Despite the various advancements in human psychology and assessment of talent and competence, such as psychometrics and multi-rater evaluation, interviews remain the preferred method for ‘getting to know’ a candidate. Having said that, most interviews fail to achieve their intended level of reliability due to poor pre-interview preparation, improper questioning or the infamous reliance on first impressions and gut feelings. This course is designed to mitigate all the common mistakes untrained interviewers commit when meeting with job candidates. The workshop aims at highlighting why interviews have a high impact on hiring decisions and the steps that can be put in place to increase their reliability while ensuring legally defensible levels of fairness and consistency.
Course Methodology
The course is workshop-based. A small percentage of the time is used to debunk some of the common myths related to interviewing and the rest is dedicated to activities and exercises aimed at ‘test-driving’ the skill of competency-based interviewing. The workshop relies on the use of role-plays and scenario interviews to ensure the translation of knowledge to skill is at maximum levels.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
Define the importance of interviewing as a method of selection, brainstorm common mistakes untrained interviewers commit and define ways to overcome them
List main types of selection interviews and when and how to use each
Design a competency-based interview guide using competencies and values and use it to collect ‘code-able’ data from interviewees
Conduct a probing interview designed to uncover behavioral characteristics of applicants
Use data collected from interviews to complete a gap analysis and decide on the most suitable candidate
Target Audience
This course is targeted at anyone involved in assessing candidates prior to hiring. It is of particular benefit to line managers involved in interviewing candidates for vacancies in their respective functions. The course is ideal for professionals in human resources, especially those working within the functions of recruitment, selection and workforce planning.
Target Competencies
Recruitment
Short-listing
Interviewing
Questioning and probing
Note-taking
Report writing
Decision making
Course Outline
The interview as a method of selection
Prevalence of the interview as a selection method
Reliability and validity of interviews
Reliability of CVs, resumés and biodatas
Why interviews remain the most reliable
Problems with typical interviews: before, during and after
Overcoming problems with interviews
Types of selection interviews
Screening and biographical interviews
Biographical interviews
Stress interviews and why they are unethical
Panel interviews
Rules for conducting a panel interview
Competency-Based Interviews (CBI)
Pre-interview steps
Preparing a CBI guide
Using competencies and values for building the guide
Standardizing questions
Organizing venue and material
The need for consistency and ethical implications
Structure of a CBI
Introduction techniques
Opening statements
Conducting the interview/questions
Open and closed questions
Hypothetical questions: when and how
Leading questions and how they should be used
STAR funneling technique
FACT funneling technique
Disallowed questions
Closing the interview
Post interview steps
Classifying and evaluating captured data
Linking data with competency guide
The legal and ethical aspects of translating data to reports
Producing interview reports
Selection decision
Using decision matrixes (in the absence of a competency framework)