Understanding the

Interview Process

Lecture # 9

Course Instructor: Faiza Shahani

Email; Faiza.shahani@hyd.szabist.edu.pk
 THE
INTERVIEW
• I HAVEN’T INTERVIEWED IN
YEARS. THE THOUGHT OF
AN INTERVIEW STRESSES
ME OUT!!
 Very few people enjoy being
interviewed

 It is very normal to be
nervous

 Most people do well… People

get hired all the time
The key is to be prepared

Never go to a interview without

being prepared
 THE INTERVIEW
PROCESS
Job
Posting

Send Resume/
Job Offer Telephone
call

In-Person Interview Review

w/ Hiring Manager applications and
résumés

Pre-Interview
Job Testing Telephone
Call/Screening

In-Person Interview w/
Human Resources
PHASE 1: BEFORE
THE INTERVIEW
 STEP 1: PICK YOUR TOP
CANDIDATES
• You should screen applications to determine who
are the top applicants you wish to interview
(usually 3-5 applicants)
– Determine your “must haves”: Which knowledge, skills, abilities (KSA’s)
you want the candidate to come in with, versus what KSA’s you would
be willing to train for once hired.

• Your top applicants are those who can perform the

essential jobduties and meet the minimum requirements
 Tips for Reviewing Resumes or Application Forms

• Review the job description(s) for the position(s) you are attempting to fill. Note minimum
requirements needed and refer to them often as you review resumes/applications.

• Check work experience for applicability to the position for which they are applying, length
of time in each position, promotions or awards received, reason for leaving each position.

• Check educational background for qualifications necessary to successful job

performance.

• Note special skills (i.e. computer software, office equipment).

• Note any questions that arise when reviewing the resume/application and ask those
during a telephone screen

• Divide resumes into 3 groups

– Those that closely match job requirements and for which a telephone screen is
appropriate
– Those who meet some requirements and may be considered secondarily
– Those those who do not meet the requirements at all.

• If necessary, screen the top group again to further narrow down the candidates. On
average, about 10 resumes per open position should be sufficient.
 STEP 2: CONDUCT A TELEPHONE
SCREEN
• Once you determine your top candidates,
perform a phone screen
• During telephone screenings, briefly describe
the position, location, hours and salary range
(if appropriate) and ask if the candidate is
still interested in being considered.
• The phone screen allows you to asses if
the candidate’s experience, qualifications,
work preferences, etc. are in line with
those of the department/organization and
the position they have applied for
• Set aside a quiet place to talk
• Allow at least 15-20 minutes for the
screening
– Remember you trying to determine if
the candidate has the “must haves”
before offering an in-person interview
Sample Phone Screen Questions
Why are you interested in this position?
What is your availability?
*You may also want to ask up front about their willingness to work during
breaks
Are you currently enrolled in classes?
*Students must be enrolled at least half time (6 credit hours) ,
international students must enrolled full time (12 credit hours), graduate
student must be enrolled at least half time (4 credit hours)
What are the top three duties in the job you now have or
in your most recent job?
What are some typical decisions that you make and how
do you make them?
Can you give an example
What do you think you would do for this
department/organization that someone else wouldn’t?
How would you describe the pace at which you typically
work?
Do you have other on-campus jobs?
*This is important to ask since students are only allowed to 25 hours a
week. Example: Work at job A 10 hours a week, can only work at job B
15 hours a week, total = 25 hours per week
 STEP 3: CREATE
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
• Interview questions should be job related and used to assess the
knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to perform the essential job
duties
• The interview process and questions asked should be structured: This
will help ensure that all candidates are assessed based on the same
criteria and help reduce bias that may occur
– The interview should be conducted in the same manner and the
same order for each candidate

There are three main types of questions that allow you to thoroughly
assess candidate’s qualifications:
1. Use behavioral interview (past behavior) questions to ask about specific
experiences that the candidate may have that exhibits competencies
needed for the job. Behavioral questions are designed to assess the critical
knowledge, skills and abilities required for a job based on requirements in
the job description. Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior!
 Behavioral questions typically start with…
•Think about a time/instance when you…
•Tell me how you approached a situation where…
•Describe a situation when you were faced with a problem related to..
Examples
• Think about a time you had to work in a group to accomplish a task. Can you tell me about that
experience?

students and or their parents. Can you tell me

• As part of this job, you will have frequent contact with
how you approached a situation where you to deal with an angry or upset client/parent/student

Ask following up questions for further detail:

•Can you walk me through your decision process?
•What you were thinking at this point in the situation?

2. Use situational questions (future behavior) to create a scenario that is

representative of specific activities and responsibilities on the job. These
questions are created from critical incidents (examples) of good, average
and poor behavior regarding the essential job duties required for the job.

