Throughout my career, I have been through the interview process several times with several different styles. The most notable interviews were at a brewing company I worked for briefly and at Oregon State University, where I now work.
Brewing Company
At the brewing company, the interviewer talked too much about her business instead of asking questions about me as the candidate. She had an unstructured interview type and came up with questions off the top of her head. This made the interview feel like it was invalid and unreliable from the start (Swift, 2021). She would not know if the questions she was asking were good predictors of the work I would perform and if the interview was consistent with other interviews. It may have had a high utility in her mind since she did not have to spend much money, but did not accurately predict how I would do in the job. She also talked too much about the problems that the business was facing. I know that she was trying to be honest and set my expectations, but even during the interview, I started to feel discouraged about working there because of the amount of issues. I needed a job at the time, so I took the job when it was offered, but later regretted it and wished I had paid attention to the red flags during the interview.
Oregon State University
At Oregon State, the interview process for the cook position I have now was the complete opposite. There was a set list of questions that I answered, which showed the reliability and validity of the interview. My interview was the same as the other interviews for the same position (Swift, 2021). They asked situational questions as well as standard interview questions, allowing me to show how I would handle specific issues that could occur on the job. The interview also included a work sample of a knife skills test showing the proper ways to dice different vegetables and chiffonade herbs. While this may have taken more time and money from the company, it had construct validity since it tested a skill I use every day on the job. Therefore, it had a high utility for the company. I also know that as the positions get higher, the work samples increase in difficulty and time but show skills that the employee will need at that position. In this case, the work samples have a high validity and utility (Swift, 2021).
Interview Advice
If I could go back and advise the brewing company about their interview process, I would tell them that they should use a structured interview process and make sure they stay focused on the positives about the job. A structured interview process can ensure that the interviews are reliable and valid, that the interviews are consistent between candidates and measure their fit for the job more accurately (Swift, 2021). Along with this, an interview will have better outcomes if the interviewer stays positive and engaged with the candidates rather than using it as a time to talk about the problems in the business (Swift, 2021).
References
Swift, M. (2021). Choosing Selection Methods. Week 4 Learning Materials. Oregon State University; Oregon State University.
Swift, M. (2021). Improving Interview Effectiveness. Week 4 Learning Materials. Oregon State University; Oregon State University.
