Dessler HRM Chapter 7
Chapter 7: Interviewing Candidates
Multiple Choice
1. The _____ is considered by many to be the most important
screening tool.
a. telephone reference
b. reference letter
c. selection interview
d. management assessment center
e. work sampling technique
(c; easy; p. 236)
2. A(n) _____ is a procedure designed to obtain information from
a person through oral responses to oral inquiries.
a. writing test
b. work sample simulation
c. interview
d. reference check
e. background check
(c; easy; p. 236)
3. When an interview is used to predict future job performance
on the basis of an applicants oral responses to oral inquiries, it
is called a(n) _____ interview.
a. selection
b. appraisal
c. exit
d. preview
e. structured
(a; easy; p. 236)
4. When an interview follows a performance appraisal and focus
on discussing an employees performance rating, it is called a(n)
_____ interview.
a. selection
b. appraisal
c. exit
d. preview
e. structured
(b; easy; p. 236)
5. During a(n) _____ interview, a supervisor and an employee
discuss the employees performance and future actions and goals.
a. selection
b. appraisal
c. exit
d. preview
e. structured
(b; easy; p. 236)
6. _____ interviews can provide insight into sources of
dissatisfaction for employees.
a. Selection
b. Appraisal
c. Exit
d. Preview
e. Structured
(c; easy; p. 236)
7. Another word for unstructured interviews is _____.
a. directive
b. nondirective
c. unformatted
d. standardized
e. content-free
(b; easy; p. 236)
8. Structured interviews are also referred to as _____
interviews.
a. directive
b. nondirective
c. unformatted
d. standardized
e. content-free
(a; easy; p. 236)
9. Which of the following is a disadvantage of using structured
interviews?
a. consistency across candidates
b. reduced subjectivity
c. lower potential for bias
d. enhanced ability to withstand legal challenge
e. lack of ability to pursue follow-up questions as they
develop
(e; moderate; p. 237)
10. An advantage of unstructured interviews is that they provide
_____.
a. consistency across candidates
b. reduced subjectivity
c. lower potential for bias
d. enhanced ability to withstand legal challenge
e. an ability to pursue follow-up questions as they develop
(e; moderate; p. 237)
11. Which type of interview could also be described as somewhat
like a general conversation?
a. nondirective
b. directive
c. standardized
d. situational
e. all of the above
(a; easy; p. 236)
12. How do situational interviews differ from behavioral
interviews?
a. situational interviews are based on responses to past
situations
b. situational interviews are based on how an applicant might
behave in a hypothetical situation
c. situational interviews utilize predetermined situational
questions and answers
d. behavioral interviews ask applicants to describe their
emotions in different hypothetical situations
e. situational and behavioral interviews do not differ
(b; difficult; p. 4)
13. Which of the following statements is representative of what
might be asked in a behavioral interview?
a. Tell me about a time you showed leadership in a difficult
situation.
b. We are concerned with employee pilferage. As a manager here,
how would you go about discouraging this behavior?
c. Suppose you were confronted with an angry customer who
threatened to sue the company. What would you do?
d. Employees in this division are frequently under a great deal
of stress. How do you think you would handle the stress of the
position?
e. In this position, you would have the responsibility of hiring
and firing subordinates. Imagine that you have to fire an employee
who is consistently absent because he cares for an elderly parent.
Tell me how you would handle this situation.
(a; difficult; p. 237)
14. What type of interview might include the statement, Tell me
about a time when you worked successfully in a team
environment?
a. situational
b. behavioral
c. stress
d. puzzle
e. directive
(b; moderate; p. 237)
15. Which of the following statements is representative of what
might be asked in a situational interview?
a. Tell me about a time you showed leadership in a difficult
situation.
b. How have you handled ethical dilemmas in the past?
c. Suppose you were confronted with an angry customer who
threatened to sue the company. What would you do?
d. Can you think of a time when you were especially proud of
your management skills? Tell me about that.
e. In this position, you are responsible for hiring and firing
subordinates. Have you ever fired anyone before? Tell me how you
handled the situation.
