Page 48 - Communication in Organizations Basic Skills and Conversation Models

The selection interview 37

Introduction

As we saw in the practical example, the selection interview is part of the selection
procedure. Important steps include making a function analysis, setting up the
advertisement, providing information about the organization and the task to be performed
to interested parties, and making an application letter selection. These parts will not be
dealt with in detail in this book. We concentrate here on the selection interview.
Furthermore it should be noted that in many companies the selection of personnel is
deferred to professional recruitment and selection agencies. In such a case the entire
procedure is performed by the agency, after which a few applicants are proposed for the
job. However, in most cases the representatives of the company involved will want to
hold their own interviews with the proposed applicants.
In the next section we discuss the most important goals of the selection interview. We
then discuss a method to use to reach those goals. We focus on the attitude that one has to
adopt when holding a selection interview and the skills that fit the different phases of the
conversation. Finally, we give a summary of the conversation model.

Goals

The primary goal of the interview is to develop a relationship between the applicant and
the interviewer(s) so that the applicant feels comfortable enough to be open and sincere
during the conversation. A selection interview may be perceived as somewhat threatening
to an applicant who does not know what to expect, perhaps trying to hide one’s
weaknesses and putting up a smokescreen. In order to avoid this as much as possible it is
very important to try to make the applicant feel at ease.
The second goal of the interview is to obtain as much relevant information as possible
from the applicant. It should be predictable on the basis of that information whether the
applicant is suitable for the job. In practice the selection interview is not only a predictive
tool, but also a way to get a personal impression of the applicant. One needs to realize in
this case that the subjective impression that one obtains during an interview is not very
reliable as a predictive factor.

Method

The selector or selection committee needs to obtain information from the applicant within
a limited period of time. In order to be able to compare the applicants correctly, each
interview should be conducted with the same methodical structure.
Good preparation is essential to ensure an efficient, structured interview. Therefore it
is wise to make an interview scheme or checklist in advance, noting the themes that you
want to discuss. Often the conversation is set up as follows:
1 Motives for application for the job

• Why is this position attractive to the applicant?
• What is the reason for the application?