LEARNING OBJECTIVES 7-1 7-2 7-3 7-4 7-5 List and give examples of the main types of selection interviews. List and explain the main errors that can undermine an interview's usefulness. Define a structured situational interview and explain how to design and conduet effective selection interviews. Discuss how to use employee selection methods to improve employee engagement. st the main points to know about developing and extending the actual job offer, ecruitment of customer service and tellers in banks is never an easy task. Although the job entails significant responsibility and dealing, especially with difficult customers, the positions are not highly paid. However, the turnover of these personnel is high. The head of recruiting for a private bank in India needed an interviewing system that could process large number of applicants quickly but effectively. In this chapter, we will see as to what the recruiters did, 194 fr bond on coy due IMI \ Poway Lows yt k Ligsnv dyn | 0 Ca) a One ELE el | (OCR ac These Strategte Goals Genuuie Nica) yw HR Policies and Practices: Required to Produce Lune eons ois ay WHERE ARE WE NOW... Chapter 6 discussed important oo's ‘Managers use to select employees. Now tum to one of these tools—the employe Interview. The main topics wo'l cover types of interviews, things that ‘undermine interviewing’s usefulness, designing and conducting effective selec Interviews, using a total selection process * Improve employee engagement, and m the offer. In Chapter 8, we'll tun tote the new employee, Ifthe interview is just one of sever! tion tools, why devote a whole chante b! Because interviews are the most widel Selection procedure, and most people Nearly as good at interviewing as they t* they are, 'enee Sask ORECTNE 7-4 do wTtRVEWNRG CANDIDATES 199 Basic Types of Interviews Managers use several interviews at work, such as performance appranal interview and exit interviews A selection interview Whe focus of this chapter) ts a selection EWeedure designed to predict Luture job performance based on appleants’ oral Tesponses to oral inquiries” Many techniques in this chapter also apply to appraval & ANerit interviews However, we'll postpone discussions of those twee miter eiews until later chapters ‘There are several ways to conduct selection interviews: For example, we ean chs Sifl selection interviews according to 1, How structured they are 2. Their “content™ the types of questions they contain 3. How the firm ad * the interviews (for instance, one-on-one oF Via a committee) Each has pros and cons, We'll look at eael Structured Versus Unstructured Interviews First, most interviews vary in the degree to which the interviewer structures the inter view process.” Ineunstructured \(ornondirectivey interviewsrthe-manager-foliows nosscLformat. A few questions might be specified in advance, but they ‘re usually not. and there is seldom a formal guide for scoring “right” or “wrong” answers. Typical questions here might include, for instance, “Tell me about yourself” “Why do you think you'd do a good job here?” and “What would you say are your main strengths and weaknesses?” Some describe this type of interview as little more than a general conversation.+ ee At the other extreme, in structured (or directive) interviews. theerapioyertists anes” MeMurray’s Patterned Interview was one early example. The interviewer followed a printed form to ask a series of questions, such as “How was the person's present job obtained?” Comments printed beneath the questions (such as “Has he/she shown self-reliance in getting hivher jobs") then guide the interviewer in evaluating the answers. Some experts s ict the term. structured interview: to interviews efully selected job-related questions with predetermined answers. In practice, interview structure is a matter of degree. Sometimes the manager may just want to_gnsure he or she has a set list of questions to ask so as to avoid skipping any questions. Here, he or she might choose questions from a list hike that in Figure 7-3 (page 215). The structured interview guide in Figure TAT 9) illustrates a more structured approach. Ay another example, a retail store in India can use the structured guide in Figure 7-1 to help sereen retail sales officer candidates. It contains a formal candidate rating procedure, and also enables geographically dispersed imterviewers to complete the form via the Web.” i ly In such interviews, all interview- generally ask all applicants the same questions. Partly because of this, These rviews tend to be'more consistent, reliable, and valid. Having « standardized Siist of questions can also help less talented interviewers conduct better interviews Standardizing the interview alsv'enhances job relatedness (we'll see that the ques tions chosen tend to provide insights into how the person will actually do the job), reduces overall subjectivity and thus the potential for bias, and may “enhance the ability to withstand legal challenge.”* However, blindly following & structured format may not provide enough opportunity to pursue points of interest. The interviewer should always have an opportunity to ask follow-up questions and pursue points of interest as they develop, We'll see how to write a structured inte; view later in this chapte! ly196 PART 2 + RECRUITMENT, PLACEMENT, AND TALENT MANAGEMENT FIGURE 7-1 Reta Sales Officer Applicant Interview Form Source: Developed by Biju Varkkey LA yn Hd Bayt aut tiony~ U D Vadis —Ltaadiyad ~ bose! ~ Vob- Wrder wl MEM “yactyartoy ~Fituational interview {A series of jb-elated questions that focus on how the candidate would behave in a given station, Behavioral interview ~ a series of job-related questions that focus on how the candidate reacted ‘0 actual situations in the past ‘SAMPLE INTERVIEW FORMAT IN XYZ CO. Position: Sales Officer In Retal Store, Appian No: Date Time ‘Name hee Educational Qualifeations Total Work Experience Note to interviewer: Add you observations inthe space available ir ‘A. Quality of prior work experience, applicable In Retall Sales environment ~~ (Low) 2 (Poor) 3 (Average) 4 (Good) 5 ( Excellent) 'B. Knowledge of Sales related processes and IT applications. ~ 1 (Lom) 2 (Poor) 3 (Average) 4 (Good) 5 (Excellent) ——— ‘©. Selling and Customer Service Skills. 4 (Low) 2 (Poot) 3 (Average) 4 (Good) 5 (Excellent) ach box. , Potential for Retall Sales Rol (relative to comparable rote holders in XYZ) 4 (Low) 2 (Poor) 3 (Average) 4 (Good) 5 (Excellent) Leadership Potential 4 (Low) 2 (Poor) 3 (Average) 4 (Good) 5 (Excellent) ‘Additional Remarks Name of Panelist Interview Content (What Types of Questions to Ask) We can also classify interviews based on the “content” or the types of ques interviewers ask. Many interviewers ask relatively unfocused questions, sui “What do you want to be doing in 5 years?” Questions like these generally 4 provide much insight into how the person will do on the job. That is why situa behavioral, and job-related questions are best. iv uation.” For example, ask a supervisory candidate how he ot would act in response to a subordinate coming to work late 3 days in a row. Whereas situational interviews ask applicants to_descril toa hypothetical situation today or tomorrow, it tordeseribe:hows ac me ations-inethe:p: Situational que” start with phrases such as, “Suppose you were faced with the following sai What would you do?” Behavioral questions start with phrases like, “Can you! of a time when.... What did you do?”"