Panel Interview

In brief: This chapter gives an overview of types of interviews and their features. It discusses common mistakes in interviewing, and outlines effective interviewing techniques.

Interesting issues: While structured interviews have been shown to be more valid than non-structured ones, managers tend to resist structured interviews in favor of trusting their own skills as an unstructured interviewer.

Lecture Outline

I. Introduction: Basic Features of Interviews

A. Types of Interviews

1. Structured vs Unstructured Interviews

a. unstructured or nondirective interviews b. structured or directive interviews

2. The Purpose of the Interview

a. stress interview b. appraisal interview

3. The Interview’s Content: The Types of Questions

a. situational interview b. job-related interview c. behavioral interview d. psychological interview

4. Administering the Interview

a. sequential interview i. structured ii. unstructured b. panel interview c. computerized interviews

B. How Useful Are Interviews?

C. Interviewing and the Law: Employment Discrimination "Testers"

D. Information Technology and HR: The Computer-Aided Interview

page 223 of the text: see Discussion Boxes solutions at end of this chapter

II. What Factors Can Undermine An Interview’s Usefulness?

A. Snap Judgments

B. Negative Emphasis

C. Misunderstanding the Job

D. Pressure to Hire

E. Candidate-Order (Contrast) Error

F. Influence of Nonverbal Behavior

G. Diversity Counts: Dressing for the Interview

page 227 of the text: see Discussion Boxes solutions at end of this chapter

H. Telegraphing

I. Too Much / Too Little Talking

J. Playing District Attorney or Psychologist

III. Designing and Conducting the Effective Interview

A. The Structured Interview

1. Step 1: Job Analysis

2. Step 2: Evaluate the Job Duty Information

3. Step 3: Develop Interview Questions

4. Step 4: Develop Benchmark Answers

5. Step 5: Appoint Interview Panel and Implement

B. Guidelines for Conducting an Interview

1. Structure the Interview

2. Plan the Interview

2. Establish Rapport

3. Ask Questions

4. Close the Interview

5. Review the Interview

6. Small Business Applications

page 235 of the text: see Discussion Boxes solutions—end of this chapter

7. The High-Performance Organization: A Total Selection Program

page 236 of the text: see Discussion Boxes solutions—end of this chapter

Discussion Boxes

Information Technology and HR:
Computer Applications in Interviewing: The Computer-Aided Interview
(page 223)

This dialogue box gives an example of a bank that is using the computer-aided interview. It describes the computer interview and ends by telling us that candidates who were hired by the program were 26% less likely to quit or be fired within 90 days of hiring. Key points: | The computer program gives candidates a taste of what the job is really like. | Candidates must handle realistic job situations. | Hiring officials can review the candidate's performance at their convenience.

Diversity Counts: Dressing for the Interview
(page 227)

This discussion box describes one study which found that the more masculine a woman's dress, the more likely she was to be hired...to a point. If she crossed over the line to being "too masculine" she would be turned down. Good discussions could be generated from this study regarding the "double-standard" that many women face in employment as well as the influence of non-job performance related issues on the acceptability of candidates.

Small Business Applications
(pages 235-236)

A good outline for interviewing candidates for a position at a small business is given in this section. It might be a good discussion point to talk about what the barriers to carrying out this plan would be for small business people. Would they view it as too much work and too complicated? What are the potential costs if they do not utilize the system?

The High-Performance Organization
(pages 236-238)

This discussion box describes Toyota’s “Total Selection Program.” Figure 6-5 on page 237 gives a summary of the process. A key item is that the system selects not just for skills, but for values. It is a complex, comprehensive process that involves a great deal of time and energy commitment to carry out. Students may want to discuss why other company’s may not want to make this commitment. Why does Toyota make the commitment?

Key Terms

nondirective interview An unstructured conversational-style interview. The interviewer pursues points of interest as they come up in response to questions. (page 216)

directive interview An interview following a set sequence of questions. (page 216)

stress interview An interview in which the applicant is made uncomfortable by a series of often rude questions. This technique helps identify hypersensitive applicants and those with low or high stress tolerance. (page 220)

appraisal interview A discussion following a performance appraisal in which supervisor and employee discuss the employee's rating and possible remedial actions. (page 220)

situational interview A series of job-related questions which focuses on how the candidate would behave in a given situation. (page 220)

job related interview A series of job-related questions which focuses on relevant past job-related behaviors. (page 220)

structured sequential An interview in which the applicant is interviewed sequentially by interview several supervisors and each rates the applicant on a standard form. (page 221)

panel interview An interview in which a group of interviewers questions the applicant. (page 221)

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 question. (page 226)

