Human Resource Management 2

Selection interviewing

Nick Kinnie

2

Objectives

• Place selection techniques within their wider organisational context: best practice, best fit and best process

• Best process: recap the importance of face-to-face skills and types of interactions

• Identify the purpose of the selection interview• Understand the research findings into the effectiveness

of interviews• Explain the key practical aspects of selection interviews

– Preparation– Interview context, strategy, structure and methods

• Prepare for the practical exercise

3

Introduction: selection techniques within the wider organisational context

• Human Resource Advantage: human capital advantage (people and practices) and organisational process advantage (implementation)

• HCA: – Best practice approach – set of practices which will

always produce superior results (text book approach)– Best fit – success depends on the context – egs of

selection interviews

(Kinnie et al (2006))

4

• Organisational Process advantage– Depends partly on the skill of the line manger when

implementing the practice– Impact on the experience of the employee and their

subsequent attitudes and behaviour

• Concept of ‘best process’– Not just the formal design of the practices – but the

preferred ways of carrying out particular practices – taking account of the context

• Expect that practical exercise will illustrate these differences

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‘Best Process’: Face-to-face interactions

• Forms of communication – verbal and non-verbal

• Barriers to effective interactions

• Types of interaction: enquiry, exposition, joint problem solving and conflict resolution(Torrington et al (2005)

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‘Best process’: Face-to-face skills

• Defining the situation – setting the tone

• Listening skills – tone of voice, giving attention

• Questioning skills – types of questions, multiple questions, forbidden questions

• Feedback skills – summarising, empathising and non verbal communication

7

Purpose of selection interviews

• Allow two way interaction and decision making to take place – within the context of the resourcing model and employer branding

• Collect information

• Provide information

• Human and ritualistic aspects

8

Context of the selection interview: the resourcing model

Em

plo

yer

Em

plo

yee

Recruitment Selection Retention

Cognitive

Behavioural

Cognitive

Behavioural

1 2 3

1 2 1 32

321

4

4

5

9

Selection interview – traditional criticisms

• Low reliability among interviewers

• Expectancy effect

• Primacy – preparation and initial impression – effects lead to quick decisions during the interview Interviews become confirmatory exercises

• Stereotyping, prototyping and halo and horns effect

• Physical appearance influences interviewers

10

Criticisms continued

• Non-verbal cues influence interviewers

• More weight given to negative influence

• Similarity effects also bias judgements

• Interviews suffer information overload and have poor recall

11

What does more recent research tell us about effective interviews?

• Structured interviews, especially panel interviews, improve reliability and validity

• Interview needs to be part of a combination of selection methods

• Importance of systematic use of evidence from variety of parties

12

Effective interviews continued

• Select interviewers carefully

• Training improves reliability and validity

• Provide policy support and structured guidance

13

Effective interviews continued

• Fit between person and organisation likely to be important especially in PSFs

• Two way nature of selection is important- especially impact on applicants – especially in PSFs

• Follow up and evaluation is important but rare

(Judge et al (2000), Harris, M. (1989) Cook, M. (1998))

14

Selection interviews in practice

• Context of the interview – the employment model

• Preparation for the interview

• Interview structure

• Interview strategy – types of questions

• Interview methods

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Interview preparation

• Examine to job description carefully – identify the key characteristics and competencies in the job

• Plan the interview – decide on a structure – confer with colleagues – importance of two-way process

• Study the CV/AF of the candidates

• Plan the timetable of other activities plus reception and setting

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Structured interviews - benefits

• Structured vs unstructured interviews

• Systematic approach – criteria are explicit

• Comparisons are easier

• Multiple interviewers can agree on criteria

• Plan is clear to the interviewee and helps to manage time

17

Interview structure

• Opening– Put candidate at ease– Set the context and explain plan– Preliminary assessment – by both parties

• Middle – Biographical – check information and fill gaps– Competence based – systematic comparison– Problem solving

