Ask the Right Questions

by Dr. Wendell Williams

Organizations must always keep in mind that an interview is a verbal test. Unlike pencil-and-paper tests, however, interviews rely on the interpretation of human beings -- an added complication. There is huge potential for error, depending on the questions asked, the answers given and the interviewer's personal bias. Typical interviews don't have structure and are usually nothing more than casual conversations. In fact, many interviewers focus solely on getting to know the candidate. This may be nice for social gatherings, but it has almost no predictive ability in the hiring process.

Two solutions have emerged to enhance an interview's predictive accuracy: situational interviewing and behavioral interviewing. Both techniques rest on job analysis, a very structured process that involves asking both jobholders and their managers a very detailed list of questions. The goal is to develop a list of critical job competencies. These become the target list against which each applicant is measured. Regardless of the interview technology used, any system that skips this process will be highly inaccurate.

Situational interviewing is characterized by questions like, "What would you do in this situation?" Theoretically, the questions would apply to job situations, and an applicant would give responses that indicate he has the competency. This technique helps separate the know-nothings from the know-somethings, but it has limitations. For example, an applicant who cannot give you the right answer is more likely to fail than an applicant who gives the right answer. On the other hand, there's no guarantee someone who gives the right answer will know what he is doing in the workplace.

Behavioral interviewing involves questions like, "What kind of problem solving have you done in the past? Give me an example that includes the situation, your action and the results." It is based on the theory that using the competency successfully in the past is a good predictor of doing the same in the future.

Regardless of which interview technique is used, accuracy depends on job analysis, interviewer training and interpreting applicant answers properly.