Discussion Questions:

1. Explain the four basic ways in which interviews can be classified. Interviews can be classified according to: (1) degree of structure. This is the extent to which interviews are, or are not, structure with previously designed questions so that each candidate must answer the same things. (2) purpose. Interviews may be designed to accomplish several purposes, including selection, performance appraisal feedback, etc. (3) content. The content of the questions may be situational, job-related, or psychological. (4) the way the interview is administered. Interviews might be conducted by a panel of interviewers, sequentially or all at once, computerized, or personally. (page 216)

2. Briefly describe each of the following possible types of interviews: unstructured panel interviews; structured sequential interviews; job-related structured interviews. In the unstructured panel interview, the panel of interviewers asks questions as they come to mind. They do not have a list of questions or points that need to be covered, but may follow many different directions. The structured sequential interview consists of the candidate interviewing one by one with several different interviewers. Each interviewer conducts a structured interview which consists of pre-determined questions and a structured evaluation form to complete. The job-related structured interview consists of pre-determined questions, all of which are designed to asses the applicant's past behaviors for job-related information. (pages 220-222)

3. For What sorts of jobs do you think computerized interviews are most appropriate? Why? The computerized interview can be used as a screening device for virtually any type of position which may generate a large number of applicants. It is less likely to be used for managerial positions. However, if there are large numbers of applicants, it could certainly be just a useful there as in skilled, professional, and unskilled positions. (page 222)

4. Why do you think ". . . situational interviews yield a higher mean validity than do job related or behavioral interviews, which in turn yield a higher mean validity than do psychological interviews?" The situational interview allows the candidate to answer situational questions based on past experiences in which he or she might have made mistakes, but learned from them. The job-related (or behavioral) interview focuses primarily on past situations, but does not allow for changes in the candidate due to the lessons that he or she might have learned from those experiences. The psychological interview tends to be more speculative regarding traits which are difficult to really measure. (pages 220-221)

5. Similarly, how do you explain the fact that structured interviews, regardless of content, are more valid than unstructured interviews for predicting job performance? The structured interview helps to keep the interviewer focused on the types of behaviors, traits, or answers that are desired and have been determined to be predictors of job performance. Unstructured interviews allow interviewers to become sidetracked with things like common interests and other items that are not predictors of job success. (page 219)

6. Briefly discuss and give examples of at least five common interviewing mistakes. What recommendations would you give for avoiding these interviewing mistakes? Snap Judgments: This is where the interviewer jumps to a conclusion about the candidate during the first few minutes of the interview. Using a structured interview is one way to help avoid this, as well as training of the interviewers. (page 224) Negative Emphasis: When an interviewer has received negative information about the candidate, through references or other sources, he or she will almost always view the candidate negatively. The best way to avoid this is to keep references or other information from the interviewer. If possible, have different people do the reference checks and the interviews and not share the information until afterwards. (page 225) Misunderstanding the Job: When interviewers do not have a good understanding of the job requirements, they do not make good selections of candidates. All interviewers should clearly understand the jobs and know what is needed for success in those jobs. (page 225) Pressure to Hire: Anytime an interviewer is told that they must hire a certain number of people within a short time frame, poor selection decisions may be made. This type of pressure should be avoided whenever possible. (page 226) Candidate-Order (Contrast) Error: When an adequate candidate is preceded by either an outstanding, or a poor candidate, by contrast he or she looks either less satisfactory or much better. This can be countered through interviewer training, allowing time between interviews, and structured interviews with structured rating forms. (page 226) Influence of Nonverbal Behavior: Candidates who exhibit stronger non-verbal behavior such as eye contact and energy level are perceived as stronger by the interviewers. This can be minimized through interviewer training and structured interviews. (page 226) Telegraphing: An interviewer might "give" the right answers to candidates they hope to hire. This can be combated through structured interview questions, multiple interviewers, and interviewer training. (page 228) Too Much / Too Little Talking: On either end of these extremes, the interviewer may not gather all the information that is really needed to make an appropriate selection decision. Structured interviews help keep this from happening. (page 228) Playing District Attorney or Psychologist: Some interviewers misuse their power by turning the interview into a game of "gotcha" or by probing for hidden meanings in everything the applicants say. Structured interviews help keep this from happening. (page 228)

7. Explain why you think that it is (or is not) important to select candidates based on their values, as well as the usual selection criteria such as skills and experience. The responses here may well fall into two groups: some may think it is important and other may not think it is appropriate. Those who support using values in the selection criteria should point to issues such as: each organization has values, so it is important to find candidates who support those organizational values, some values are important to the welfare of the organization (honesty, etc.). Those who do not support it will likely point to issues such as: values are a gray area and difficult to accurately measure, using values can easily lead to adverse impact against some protected groups. (pages 236-238)

