HR Guide to the Internet:

Personnel Selection: Methods: Interviews

Interviews: A selection procedure designed to predict future job performance on the basis of
applicants' oral responses to oral inquiries.
Advantages
Disadvantages

useful for determining if the applicant

has requisite communicative or social
skills which may be necessary for the
job

subjective evaluations are made

decisions tend to be made within the

first few minutes of the interview with
the remainder of the interview used to
validate or justify the original decision

interviewers form stereotypes

concerning the characteristics required
for success on the job

research has shown disproportionate

rates of selection between minority
and non-minority members using
interviews

negative information seems to be

given more weight

not much evidence of validity of the

selection procedure

not as reliable as tests

interviewer can obtain supplementary

information

used to appraise candidates' verbal

fluency

can assess the applicant's job

knowledge

can be used for selection among

equally qualified applicants

enables the supervisor and/or coworkers to determine if there is

compatability between the applicant
and the employees

allows the applicant to ask questions

that may reveal additional information
useful for making a selection decision

the interview may be modified as

needed to gather important
information

There are several different methods for interviewing. Applicants have the right to expect that
applications
will be judged against stated measures, namely the requirements of the job, position description and
position qualifications. The interview procedure should be designed to assure not only that all
applicants
are treated equitably, but also that they perceive they have been so treated (H & H pp. 56-57).
Importance of Personal Interviews
The atmosphere surrounding the interview process should encourage candidates and hosts alike to
explore
the competencies of the other. The process should be organized, friendly, and businesslike.

Interviewing (and the immediate follow-up) gives the Search Committee the opportunity to see its
work
come to completion. However, it also may be a time of great disappointment. A candidate may not
seem
nearly as attractive when present on campus, or the university may not appear attractive to the
candidate.
There may also be occasions when a person of authority may decide not to approve a candidate for
interview for legitimate reasons. It is conceivable that a Dean/Executive/Vice President/Vice
Provost/Campus Executive Officer may not agree to interview a candidate, or that a Department
Head/Administrator/Division Dean may not approve the Search Committee' s recommendations and
want
to see additional candidates. These possibilities make it vital that persons who have approval authority
over
the interview of candidates be consulted concerning the suitability of candidates before an invitation
to
interview. Through the interviewing process, the following information can be obtained:
1. The candidate's communication skills, personality traits, thinking habits and motivation;
2. Extent of the candidates interest in the position;
3. Information that may not otherwise be obtained;
4. A candidate' s academic, research or administrative abilities and interests;
5. The candidate's reactions, attitudes, or philosophy towards issues (H & H p.59); or,
6. Perspectives on diversity and the candidates ability to work with persons of different backgrounds,
ethnicities, and other diverse populations.
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Preparing for the Interview

H&H (pp. 60-61) further advise that all interested parties with legitimate concerns be extended an
opportunity to meet the candidate and learn about him or her. Meetings with potential peers,
subordinates,
and/or superiors are important for the candidate, as well as for the university.
1. Provide an opportunity for review of finalists letters of application and vitae (if opted by the
Department Head/Administrator/Division Dean) for faculty, staff, students, and relevant constituency
groups prior to arrival of the candidates. Reference letters will not be subject to public disclosure.
2. Schedule informal and formal meetings with firm meeting times. During informal meetings,
interested parties may have conversations revealing how the candidate interacts with various NMSU
constituencies. Informal meetings might include prospective faculty members meeting with staff,
faculty members from other disciplines, or student organizations. Formal meetings are interviews with
the Search Committee and chain of command.
3. Telephone Interviews. Do not call a candidate on the spur of the moment to request an interview.
No one wants to be torn between talking to a potential employer and dealing with other important
business. Allow the candidate to set aside time for the interview.
4. Arrange travel and accommodation plans with the candidate. The hiring agent may ask all
candidates invited for on-site interviews if special accommodations will be needed for transportation,
motel room(s), meeting rooms, etc. Some departments have travel agents with whom they prefer to
make travel arrangements, including preferred hotels or motels which may offer university discounts.
Do not ask any candidate if s/he has a disability. If an accommodation is requested, every effort
should be made to comply. If there are any questions related to accommodations, contact the
EEO/ADA Director.
5. Discuss reimbursement arrangements with the candidate. Each Department
Head/Administrator/Division Dean, with approval from the appropriate Dean/Executive/Vice
President/Vice Provost/Campus Executive Officer, will determine reimbursement of expenses to cover
all reasonable costs for the interview. When the candidate will be paid is also pertinent. Some will
arrange for airplane tickets and motels/hotels accounts to be sent directly to the department, while
others may reimburse with receipts. Arrangements for receipts for incidental expenses should also
be discussed to avoid any misunderstandings. All information regarding expenses and reimbursement
should be communicated in advance (in writing) to the candidates.