• Closing– Future actions – timetable, communications

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• Individual – dangers of interviewer bias

• Sequential – series of interviewers ideally using a common prepared structure

• Panel – common in the public sector – some dangers

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Interview strategy – types of questions

• Biographical – evidence from career/cv – identify motives and decision making criteria

• Competency based – evidence of past behaviour related to post

• Problem solving – ability to make decisions and analyse problems – related to the job

• Importance of relationship/rapport – employer branding - stress interviews

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Interview methods

• Exercise control and direction

• Active listening is critical – use silence

• Use open, probing and follow up questions

• Avoid multiple, long and leading questions

• Taking notes – criteria based matrix

• Braking and closing

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Conclusions

• Recruitment and selection are vital to the success of the organisation

• Combination of best fit and best process likely to be most suitable

• Structured interviews in combination with other selection techniques are most effective

• Success depends on training and support, preparation, careful implementation, review and evaluation

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Recruitment methods by sector (% of organisation using each technique in 2005)

Method used by organisations

Overall Manufacturing and

production

Voluntary community and not for

profit

Private sector

services

Public sector

services

Local newspaper

ads

79 85 94 64 92

Agencies/search 76 87 69 80 56

Own corporate web site

75 62 77 76 87

Specialist journals/trade press

66 60 75 58 85

Job centre plus 51 50 67 41 66

Encourage WoM/on spec

49 60 42 57 21

CIPD Recruitment, Retention and Turnover, London CIPD, (2006:9)

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Recruitment methods by sector (% of organisation using each technique in 2005)

Method used by organisations

Overall Manufacturing and

production

Voluntary community and not for

profit

Private sector

services

Public sector

services

Employee referral

47 46 35 68 9

National newspaper ads

45 35 59 34 74

Uni/college/school links

37 43 25 36 38

Placements/apprenticeships

36 46 35 31 33

Commercial job boards

16 10 10 19 18

Radio/TV ads 7 4 5 8 13

Posters/billboards/vehicles

10 6 19 11 9

CIPD Recruitment, Retention and Turnover, London CIPD, (2006:9)

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Methods of obtaining a job

• Hearing from someone who worked there

• Reply to an advertisement

• Direct application• Private employment

agency• Job centre• Other

Men Women

30% 25%

25% 31%14% 17%

10% 10%9% 8%12% 9%

Labour market trends (2002), Labour market spotlight, August

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Selection methods (% of organisation in 2005)

Method Not used Rarely used

Occasionally used

Frequently used

Used in some way

Structured interviews

13 9 19 60 88

Biographical interview

15 6 14 66 85

Competency based interview

15 6 21 59 85

Specific skill tests

18 13 41 29 82

One to one structured ints

19 9 13 59 81

General ability tests

25 15 32 28 75

Literacy and/or numeracy tests

28 15 28 29 72

CIPD Recruitment, Retention and Turnover,, London CIPD, (2006:11)

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Method Not used Rarely used

Occasionally used

Frequently used

Used in some way

Personality/attitude questionnaires

40 15 25 21 60

Telephone interviews

44 19 25 12 56

References – employment (pre-interview)

51 15 11 23 50

Assessment Centres

52 14 22 13 48

Group exercises

52 18 23 7 48

Academic reference (pre-interview)

64 14 11 12 37

On line tests 75 8 11 6 25

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Accuracy of Selection Methods

1.0 perfect selection

0.65 intelligence tests and integrity tests

0.63 intelligence tests and structured interviews

0.60 intelligence tests and work sampling

0.54 work sample tests

0.51 intelligence tests

0.51 structured interviews

0.41 integrity tests

0.40 personality tests

0.37 assessment centres

0.35 biodata

0.26 references

0.18 years of job experience

0.10 years of education

0.02 graphology

Source: Adapted from Robertson I and Smith M. ‘Personnel selection’, Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, Vol.74, No.4, 2001 pp441-472