Example
You want to assess timeliness

Scenario: You are supposed to be at work at

8:00am. When you get in the car at 7:45am,
you realize your tank is nearly empty. What
would you do?
 INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
CONTINUED
3. Ask job related-questions to assess necessary knowledge, skills and abilities
(KSA’s)

Example Questions to Assess KSA’s

Ability: Time management
• Question: You have A, B, C projects to complete by the
end of the week along with several meetings; How would
you handle multiple projects/tasks simultaneously ? How
do you determine which task to complete first?
Skill: Computer/software skills
•Question: You have listed on your resume that you worked
with program X.
Can you tell me about your experience with that program?
Knowledge: Project management (others: Microsoft Office,
computer programming, theories/laws regarding a particular field
of study, etc.)
•Question: Can you describe how you would manage project
X
 STEP 4: CREATE INTERVIEW
•
QUESTION CRITERIA
Develop criteria for interview questions in order to determine if an answer is good, average or
poor
– You want to create a standardized framework from which to distinguish between good,
average and poor candidates.

• Creating criteria for possible answers to interview questions, will help to mitigate subjectivity in
the selection of a candidate.
– This will help distinguish candidates and give you a measure for what determines a “good”
candidate.
– Qualifiers should be decided on by the hiring manager, as well as team members the
applicant would be working with if hired, as well as person who may be in the current
position

• The chart below displays elements that determine what factors would qualify as a good ,
average or poor answer from a candidate
Example Criteria for interview answers
Dimension Good Average Poor
Working in Works well in Has worked in a group Prefers to work
a group groups, help a group and alone but will work in
leader position groups
Timeliness Is early or on time Is on time or a few Was terminated from
minutes late previous job for
tardiness
 PHASE 2: THE IN-
PERSON INTERVIEW
 STEP: 1 BEFORE
THE INTERVIEW
• Contact candidates to set up an interview-give at least one day notice
• Remind the candidate of a request to bring a resume to the interview,
confirm date, time, & location
– If they will be meeting with more than one person, provide
names and
titles
• Read all paperwork-including cover letter, resume, and application. Make
notes based on the paper work and determine what job related questions to
ask
• Make sure you have a room and time set aside so that you will not be
interrupted in the middle of an interview
 STEP 2: DURING THE
• INTERVIEW:
Greet the candidate; ask them to have a seat.
– Main goal is to make them feel comfortable and welcome.

• If you have required a resume, ask them for a copy

• Go over a brief outline of what you will be going over during the interview so they
know what to
expect
Example: “ I am going to go over the job description with you and answer any questions you may
have. Then I will ask you a few questions and answer any questions you may have”

• Ask the structured interview questions you have developed (see phase 1)

• Remember to ask all candidates the same questions

• Do take notes during the interview

Goal: To gather information and assess the candidate’s past

experiences, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as it relates to the
job.
 STEP 3: AFTER THE
INTERVIEW
• You have conducted interviews and narrowed your list down to those few
candidates you would like to hire-now what?
– Your next step is to conduct a reference check.
• Make sure you set aside a quiet place to talk with minimal distractions
and
as few interruptions as possible
• Make sure you also communicate with those students whom you did not
hire.
Sample Communication:

Dear [Insert Name},

It was a pleasure meeting with you to discuss your background and interest in the [Job Title]
position within our department. We appreciate your time, throughout the interview process.
We did have several highly qualified candidates for the position and it has been a difficult
decision, but we have chosen to pursue another candidate who we feel is best qualified.
We do thank you for your interest in [Company Name] and we wish you the best of luck in your
future endeavors. Sincerely,

Enter Name
Title
 WHAT TO
•
ASK?
When conducting a reference check, your main goal is to get an idea of the
duties and responsibilities that candidate had in their last job, as well as
rapport with management and co-workers. Do note that answers may be
limited due to company policy

Reference Check: Sample questions

When did (enter name) work for your company? Can you
give start/ending dates?
What was her/his position? Can you describe the job
duties and responsibilities?
How would you describe his/her relationship with
management? Co-workers?
Did (enter name) have a positive work attitude?
What were his/her strengths on the job? Weaknesses?
Would you recommend (enter candidate’s name) for this
position?
PHASE 3: MAKING
THE OFFER
 YOU ARE AT THE END OF THE INTERVIEW
PROCESS! YOU HAVE FOUND A GOOD
CANDIDATE, AND ARE READY TO HIRE!

Step 1: Job Offer Checklist:

 Job Title

 Rate of pay and pay frequency

 Hours of work

Start Date-make sure you select a date allowing enough time for students to fill out the necessary
paperwork before they are hired. If you are unsure what date to use, leave this section blank on the
Student Employment Action Form (SEAF) and the Office of Student Employment will work with you
to assign a date.