! In one variant, Vanguard uses an gt ing technique it calls STAR, Vanguard managers ask interviewees aby situation (8) or task (T) they faced to uncover the actions-(A) the candidates" and the results (R) of their actions.'® Behavioral interviews are increasinglyCHAPTER 7 » INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES 197 When Citizen’s Banking Corporation in Flint, Michigan, found that 31 of the 50 people in its call center quit in one year, the center's head switched to behavioral interviews. Many who left did so because they didn’t enjoy irate questions from clients So she no longer tries to predict how candidates will act based on asking them if they want to work with angry clients, Instead, she asks behavioral questions like, “Tell me about a time you were speaking with an irate person, and how you turned the situation around.” This makes it harder to fool the interviewer; only four people left in the following year,!4 " Financial audit and advisory companies, such as, EY India and KPMG India, often conduct selection interview by giving a case study that includes a business scenario which provokes candidates to think out-of-the box and find business solutions to the case study problems.!5 Most other consulting firms (like Bain & Company) also use case interviews extensively in their selection process. Technical interviews whi ‘on the subject understanding of a candidate is ~another distinct feature of many Tndian companies, particularly the IT and technology firms. In such compaiies, the behavioral/cultural dimensions are separately assessed. However, a study of foreign and Indian companies operating in India showed that while interview as a selection tool is common across companies, multinational companies (MNCs) use technical interviews separately, more than others,!® ete eons that OTHER TYPES OF QUESTIONS Insanjob=related™interviews=the~interviewersasks scocipeeatporented applicants-questions"aboutrjob-elevant-pastexperiences The questions here dont fevolve around hypothetical or actual situations or scenarios. Instead, the interviewer eo asks questions such as, “Which courses did you like best in business school?” The aim is to draw conclusions about, say, the candidate's ability to handle the findncial sessinterview aspects of the job in question. nee ater in wich the applicant There are other, lesser-used types of questions. Inastress:interviewathe interviewer ‘sxe uncomfortable by a series of : ee erode questions. This technique Seeksytowr mn n uide-questions. The aim . supposedly fo spot sensitive applicants and those with low (or high) stress tolerance. sensitive ap- sen nt Io y pesete th low fi high hhus, a candidate for a customer relations manager position who obligingly mentions averace. having had four jobs in the past 2 years might be told that frequent job changes reflect irresponsible and immature behavior. If the applicant then responds with a reason- able explanation of why the job changes were necessary, the interviewer might pursue another topic. On the other hand, if the formerly tranquil applicant reacts explosively, the interviewer might deduce that the person has a low tolerance for stress, The stress interview's invasive and ethically dubious nature demands that the i -both skilled in its use and sure the job really requi lling stre “js definitely not an approach for amateur interrogators or hout the skills to keep the interview under control. Indian banking or financial companies like the HDEC conducts stress interviews, especially for the sales function, to see if the candidates can handle stress or pressure. Candidates are especially asked questions that would make them uncomfortable to see how they would respond to these questions. ‘Puzzle questions are popular, Recruiters see how candidates thi For example, an interviewer at Microsoft asked a tech service appli c Todd have $21 between them. Mike has $20 more than Todd does. How much money has Mike, and how much money has Todd?”"” (The answer is two paragraphs below.) HR in Practice at the Hotel Paris As an experienced HR professional, Lisa knew that the | company's new testing program would go only so far. To see how the Hotel Paris created a new inter- 4 view process, see the case on page 223. How Should We Conduct the Interview? Employers also administer interviews in various ways: one-on-one or by a panel of interviewers, sequentially or all at once, computerized ot personally, or online.198 PART 2 + RECRUITMENT, PLACEMENT, AND TALENT MANAGEMENT - unstructured sequential interview: An inteesewin which each fmtervewer forms an independent ‘opm after asking diferent uestons structured sequential interview An interview in which the appicant 'sintervewed sequentially by several persons: each rates the applicant on a standard form panel interview An interview in which a group of, interviewers questions the applicant mass interview AA panel interviews several candi= dates simultaneous, aw Avesta structured panel interviews in which members use scoring sheets with desc; ws are probably still one-on-one and sequential, jy erviwy, two.people meet alone, and one interviews the other by | ‘Esponses to oral inquiries. Employers tend to schedule these interviews sept! a.sequential (or serial). intervien,-several persons interview the applicant, in «it! \, one-on-one, and. then. make. their hiring decision. In_an’ unstructured copes interview, each interviewer generally just asks questions.as they come to oh sty z mi ‘structured sequential interview, each interviewer rates the candidates on 1 FeViews evaluation form, using standardized questions. The hiring manager then ings before deciding whom to hire." (Answer: Mike had $20.50, Todd $0.5, ‘CU )aepanehinterview, also known as i a u * . ‘ycacdeannolainierviewors (usually two to three), who»together- question exch -date-and then, combine. their-ratings-of-each-candidate’s-answers-int score. This contrasts with the one-on-one interview h one interviewe, ‘one candidate) interview (where several interviewers assess a single «° date one-on-one, sequientially)."” The panel format enables interviewers to_ask follow-up questions, mg reporters do in press conferences. This may elicit more meaningful respons, a series of one-on-one interviews. On the other hand, some candidates find j:. interviews more stressful, $0 they may actually inhibit responses, (An even stressful variant is the mass interview (also referred as group interviewing ord. sion based interviewing.) Here a panel interviews several candidates simultane, The panel might pose a problem, and then watches to see which candidate tay Jead in formulating an answer.) ‘Whether panel interviews are more or less reliable and valid than sequential views depends on how the employer actually does the panel