Conducting an Effective Interview

An employment interview is a goal oriented conversation in which the interviewer and the applicant exchange information. Even though interviews are a poor selection tool for most jobs, they are often the primary method used in evaluating applicants. The main players in the job interview are the interviewer and the applicant.

The interviewer should have a pleasant personality, empathy, and the ability to listen and to communicate effectively. He or she should be aware of stereotyped views of the capabilities of women and minorities, and should be knowledgeable of the laws governing employment practices. In addition, a solid knowledge of the job and its requirements are indispensable to properly assess the applicants' qualifications. Through open-ended and probing questions, four major areas of information should be obtained from job candidates: job related knowledge, personal qualities as they relate to the job, willingness to do the work, and career orientation. The interviewer must keep in mind that all questions should be job related.

The job applicant that is most polished in job-seeking techniques is often the one who gets the job offer, even though he or she may not be the best candidate, according to Robbins (1993). An article entitled "Employee selection: a role of the dice?" (1990) offers the following suggestions on how to evaluate candidates: