1. Interviewing MANA 5341 Dr. George Benson benson@uta.edu

2. Interview Purposes 1.Evaluate ability to perform the job. 2.Evaluate “fit” with the job. 3.Provide a realistic job preview. 4.Sell the job. 5.Gather any additional info needed.

3. Proper Use of the Interview Use in conjunction with other methods Recruiting vs. selection  Candidates remember more info when recruited  Interviewers tend to be more positive when recruiting Good at measuring:  Personal relations, conscientiousness, and job knowledge (baseline knowledge not details) Bad at measuring:  Specialized skills, and many abilities that are better measured with a test

4. Types of Selection Interviews Unstructured (traditional) interviews  Better for personality / cultural fit Structured interviews  More valid and reliable  Better for KSA’s Stress Interview

5. Discrimination Found All interviewers were white / male No structured written interview format No objective criteria for employment decisions Questions unrelated to job requirements No scoring standards Discriminatory questions

6. Discrimination Not Found Structured questionnaire Questions based on job analysis Formal scoring system used Same questions asked to all candidates KSA’s listed for job Measurement of personality permitted

7. Structured Interviewing USED TO IMPROVE RELIABILTY AND VALIDITY OF INTERVIEWS Ask all candidates the same questions. Use a formal rating system. Use situational / behavioral / job-related questions. Don’t be swayed by body language, how someone speaks or how they dress -- unless it matters. Practice.

8. Developing a Structured Interview 1.Conduct a job analysis 2.Categorize KSA’s (selection requirements then prioritize) 3.Decide which KSA’s best covered in interview 4.Develop situation / behavior / job related questions  Interview job incumbents for critical incidents and behaviors  Write the questions and rating scales  Validate the questions and rating scales 5.Train interviewers 6.Validate interview process

9. Situational Questions Situations determined by job incumbents or experts.  Use Critical Incidents that have actually occurred and are examples of particularly good or poor job performance. Best for KSA’s related to:  Good citizenship / conscientiousness  Personal relations / communication Include behavioral dimensions for scoring. Questions should not require that candidate has been in that situation and are forward looking: What would you do....?

10. Situational Questions: Sales Associate A customer walks into the store. No other sales people are around to help and you are busy arranging merchandise. What would you do in this situation? 1 Low – Keep on arranging the merchandise until someone tells me differently. 3 Average – Keep working but greet the customer. 5 High – Stop working, greet the customer, and offer assistance. A customer is shopping for the “right” shirt for her 17 year old granddaughter. She asks you to show her shirts that would be “right” for her. You do this, but the customer does not like any of them. What would you do in this situation? 1 Low – Tell the customer she might have better luck elsewhere. 2 Average – Explain to her why you think your choices are good choices. 3 High – Explain your choices and suggest a gift certificate as an alternative.

11. Behavior / Experience-Based Questions Behaviors determined by job incumbents or experts. Similar to situational, with different focus. Should have add-on questions related to behavior Should have prepared rating scales related to performance Best for KSA’s related to:  Job specific skills and knowledge  Team work / quality environments Questions require that candidate have that experience (but not necessarily on the job) and are backward looking: What did you do....?

12. Behavior / Experience-Based Questions It is often necessary to work together as a group to accomplish a task. Can you tell me about the most recent experience you had working as part of a group?  What was the task?  How many people in the group?  What difficulties arose working with the group?  What role did you play in resolving those differences?  How successful was the group in completing its task?

13. Job-Related Questions Use information from job task analysis  Identify and rate critical job tasks  Identify and rate critical KSA’s  Choose selection measures appropriate for KSA’s Best for job-related knowledge and experience  Don’t ask “have you done xyz.....”  Instead ask “how would you do xyz....”  Should be done in non-threatening way

14. Job-Related Questions: Maintenance Supervisor KSA: Verbal ability to give work instructions to laborers regarding construction and repair. 1. What instructions would you give a work crew who was about to string a 220-volt electric cable in a building under construction? 2. Two laborers with limited experience ask about the procedures for repairing a brick wall. What instructions do you give them regarding equipment and how they should operate it? Apply a scoring format.

15. Interview Trends Puzzle Questions  What is the temperature when it's twice as cold as zero degrees?  Interviewer brandishes a wine bottle, a coin, and a cork, and say, "I'm going to put this coin in this bottle and then stop the opening with the cork. How would you get the coin out without breaking the bottle or pulling the cork?” Creativity Questions  If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would play the leading role?  How would you design a spice rack for a blind person?  Why are manhole covers round?

16. Worst Interview Questions Tell me about yourself… Where do you see yourself in twenty years? What are your greatest strengths / weaknesses? What would you do if money did not matter?

17. Conducting a Good Interview Be prepared.  Look over the resume.  Know what questions you want to ask in advance. Keep appropriate notes. Remember - the interview is about recruiting. Put the candidate at ease – establish rapport. Ask open questions so candidates can expand on their own capabilities. Use silence judiciously.

18. Common Interviewer Mistakes Similar-to-me error Halo / Horns bias First impression bias Contrast errors

19. Common Interviewer Mistakes Talking excessively Asking inconsistent questions Asking questions unrelated to the job Unable to put interviewee at ease Overconfidence in ability to judge candidates Stereotyping Rating problems (range restriction)

20. Things not to do during an interview… Probation for naked interviewer BBC News 6.14.05 A man who tried to conduct a job interview naked has been sentenced to three years' probation and placed on the sex offenders' register. Akbar, 35, left the interview room and came back in to speak to his female victim naked and clutching a clipboard. He initially told police his strip was a consensual "role play" as part of his "tough interviewing technique". At Least 82 Women Taped Changing Into Uniforms AP 5.26.04 Police also searched the home of former Hooter’s manager Juan Aponte and confiscated a computer after two women told police in January they were secretly recorded during job interviews. Eighty-two women are shown in the videos, police said. The women were asked to undress and slip into Hooters uniform in the trailer behind the restaurant, which is planned to open next month, police said.

21. Prohibited Questions Don’t ask applicants if they have children, plan to have children, or what child-care arrangements they have made. Don’t ask an applicants age. Don’t ask whether or not the candidate has a physical or mental disability that would interfere with doing the job. Don’t ask for such identifying characteristics as height or weight on an application. Don’t ask a female candidate for her maiden name. Don’t ask applicants about their citizenship. Don’t ask applicants about their arrest records. Don’t ask a job candidate if he or she has AIDS or is HIV-positive.