Principles of Organizational Behavior, 3rd Edition

3Structure Interviews to Recruit and Hire the Best People

CYNTHIA KAY STEVENS

Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland, College Park, College Park, Maryland, 20742Tel: [phone]

Organizations use employment interviews as a primary means for applicants and hiring managers to meet and gather information from each other for the purpose of making selection and job choice decisions. When applicants or employers have limited time and many alternatives, interviews offer a flexible, efficient format in which to exchange information. Unlike other selection devices (e.g. tests and biodata inventories), interviews do not require expert advice and large samples for development and implementation. They typically do not raise the legal challenges and equal employment opportunity concerns that standardized tests do. Moreover, interviews can be easily adapted to accomplish different goals: introducing applicants and employers, attracting applicant interest, screening out unsuitable candidates, and clarifying the rank order of finalists. Such efficiency and flexibility may account for its popularity; interviews, along with reference checks, are the most common selection procedure used across a wide range of jobs and industries (Bureau of National Affairs, 1988; see Dipboye, 1992).

Paradoxically, their flexibility also makes it difficult to use interviews effectively. Interviews can vary widely in terms of how many applicants and interviewers are ...