Your goals in conducting an employment interview are : clarify the facts noted on application forms and CVs; interpret this information; communicate company policies, procedures and expectations; and project the company image. A job candidate will then have the opportunity to evaluate the information you offered and to decide if the position you are offering is suitable.
Beyond Qualifications
Interviewing is more than a question and answer session; it requires planning, timing, and continuous assessment on the part of the interviewer. A well conducted interview results in a fuller understanding of candidate potential; it brings to life the data on CVs and application blanks. You will have begun to know the candidate, and the candidate will have begin to know your company and the job offer.
Although questions should be carefully directed and job-related, they can be open ended and broad. Your goal is to elicit meaningful, valid responses from the candidates. Your interview is successful if you come away from it with specific ideas on the attitudes, job behavior, and reactions of the candidate. A step by step analysis of typical questions asked by experienced interviewers and interpretation of the responses is provided.
When you are considering candidates for executive positions or as general management trainees, it is especially critical to test their mettle. Executives have demanding jobs with far reaching responsibilities that influence the productivity and profitability of a firm. With so much at stake, you will want to select candidates who display leadership, administrative know-how, and a constellation of related abilities such as time management, public speaking skills, and fiscal responsibility. You will also be looking for decisiveness, initiative, analytical skills, self-confidence, emotional maturity, and stability. A successful job interview together with proper psychometric tests will help you assess these and other characteristics.
When considering candidates for entry-level and lower-level type jobs, you will conduct briefer interviews tasking fewer in depth questions because the nature of the work is less demanding. However, job performance is still important. Although interviewing clerical candidates will take less time, evaluating past job performances as well as assessing motivation and interpersonal skills will lead to successful selection.
When interviewing it is important to keep in mind the dual purpose definition of the selection process, i.e., (1) to determine if an applicant for a job has the abilities, personality characteristics, experience, and motivation to perform successfully in that job, and (2) to assess the applicant’s potential for lateral and /or vertical transfer within your organization. The first purpose is self-evident, but the second is frequently overlooked. This is extremely unfortunate because an applicant’s potential for lateral and-or vertical transfer is basic to company manpower planning, and your attempt to assess this potential demonstrates to the applicant your concern for his or her growth within your organization.
Prof.Lakshman