When it is time to hire a new employee, almost all organizations use some form of job interview as part of the personnel selection process. How well the interview predicts job performance depends on how well it is designed and conducted. Show
The typical unstructured job interviewThe job interview is the most commonly used selection method available so conducting them properly is critical for successful hiring. The job interview can be thought of as an assessment, or test, like any other test used in personnel selection. The main difference is that the interview involves asking a job applicant a series of oral questions rather than completing a test online or on paper. The applicant’s responses to the interview questions are used to determine the applicant’s suitability for the job and the work environment. Interviews may serve additional purposes as well, including active recruitment of an applicant. However, job interviews are vulnerable to a number of problems that interviewers need to be aware of if they want to conduct effective interviews, and avoid unnecessary legal risks. Research highlights some difficulties of using the typical job interview, including:
Many poorly constructed job interviews suffer from questions that may vary from one interviewer to another, and that may be interpreted differently from one interviewer to another. Poorly constructed interviews may also use questions that are not actually related to the job being filled. These interviews are referred to as unstructured interviews, because the interview questions are not based on any explicit or systematic analysis of the work, questions vary haphazardly for different interviewers and interviewees, and the scoring of the interviewees’ responses is arbitrary and subjective. In essence, unstructured interviews involve the use of “gut” feelings regarding the job applicant, and the interview proceeds in a conversational format – the proverbial ‘coffee chat’. These interviews are susceptible to bias, contamination by error, inaccuracy, and weak relationships with later performance on the job. Research has shown that these kinds of interviews provide very limited information for selecting the applicant who is truly best for the job. They also offer limited legal protection for the hiring organization. Structured interviews have consistently been shown to be significantly more predictive than unstructured ones, and in fact are one of the most predictive personnel selection tools available. Structured interviews have been found to reduce or eliminate the biases discussed earlier. Structured interviews have the following four defining characteristics.
How can I build a structured job interview?
Where can I get more information?CPA Industrial and Organizational Psychology Section (CSIOP) Within the larger field of psychology, Industrial-Organizational (or I-O) Psychology is a specialty area based on the scientific study of behaviour in organizations. I-O psychologists work to improve organizational functioning and employee well-being through management and communication systems, hiring practices, performance appraisal, leadership development, and training programs. I-O psychologists also provide professional consultation to organizations in order to help enhance work productivity and employee satisfaction. More information can be found on the section website at: https://cpa.ca/sections/industrialorganizationalpsychology/ Bridge Magazine Articles
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This fact sheet has been prepared for the Canadian Psychological Association by Drs. Thomas O’Neill, and Derek Chapman, University of Calgary, and Dr. Blake Jelley, University of Prince Edward Island. Revised by Dr. Nicolas Roulin, Saint Mary’s University Revised: July 2021 Your opinion matters! Please contact us with any questions or comments about any of the Psychology Works Fact Sheets: Canadian Psychological
Association What type of job interview is most successful at predicting a candidate's performance at the job?As mentioned, when the interviewer sticks to deep, specific behavioral questions for each role the candidate has held, the structured behavioral interview is by far the best predictor of successful hires because a candidate's actual past performance is the best predictor of their future success.
Which of the following interview techniques predicts future performance?Behavioral-based interview definition
Behavioral-based interview is an interviewing technique which employers use to evaluate candidate's past behavior in different situations in order to predict their future performance. It's easier to predict success based on candidate's past experiences than on speculation.
Which of the following is the strongest predictor of job performance?Cognitive ability is consistently the best predictor of job performance across all job types, levels and industries. Cognitive ability covers a wide variety of aptitudes including spatial reasoning, logical reasoning, verbal skills, computational skills, and analytical skills.
Are interviews a good predictor of job performance?Interviews don't predict job performance
According to Richard Nisbett, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, interviews are totally useless. “When it comes to choosing a candidate, [traditional] interviews are as much use as flipping a coin.”
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