interview. For eta scoring examples for sample answers are more reliable and valid than tho | don’t. Training panel interviewers may boost interview reliability. For better or worse, some employers use “speed dating” interviewing. One e-mails to all applicants for an advertised position. Four hundred (of 800 appz: showed up. Over several hours, applicants first mingled with employees, and the(: so-called “speed dating area”) had one-on-one contacts with employees for af: utes. Based on this, the recruiting team chose 68 candidates for follow-up intenis PHONE INTERVIEWS Employers also conduct interviews via phone. Sa counterintuitively, these can actually be more useful than face-to-face interes judging one’s conscientiousness, intelligence, and interpersonal skills. Becaus 5 needn't worry about appearance or handshakes, each party can focus on answers. perhaps candidates—somewhat surprised by an unplanned call from the rere give more spontaneous answers” In one study, interviewers tended to ew} applicants more favorably in telephone versus face-to-face interviews, part where interviewees were less physically attractive. The applicants prefered th to-face interviews3 \/ COMPUTER-BASED JOB INTERVIEWS A. computerized selection interview is one it ™) job candidate's oral and/or keyed replies are obtained in.response to cone -oral, visual, or written questions and/or situations. Most such interviews n° series of multiple-choice questions regarding background, experience, ed} ‘ills, Knowledge, and work attitudes, Some confront candidates with scenarios (such as irate customers) to which they must respond.24 WEB-BASED VIDEO INTERVIEWS With phone and tablet video functionalitis’ FaceTime™ and Skype™, Web-based “in-person” interview use is wide! | about 18% of candidates took such interviews in one recent year.” Wi?) InterviewStream 360 Video Practice Interview System, college carcet | and outplacement firms can have students or job seekers record intervie" \ _CHAPTER 7 + INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES 199. ‘nt and for prospective employers.”* InterviewStream, Inc., : n.com) offers employer clients prerecorded and live video interview management systems for prescreening candidates and interviewing remote talent. Or the cl ie can use Int n's live videoconference platform for a live 27 Employers including Microsoft use the virtual community Second Life to conduct job interviews. Job seekers create avatars to represent themselves”* __For Hilton Worldwide, which recruits in 94 countries, distances often made in-person interviews impractical. Now, online video interviews make it easy for Hilton to do initial screening interviews” Another firm's CEO conducts initial screening interviews via text-only chats or instant messaging because, he says, this reduces potential distractions like gender, ethnicity, and body language. An online video interview requires little special preparation for employers, but Career FAQs (www.careerfagscom.au) lists things that interviewees should keep in mind. It often the obvious things people overlook (for more on how to take inter- views, see Appendix 2 to this chapter, page 230):*! * Look presentable. \t might seem silly sitting at home wearing a suit, but it could make a difference. © Clean up the room. Do not let the interviewer see clutter. © Test first. As Careet FAQs says, “Five minutes before the video interview is not a good time to realize that your Internet is down... e Doa dr; y run. Record yourself before the interview to see how you're “coming across’ © Relax. The golden rule with such interviews is to treat them like face-to-face meetings Smile, look confident and enthusiastic, make eye contact, and don’t shout, but do speak clearly. ‘TRENDS SHAPING HR: DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA Today the growing popularity of mobile-based (iPhone or iPad, for instance) interviews is disrupting how job interviewing is done. They enable the interviewee to “do” the interview at his or her leisure from wherever the person wants, and also allow even pre- screen interviews to occur directly between hiring managers and job applicants, rather than HR, ZingHR, a Mumbai-based company, provides a software application where interviews can be conducted by downloading an application on the mobile phone or a similar device. Candidates can participate in the interview at their convenience from wherever they wish to, Face-to-face interview, if required, happens ata later stage when the HR manager has reviewed all the answers given by the candidates and has further shortlisted the candidates who have to be invited for the face-to The HireVue system is another example.** As described at http//hirevue.com/ mobile/, the free HireVue tool (available as an app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod) enables interviewees to take their HireVue Interviews anytime, anywhere when invited by a potential employer, You can complete your HireVue Digital Interview on your own time, when it works for you, any- Where you have an internet connection, Candidates, at their convenience, record their responses to the employer's video and written questions. The recruiter then plays back the recorded information and rates the candidate, The employer can arrange for candidates to first respond to several such questions, and then arrange for a set time for a synchronous online interview. Another HireVue tool uses data analysis to examine what the vendor says is more than 15,000 digital interview attributes to predict which candidates are most likely to be top performers and identify which interviewers make the best hiring decisions. The Improving Performance feature illustrates,> IMPROVING PERFORMANCE: The Strategic Context ‘Urban Outfitters Ursan utters, a fashion retal company with presence in North America and Europe, neng expoyees wha share ts core values of community, pride, creativity, and Respect. the wean. does it find and attract such applicants, while controling hing costs in the eompetitve ear Because receives $0 many applications, the company fist used group interviews for sen associates, Reta managers would interview sit 10 eight candidates at once, in-a group intone" ‘manages dn’ think this was good fit for Urban Outfitters culture, though Urban Outites switched 1 Hee on-demand interviews in its 200 retail stores. The Hee enabled anpicants to watch vdeos about Urban Outiters and the job, and then to respond wing ty veo to Urban’ intervie questions andinstutons, at thei leisure, "on demand.” The hanyong) then reviewed the recorded interviews, usual outside of peak business hours when the stores wert” The new system reportedly has been a boon to Urban Outiters, reduced screening tre ya, store managers process many mote applicants, and is prefered by applicants, 80% of whom cara’, intenews after hours. The HireWve system also supports Urban Outtiters’ strategy. Asit sayy” Moving to digital interviewing has transformed our hing process into a true relection of ex Urban Outfitters culture. Ou value in ceativty and community and our nonconformist spree row begins with our candidate experience, No other initiative has impacted our hiring tems ns digital recruiting has.?