(c; difficult; p. 237)
16. What type of interview might include the following
statement? Imagine that you have just been assigned the task of
winning the business of our competitions biggest client. How would
you proceed?
a. situational
b. behavioral
c. stress
d. puzzle
e. directive
(a; moderate; p. 237)
17. In a _____ interview, the interviewer tries to deduce what
the applicants on-the-job performance will be based on his or her
answers to questions about past experiences.
a. structured
b. situational
c. job-related
d. stress
e. puzzle
(c; moderate; p. 237)
18. A job-related interview is, by definition, as type of _____
interview.
a. structured
b. behavioral
c. situational
d. unstructured
e. stress
(b; difficult; p. 237)
19. In a stress interview, the interviewer _____.
a. tries to deduce what the applicants on-the-job performance
will be based on his or her answers to questions about past
experiences
b. tries to make the applicant uncomfortable in order to spot
sensitivity
c. gives a word problem to see how the candidates think under
pressure
d. gives hypothetical situations for the applicant to respond
to
e. tries to assess the strength of the applicants desire for
success
(b; moderate; p. 240)
20. Which of the following statements might be made by an
interviewer in a stress interview?
a. I see youve changed jobs four times in the last two years.
Ive always felt that frequent job changes reflect irresponsible and
immature behavior.
b. Which courses did you like best in business school?
c. Mike and Todd have $21 between them. Mike has $20 more than
Todd has. How much does Mike have and how much does Todd have?
d. Why are you leaving your current position?
e. Can you tell me about a time in the past when you used
leadership skills to handle a difficult situation?
(a; moderate; p. 241)
21. What type of interview might include the statement, It must
be difficult to leave a company after such accusations of unethical
behavior. Tell me about that?
a. situational
b. behavioral
c. stress
d. puzzle
e. directive
(c; moderate; p. 241)
22. Which of the following is an example of a puzzle
question?
a. I see youve changed jobs four times in the last two years.
Ive always felt that frequent job changes reflect irresponsible and
immature behavior.
b. Which courses did you like best in business school?
c. Mike and Todd have $21 between them. Mike has $20 more than
Todd has. How much has Mike and how much has Todd?
d. Why are you leaving your current position?
e. Can you tell me about a time in the past when you used
leadership skills to handle a difficult situation?
(c; moderate; p. 241)
23. Which of the following statements might be made by an
interviewer in a job-related interview?
a. I see youve changed jobs four times in the last two years.
Ive always felt that frequent job changes reflect irresponsible and
immature behavior.
b. Suppose you were confronted with an angry customer who
threatened to sue the company. What would you do?
c. Mike and Todd have $21 between them. Mike has $20 more than
Todd has. How much has Mike and how much has Todd?
d. Why are you leaving your current position?
e. Can you tell me about a time in the past when you used
leadership skills to handle a difficult situation?
(e; difficult; p. 241)
24. Which of the following is an example of a job knowledge
question?
a. What are the legal restrictions regarding the use of
telemarketing for consumers who have a past relationship with a
company?
b. Suppose you were confronted with an angry customer who
threatened to sue the company. What would you do?
c. Mike and Todd have $21 between them. Mike has $20 more than
Todd has. How much has Mike and how much has Todd?
d. Why are you leaving your current position?
e. Can you tell me about a time in the past when you used
leadership skills to handle a difficult situation?
(a; difficult; p. 243)
25. Another term for panel interview is _____.
a. serial interview
b. board interview
c. sequential interview
d. computerized interview
e. structured interview
(b; easy; p. 243)
26. Kevin is interviewing for a position as a public relations
specialist in a communications firm. He first meets with the HR
manager. Afterwards, he meets with the person who would be his
direct supervisor. Finally, he meets with the company president.
Kevin is experiencing a _____ interview.
a. board
b. panel
c. sequential
d. structured
e. nondirective
(c; moderate; p. 243)
27. In a board interview, a team of interviewers interviews the
candidate in a _____ fashion.
a. serial
b. sequential
c. simultaneous
d. systematic
e. symmetrical
(c; moderate; p. 243)
28. Dr. Ross is interviewing for a position as Assistant
Professor of Human Resource Management. His interview is conducted
by a team of other faculty members in the department who interview
him simultaneously and then combine their ratings into one score.
This is an example of a _____ interview.
a. serial
b. panel
c. sequential
d. one-on-one
e. mass
(b; moderate; p. 243)
29. A mass interview differs from traditional panel interviews
in that the team of interviewers interviews _____.
a. several candidates simultaneously
b. several candidates serially
c. several candidates sequentially
d. each candidate by using sub-groups of the team
e. candidates in front of other employees
(a; moderate; p. 243)
30. Kimberly is interviewing along with several other talented
candidates for a position as a journalist at a newspaper. A team of
interviewers will meet with all the candidates at once. The team
will pose problems to the candidates and see which candidate takes
the lead in formulating an answer. This is an example of a _____
interview.
