Human Resource
Management:
An Asian Perspective
(Second Edition)
Chapter 7
Interviewing
Candidates
Gary Dessler and Chwee Huat Tan
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd.
All rights reserved.
After studying this chapter,
you should be able to:
1. List the main types of selection
interviews
2. Explain factors that affect the
usefulness of interviews
3. Discuss the guidelines for an effective
interviewer
4. Effectively interview a job candidate
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–2
Basic Features of Interviews
⮚An interview (definition)
– A procedure designed to obtain information from an
applicant by asking him/her questions
⮚Types of interviews
– Selection interview (focus for this chapter)
– Appraisal interview
– Exit interview
⮚Interview format
– Structured
– Unstructured
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–3
Types of Interviews
⮚ Selection interview
– A selection procedure based on the applicants’ answers to
questions
⮚ Appraisal interview
– A discussion, following a performance appraisal, in which
supervisor and employee discuss the employee’s rating and
possible remedial actions.
⮚ Exit interview
– Interview a departing employee to get information about job
related matters to give the company some insight into what is
right or wrong about the company
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–4
Format of Interviews
⮚Unstructured or nondirective interview
– An unstructured conversational-style interview in
which the interviewer discusses points of interest as
they come up in response to questions
⮚Structured or directive interview
– An interview following a set sequence of questions
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–5
Format of Interviews
⮚Structured or directive interview
– Advantages:
• More reliable and valid
• Help those less comfortable doing interviews
• Increase consistency across candidates
• Enhance job relatedness
• Reduce bias
– Disadvantages:
• Do not always provide opportunity to follow up
on points of interest as they develop
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–6
Interview Content: Types of
Questions
Types of Interview
(based on content)
Job-related Situational Behavioral Stress
interview interview interview interview
Interviewer tries to Candidates are Candidates are Interviewer tries to
deduce what the asked what their asked how they make the
applicant’s on-the- behavior would be have reacted to applicants
job performance in a given actual situations in uncomfortable with
will be by listening situation. the past. “rude” questions in
to their answers to order to find their
questions about stress tolerance.
past behaviors.
Figure 7.2
Types of Interview (based on content)
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–7
Administering the Interview
⮚ Individual interview: one-on-one
⮚ Sequential interview
– Unstructured
– Structured
⮚ Panel interview / mass interview
⮚ Telephone interview
⮚ Computerized interview
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–8
Factors Affecting An Interview
⮚ First impression
⮚ Poor knowledge of the job
⮚ Candidate-order error
⮚ Pressure to hire
⮚ Impression of non-verbal behavior
⮚ Effect of personal characteristics
⮚ Interviewer behavior
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–9
Designing and Conducting
the Interview
1. Job analysis
2. Rate the job’s duties
3. Create interview
questions
4. Create benchmark
answers
5. Appoint interview panel
Figure 7.3
and conduct interview
The Structured Situational Interview
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–10
How to Conduct an Effective
Interview
⮚ Steps:
1. Structure the interview
2. Prepare for the interview
3. Establish rapport
4. Ask questions
5. Close the interview
6. Review the interview
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–11
Team exercise
Pls discuss in your groups for 15 mins and then
share for 5 mins your answers to the following
questions:
- Describe the typical structure of a job
interview
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–12
Specific Factors to look for in
an Interview
⮚ Use a combination of situational and open-
ended questions to probe candidate’s
suitability:
– Intellectual factor
– Motivation factor
– Personality factor
– Knowledge and experience factor
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–13
Conducting the Interview with
a Plan
Use a plan/structure as a guide:
– Intro
– Work experience
– Goal, career aspirations and ambitions
– Access interest and match to the role
– Notice
– Salary
– Questions/Conclusion
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–14
Team exercise
Let’s all discuss together:
- Advantages and challenges of online
interviews?
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–15
Team exercise
Pls discuss in your groups for 15 mins and then
share for 5 mins your answers to the following
questions:
Pls come up with 1-2 great questions and
answers.
- Team 1: after the greetings/Job match
- Team 2: re work experience
- Team 3: re motivation/career aspiration/job interest
- Team 4: salary/notice period
- Team 5: any other popular interview question
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–16
Team exercise
Pls discuss in your groups for 20 mins and then
share for 5-10 mins your presentations:
Pls simulate a part of the interview.
- Team 1: greetings/introduction
- Team 2: work experience
- Team 3: motivation/career aspiration
- Team 4: salary/notice period/closing
- Team 5: job match
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–17
Matching Candidate to Job
You should be able to
– Summarize the candidate’s strengths and
weaknesses.
– Draw a conclusion on specific factors.
– Compare your conclusion to the job description and
behavioral specifications.
– Use an interview evaluation form to compile
impressions.
© 2009 Pearson Education South Asia. All rights reserved. 7–18
• For further Information please
contact:
• Mr Andree Mangels
• Phone: 0909 - 742912
• Email:
[email protected] 19