Step 2: Have students come into the Office of Student Employment to fill out the following
forms:
 State/federal tax forms State and Federal Tax Forms

 I-9 Form and provide appropriate identification

 Inform employee about I-9 and bringing appropriate identification

Remind him/her to bring emergency contact information to fill out form on first day of work-

 Remind him/her to bring a VOID check and bank information for direct
deposit
NOTE: Students can change their emergency contact and direct deposit information through
Campus Connect once they are hired.
 INTERVIEW
• Two main styles
FORMATS
of interviews
– Traditional
• uses broad-based
questions.
– Behavioral
• used to find out what past
behaviors the candidate
has exhibited that will be
beneficial to our
company
 7 TYPES OF
INTERVIEWS
Screening or telephone interview
– over the phone, these interviews are more of a quick
check to see if the candidate has the basic
qualifications you are looking for
– It is recommended that you have in front of you your
resume, the job description, a list of references, some
prepared answers to challenging questions and
perhaps something about the company.
– Be sure to ask what the next step is.
 7 TYPES OF
INTERVIEWS
Individual Interview
– Most common type and often called a “personal
interview.”
– Typically a one-on-one exchange at the organizations
offices
– In order to best prepare you will want to know the length
of the interview which can usually range from 30 to 90
minutes.
• If the interview is 30 minutes you have to be concise and have
a high impact with your answers.
• If it is 60 or 90 minutes you will want to go into much more
depth and use specific examples to support your
generalizations.
 7 TYPES OF
INTERVIEWS
Multiple or Committee Interview
– This is where you will be meeting with several decision-
makers at once or all in the same day.
– This is a series of interviews where the candidate gets to
meet individually with several different representatives
from the organization.
– It’s an efficient way to interview candidates and allows for
different interpretations or perceptions of the same
answer.
• Be sure to make eye contact with everyone, no matter who
asked the question.
• It’s important to establish rapport with each member of the
interview team.
 7 TYPES OF
INTERVIEWS
Behavioral-Based Interview
– The theory behind Critical Behavioral Interviewing (CBI)
is that past performance in a similar situation is the
best predictor of future performance
– You should prepare by thinking of specific examples that
demonstrate your competence in core behaviors:
– Teamwork
– Problem-solving
– Communication
– Creativity
– Flexibility
– Organizational skills.
 7 TYPES OF
INTERVIEWS
Task Oriented or Testing Interview
– This is a problem-solving interview where you will be
given some exercises to demonstrate your creative and
analytical abilities.
– A company may ask you to take a short test to evaluate
your technical knowledge and skills.
– A presentation to a group is necessary to determine
your
communication skills.
 7 TYPES OF
INTERVIEWS
Stress
– Candidates given questions or are told
remarks that are intended to upset them, in
order to see how they react.
– The interviewer tries to bait you, to see how you
will respond.
– The objective is to find your weaknesses and
test how you hold up to pressure.
• Such tactics as: Weird Silences, Constant Interruptions,
and Challenging Interrogation with antagonistic
questions are designed to push your boundaries.
 7 TYPES OF
INTERVIEWS
Situational
– Candidates are given scenarios of situations
they may face when they come to work for the
company, and their responses are compared
with standard responses that have previously
been set.
INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS
 INTERVIEW QUESTION
TYPES
 Specific  Procedure

Concept

Specific

 Concept  Behavior Based

 EXAMPLE SPECIFIC
QUESTION
Structure
According to the Fair Labor Standards
Act what determines if an employee
receives overtime …?
 EXAMPLE OF A
CONCEPTUAL
Question Structure
What does Division of Labor mean?
Why do you think the cost of our product is
a most important competitive advantage
to our organization?
Key question types are “What is..." "Why
does... "
 EXAMPLE OF A
PROCEDURAL

Question structure
•Which one of the following is the
correct procedure for…
•How would you satisfy a customer if they
wanted to return something after the return
policy has expired?
 EXAMPLE OF A BEHAVIOR-
BASED QUESTION
STRUCTURE
“Tell me about a time when you …
(instead of “what would you do…”)
Tell me about a time where you had to deal with
conflict on the job.
If I were your supervisor and asked you to do
something that you disagreed with, what would
you do?
 IT IS ILLEGAL TO ASK
ABOUT
 Race  Birthplace
 Sexual preference  Age
 Religion  Disability
 National origin  Marital/family status
 REMEMBER

 Most illegal questions asked by untrained

interviewer

 Usually they are innocent

 HOW TO HANDLE AN ILLEGAL
QUESTION
 Answer the question by answering the intent of
the question

 Try to change the topic

 Refuse to answer the question

 PREPARING FOR THE
INTERVIEW

 Practice your body language

 Posture
 Positioning
 Eye contact
 Facial expressions
 PREPARING FOR THE
INTERVIEW
 Assess yourself
 How do I come across to other people?
 Do I act self assured?
 Am I confident?
 Do I give the impression that I want the
job?
 REMEMB
ER
 Be prepared to explain your past
successes, accomplishments

 Restate your interest in the

position at the close of the
interview
 INTERVIEW DO’S
Be on time - arrive 15 minutes
early

Offer a firm
handshake

Listen to the question

before you answer
 INTERVIEW DO’S

Turn off cell phone/beeper

Give interviewer your full

attention
 THE INTERVIEW

It is OK to be nervous
It is OK for your heart to palpitate
It is OK for your mouth to go dry

But stay focused