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6. Prepare an itinerary for the candidate. The itinerary should be provided to all participants
involved
in the interviews in advance of the interview dates. The candidate should also be given a copy of the
interview schedule (i.e., time, location, identification of committees/community organizations,
names/title).
7. Accommodate the candidate's spouse and family. Candidates may bring spouses to investigate a
location unfamiliar to them. In such cases, the usual courtesy is to give the spouse a tour of the city,
and answer questions about schools, housing, or other topics of interest.
8. Avoid premature interviewing. Inexperienced and poorly supervised committees may become so
enthusiastic about a candidate that they will schedule an interview before the stated deadline for
applications. If the search process is compromised, a decision to cancel the process may result. It
is imperative that the interviews be scheduled at a proper time and that finalists be treated consistently
and fairly.
9. Appoint a host/hostess. It is important to assign a representative who is knowledgeable of the
university, the community, and is aware of potentially sensitive areas.
10. Avoid personal questions. Discussions of a personal nature may cause discomfort and be
perceived
as infringing on privacy rights.
Informal Conversations
It is the function of informal meetings to make the candidate aware of the distinctive characteristics of
the
university and the community. Arrangements are often made for a candidate to meet a broad section of
the
university community in relaxed surroundings. It is common for one or several persons to meet a
candidate
at the airport, take him or her to the hotel, and have a meal together. At these informal meetings, the
candidate and host(s) tend to have unstructured conversations. Hobbies, activities, interests, travel are
all
good topics for light conversation. However, there should be no attempt to pry into matters that deal
with
areas that are not related to the candidate' s suitability for the position, particularly where a candidate
might
perceive prejudice (H & H p. 63). Be advised that "small talk" about religion, children, marital
status
or sexual preference is regarded inappropriate and could result in charges of discrimination.
As careful as the host(s) may be, problems often occur during informal conversations. Personal
information about family, hobbies, religious preference, and similar topics may create the perception
that
the information may be used as a basis for deselection.
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Applicant self disclosures are unavoidable. However, direct personal questions should be avoided.
Examples of inappropriate personal inquiries are:
1) Who is going to take care of the kids if you are offered this job?
2) If your husband is not willing to relocate, will you commute or rent?
3) Since you and I belong to the same church, how do you feel about....?
4) Whos going to cover your classes while youre out for maternity reasons?
Semi-Formal Interviews
A meeting between a candidate for an academic leadership position and faculty/student groups is
common.
A time may be set for each group to assemble and have a session with the candidate. Attendance by
faculty
members or students usually depends on the number of candidates to be interviewed, the perception
by the