Individual and Group Activities:

1. Give a short presentation entitled "How to be Effective as an Interviewee." There are several things you can do to get an extra edge in the interview. Preparation is essential - - learn all you can about the employer, the job, and the people doing the recruiting. Second, uncover the interviewer's real needs - - use open-ended questions. Third, relate yourself to the interviewer's needs. Fourth, think before answering. Answering should be a three step process: pause/think/speak. Fifth, appearance and enthusiasm are important. Sixth, make a good first impression, remembering the importance of non-verbal behavior.

2. Working individually or in groups, develop a structured situational interview for hiring someone to teach a college-level course in human resource management. The interview questions might include questions such as: "How would you handle a student who is sleeping in class?" or "What would you do if a student was disruptive in class by making inappropriate noises or talking during your lecture?" Any type of situational question that relates to classroom management or to the administrative details that a teacher must handle would be appropriate. (pages 229-230)

3. Working individually or in groups, use the interview process described in this chapter's Small Business Applications feature to explain how you would interview a candidate for the job of President of the United States. The process is described on pages 235-236. The answers should include developing behavioral specifications for the job, which should fall into the categories of knowledge-experience, motivation, intellectual, and personality. The questions that they design should clearly set up situations that relate to each of the behavioral specifications they developed. And there should be a clear interview plan which works through the items listed on the bottom of page 235 and the top of page 236.

Cases and Exercises

Experiential Exercise: In-Class Mock Interview (page 240)

This exercise is well explained in step-by-step instructions in the text. It gives students the opportunity to practice developing a structured interview form and in conducting a structured interview.

Case Incident: The Out-of-Control Interview (page 241)

1. How would you explain the nature of the panel interview Maria had to endure? Specifically, do you think it reflected a well-thought-out interviewing strategy on the part of the firm, or carelessness on the part of the firm's management? If it was carelessness, what would you do to improve the interview process at Apex Environmental? It is fairly clear that the panel interview was a stress interview designed to see how well she could handle difficult situations. In this respect, it seems to have been a well-thought-out interviewing strategy, but there was a very clear element of carelessness on the part of the firm's management. The panel was obviously not well-trained and was careless in the choice of questions that they used. Many of the questions were clearly discriminatory and could be used against them in a gender-based discrimination suit.

2. Would you take the job offer if you were Maria? If you're not sure, is there any additional information that would help you make your decision, and if so, what is it? Maria needs additional information. What she does know is the nature of the job and the clear fit with her training and skills. The additional information that she should seek involves the number of women who work at Apex, the levels of management which they have attained, and the satisfaction of those women with their treatment by the Apex management. The fact that the entire interview panel was men and their choices of questions leaves us with reservations about how she would be treated once hired.

3. The job of applications engineer for which Maria was applying requires: (1) excellent technical skills with respect to mechanical engineering; (2) a commitment to working in the area of pollution control; (3) the ability to deal well and confidently with customers who have engineering problems; (4) a willingness to travel worldwide; and (5) a very intelligent and well-balanced personality. What questions would you ask when interviewing applicants for the job? There are a wide variety of specific questions that could be posed to address these issues. Questions need to be job-related, specifically to the requirements listed above. They also need to clearly avoid any discriminatory areas. Questions might be speculative or job-related.

Case Application: The Lost Interview (page 241)

Two supervisors need to interview an assistant they will share. Students are asked to evaluate the interviewing style and identify areas for improvement.

1. Is Rosa’s fourth interview likely to be more successful than the first three? Why or why not? Not likely. Rosa’s first question could be very defense arousing. She needs to put the candidate at ease and get them speaking before she asks the more difficult questions?

2. Do you see any flaws in Rosa’s preparation for the interview process? In Keith’s? While the students don’t have a list of Rosa’s questions they can make some assumptions. For example, Keith and Rosa have some share criteria for success as well as some individual criteria. Both should have some questions that related to their evaluation criteria. It is also not uncommon to decide which person will ask a particular question. That Rosa cannot remember one of Keith’s questions doesn’t say much about his skill.

3. What could Rosa and Keith do differently, both individually and as a team? Sharing their questions and evaluation criteria ahead of time would have allowed them to consolidate their ideas and select the best question set. They also need to agree on criteria other than age. Keith appears better at getting the candidate to talk, but not at eliciting much in the way of useful material. Rosa asks meaningful questions but is unable to get the candidate to disclose themselves. A combination of their two skills would make a formidable interviewing team.