Chapter 7

Interviewing
Candidates

Part Two | Recruitment and Placement

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publishing as Prentice Hall The University of West Alabama
WHERE WE ARE NOW…

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LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. List the main types of selection interviews.
2. List and explain main errors that can undermine an
interview’s usefulness.
3. Define a structured situational interview.
4. Explain and illustrate each guideline for being a more
effective interviewer.
5. Give several examples of situational questions,
behavioral questions, and background questions that
provide structure.
6. List guidelines for interviewees.

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 Basic Types of Interviews
• Selection interview: is a selection procedure designed to
predict future job performance based on applicant’s oral
responses to oral inquires.
Watch this video to understand the definition of selection
interview.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITd79teh4dY

• Exit interview: is an interview that is conducted with an

employee when he or she leaves the company.

• Appraisal interview: is an interview that is designed to

evaluate the employee and create a career
development plan.
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 Selection Interview Structure

Selection Interview
Characteristics

Interview Interview Interview

structure content administration

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 Selection Interview Formats

Interview Structure Formats

Structured
Unstructured
(directive)
(nondirective) interview:
interview: the employer
the manager follows no
lists job-oriented
set format. A few
questions ahead of time,
questions might be
and possible
specified in advance
predetermined answers
for scoring.

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 Use objective/job-related questions

Avoiding
Discrimination Standardize interview administration
in Interviews

Use multiple interviewers

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 Interview Content

Types of Questions Asked

Situational Behavioral Job-related Stress

interview interview interview interview

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 Interview Content
• Situational interview: a series of job –related questions
that focus on how the candidate would behave in a given
situation.
• Behavioral interview: a series of job-related questions
that focus on how the candidates reacted to actual
situations in the past.
• Job related interview: a series of job-related questions
that focus on relevant past job-related behaviors.
• Stress interview: an interview in which the applicant is
made uncomfortable by a series of rude questions.

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 Administering the Interview
Unstructured
sequential interview

Structured Panel
sequential interview interview

Ways in
Which
Mass
Interview Can Phone
interview be Conducted interviews

Computerized Video/Web-assisted
interviews interviews

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Administering the Interview
• Unstructured sequential interviews: an interview in which
each interviewer forms an independent opinion after
asking different questions.
• Structured sequential interview: an interview in which the
applicant is interviewed sequentially by several persons ;
each rates the applicant on a standard format.
• Panel interview: an interview in which h a group of
interviewers questions the applicants.
• Mass interview: a panel interviews several candidates
simultaneously.
• Computerized interviews: is one in which a job
candidates' oral replies are obtained in response to
computerized, visual, or written questions.
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 • Phone interview: employees occasionally conduct some
interviews via phone. Such interview may actually be
more useful than face-to-face interviews for judging
one’s conscientiousness, intelligence, and interpersonal
skills.
• Video /web assisted interviews: is an internet surveying
technique in which the interviewee follow a script
provided in a website.

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Three Ways to Make the Interview Useful

Structure the interview to

increase its validity

Making the Carefully choose what sorts of

Interview Useful traits are to be assessed

Beware of committing
interviewing errors

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What Can Undermine An Interview’s Usefulness?

Nonverbal behavior
First impressions (snap
and impression
judgments)
management

Interviewer’s Factors Affecting

Applicant’s personal
misunderstanding An Interview’s characteristics
of the job Usefulness

Candidate-order
Interviewer’s
(contrast) error and
inadvertent behavior
pressure to hire

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 • First impressions (snap judgments)- about the candidate
during the few minutes of the interview or even before
the interview starts, based on test scores or resume
data)
• Not clarifying what the job involves and requires:
interviewers who don’t have an accurate picture of what
the job entails make their decision based on incorrect
impressions.
• Candidate-order error : an error of judgment on the part
of the interviewer due to interviewing one or more very
good or very bad candidates just before the interview in
questions.
• Nonverbal behavior ( smiling, avoiding your gaze) and
impression management

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 • The effects of interviewees’ personal characteristics:
such as attractiveness, gender, and race
• The interviewer’s inadvertent behavior: some
interviewers telegraph the expected answers, as in; “ this
job involves a lot of stress. You can handle that, can’t
you?”

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How to Design and Conduct An Effective
Interview
watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_70RSHvqPM
• The Structured Situational Interview
 Use either situational questions or behavioral questions that
yield high criteria-related validities.
Step 1: Analyze the job.
Step 2: Rate the job’s main duties.
Step 3: Create interview questions.
Step 4: Create benchmark answers.
Step 5: Appoint the interview panel and conduct
interviews.

