Reflecting on my recent interview experience in a company I am going to call “Company X” (I am afraid of negative legal repercussions), it is clear that the interview process I participated in had several areas of concern. The questions asked by the interviewers were inconsistent and lacked a standardized format. Some candidates were asked more challenging questions, while others received easier ones. This is a significant issue because it can lead to an uneven playing field, making it difficult to compare candidates fairly. Similarly, Bohnet (2016) identifies this as a common problem with unstructured interviews. She points out that these types of interviews can inadvertently introduce biases and are often poor predictors of job performance. This resonates with my experience, where the lack of a standardized format led to an unreliable assessment of our abilities.
The second area of concern was the validity of the interview process. The questions asked during my interview did not seem to be directly related to the job requirements. This is problematic as it can lead to a mismatch between the skills of the hired candidate and the needs of the job. Knight (2019) emphasizes the importance of crafting job descriptions and interview questions that accurately reflect the skills and qualifications necessary for the job. In my case, the superficial and generic questions did not allow us to effectively showcase our skills and competencies, thus calling into question the validity of the process.
If I were to advise the employers on how to improve their interview process, I would certainly draw on the strategies suggested by Knight (2019) and Bohnet (2016). These include standardizing the interview process to ensure fairness and comparability. I would also advise Company X to improve the relevance of the questions to accurately assess candidates’ skills and qualifications. Further, I would advise them to implement work sample tests for a more accurate assessment of a candidate’s ability to perform job-related tasks. I would also remind them that continuous evaluation and improvement of the hiring process is key to ensuring its effectiveness.
References
Bohnet, I. (2016, April 18). How to take the bias out of interviews. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved November 3, 2023, from https://hbr.org/2016/04/how-to-take-the-bias-out-of-interviews
Knight, R. (2018, April 19). 7 Practical ways to reduce bias in your hiring process. SHRM. Retrieved November 2, 2023, from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/7-practical-ways-to-reduce-bias-in-your-hiring-process.aspx