> Avoiding Errors That Can Undermine an Interview's a and expian the main evors Usefulness ae Interviews hold an ironic place in the hiring process: Everyone uses them, but they generally not particularly valid. The key is to do them properly. If you do, thea interview is generally a good predictor of performance and is comparable with mz other selection techniques.*° Keep three things in mind—use structured intervizs, know what to ask, and avoid the common interviewing errors. First, structure the interview." Structured interviews (particularly structured intense using situational questions) are more valid than unstructured interviews for predicting}* performance. They are more valid partly because they are more reliable—for exam the same interviewer administers the interview more consistently from candidate = candidate Situational structured interviews yield a higher mean validity than & job-related (or behavioral) interviews, which in turn yield a higher mean validity ths & “psychological” interviews (which focus more on motives and interests).”” Second, interviews are better at revealing some things than others, so know sts to focus on. In one study, interviewers were able to size up the interviewee’s etme sion and agreeableness. What they could not assess accurately were the traits that matter most on jobs—like conscientiousness and emotional stability." One imphc- tion seems to be, focus more on situational and job knowledge questions that helps assess how the candidate will actually respond to typical situations on that job Third, whether the interview is in person or online, effective employment iat viewers understand and avoid the following common interview errors, First Impressions (Snap Judgments) Probably the most widespread error is that interviewers tend to jump to coo sions—make snap judgments—about candidates during the first few minutes of ° interview (or even before the interview starts, based on test scores or résumé di! One researcher estimates that in 85% of the cases, interviewers had made up minds before the interview even began, based on first impressions the intervis gleaned from candidates’ applications and personal appearance. In one typ study, giving interviewers the candidates’ test scores biased the ultimate assess of the candidates. In another study, interviewers judged candidates who they ¥ told formerly suffered from depression more negatively." : First impressions are especially damaging when the prior information about” candidate is negative. In one study, interviewers who previously received unfaws2”CHAPTER 7 + INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES 207 reference letters about Pplicants gave those applicants less credit for past successes and held them more personally responsible for past failures after the interview, And the interviewers’ final decisions (to accept or reject those applicants) always reflected what they expected of the applicants based on the references, quite aside from the applicants’ actual interview performance,? Add to this two more interviewing facts, First, interviewers are more influe enced by unfavorable than favorable information about the candidate. Second, their impressions are much more likely to change from favorable to unfavorable than from unfavorable to favorable, Indeed, many interviewers really search more for negative information, often without realizing it. The bottom line is that most interviews are loaded against the applicant. One who starts well could easily end up with a low rating because unfavorable informa- tion tends to predominate. And for the interviewee who starts out poorly, it’s almost impossible to overcome that first bad impression. One psychologist interviewed CEOs of 80 top companies. She concluded that you “don't even get to open your mouth.” Instead, the interviewer will size up your posture, handshake, smile, and “captivating aura,” It’s difficult to overcome that first impression. Not Clarifying What the Job Requires Interviewers who don’t have an accurate picture of what the job entails and what sort of candidate is best for it usually make their decisions based on incorrect impressions or stereotypes of what a good applicant is. They then erroneously match interviewees with their incorrect stereotypes. You should clarify what sorts of traits you're looking for, and why, before starting the interview. One classic study involved 30 professional interviewers." Half got just this brief job description: “the eight applicants here represented by their application blanks are applying for the position of secretary.” The other 15 interviewers got much more explicit job information, including bilingual ability, for instance. More job knowledge translated into better interviews. The 15 interviewers with more job information generally all agreed among themselves about each candidate's potential; those without it did not. The latter also didn’t discriminate as well among applicants—they tended to give them all high ratings. Candidate-Order (Contrast) Error and Pressure to Hire Candidate-order (or contrast) error means that the order in which you see applicants affects how you rate them. In one study, managers had to evaluate a sample candidate who was “just average” after first evaluating several “unfavorable” candi- dates. They scored the average candidate more favorably than they might otherwise because, in contrast to the unfavorable candidates, the average one looked better than he actually was, This contrast effect can be huge: In some early studies, evaluators based only a small part of the applicant's rating on his or her actual potential. Pressure to hire accentuates this problem, Researchers told one group of managers to assume they were behind in their recruiting quota. They told.a second group they were ahead. Those “behind” rated the same recruits more highly. Nonverbal Behavior and Impression Management The applicant's nonverbal behavior (smiling, avoiding your gaze, and so on) can also have a surprisingly large impact on his or her rating. In one study, 52 human resource specialists watched videotaped job interviews in which the applicants’ verbal content was identical, but their nonverbal behavior differed markedly. Researchers told applicants in one group to exhibit minimal eye contact, a low energy level, and low voice modulation, Those in a sec- ond group demonstrated the opposite behavior. Twenty-three of the 26 personnel special- ists who saw the high-eye-contact,high-energy-level candidate would have invited him or her for a second interview. None who saw the Jow-eye-contac, low-energy-level candidate would have recommended a second interview.” So, it pays interviewees to “look alive.PART 2 + RECRUITMENT, PLACEMENT, AND TALENT MANAGEMENT Nonverbal behaviors are probably so important because interviewers ite y personality from the way you aet in the interview. In one study, 99 graduating eh! seniors completed questionnaires which included measures of personality, mony other things. The students then reported