how to interview staff Archives - Job Interview Coaching

Employers understand that job interviews are the critical component of the hiring process, serving as a key mechanism for employers to assess candidates’ suitability for a position.

The fact that no-one employer has found the perfect processing that results in the hiring of their first-choice candidate has led, over the years, to extensive research.

This research has been conducted to understand the intricacies of job interviews, from the structure and format to the biases and perceptions that can influence hiring outcomes.

We have collated the key points from a range of academic research on job interviews, providing hiring managers with the insights into how the major findings from scholarly articles can be optimized for better hiring decisions.

1. Introduction to Job Interviews

The Role of Job Interviews: Job interviews are designed to evaluate a candidate’s skills, experience, and cultural fit within an organisation.

The interview, 1-2-1, panel interview, or more recently video interview – the traditional question and answer job interview format, are used across various industries and at all job levels, for part or full time positions, and for low-level to high-level job roles.

Types of Job Interviews: Interviews can be structured (formal), semi-structured, or unstructured (informal).

Structured interviews, where each candidate is asked the same set of questions and scored against a pre-written scoring criteria, are often found to be more reliable and valid predictors of job performance compared to unstructured interviews.

2. Structured vs. Unstructured Interviews

Research on Structured Interviews:

A comprehensive review by Huffcutt and Arthur (1994) found that structured interviews are significantly more reliable than a unstructured recruitment process.
The structured interview reduces the variability in interviewers’ ratings and enhance the objectivity of the hiring process.
McDaniel et al. (1994) conducted a meta-analysis showing that structured interviews have higher predictive validity for job performance.

Advantages of Structured Interviews:

Consistency: All candidates are evaluated using the same criteria, often using as coring system, making the process fairer.
Reliability: Structured interviews provide consistent results over time.
Legal Defensibility: They are less likely to be challenged in court as they adhere to standardized procedures.

Challenges with Unstructured Interviews:

Bias: Unstructured interviews are prone to interviewer biases, such as halo effects or similarity-attraction biases.
Inconsistency: Different interviewers may focus on different aspects of the candidate’s responses, leading to inconsistent evaluations.

3. Biases in Job Interviews

Gender and Racial Bias:

Research by Koch, D’Mello, and Sackett (2015) highlights the persistent issue of gender bias in interviews, where women are often rated lower than men for the same qualifications.
Studies on racial bias, such as those by Bertrand and Mullainathan (2004), demonstrate that candidates with ethnic-sounding names are less likely to receive callbacks for interviews, indicating a systemic bias in the hiring process.

Strategies to Mitigate Bias:

Structured Interviews: As previously mentioned, structured interviews help mitigate biases by standardizing questions and evaluation criteria.
Training: Interviewer training programs can raise awareness about unconscious biases and provide strategies to reduce their impact.
Blind Hiring: Removing identifiable information (e.g., names, gender) from applications can help ensure candidates are evaluated based on their qualifications alone.

4. Applicant Reactions to Interview Formats

Perceptions of Fairness:

Research by Bauer et al. (2001) shows that candidates perceive structured interviews as fairer and more job-related than unstructured interviews.
Fairness perceptions are crucial as they can influence a candidate’s willingness to accept a job offer and their overall view of the organization.

Candidate Experience:

Chapman and Zweig (2005) found that a positive interview experience can enhance a candidate’s attraction to the organization. This includes clear communication, respectful treatment, and timely feedback.

Impact on Diversity and Inclusion:

Structured interviews can support diversity and inclusion efforts by providing a level playing field for all candidates.
Studies like those by Ployhart and Holtz (2008) suggest that when properly implemented, structured interviews can help organizations build a more diverse workforce.

5. Behavioral and Situational Interviews

Behavioral Interviews:

Based on the premise that past behavior predicts future performance, behavioral interviews ask candidates to describe previous experiences related to job competencies.
Taylor and Small (2002) found that behavioral interviews are effective in predicting job performance and reducing biases.