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How to Conduct a More Effective Interview

Being Systematic and Effective

1 Know the job.

2 Structure the interview.
3 Get organized.
4 Establish rapport.
5 Ask questions.
6 Take brief, unobtrusive notes.
7 Close the interview.
8 Review the interview.

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Creating Effective Interview Structures
• Base questions on actual job duties.
• Use job knowledge, situational or behavioral
questions, and objective criteria to evaluate
interviewee’s responses.
• Use the same questions with all candidates.
• Use descriptive rating scales (excellent, fair,
poor) to rate answers.
• If possible, use a standardized interview form.

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 FIGURE 7–2 Examples of Questions That Provide Structure

Situational Questions
1. Suppose a more experienced coworker was not following standard work procedures 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 coworker?
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?

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 FIGURE 7–3 Suggested Supplementary Questions for Interviewing Applicants

1. How did you choose this line of work?

2. What did you enjoy most about your last job?
3. What did you like least about your last job?
4. What has been your greatest frustration or disappointment on your present job? Why?
5. What are some of the pluses and minuses of your last job?
6. What were the circumstances surrounding your leaving your last job?
7. Did you give notice?
8. Why should we be hiring you?
9. What do you expect from this employer?
10. What are three things you will not do in your next job?
11. What would your last supervisor say your three weaknesses are?
12. What are your major strengths?
13. How can your supervisor best help you obtain your goals?
14. How did your supervisor rate your job performance?
15. In what ways would you change your last supervisor?
16. What are your career goals during the next 1–3 years? 5–10 years?
17. How will working for this company help you reach those goals?
18. What did you do the last time you received instructions with which you disagreed?
19. What are some things about which you and your supervisor disagreed? What did you do?
20. Which do you prefer, working alone or working with groups?
21. What motivated you to do better at your last job?
22. Do you consider your progress in that job representative of your ability? Why?
23. Do you have any questions about the duties of the job for which you have applied?
24. Can you perform the essential functions of the job for which you have applied?
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Guidelines for Interviewees
• Preparation is essential.
• Uncover the interviewer’s real needs.
• Relate yourself to the interviewer’s needs.
• Think before answering.
• Remember that appearance and enthusiasm are
important.
• Make a good first impression.
• Ask questions.

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 FIGURE 7–5 Interview Questions to Ask

1. What is the first problem that needs the attention of the person you hire?
2. What other problems need attention now?
3. What has been done about any of these to date?
4. How has this job been performed in the past?
5. Why is it now vacant?
6. Do you have a written job description for this position?
7. What are its major responsibilities?
8. What authority would I have? How would you define its scope?
9. What are the company’s five-year sales and profit projections?
10. What needs to be done to reach these projections?
11. What are the company’s major strengths and weaknesses?
12. What are its strengths and weaknesses in production?
13. What are its strengths and weaknesses in its products or its competitive position?
14. Whom do you identify as your major competitors?
15. What are their strengths and weaknesses?
16. How do you view the future for your industry?
17. Do you have any plans for new products or acquisitions?
18. Might this company be sold or acquired?
19. What is the company’s current financial strength?
20. What can you tell me about the individual to whom I would report?
21. What can you tell me about other persons in key positions?
22. What can you tell me about the subordinates I would have?
23. How would you define your management philosophy?
24. Are employees afforded an opportunity for continuing education?
25. What are you looking for in the person who will fill this job?
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KEY TERMS

unstructured (or nondirective) interview

structured (or directive) interview
situational interview
behavioral interview
job-related interview
stress interview
unstructured sequential interview
structured sequential interview
panel interview
mass interview
candidate-order error (or contrast) error
structured situational interview

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 Based on what you have learned in this
chapter; try to solve these questions:
True/False
1) The interview is the most widely used personnel
selection procedure.

2) Non-structured interviews are preferred to directive

interviews because they are more reliable and valid.

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 Multiple choices
1) Which of the following is the most commonly used
selection tool?
A) telephone reference
B) reference letter
C) interview
D) personality test
E) work sampling technique

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 2) Which type of interview follows a performance appraisal
and primarily addresses an employee's performance
rating?
A) selection
B) appraisal
C) exit
D) directive
E) structured

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 3) How do situational interviews differ from behavioral
interviews?
A) situational interviews are based on an applicant's
responses to actual past situations
B) situational interviews are based on how an applicant
might behave in a hypothetical situation
C) situational interviews ask applicants job-related
questions to assess their knowledge and skills
D) behavioral interviews ask applicants to describe their
emotions in different hypothetical situations
E) behavioral interviews probe for an applicant's
weaknesses by occasionally asking rude questions

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Answers
True/ False:
1) T
2) F
MCQs:
1) C
2) B
3) B

for more questions please check the students’

questions guide on the faculty website.

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