groups as to the importance of the position, and the hour and date for which the meeting is set (H & H
p.
65).
Colloquium/Demonstration/Seminar
It is common for prospective faculty members to conduct a colloquium or teach a lesson to a class.
The
colloquium should be attended by all interested parties, and the class session could be observed by
members
of the Search Committee and evaluated by students and members of the committee. Observers have
an
opportunity to see how well the prospective instructor handles organization of material, interacts with
students, utilizes instructional materials, and employs any non-traditional teaching strategies. A
candidate
who submits a video tape (in lieu of presentation) will have the advantage of editing over a candidate
presenting impromptu. Therefore, all candidates should be treated accordingly to avoid any
perception
of preferential treatment.
The colloquium or class session should be arranged well in advance of the on-campus visit.
Preferably,
a regularly scheduled class will be used for the demonstration class session. The instructor in charge
may
give the candidate a list of topics s/he would like presented, or the candidate may choose the topic and
inform the regular instructor. The candidate may also request any special equipment or materials
needed
for the demonstration. Observers of the demonstration class session may make a formal, but simple,
evaluation (see Appendix 13) and forward a report to the Search Committee Chairperson prior to the
overall evaluation. An individual member of the Search Committee may be assigned the
responsibilities
of collecting evaluations for the Chairperson (H & H pp. 65-66).
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Formal Interview
The formal interview is a major event in the search requiring a reasonable amount of planning to
ensure
that the outcome is a success. The focus of the interviews may be narrowed with adequate
preparation.
The Search Committee already has verified the qualifications of candidates and has assurances from
the
candidate and others about competencies, skills, knowledge, and personality traits. On the occasion
that
circumstances preclude on-site interviews for final candidates (i.e., inclement weather, distance, etc.),
ITV
interviews may be considered only with approval from the Provost.
The composition of the interview committee may create concerns for interviewer and interviewee, as
listed
below:
1. An interviewer who may be participating in the selection of his/her supervisor may be tempted to
phrase questions to please the potential supervisor.
2. Sometimes a member of the Search Committee will question a candidate about an unfamiliar topic
and
become confused when asked to clarify.
3. Interviewers may be tempted to ask questions that appear to demand promises of future behavior on
the part of the successful candidate. For example, the employing department may be experiencing
internal problems at the time of the formal interview. The Search Committee is interested in how the
candidate would approach the solution to these problems. In this case, the candidate may be
justifiably

reluctant to answer.
To avoid problems that could be posed by such situations, the Search Committee should decide (in
advance) which questions will be asked (see Appendix 12). If a potential employee has an important
question that s/he is uncomfortable asking, the Chairperson might pose the question for the employee
(H & H, 67-68).
It is beneficial to have an outline prepared of the areas to be covered by the Search Committee and
that
questions be directed accordingly. When a candidate' s answer is particularly interesting, the matter
may
be pursued at greater depth. The areas to be explored and the questions to be developed must relate to
the
criteria for the position. There should be agreement among the Search Committee members as to who
will
ask about certain areas. Some committee members may not have enough experience to ask insightful
questions. For example, a faculty member on the Search Committee probably should not ask detailed
questions about budget management of a candidate for an administrative position. Such questions
might
be asked by someone familiar with the budget process (H & H p. 68).
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The formal interview must be carefully structured. The important elements are:
1. Search Committee members are fully briefed. The candidates' formal qualifications and
accomplishments are known; letters of recommendation and reports of telephone conversations with
references and candidates have been shared; and candidates' transcripts have been reviewed. The
Search Committee members have agreed on areas to cover in the interview and, in some cases, have
assigned specific lines of inquiry to particular members. All committee members are fully aware of
lines of inquiry which are inappropriate.
2. The candidate should: a) have an itinerary of meetings, locations, and times; b) enter the formal
meeting after having had informal meetings; c) have some understanding of some of the issues at
NMSU; and d) fully understand how expenses are to be handled.
3. The opening consists of informal and inconsequential discussions. (There is some evidence to show
that such social interaction is necessary before getting to basic issues). Each committee member
should be formally introduced to the candidate.
4. The Chairperson opens the formal part of the interview ensuring that each committee member is
given
his/her opportunity to ask questions. If any important question or issue (discussed in planning
meetings) remains unanswered, the Chairperson should eventually pose the question (H & H p. 73).
An interviewer needs to determine how a candidate will function in everyday job activities. Methods
to
gather this information must be job-centered and pursued without discrimination. Questions should
stimulate the applicant to respond naturally.
A highly successful method of developing appropriate questions comes from a careful analysis of the
position and the development of questions about the experiences the candidate has had that relate to
the
position requirements. The candidate responds as to how s/he meets each requirement or how s/he has
responded in the past when dealing with such requirements. If the basic question is well phrased and
openended,
the candidate' s response should lead to additional questions about the basic requirements (H & H
p. 69). Provide a brief overview of the benefits program and explain the hiring process (see Appendix
12
for sample interview questions).

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