Reflecting on my experience in the interviews, I have participated in, many factors contributed to their effectiveness or ineffectiveness. The most common factors in the best interviews were structure and behavior-based questions. In these conversations, the hiring managers focused heavily on asking specific task-related questions related to the technical nature of the role and how my past experiences describe my work. As explained in the lecture note, “Outline- Selection,” both strategies improve reliability and validity. Reliability improves because keeping the interview the same for all applicants promotes consistency, which correlates with fewer errors. Validity is improved because behaviorally constructed questions demonstrate criterion-related validity, which the lecture states, “empirically show a relationship between the test and measures of job performance” (Outline-Selection). The behavior questions demonstrate this relationship because the “test”, past behavior, can display what an individual can contribute to the firm in the future. Both strategies are crucial to a successful and effective interview, in my experience.
As for the ineffective interviews I have participated in, they were very unstructured. In these poor interviews, the hiring party treated them more like conversations, which most likely led to impulsive decisions. This impulsive hiring nature is described as snap judgment, which the outline states, “[jumping] to conclusion based on any number of things … first impressions … negative emphasis” (Outline-Selection). These interviewers had to make decisions about candidates based on almost random factors, which makes this interview style have bad utility, as it is not worth the time or money to participate in the process.
If I could go back and advise those employers on how to improve the effectiveness of their interviews, I would tell them to ensure the interview process is identical for every candidate and is centered on behavioral questions. When every candidate is asked the same questions, one can clearly see the differences in their answers, making it more efficient to hire the candidate with the best answer. In terms of behavior, ensuring the potential employee is prepared through past experience and that their attitude meets the selection criteria is another way to ensure hiring goes smoothly.
Cieri, Mike. Outline-Selection. Mgmt 553: Human Resources Management, Oregon State University. Canvas, Selection.
