Interview Information

Interviews

Although the employment interview is used extensively as a selection device, the reliability and validity of interview information is very questionable.  In the past, employers from across different industries have often based employment decisions on interviews with job candidates.  Unfortunately, past experiences with the typical employment interviews have proven that they often fall victim to many drawbacks that prevent them from providing employers with reliable information that will predict future outstanding performers.  The traditional employment interviews have often possessed the following weaknesses:

• Interviews often involve much interviewer subjectivity in evaluating job candidates.
• Interviews are rarely totally job related which may result in the selection of a person who is not best qualified for the position.
• Interviews are often conducted by individuals who are not trained in asking proper interview questions and are not aware of what constitutes a "good" interview.
• Interviews are often undertaken without any knowledge of the benchmark answers to questions.
• Interviewers often based their ratings of interviewees on non-job related aspects such as manners, personality, and appearance.
• Rather than be tailored to one specific job, interviews are often conducted using the same criteria for all jobs, which can lead to the selection of an unqualified individual.
• Interviews are often unstructured which can result in inconsistencies in questioning as the interviewer asks different questions to different applicants.
• Interviewers often stereotype applicants which can distort the true evaluation of the individuals.
• Typical interviews often do not allow the opportunity for the applicants to demonstrate job related skills and knowledge.
• Interviews are often used as the basis for hiring new employees when, in light of its low validity and  reliability, they should only be used to screen out the obvious unqualified applicants.

In light of the many drawbacks that are associated with employment interviews, it is quite clear that interviews cannot be the primary basis for selecting from among job candidates.  An effective employment selection system will use a number of selection devices to measure the important KSAs for a job.  Since it is highly unlikely that one particular device, such as an interview, can accurately measure all KSAs for a position, a series of selection devices, each able to measure different KSAs, must be used as part of the overall system.  Therefore, although the employment interview has many flaws and drawbacks, it still remains as an important part of the selection system.  It is essential that interview systems are developed and conducted to possess the following characteristics:

• Establish measurable system goals.
• Select measurable position KSAs to be measured using the interview system.
• Develop a structured interview format in which interviewers ask a standard set of questions to all applicants for a particular job.
• Know benchmark answers to each interview question in advance.
• Develop a formal scoring format.
• Develop interview questions that are strictly job related and pertain to selected KSAs.
• Use multiple or a panel of interviewers whenever possible.
• Train interviewers.
• Use short job simulations whenever possible.
• Monitor system on a continuous basis.

The interview is a fairly time-consuming and expensive selection tool as a survey of members of the Society of Human Resource Managers indicates.  Nearly 88 percent of respondents reported having on-site interviews with between three and ten applicants for each open position.  Approximately 70 percent of the companies paid all expenses associated with these visits.  In the majority of companies, each applicant interviewed with two to six members of the host organization with 83 percent of the interviews lasting between 36 and 60 minutes.  Based on these data, a rough estimate of staff cost is between one and a half and two days per open position just for interviews.

A first step in understanding the appropriate use of the interview is identifying major advantages that have been offered for its value in selection.  Generally these fall into three main categories:  (a) the interview provides an opportunity for the organization to recruit good candidates; (b) the interview is an efficient and practical method for measuring a number of different KSAs of an applicant; and (c) the decision about the acceptability of the applicant is made by a member of the organization who should be able to judge the match of the applicant and the job.

Recruiting the Applicant to the Organization Using Interviews

Providing Job Information:  In almost all employment situations the applicant will have questions about the conditions of employment.  The selection interview has frequently been the vehicle used for answering these questions because it allows for a give-and-take between the two parties, with the clarification of misunderstandings.  There is also a good reason for giving a written job description to applicants that would convey much of the information often transmitted in the interview.  One advantage would be a permanent statement that could easily be referred to by the applicant after the interview has been concluded.  Also part of the time allocated for the interview could be saved and used for more direct selection purposes.

Effect on Applicants:  It has consistently been found that applicants’ attraction to an organization is positively related to the extent of job-related questions used by the interviewer.  Interviewer style is also important, especially the demonstration of a friendly interest in the applicant, empathy, and providing specific information about the job.  Nonverbal behavior such as smiling, nodding, eye contact, and other indications of approval are also positively received.  Researchers have described a dynamic in which the applicant perceives that the interviewer likes him or her and reciprocates this liking.  The interview is a complex interaction which can have both positive and negative effects on applicants depending on its content and process.

Increasing Job Acceptance:  Recruitment interviewers generally have not been found to have much of an effect on job choice decisions.  Studies have found that interviewers have an effect on applicant decisions only at the early stages, but this effect was restricted to those applicants who had not received any job-related information.

Back to Interviewing