their suocess in generating follow-up inn! views and job olfers The interviewee's personality, particularly his or her lee extroversion, had a pronguneed influence on whether he or she received folly.” “Tn turn, extroverted applicants seem particularly Pron interviews and job offers. t to self-promotion, and self-promotion is strongly related to the interviewers per tions of candidate job ft" Even structuring the interview doesn’t seem to cand gy the effets of such nonverbal behavior. IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT Clever candidates capitalize on that fact. One study fy, that some used ingratiation to persuade interviewers to like them. For instanes candidates praised the interviewers or appeared to agree with their opinions, thus signaling they shared similar beliefs. Sensing that a perceived ity in attitude ‘may influence how the intervigyer rates them, some interviewees try o emphasig (or fabricate) such similarities.” Others make self-promoting comments about their accomplishments. Self-promotion means promoting one’s own skills and abilities to create the impression of competence.** Psychologists call using techniques life ingratiation and self-promotion “impression management.” Self-promotion is ax effective tactic, but faking or lying generally backfires. Effect of Personal Characteristics: Attractiveness, Gender and Race Unfortunately, physical attributes also distort assessments.°” For example, people usually ascribe more favorable traits and more successful life outcomes to attractne people.*® Similarly, race can play a role, depending on how you conduct the interview. In one study, in the US, for example, the white members of a racial balanced interview panel rated white candidates higher, while the black interviewes rated black candidates higher, But in all cases, structured interviews produced less of a difference between minority and white interviewees than did unstructured ones? Interviewers’ reactions to various stereotypes are complex. In one study in th US. the researchers dressed the “applicants” in either traditional Muslim attire (back scarf and full-length black robe) or simple two-piece black pantsuits. Both applicants tthe same number of job offers. However, interactions were shorter and moe interpersonally negative when applicants wore the black robe attire." In India, though not openly stated, factors like community, language, and region can influence hit decisions to some extent. Sometimes employers specifically ask for candidates wit or without certain background.*! Studies conducted in the Indian context have ae indicated that discrimination is a reality in this region. A study in the context of hit Practices in India indicated that Dalit community members and candidates experien discrimination. In this study, researchers applied to advertised positions (from thr English newspapers) with different surnames that give out social identity. Based & the responses received from the firms, they concluded that even at early stage hiring, Dalits experience higher discrimination.® To avoid such discrimination comparison with general population during interviews, the government of Inia bi proposed safeguards for government and PSU job selection, by way of representatict in panel, separate interviews, and making members aware of possible biases” In general, candidates evidencing various attributes and disabilities (such ® child-care demands, HIV-positive status, or being wheelchair-bound) have k* chance of obtain ing a positive decision, even when they performed well in structured interview." The following expands on this, @ Diversity Counts: Applicant Disability and the Employment Interview Researchers in the US surveyed 40 disabled people from various occupations. The J* abled people felt that interviewers tend to avoid d irectly addressing the disability, therefore make their decisions without all the facts. What the disabled people prefer is a discussion that lets the employer addt® his or her concerns and reach a knowledgeable conclusion, Among the questio®CHAPTER 7 » INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES 203 they said they would like interviewers to ask were these: Is there any kind of setting or special equipment that will facilitate the interview process for you? Is there any specific technology that you currently use or have used in previous jobs that assists the way you work? What other kind of support did you have in previous jobs? Is there anything that would benefit you? Discuss a barrier or obstacle, if any, that you have encountered in any of your previous jobs. How was that addressed? And, Do you anticipate any transportation or scheduling issues with the work schedule expected of this position? ___ In another study, the researchers manipulated the candidates’ appearance, for instance “by placing scar-like marks on the cheeks of some of the applicants for some interviews, but not for others.” Results revealed that managers who interviewed a facially stigmatized applicant (versus a non-stigmatized applicant) “rated the applicant lower [and] recalled less information about the interview” (in part, apparently, because staring at the “scars” distracted the interviewers). Welfare of the disabled population is an important activity pursued by the government of India. The Rights of Person with Disabilities Act of 2016, which defines disability as evolving and dynamic concept and lists 21 disabilities, is the law in India. Before its enactment, Persons With Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act of 1955 was the law for employing the disabled in India. As per the new law, disabled applicants are eligible for reservation in government Jobs, which is not less than 4 percent. The Indian government's Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is the nodal authority, and a separate department is responsible for managing the welfare of disabled in India, which functions as a part of the ministry. To promote employment of disabled in India, the central government has launched an online portal, www.disabilityjobs.gov.in. Both job seekers and employers can avail benefits from this service, m > IMPROVING PERFORMANCE: HR Practices Around the Globe a Selection Practices Abroad |n choosing selection criteria abroad, the manager in a multinational subsidiary walks a thin line between Using the parent company’s selection process and adapting it to local cultural differences. One study focused con Bangladesh.” Traditional selection practices there are different from what one might expect in the United States. For example, “age is considered synonymous to wisdom.” Therefore, job advertisements for ‘mide and senior-level positions often set a minimum age as a selection criteria, But managers of multinational subsidiaries there are slowly implementing their corporate headquarters’ prescribed HRM practices. AS a resul, the multinationals are affecting local recruitment and selection practices. That said, a manager would stil be wise to understand each country’ unique cultural demands before holding an interview there. Bl ‘Source: Based on Monowar