Situational Interviews:

Situational interviews present candidates with hypothetical scenarios and ask how they would handle them.
Latham and Sue-Chan (1999) suggest that these interviews are particularly useful for assessing problem-solving skills and judgment.

Comparative Effectiveness:

A meta-analysis by Huffcutt, Conway, Roth, and Stone (2001) indicates that both behavioral and situational interviews have strong predictive validity, with slight differences depending on the job context and competencies being assessed.

6. Technological Advances in Job Interviews

Video Interviews:

The rise of video interview platforms has transformed the recruitment landscape. Research by Chapman and Webster (2003) highlights the convenience and cost-effectiveness of video interviews, though they may present challenges such as technical issues and reduced personal interaction.
Covid impacted the commonality use of video interviews which are now viewed as the norm.

AI and Automation:

AI-driven interview tools are increasingly being used to assess candidates’ responses and non-verbal cues.
Studies like those by Chamorro-Premuzic et al. (2016) emphasize the potential of AI to enhance objectivity, though ethical considerations and transparency are critical.

Virtual Reality (VR) Interviews:

Emerging technologies like VR are being explored for immersive interview experiences.
Slater and Sanchez-Vives (2016) suggest that VR can provide realistic job previews and assess candidates in simulated environments.

Conclusion

The familiar question and answer type Job interview remains a fundamental part of the hiring process, with ongoing research continually enhancing our understanding of best practices to support hiring managers to recruit the most suitable candidate.

Structured interviews, awareness of biases, positive candidate experiences, and technological innovations are key factors that contribute to more effective and equitable hiring decisions. By incorporating insights from scholarly research, organizations can improve their interview processes , leading to better hiring outcomes and a more diverse and competent workforce.

References

Bauer, T. N., Truxillo, D. M., Paronto, M. E., Weekley, J. A., & Campion, M. A. (2001). Applicant reactions to different selection procedures: Are applicants more favorable to face-to-face interviews?
Bertrand, M., & Mullainathan, S. (2004). Are Emily and Greg more employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A field experiment on labor market discrimination.
Chapman, D. S., & Zweig, D. I. (2005). Developing a nomological network for interview structure: Antecedents and consequences of the structured selection interview.
Huffcutt, A. I., & Arthur, W. Jr. (1994). Hunter and Hunter (1984) revisited: Interview validity for entry-level jobs.
McDaniel, M. A., Whetzel, D. L., Schmidt, F. L., & Maurer, S. D. (1994). The validity of employment interviews: A comprehensive review and meta-analysis.
Taylor, P. J., & Small, B. (2002). Asking applicants what they would do versus what they did do: A meta-analytic comparison of situational and past behavior employment interview questions.
Koch, A. J., D’Mello, S. D., & Sackett, P. R. (2015). A meta-analysis of gender stereotypes and bias in experimental simulations of employment decision making.
Chris Delaney (2021) Book: What is your interview identity

The wrong hiring decision can cost an organisation, not only financially – A study conducted by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM), found that is can cost up to five times a bad hire’s annual salary, but also productively: Research into the positive and negative effects of recruitment at the National Business Research Institute (NBRI) found that 37% of bad hires affected employee morale and 18% of employers found that a bad hire had a direct negative impact on client relationships

The number one reason for bad hiring practices is an employer’s job interview process. This includes a lack of due diligence, interviewers’ assumptions and unconscious biases, and, offering roles based on the applicant’s personality (the nice person) rather than the interviewee’s competences.

Tweaking the interview process is easy to implement and will have a positive impact on future hires.

These 5 job interview steps will help you make the best hire.

Implement a structured job interview

Much research proves how a structured job interview over an informal job interview improves the rate of a positive hire.

A structured job interview is the process of asking job interview questions that have a direct relevance to the job role – this sounds obvious, but during an informal job interview it is easy for the conversation (which is unplanned and more free-flowing) to go off on a tangent.

Each job applicant is asked the same, on average 8-10, job interview questions.