a. serial
b. sequential
c. board
d. mass
e. panel
(d; moderate; p. 243)
31. Typical computerized interviews present questions in a(n)
_____ format, one at a time.
a. essay
b. short answer
c. fill in the blank
d. multiple choice
e. all of the above
(d; easy; p. 244)
32. Which of the following is an advantage of computer-aided
interviews?
a. reduction of time spent by managers on unacceptable
candidates
b. reduction of influence of nonverbal behaviors
c. ability to measure response time to questions
d. less potential for influence of bias
e. all of the above
(e; easy; p. 244)
33. Which interview format listed below should result in the
highest validity?
a. structured, situational
b. unstructured, situational
c. structured, behavioral
d. unstructured, behavioral
e. structured, job-related
(a; moderate; p. 243)
34. _____ means that the order in which an interviewer sees
applicants affects how the candidates are rated.
a. Context error
b. Contrast error
c. Order effect
d. Recency error
e. Primacy effect
(b; moderate; p. 247)
35. Jill is interviewing six candidates for a position as an
entry-level management trainee. The first two candidates were
judged unfavorable. The third candidate was just average, but Jill
was so pleased to find an acceptable candidate after the first two
interviews that she assigned a better rating to candidate 3. This
is an example of a _____.
a. context error
b. contrast error
c. order effect
d. recency error
e. primacy effect
(b; moderate; p. 247)
36. The team holding the interviews for new auditors is behind
in its recruiting quota. The team is most likely to rate the
applicants _____ in this situation.
a. negatively
b. positively
c. neutrally
d. unacceptable
e. there is not enough information to determine
(b; moderate; p. 247)
37. Based on interviewer assessments of attractiveness and
gender, which of the following would most likely receive the
highest rating for an executive level position?
a. an attractive woman
b. an attractive man
c. an unattractive woman
d. an unattractive man
e. there are no such biases based on attractiveness and
gender
(b; easy; p. 248)
38. A disadvantage of research on interviewer effects and biases
is that _____.
a. the research is based on real jobs
b. the research uses students as raters
c. the research is based on hypothetical jobs
d. the research uses real employees
e. both b and c
(e; moderate; p. 248)
39. All of the following characteristics tend to result in more
positive assessments of job candidates by interviewers except
_____.
a. male gender
b. physical attractiveness
c. extraverted behavior
d. poise
e. all of the above tend to influence interviewers in a positive
manner
(e; easy; p. 248)
40. The EEOC uses _____, who apply for employment which they do
not intend to accept, for the sole purpose of uncovering unlawful
discriminatory hiring practices.
a. spies
b. moles
c. testers
d. mystery applicants
e. applicants
(c; moderate; p. 250)
41. When an interviewer makes a statement like This job requires
handling a lot of stress. You can do that, cant you? he or she has
used _____ to provide a subtle cue as to the desired response.
a. leading
b. telegraphing
c. socially desirable responding
d. cueing
e. foreshadowing
(b; moderate; p. 249)
42. What interviewer behaviors can interfere with the interview
process?
a. talking too much
b. telegraphing
c. playing psychologist
d. letting the applicant dominate the interview
e. all of the above
(e; easy; p. 249)
43. What is the first step in developing a guide for structured
situational interviews?
a. rate the jobs main duties
b. create interview questions
c. write a job description
d. create benchmark answers
e. appoint the interview panel and conduct interviews
(c; easy; p. 251)
44. The second step in the procedure for developing a guide for
structured situational interviews is to _____.
a. rate the jobs main duties
b. create interview questions
c. write a job description
d. create benchmark answers
e. appoint the interview panel and conduct interviews
(a; moderate; p. 251)
45. The third step in the procedure for developing a guide for
structured situational interviews is to _____.
a. rate the jobs main duties
b. create interview questions
c. write a job description
d. create benchmark answers
e. appoint the interview panel and conduct interviews
(b; moderate; p. 251)
46. The fourth step in the procedure for developing a guide for
structured situational interviews is to _____.
a. rate the jobs main duties
b. create interview questions
c. write a job description
d. create benchmark answers
e. appoint the interview panel and conduct interviews
(d; moderate; p. 251)
47. Which of the following types of questions is not typically
part of a structured situational interview?
a. situational questions
b. job knowledge questions
c. ability questions
d. willingness questions
e. all question types used in structured situational
interviews
(c; difficult; p. 251)
48. When interviewers write a job description with a list of job
duties, required knowledge, skills, abilities and other worker
qualifications, they are _____.