Mahmood, “National Culture vs Corporate Culture: Employce Recruitment and Se-letion Practices of Multinationals in a Developing Country Context,” Journal of International Management ‘Studies 11, no.1, Jan. 2011), p. 110. Published by International Academy of Business and Economies, From. ‘wore orgdomainsfiabeljournalaspxjournalid Interviewer Behavior Finally, the inserviewer's behavior affects interviewee performance and rating For example, some interviewers inadvertently telegraph the expected answers, ag in: “This job involves a lot of stress. You can handle that, can't you?” Even subtle cues (ike a smile or nod) can telegraph the desired answer.” Some interviewers talk so much that applicants have no time to answer questions. At the other extreme, some inter- viewers let the applicant dominate the interview, and so don't ask all their questions, When interviewers have favorable pre-interview impressions of the applicant, they tend to act more positively toward that person (smiling more, for instance)’ Other interviewers play interrogator, forgetting that it’s uncivil to play “gotcha” by gleefully pouncing on inconsistencies. Some interviewers play amateur psychologist, unprofes- sionally probing for hidden meanings in what the applicant says. Others ask improper questions, forgetting that discriminatory questions “had a significant negative effect on204 PART 2 + RECRUITMENT, PLACEMENT, AND TALENT MANAGEMENT | Dotne a structured stustional | tervew and give exanqies of structured situational interview ‘A sesies of job-relevant questions ‘with predetermined answers that interviewers as ofall applicants for the job. Participant's reactions to the interview and interviewer."” Other interviewers juy., ‘conduct interviews. In summary, inter fing errors to avoid include: pressions (snap judgments) Not clarifying what the job involves and requires Candidate-order error and pressure to hire Nonverbal behavior and impression management The effects of interviewees’ personal characteristics The interviewer's inadvertent behaviors We'll address what interviewees can do to apply these findings and to excd ing, interview in Appendix 2 to this chapter, How to Design and Conduct an Effective Interview There's little doubt that the structured situational interview—a serie, Job-relevamt questions with predetermined answers that interviewers ask of » applicants for the job—produces superior results.’> The basic idea is to (1) ws, situational (what would you do), behavioral (what did you do), or job knowlep questions, and (2) have job experts (like those supervising the job) also write se, answers for each of these questions, rating the answers from good to poor. The pe, ple who interview the applicants then use rating sheets anchored with these exam, of good or bad answers to rate the interviewees’ answers. Designing a Structured Situational Interview The procedure is as follows.” Step 1. Analyze the job. Write a job description with a list of job duties; requ knowledge, skills, and abilities; and other worker qualifications. Step 2. Rate the job’s main duties. Rate cach job duty, say from 1 to 5, bas! on how important it is to doing the job. Step 3. Create interview questions. Create situational, behavioral, ad jt knowledge interview questions for each of the job duties, with more gz tions for the important duties. The people who create the questions usually write them as criticalisé Q dents. For example, to probe for conscientiousness, the interviewer miz ie ask this situational question: Your spouse and two teenage children are sick in bed with colds There are no relatives or friends available to look in on them. Your shift starts in 3 hours. What would you do? Step 4. Create benchmark answers. Next, for each question, develop i (benchmark) answers for good (a 5 rating), marginal (a 3 rating) poor (a J rating) answers, The structured interview guide (pages 227 presents an example, Three benchmark answers (from low to high) example question above might be, “I'd stay home—my spouse and i= come first” (1); “I'd phone my supervisor and explain my situatiow and “Since they only have colds, I'd come to work” (5), Step 5. Appoint the interview panel and conduct interviews, Employers rally conduct structured situational interviews using a panel, rather ‘one-on-one, The panel usually consists of three to six members, te ably the same ones who wrote the questions and answers. It may >-2 Examples of ‘sions That Provide ‘view Structure CHAPTER T © INTERVIEVANG CANDIDATES — 205 include the job's supervisor and/or incumbent, and a human resources representative. The same panel interviews all candidates for the job. The panel members review the job description, questions, and benchmark answers before the interview, One panel member introduces the applicant, and asks all ques- tions of all applicants in this and succeeding candidates’ interviews (to ensure con- sistency). However, all panel members record and rate the applicant's answers on the rating sheet (as on pages 228-229), They do this by indicating where the candidate's answer 10 each question falls relative to the benchmark poor, marginal, or good answers. AL the end of the interview, someone answers any questions the applicant has. Web-based programs help interviewers design and organize behaviorally based selection interviews. For example, SeleetPro (www.sclectpro.net) enables interviewers to create behavior-based selection interviews, custom interview guides, and auto- mated online interviews. The HR Tools feature presents more guidance. > IMPROVING PERFORMANCE: HR Tools for Line Managers and Small Businesses eee OOS How to Conduct an Effective Interview ‘You may not have the time or inclination to create a structured situational interview. However, there is still ‘much you can do to make your interviews systematic and productive. Step 1: First, know the job. Do not start the interview unless you understand the job's duties and what human skills you're looking for. Study the job description. Step 2: Structure the interview. Any structuring is better than none. f pressed for time, you can. still do several things to ask more consistent and job-relevant questions, without develop- ing a full-blown structured interview.’ For example:”? * Base questions on actual job duties. Ths will minimize irrelevant questions. * Use job knowledge, situational, or behavioral questions. Questions that simply ask for opinions and attitudes, goals and aspirations, and self-descriptions and self-evaluations allow candidates to present themselves in an overly favorable manner or avoid revealing weaknesses.” Figure 7-2 illustrates structured questions. Job Knowledge Questions 1. What steps would you follow in changing the fan belt on a Toyota Camry? 2. What factors would you consider in choosing a computer to use for work? Experience Questions 3. What experience have you had actually repairing automobile engines? ‘4, What experience have you had creating marketing programs for consumer products? Behavioral (Past Behavior) Questions 5. Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a particularly obnoxious person. What was the situation, and how did you handle it? 6. Tell me about a time when you were under a great deal of stress. What was the situation, and how did you handle it? Situational (What Would You Do) Questions 7. ‘Suppose your boss insisted that a presentation had to be finished by tonight, bt your subordinate said she has to get home eary to attend an online cass, so she is unable to help you. What would you do? 8. The CEO just told you that he's planning on firing your boss, with whom you are very close, and. replacing him with you. What would you do?”206 PART 2 + RECRUITMENT, PLACEMENT, AND TALENT MANAGEMENT Use the same questions with all candidates. This improves reliability. It also reduces, by giving al candidates the same opportunity For each question, possible, have several ideal answers andl a score for each. Then rs, each candidate’ answers against thi scale '¥ possible, use an teri form, Interviews based on structured guides lke the ce, in Figure 7-1 (page 204) or Figure 7A-1, “structured interview guide” (pages 227-275 usualy esi in better interviews. *" At the very least, ist your questions before the interview. Step 3: Get organized. Hol the inteniew in a private place to minimize interruptions nchaeg tex messages). Prot to the interview, review the candidate's application and résuré ty, {any areas that are vague or that may indicate strengths or weaknesses. Step 4: Establish rapport. The main eason forthe interview is to find out about the applcat Start by putting the person at ease. Greet the candidate and start the interview by erg, ‘noncontrovesial question, perhaps about the weather that day. ‘Step 5: Ask questions. Ty to follow the situational, behavioral, and job knowledge ques- tions you wrote out ahead of time. You'l find a sampling of other, supplementary questions (such as "Tell me a Iittle about yourself?") in Figure 7-3. asarule, Don't telegraph the desired answer Don'tinterogate the applicant as if the person is on tial Don't monopolize the interview, nr let the applicant do so. ‘Do ask open-ended questions. Do encourage the applicant to express thoughts fully. Do draw out the applicant’ opinions and feelings by repeating the person’ last comet asa question (eg, "You did't ike your last job?” Do ask for examples Do ask, “i were to arrange fr an interview with your boss, what would he or she 22 ‘your strengths, weaker points, and overall performance?®? tnitsonn election process, Googe emphasizes work samples and situational (and ber? interews For spectc questions, Google provides its inteviewer with access tos “ee system; this system emails each interiwer a lst of pectic questions to ask the end the specicjob. A common practice folowed in nda for senior postions, isthe panel aye 2 specfic questions tobe asked to each candidate. This helps in elitng richer information. Step 6: Take bref, unobtrusive notes during the interview. Doing so may help avoid making decision early in the interview, and may also help jog your memory once the inten’ew$ ‘complete, Jot down jst the key points of what the interviewee says. 85 Step 7: Close the interview. Leave time to answer any questions the candidate may have and. appropriate, to advocate your frm tothe candidate. Try toend the interview on a postive note Tell the applicant whether theres anyiie= ‘and, iso, what the next step wil be. Make rejections diplomatically—"Although your ba ‘round is impressive, there are other candidates whose experience is closer to out eque ments." Remember, as one recruiter says, “An interview experience should leave alsing postive impression ofthe company, whether the candidate receives and accepts an of ot.“ ifthe applicant stil under consideration but you can't reach a decision now, 3) ‘Step &: Review the interview. Once the candidate leaves, review your interview notes, sae te interview answers (if you used a guide), and make a decision. A few indian fms hne introduced the practice of contacting the candidates to collect feedback about thet ev ences, with the aim to improve the selection process, {n rejecting a candidate, one perennial question that remains i, should you provide an ex not In one study, rejected candidates who received an explanation felt that the rejection pes” fairer. Unfortunately, doing so may not be practical. Most employers Sy litle, to avoid pushback at problems, Under the Indian Right to Information (RT) rules, candidates can request for information * selection status. Hence, upon request, al fms make th list of selected candidates and the rte" {or selection public. Mos indian firms do not fllow the practice of providing detailed obsevaton es ‘individual feedback to candidates, even if they request forthe same.°"a,CHAPTER 7 + INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES ‘Organzaton and Planning SKI {.desciea specie situation which isttes how you set objectives to each a ga 2 Ten me about tne when YoU had choose between two of more important opperun ‘npvtant oyu? {tenet you normal schedule youre nore to accomplish your dy to day tsk. { Desrbe a station where you had & mae olen orgnng an important event Now dd you doi? ‘hunk aout a lengthy tem paper or report al you hve wien. Describe how you one arene aed wrote that par. {Bream example of Row you organized notes and oer matt oreo tay for aa irra xan S fesee a tne when you reorganized something to be more ecient ow di you do 1? {Pianeta tne when you made important plans ha were fouled up. ow did you react? What you do? low dt you gp abut decing whch was mest Interaction and Leadership {ten ne about an event in your past whch has geal intuenced the way you reat to peopl. Bio's pene exampe hat best ilustates your ability to deal with an uncooperative perso. 3:52 poole have te abiiy to “ol with he punches.” Describe a time when ou demonstate is sb $:Sa7% Fane you had 0 work with someone who hada negative opinion of you, How did you orca this? eine Nee een ou parbbaed on @ tea el mean inportant son ou leoned as to oy & Se2lbe aninstance ven you reversed 2 negate siuaton at schon wor, or home. How did you do x? $ Deserbe a stvaton which best ilustates you leadership abit. Schonk stout someone whose leadership you admire, What qualtes impress you? Ascertveness and Mathaton york standards that ou have set fr yourself in past obs. Why ae these important to you? A ese me when yu have experienced a lack of mtvation. Wht caused ts? What did ou do about? 23 Boanbe a stuatonwhete you had to deal wth someone whom you felt was dishonest. How dd you handle it? “X Deserbe a station that made you extremely angry. How dd you eat elim abot time that best ilusrates your ably to "stick things ot” ina tough stuation, 2 Desotbe atime when you motivated an unmothated person todo something you wanted them to do, © Bee mean example of ame when yoU wer affected by organizational polis. How ld you react? Gye me an example of when someone ted to tke advantage of ou. How cd you react? 1. Descibe see ‘Decision Making and Problem Sohing 1.Ghe 21 example that ilustrates your ability to make a tough decison, 2 tele cbout decision you made even though you didnot hae ll the facts. 