Job Interviews

Job Interviews are the most universally used tool in any selection process. There are many types of Job Interviews ranging from very simple to complex, where candidates are checked for their capabilities related to the nature of job to life in general.

Meaning and purpose of Job Interviews: Job Interviews are a conversation with a purpose between one person on one side and another person or persons on the other.  Job Interviews should serve three purposes, viz.:

·         Obtaining information,

·         Giving information, and

·         Motivation. 

It should provide an appraisal of personality by obtaining relevant information about the prospective employee's background, training work history, education and interests.  The candidate should be given information about the company, the specific job and the personnel policies during Job Interviews.  Job Interviews should also help in establishing a friendly relationship between the employer and the applicant and motivate the satisfactory applicant to want to work for the company organization.

In practice, however, it may turn out to be a one-sided affair.  It helps only in obtaining information about the candidate.  The other two purposes are generally not served.

Types of Job Interviews:

Informal Job Interviews:  Informal Job Interviews may take place anywhere. The employer or a manager in the personnel department may ask a few questions, like name, place of birth, previous experience, etc.  It is not planned and is used widely when the labour market is tight and you need workers very badly.  A friend or a relative of the employer may take a candidate to the house of the employer or manager where this type of interview may be conducted.

Formal Job Interviews:   Formal Job Interviews are held in a more formal atmosphere in the employment office by the employment officer with the help of well-structured questions.  The time and place of the interview are stipulated by the employment office.

Planned Job Interviews:  Planned Job Interviews are just formal interviews which are carefully planned.  The interviewer has a plan of action worked out in relation to time to be devoted to each candidate, type of information to be sought, information to be given, the modality of interview and so on.  He may use the plan with some amount of flexibility.

Patterned Job Interviews:   Patterned Job Interviews also planned interview but planned to a higher degree of accuracy, precision and exactitude.  A list of questions and areas is carefully prepared in every Patterned Job Interviews.  The interviewer goes down the list of questions, asking them one after another.

Non-directive Job Interviews:   Non-directive Job Interviews are designed to let the interviewee speak his mind freely.  The interviewer is a careful and patient listener, prodding whenever the candidate is silent.  The idea is to give the candidate complete freedom to 'sell' himself without encumbrances of the interviewer's questions in Non-directive Job Interviews.

Depth Job Interviews:   Depth Job Interviews are also designed to intensively examine the candidate's background and thinking and to go into considerable detail on a particular subject of special interest to the candidate.  The theory behind every Depth Job Interviews is that if the candidate is found good in his area of special interest, the chances are high that if given a job he would take serious interest in it.

Stress Job Interviews:    Stress Job Interviews are designed to test the candidate and his conduct and behavior by putting him under conditions of stress and strain.  These types of interviews are very useful to test the behavior of individuals under disagreeable and trying situations.

Group Job Interviews:   Group Job Interviews are designed to see how the candidates react to and against each other.  The candidates may be brought together in the office and they may be interviewed.  The candidates may, alternatively, be given a topic for discussion and be observed as to who will lead the discussion, how they will participate in the discussion, how each will make his presentation and how they will react to each other's views and presentation.

Panel Job Interviews:    Panel Job Interviews are done by members of the interview board or a selection committee.  These are done usually for supervisory and managerial positions.  They pool the collective judgment and wisdom of members of the panel.  The candidate may be asked to meet the panel individually for a fairly lengthy interview.