All questions are marked on a pre-agreed grading system. Each grade will have a list of criteria the interviewee must cover during their interview answer to receive a particular score.

This logical approach results in the highest-scoring person being offered the job role.

Have multiple interview rounds (for higher-paid roles)

Commonly, an interview panel (2-3 interviewers) conduct the job interview. The idea behind this practice is designed to create a fair process, as each interviewer individually scores each applicant, before comparing scores.

One issue with the interview panel is that people will often alter their allocated scores based on what the (natural) group leader decides. In short, humans make judgements based on what they believe other people want to hear. Psychologically, people never want to be seen by others as doing something ‘wrong’ even a personal judgment.

Multiple interview rounds delivered by different hiring managers, especially for senior roles and high-paid positions, result in a better hire – a better higher is the applicant’s actually ability to perform well once employed. This is due to similar questions being asked in several structured job interviews (and often one informal job interview and/or assessment round) by various professionals who can review interview answers from different perspectives.

Spread interviews out

Most organisations during the recruitment window will offer interviews to candidates over the short period of 1-2 days. On average 8 people are offered job interviews for every advertised position, with each interview lasting around 45-60 mins. This back-to-back recruitment practice is tiring for the interview panel, which can negatively affect the decision-making process.

The solution is to have one, or maybe two interviews scheduled a day with flexibility between interviewees to allow, if needed, an interview to run over. Asking additional questions to gather more information and details, rather than sticking strictly to the initial set of questions can ‘open up’ an applicant allowing the interview panel to more easily predicted that persons job performance, and fit within the team.

Asking ‘what was your role in that example?’ or ‘ how did you come to that solution?’ or ‘what mistakes did you make before you were successful?’ to a pre-set interview question gathers more intelligence.

Give a task

They say a picture paints a thousand words. But if you talk the talk can you walk the walk?

For many job roles, a key part of the required task will be a particular action; from writing risk assessments to completing calculations, from problem-solving to selling, from cooking to code-breaking. If the main task is something that can be tested, test it.

Set the task in real conditions, using a task the applicant would be doing once employed, and check their ability to complete the required job duties.

Think about the team culture

A new hire can make or break an existing team. Hiring a new employee can add some spice to the team, creating a new energy, new motivation, and a new purpose. Famously the difference between Steve Jobs being rehired at Apple compare to the period when Jobs wasn’t employed was the difference in why we still view Apple products as a consumer favorite.

One of the interview stages must be questions to review the employee’s temperament and to match that to the team culture. Team culture interview questions can include:

Are you a goal or problem-orientated person?
Do you work better within a team or on your own?
What motivates you the most, starting or finishing a task?
What’s the most important thing to you in a job?
How do you describe your role within a team?

Recruitment has changed over the past 10 years, career professionals are more likely to quit than to work in a job they dislike, many employees job-hop every 3-5 years, and first-choice hires will decline not only job offers but job interviews if they deem them not worthy. The job interview itself is one of the ways an applicant will decide of they are likely to take an offered role. As well as having to balance the design of the recruitment process to be seen as a good hire, employers must think about an interview process that ensures they hire an individual that will not only fit within their existing team but that will add value to the organisation.

The 5 step interview process

Implementing the 5 simple interview steps; a structured multiple-round job interview, within team, and job-directed questions over a period of time allows an employer the time and space to recruit someone worthy of their advertised salary.

In a job interview, positive body language complements verbal communication and significantly impacts how you are perceived by interviewers.

Demonstrating confidence, professionalism, active engagement, and genuine interest through your non-verbal cues can leave a lasting impression and differentiate you from other candidates.

Remember to maintain eye contact, use appropriate hand gestures, and be mindful of your posture throughout the interview. A warm and genuine smile can convey enthusiasm and likability. By mastering positive body language, you enhance your chances of success in job interviews and project yourself as the ideal candidate for the role.

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The Science of Job Interviews: Insights from Scholarly Research