What are the objectives of the selection interview?

The goal of the selection interview is to predict the candidate’s likely behavior in a particular job situation. The only way this can be done with any accuracy is by getting a sample of his behavior typical enough to act as a basis for predicting what he will do in the future.

A major problem is that the behavior we observe during the brief interview period may not be characteristic. A fairly heavy individual, for example, may well give the impression of being quite dynamic if he only has to hold it for half an hour. Therefore, it is necessary to complement the behavior that can be directly observed in face-to-face contact.

Obtaining as much of the candidates’ life history as possible.

The main objective of the selection interview must therefore be to observe the behavior of, say, twenty or thirty years, much of which is bound to be highly characteristic of the individual in question.

It is important to remember, however, that there are two subsidiary objectives of the selection interview. Thus we can say that the objective of the interview is threefold:

o Evaluate the suitability of the candidates for the position

o Give information to the candidate

o To present the company in a good light to the applicant

The importance of selection interviews

The interview is only one of a whole range of selection methods that exist.

For example, there are intelligence tasks that give information about the mental agility of the candidates and the aptitude tests can tell us about special aptitudes for manual dexterity, the ability to think spatially, creative capacity, etc. .

These tasks can highlight the strengths and weaknesses of an individual; testing in group situations, on the other hand, can provide indications of people’s ability to work together.

However, despite growing and widespread criticism of the personal interview as a selection procedure, it remains by far the most common method. It is flexible, relatively inexpensive, and acceptable to the candidate and management. The selection interview has other advantages. It has been found that certain areas of information can be more accurately assessed by interview than by other methods, i.e. the interpersonal behavior of candidates and the likelihood that they will adapt to the social aspects of the work situation and also the motivation of the candidates. candidates to work.

Homework:

The task is to choose a person who is likely to be successful in a certain job or variety of jobs: The task is not to choose a ‘good person’, however defined

The method

All methodologies involve forecasting the future, so no method can be foolproof

– selectors invariably rely on intuition and that often proves to be successful, but this method, while not foolproof, will surely ensure that you make the right decisions more often.

or past behavior

or past experience

or your intuition

o Scientific analysis

or references

o Get a second opinion

o Insist on a trial period

o Increase salary and incentives after trial period

o Talk to people in the industry

o Consider a practical assessment

First considerations

Before purchasing material of any kind, consider its purpose and the tolerance it will allow. Human resources are excessively expensive and therefore it is necessary to follow five strategic steps

o Consider the position

o Consider experience and formal qualifications required

o Consider the personal qualities required to carry out the job

o Reduce core qualifications to allow perhaps no more than four or five

o Discussion with other selectors

Consider the position

o Establish a clear picture of the position

o Focus on core responsibilities

o Are there special facets that are unusual, for example, health considerations?

Consider experience and formal qualifications required

o Is this a position that really requires experience in a similar field?

o Are academic qualifications relevant?

o What is the minimum standard?

Consider the personal qualities required

For example:

or very high intelligence

o Ability to get along with everyone in any circumstance

Interestingly, less than 10% of the population have the first and for some positions it is a clear disadvantage; the second is not as common, and in any case the two qualities are often mutually exclusive.

Remember that the long list of qualities that first comes to mind has two main drawbacks; Few own all of them, and if they did, they probably wouldn’t apply for your job. Second, it is almost impossible for the interviewer to have them all in his mind while interviewing, and his search becomes too diffuse for full effectiveness.

Reduce required basic qualifications

Remember:

You will be looking for the key qualities that are highly required in the job for which you are selecting. When choosing qualities, it is advisable to avoid those that are too encompassing and, in particular, those with a high emotional content. Thus ‘leadership’ could be replaced by ‘the power to persuade others’ or ‘intelligence’ by ‘the ability to understand something quickly’.

The importance of the choice of these descriptive words depends solely on the clarity with which they are understood by the selector(s). In a way, it’s better to choose your own words to describe the qualities you’re looking for than to use the ones usually provided in textbooks. Words with as much practical content as possible tend to be the most useful. Looking for someone with ‘an inquiring mind’ can be easier than looking for someone ‘good at research’.

Discussion with other selectors

It is almost certain that someone else cares about the selection. Agree with them on the four or five main qualities required and write them down on a piece of paper. Agreement in advance saves time because the discussion about each candidate after the interview can more easily be limited to what is relevant. Also, if selectors clearly know what they’re looking for, they’re more likely to spot it when it’s there and notice its absence when it’s not.

Copyright © 2006 Jonathan Farrington. All rights reserved