or she would take –Ex- you might ask a managerial candidate how he or she would behave if an employee under him came to work late 3 days in a row  Behavioral interview –An interview that asks how a candidate behaved in a particular situation in the past, i.e. what course of action he or she took –Ex- asking a managerial candidate how they behaved when employees under them came to work late 3 days in a row. Did they give a warning, or immediately suspend for a week?  Stress interview –An interview which deliberately tries to expose the weaknesses of the candidate and make him or her uncomfortable (by being a bit insensitive and perhaps rude as well) –The objective is to find out how the candidate behaves when faced with “stress”, i.e. criticism, verbal abuse or impolite language from the interviewer –If he or she breaks down, the candidate has a low stress tolerance. If they maintain their composure, then stress tolerance is high –Some jobs require these skills (high stress tolerance, thick skin, ability to handle criticism) such as call center operators, customer service agents, door-to-door salesmen etc

7. © 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved.7–7 Structured Interview Guide Figure 7–1a Source: Copyright 1992. The Dartnell Corporation, Chicago, IL. Adapted with permission.

8. © 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved.7–8 Structured Interview Guide (cont’d) Figure 7–1b Source: Copyright 1992. The Dartnell Corporation, Chicago, IL. Adapted with permission.

9. © 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved.7–9 Structured Interview Guide (cont’d) Figure 7–1c Source: Copyright 1992. The Dartnell Corporation, Chicago, IL. Adapted with permission.

10. 7–10 Interview Content: Types of Questions  Puzzle questions –Analytical questions which require candidates to think and give a calculated answer. –Ex- Clark and Bruce have $21 between them. Bruce has $20 more than Clark. How much money does Clark have, and how much money does Bruce have? –Ans: Clark = $0.50 Bruce = $20.50 Designed to test analytical and reasoning ability in interviews

11. Interview Structure  One-on-one Interview –An interview conducted by a single interviewer on a single candidate  Panel Interview –An interview where a group of interviewers (usually two to three or more) interview a candidate simultaneously (also called a board interview)  Sequential Interview –An interview in which a candidate goes through a series of interviews (one by one), with different interviewers each time. Each interviewer gives a different score to the candidate –Can be Structured or Unstructured: In an unstructured sequential interview, each interviewer asks his own questions (whatever he thinks is appropriate). In a structured sequential interview, each interviewer uses a standard questioning form and asks only those questions  Mass interview –An interview where a group of interviewers (a panel) interview multiple candidates simultaneously

12. Other types of Interviews  Telephone Interview –Calling candidates and taking interviews over the phone. –Strengths: Candidate does not have to worry about appearance or other physical factors, therefore can focus on the questions –Weakness: Interviewer cannot use body language, less visual information obtained about candidate (height, weight, posture etc….needed for some jobs, such as army or police)  Computerized interview –An interview where the candidate is given questions on a computer screen and asked to respond either electronically (through the computer) or through voice (which is recorded). The questions can also be oral (through recorded voice) –Strengths: Managers don’t waste time interviewing useless candidates. Candidates are more honest with computers (no shyness, because computers don’t judge) Avoids interviewer bias (snap judgements) –Weaknesses: However, candidates may feel dissatisfied (mechanical nature of the interview, no emotional satisfaction of giving a good interview)

13. Interviews: Things to Avoid  First impressions –The tendency for interviewers to jump to conclusions—make snap judgments—about candidates during the first few minutes of the interview –This is harmful, and can make the interviewer ignore the rest of the interview (where the best information about the candidate may lie) –So, you might miss out on a good candidate just because of a bad first impression (the person might be having a bad day etc) –Sometimes, the “first impression” already starts when the application form is submitted, and employers already make up their mind about who they’re going to select (even before interviewing) –Even though it is a psychological response, the impact of the first impression should be minimized and focus given on the whole interview

14. Interviews: Things to Avoid  Misunderstanding the job –Not knowing precisely what the job entails and what sort of candidate is best suited for it causes interviewers to make incorrect decisions (therefore, job analysis is essential) –Thus, an interviewer should be someone familiar with the job (preferably someone who has done it before) OR bring a line manager to the interview  Candidate-order Error (Contrast Error) –A judgmental error that occurs if you interview a very good or very bad candidate just before interviewing a particular candidate –The selected candidate’s performance will be affected by those who gave the interview earlier –Ex- If an “extremely good” candidate gives the interview before you, you will seem like a “poor” candidate in comparison even though you might be a “normal” candidate or even a “good” candidate

15. © 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved.7–15 Interviews: Things to Avoid  Bias based on personal characteristics such as attractiveness, gender, race –Interviewers tend to have a less favorable view of candidates who are: Physically unattractive Female Of a different racial background Disabled

16. Designing and Conducting a good Interview  The best interview type is the structured situational interview  Because reliability and validity are guaranteed  If I have 10 questions to ask (i.e. structured), then I will get 10 answers every time, so it is consistent in it’s responses (reliable)  Also, structured interviews stay on the topic and are focused (no storytelling). So you will get only job-related responses (valid)  If I create the questions beforehand (before doing the interview), then I can choose them carefully so that they are job-related (again valid)  Also, situational interviews are applicable to all candidates (what would you do?) compared to behavioural interviews (what did you do?)  Behavioural interviews limit the responses to the candidates’ own experience, but situational interviews can be applied to all candidates

17. Steps in Designing and Conducting a good Interview –Step 1: Job Analysis To understand the job, so interview can be job-related and actually ask the candidate about what he is going to do (and not ask him irrelevant questions) –Step 2: Identify the Job’s Main Duties A job analysis will give us all the job’s duties, but we need to identify the most important ones (because everything cannot be asked in an interview). To do this, classify each task according to importance and time spent on the task. –Step 3: Create Interview Questions The interview questions should be based on the job’s actual duties (identified in steps 1 and 2). More questions should test the job’s main duties (step 2), less questions for the less important duties

18. Steps in Designing and Conducting a good Interview –Step 4: Create Benchmark Answers Create model answers for each question to compare with the candidates’ responses. Usually a five point rating scale is used. Ex- 1-Very Poor, 2-Poor, 3- Average, 4-Good, 5- Excellent. These sample answers are obtained from the actual performance of real-life employees. Ex- an excellent answer is an answer given by a candidate during an interview who was hired and later turned out to be an excellent employee. Similarly, a poor answer is an answer given by an employee who was hired and later turned out to be a poor employee –Step 5: Appoint the Interview Panel and Conduct the Interview The structured situational interview is usually conducted in a panel format (a lot of interviewers interviewing a single candidate) Collect the data from the candidate and end courteously (mention next contact date and follow up procedure)

19. © 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved.7–19 Examples of Questions That Provide Structure Figure 7–3 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? Note: So that direct comparisons can be made, an example is presented to assess both teamwork (1,3,5,7) and sales attributes (2,4,6,8) for each type of question. Source: Michael Campion, David Palmer, and James Campion, “A Review of Structure in the Selection Interview,” Personnel Psychology (1997), p. 668.

20. 7–20 Interview Guidelines  Prepare for the interview –Secure a private room to minimize interruptions. –Review the candidate’s application and résumé. –Review the job specifications (at least)  Establish rapport –Put the person at ease.  Ask questions –Follow your list of questions (structured) –Don’t ask questions that can be answered yes or no, favour detail

21. © 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All rights reserved.7–21 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