Science Question

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The Employment Interview
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The Employment Interview
Introduction
Most of the researchers on employment interviews have concluded that they yield
sufficient information about candidates and company culture. Management of blue-chip
companies still regard the employee interview as a critical component of the selection process.
Hiring managers and human resource professionals must be well equipped with employment
skills to hire the most qualified candidates. Employers must also be aware of the state and federal
laws that guide questions that should not be asked during interviews (Eder & Harris, 1999). This
essay focuses on employment interviews by highlighting the trends in employment and
speculations about future challenges. The paper also focuses on the types of employment
interviews.
Preparation, During and After the Employment Interview
Evidence shows that hiring managers and HR professionals can make the most out of
employment interviews if they prepare adequately. The preparation steps include selecting the
interviewing method, drafting the questions to be asked to interviewers, phrasing the questions to
be aligned with company culture, and sharpening their listening skills. According to Florea
(2019), employment interviews are a critical step of the selection process. They can be used to
determine the skills, experience, and personality of the applicant. They also help employers to
assess whether applicants fit with the corporate culture. Before the interview, HR managers
define the skills of the ideal candidate to fill the position. They have to define the critical skills
that show whether a candidate can effectively perform assigned tasks.
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Critical skills that employers look for include working individually with minimal or no
supervision, a high degree of organization, and communication. Managers also do applicant
research before the interview (Ryan & Derous, 2016). After the resume and cover letter have
been received, managers peruse to get more information about the candidates. This process
involves conducting a background check of the applicant to determine their suitability. For
instance, an HR manager looks for incomplete information or spelling mistakes about an
applicant. The HR managers also look at the time applicants have spent at positions, the
chronology of information in the resume, and responsibilities assigned in previous positions.
During the interview, HR managers are advised to allow candidates to do much of the
talking. That helps to evaluate the communication skills and eye contact of the applicant. The
environment should be set to allow the candidate to be comfortable. For example, the interview
rooms can be selected to avoid other employees’ distractions and telephone calls. The HR
managers should also ensure that there are few barriers between them and the candidate. The
questions should be designed to explore the candidate’s education, past work experience, and
skills. According to Bernhard-Oettel and Isaksson (2017), employers make mistakes by focusing
only on factual questions. Employers should also avoid “yes” or “no” questions to limit the
candidate’s response.
HR managers should focus more on open-ended questions where candidates have the
space to expand on their responses, use previous experiences to support their answers, and
describe real situations. Employers should also avoid leading questions that direct candidates to
specific questions (Alonso et al., 2017). When closing the interview, it is essential to answer any
questions that candidates may have. Employers should have factual information about the
position and the company. They should also make the follow-up process clear to candidates. It is
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critical to thank the candidate for coming to the interview and wish them well whether they get
the offer or not.
Types of Employment Interviews
Various types of interviews lead to an accurate and fair selection. The choice of an
interviewing technique is based on the industry, the nature of the position being filled, the type of
information sought from the client, and the corporate culture. Employment interviews can be
structured or unstructured. Structured interviews provide the employer with the required
information to make a hiring decision (Antoneliis & Silsbee, 2018). Unstructured interviews are
those that lack a strict agenda. The candidate is allowed to set the pace of the interview based on
the asked questions. The standard employment interview techniques include the panel interview,
the direct one-on-one interview, and the telephone pre-screen interview.
A telephone pre-screen interview is used to assess whether a candidate’s experience,
salary needs, experience, and qualifications are in congruence with the organization and the
position. It eliminates the number of candidates before a one-on-one interview. The direct oneon-one interview is used to discover the skills and competencies of the candidate. The logic in
this type of interview is that previous behaviors predict future ones. In this type of interview,
candidates can be given hypothetical situations to give solutions or state what they would have
done (Alonso et al., 2017). HR managers can also use group interviews. A candidate can be in
the same room as others who are applying for the same position. They are asked questions or
participate in group tasks. The most common type of employment interview is where a candidate
sits before a panel of interviewers. The interviewers ask questions as the candidate responds.
This type of interview is preferred because it provides a broader picture of the candidate.
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References
Alonso, P., Moscoso, S., & Salgado, J. F. (2017). Structured behavioral interview as a legal
guarantee for ensuring equal employment opportunities for women: A metaanalysis. The European Journal of Psychology Applied to Legal Context, 9(1), 1523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpal.2016.03.002
Antonellis, P., & Silsbee, R. (2018). Employment interview screening: Time to face the
ink. Journal of Business & Economic
Policy, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.30845/jbep.v5n4a6
Bernhard-Oettel, C., & Isaksson, K. (2017). Work-related well-being and job characteristics
among temporary workers in Sweden. Employment Contracts and Well-Being among
European Workers, 177-200. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315256573-9
Eder, R. W., & Harris, M. M. (1999). The employment interview handbook. SAGE.
Florea, L., Valcea, S., Hamdani, M. R., & Dougherty, T. W. (2019). From first impressions
to selection decisions. Personnel Review, 48(1), 249-272. https://doi.org/10.1108/pr11-2017-0345
Ryan, A., & Derous, E. (2016). Highlighting tensions in recruitment and selection research
and practice. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 24(1), 5462. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijsa.12129