MGMT 453 – Week 5
I have experienced many different types of interviews at this point in my career. I have completed group interviews, structured interviews, unstructured interviews, and multiple hurdle approaches. My first job was at In-N-Out in high school, and the interview consisted of two components. The first component was a small group interview, and if the interviewer thought you were a good candidate, you moved on to a second interview with both the store and general managers. This interview was structured, but because the majority of interviewees were young and had little work experience, the questions were less complex than what you might see in an interview for a more advanced job position. That said, the questions asked still seemed to garner a fantastic group of employees, as many stayed for several years and all worked well together. The interview had reliability, validity, and utility.
Another significant interview that I have completed was for my internship at Amazon this past summer. Recruiters used a multiple hurdle approach, where candidates were required to pass a test before being able to move on to the next round, which consisted of two interviews (Swift). The interview questions for the intern role were highly structured, including several behavioral and situational questions. Because of this, the questions all appeared to have high reliability, validity, and utility.
While my interview with Amazon and my interview In-N-Out both appeared to be effective and predictive of employee performance, I have also completed two interviews that could have been conducted much better. I used to be an intramural sports official at Oregon State, and the interview was structured in a large group style. Not only was the interview a bit scattered, but the group format did not offer a better gauge of an employee’s future performance (Bohnet, 2016). In the future, I would recommend that Oregon State conduct its employee interviews in a one-on-one format rather than in a group. I am currently a host at a family-owned restaurant, and the interview was highly unstructured. This lack of structure leads managers to hiring individuals based solely on their perceptions, and it fails to address a candidate’s actual job potential (Bohnet, 2016). In order to make more informed hiring decisions, this restaurant should implement a more structured interview style.
References
Swift, M. (n.d.). Lecture 5: The Selection Decision. Available at: W5 Lecture 5 – The Selection Decision.pptx.
Bohnet, I. (2016). How to Take the Bias Out of Interviews. Harvard Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/2016/04/how-to-take-the-bias-out-of-interviews
