Why Effective Interviews Matter

Conducting interviews is a critical step in getting to know the candidate or applicant, as well as get the answers you need and want to hear, or maybe don’t want to hear. However, conducting interviews is not as easy as sitting down and asking some questions. It takes a lot of diligent thought and time to plan out your questions, make sure they are acceptable to be asking, ensure they will help with your intentions behind interviewing, as well as make sure they are effective.

What Makes an Effective Interview

It is important to follow the following things when conducting an interview. An interviewer must put the applicant at ease, ask open-ended questions, listen more, talk less, take notes, and understand what you can’t ask. In addition to that it is important to share about the company culture and values, highlight the growth opportunities your company is offering, and provide a welcoming interview environment.

My Experience With Interviews

I don’t have the most experience when it comes to interviews, but I have had a decent amount of exposure to them over the last 8 years or so. The two types of interviews that I have generally participated in is for jobs as well as for scholarships. Some of the best interviews I have had is those that are very informal, not necessarily in dress but in conversation. They asked me questions that were open to lots of discussion, plenty of time to talk to one another, and also the interviewer sharing about their company and how their questions are relevant to the role that I am applying for. I also think that some of the most important questions in an interview are not necessarily when the interviewer asks questions but rather when you can ask the interviewer questions. You can learn a lot about the company, the employees and what you should expect going into the role. Some of the worst interviews I have had are the interviews I have had for scholarships. The reason these interviews were ineffective was because they only asked a few close ended questions that did not allow for much elaboration or conversation, they were on a short timeline, and they were not made to feel informal and comfortable. If these interviews could have been conducted more like the one I listed above, they would have been much more effective.

Reliability, Validity, and Utility

Reliability, validity, and utility are all important facets to the interview process. Reliability refers to whether an interview process is consistent across the board for all candidates and if they are using the same questions for each individual. Validity refers to whether or not the questions are directly related to certain skills, abilities, or competencies that the candidate can exemplify in their answers to prove they are a good and worthy fit for the role they are applying for. Lastly, utility is in reference to how the interviewer is able to utilize the applicant based on their skills, experience, abilities, and knowledge for the role they are hiring and interviewing for. If the applicant is a great individual but doesn’t have much utility, they may not be the best fit for the role.

References

Hiring employees: Conduct an effective job interview | the Hartford. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2023, from https://www.thehartford.com/business-insurance/strategy/hiring-first-employee/conduct-interviews

ProQuest Ebook Central. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2023, from https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/fjpw/home.action

How to take the bias out of interviews. Harvard Business Review. (2016, July 18). Retrieved May 5, 2023, from https://hbr.org/2016/04/how-to-take-the-bias-out-of-interviewsKnight, R. (2019, August 16). 7 practical ways to reduce bias in your hiring process. SHRM. Retrieved May 5, 2023, from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/talent-acquisition/pages/7-practical-ways-to-reduce-bias-in-your-hiring-process.aspx