3 esrbe a siuaton whee you have had to "stand uo" fora decision you made, eventhough twas wipopts “A Descro> 3 suation where you changed your mind, een after you publicly commited to 2 decision. 5 Dest a sivaton that ilstates your abil to 2nayze and sohe a problem. 2 tei cuouta time where you acted asa mediator to sole a problem between two other peonie. 5 Des 3 problem that seemed almost overwhelming to you. How did you handle it? ES cobta time where you have used a creative or unique approach to sohe a tough problem, The following general questions wil also help you prepare for employment Interviews: ‘Teme ste about yousel, 2\ity 6 ou atend Indiana State Univers? 3. What id yout chaos your major or caee field? “Eat coltge subjects you ike bes/last? What did you ke/lsike about then? ‘Sates been jour greatest challenge in college? {8 Descbe our most rewarding college experience 10a yes thnk that our odes area good indication of your academic abies? ‘hifyov cad change a decison you made while at college, what woud you change? Why? hat campus mohements dd yu choos? What i you gai/contbute? 10.¥ha ae your plans for continued of wadvate study? 11. Mat nterests you about his Job? What challenges are you looking fo in a pasion? 12. Hon have your eoveaonal and work experiences prepared you fr this postion? 13. Vat wok experenees have been most valabl to you and wy? 14 Ny you iteesed In ur ogpizaton? In what way do you tink you can coatbuteto ou compa? 15 How woud ou desonbe yoursel? 16 What you conside fo be your gesteststengs? Weaknesses? Ge examples, {TA ased the people who kw you fr one reason wy | should hire you, what woul they $y? 18. vnat zcomplshments have gen you the most sasfacion? Why? 19.What ae your longange career objectives? How do you plan to achieve these? 28 How vo jou descr your eal ob? 21.Mat no rthee things are most important o youn your Jo? 22doyou nave a geogephicl preference? Why? F'GURE 7-3 Suggested Supplementary Questions for Interviewing Applicants Ste “Sapsed Supplementary Question fr Interviewing Applica, om aan State University Carer Cnt copyright © 2012 by Indiana,Go into the interview with an accurate f of the traits of an ident candidate, brow what you're going to atk and be prepared to beep an open mind about the PART 7 © RECHUNTRAENCT MLACEMAPNT AND TALENT MANAGEMENT r Profiles and Employee Interviews a) Employers using competency models or profiles (which list required skills & exige, behaviors, and other competencies) can use the profile for job-related situational, behavioral, and knowledge interview questions. T, ive skill, knowledge, trait, and experience profile engineer candidates, with sample interview questions. summarizes illustr chemic: 740.5 7 Asking Profile-Oriented Interview Questions Knowledge _Example Alble to use 6 software nputer drafting How extreme heat affects hydrochloric acid (HCH) Willing to travel abroad at least 4 ‘months per year Visiting facilities Designed pollution filter for sacid-cleaning facility Sample Interview Ques" Tell me about a time you CAD computerized design sot Suppose you have an spp soa wie NCCtis heated to 400 dezises Fai atmospheres of pressure, shut the HCP Suppose you had family next week and we inforwied sow that had to leave fr a job about i How would you handle thar Tell me about a tin pollution filter for an acid ew How did it work? What psstivula did you encounter? shushow to nett 19 MEMOS ashy econaerent BR CHAPTER 7 » INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES 209 » Employee Engagement Guide for Managers JECTIVE 7-4 © Oo ev amoioves Building Engagement: A Total Selection Program Many employers create a tora! selection program aimed at selecting candidates whose totality of attributes best fits the employer's total requirements. The pro- gram Toyota Motor uses to select employees for auto assembly team jobs illus- trates this, ‘Toyota looks for several things in candidates. [t wants employees with good interpersonal skills, due to the job's emphasis on teamwork. Toyota's emphasis on kaizen—on having the workers improve job processes through worker commitment to top quality—helps explain its emphasis on reasoning and problem-solving skills and on hiring intelligent, educated, and engaged workers.** Quality is a Toyota core value, and so Toyota looks for a history of quality commitment in those it hires. This helps explain why Toyota holds group interviews focusing on accomplishments. By asking candidates about what they are proudest of, Toyota gets a better insight into the person’s values regarding quality and doing things right. Toyota is also look- ing for employees who have an eagerness to learn, and who are willing to try things Toyota's way or the team’s way. Toyota's production system relies on consensus decision making, job rotation, and flexible career paths, and these also require open- minded, flexible team players, not dogmatists, The Toyota Way Toyota's hiring process aims to identify such assembler candidates. The process takes about 20 hours and six phases over several days:*? Step 1: an in-depth online application (20-30 minutes) Step 2: a 2-S-hour computer-based assessment Step 3: a 6-8-hour work simulation assessment Step 4: a face-to-face interview Step 5: a background check, drug screen, and medical check Step 6: job offer For example, in step 1, applicants complete an application form summarizing their experience and skills, and often view a video describing Toyota’s work environment and selection system. This provides a realistic preview of the work and of the hiring process's extensiveness. Many applicants drop out here. Step 2 aims to assess the applicant's technical knowledge and potential. Here applicants take tests that help identify problem-solving skills, learning potential, and occupational preferences. Skilled trade applicants (experienced mechanics, for instance) also take tool and die or general maintenance tests. In step 3, applicants engage in simulated realistic production activities in Toyota’s assessment center, under the observation of Toyota screening experts. The produc- tion (work sample) test assesses how well each candidate does on an actual assembler task. Also here, group discussion exercises help show how each applicant interacts with others in their group and solves problems. In one simulation, candidates play the roles of the management and the work- ers of a firm that makes electrical circuits. During one scenario, the team must decide which circuit should be manufactured and how to effectively assign people, materials, and money to produce them. In another, participants role-play a team responsible for choosing new features for next year's car. Team members first indi- vidually rank 12 features based upon market appeal and then suggest one feature not included on the list. They must then come to a consensus on the best rank ordering. As one candidate who went through this process said, “There are three workstations in which you will be required to spend 2 hours at each one. You then have to get ina group and problem solve a special project with them for another