a. analyzing the job
b. rating the jobs duties
c. creating interview questions
d. creating benchmark answers
e. appointing the interview panel
(a; easy; p. 251)
49. How many interviewers are usually on an interview panel for
structured situational interviews?
a. 3 or less
b. 3-6
c. 6-9
d. 10 or more
e. it varies
(b; moderate; p. 251)
50. All of the following are ways that interviewers can control
the interview except _____.
a. limit interviewers follow-up questions
b. ensure that all interviewees get the same questions
c. use a large number of questions
d. prohibit questions from candidates until the end of the
interview
e. use multiple interviewers or panel interviews
(e; moderate; p. 253)
51. Interviewers should be trained to _____.
a. avoid potentially discriminatory questions
b. avoid stereotyping minority candidates
c. base questions on job-related information
d. understand EEO laws as they relate to the interview
process
e. all of the above
(e; easy; p. 253)
52. When interviewers put too much weight on the last few
minutes of the interview, the _____ has occurred.
a. context error
b. contrast error
c. order effect
d. recency effect
e. primacy effect
(d; moderate; p. 253)
53. Which of the following is an important consideration when
asking questions in the interview?
a. refrain from asking questions that can be answered yes or
no
b. refrain from telegraphing the desired answer
c. refrain from talking too much during the interview
d. listen actively to the candidates responses
e. all of the above
(e; easy; p. 253)
54. Rejected candidates who receive an explanation detailing why
the employer rejected them tended to do all of the following except
_____.
a. feel the process was fair
b. speak more highly of the employer
c. legally dispute the decision
d. apply for jobs again with the firm
e. rejected candidates tend to all of the above
(c; difficult; p. 255)
55. Which of the following is not one of the four specific
factors a manager should probe for in an interview?
a. intellectual factor
b. motivation factor
c. extracurricular activities factor
d. personality factor
e. knowledge and experience factor
(c; moderate; p. 257)
56. Managers without a well-developed structured situational
interview guide should still follow several steps to ensure a good
interview process. The first step is to _____.
a. prepare for the interview
b. devise a plan for the interview
c. probe specific factors during the interview
d. ask questions about significant areas in a candidates
life
e. match the candidate to the job
(a; easy; p. 257)
57. The second step a manager should consider when conducting
interviews without a thoroughly-developed structured situational
interview guide is to _____.
a. prepare for the interview
b. devise a plan for the interview
c. identify specific factors to probe for during the
interview
d. ask questions about significant areas in a candidates
life
e. match the candidate to the job
(c; easy; p. 257)
58. The final step a manager should consider when conducting
interviews without a thoroughly-developed structured situational
guide is to _____.
a. prepare for the interview
b. devise a plan for the interview
c. probe specific factors during the interview
d. ask questions about significant areas in a candidates
life
e. match the candidate to the job
(e; easy; p. 257)
59. Which question below is an example of a job knowledge
question?
a. Suppose you were giving a sales presentation and a difficult
technical question arose that you could not answer. What would you
do?
b. Based on your past work experience, what is the most
significant action you have ever taken to help out a co-worker?
c. What work experiences, training, or other qualifications do
you have for working in a teamwork environment?
d. What factors should one consider when developing a television
advertising campaign?
e. What experience have you had with direct point-of-purchase
sales?
(d; moderate; p. 241)
60. Which question below is an example of a situational
question?
a. Suppose you were giving a sales presentation and a difficult
technical question arose that you could not answer. What would you
do?
b. Based on your past work experience, what is the most
significant action you have ever taken to help out a co-worker?
c. What work experiences, training, or other qualifications do
you have for working in a teamwork environment?
d. What factors should one consider when developing a television
advertising campaign?
e. What experience have you had with direct point-of-purchase
sales?
(a; moderate; p. 241)
61. Which question below is an example of a past behavior
question?
a. Suppose you were giving a sales presentation and a difficult
technical question arose that you could not answer. What would you
do?
b. Based on your past work experience, what is the most
significant action you have ever taken to help out a co-worker?
c. What work experiences, training, or other qualifications do
you have for working in a teamwork environment?
d. What factors should one consider when developing a television
advertising campaign?
e. What experience have you had with direct point-of-purchase
sales?
(b; moderate; p. 241)
62. Which question below is an example of a background
question?
a. Suppose you were giving a sales presentation and a difficult
technical question arose that you could not answer. What would you
do?
b. Based on your past work experience, what is the most
significant action you have ever taken to help out a co-worker?
c. What steps would you follow to conduct a brainstorming
session with a group of employees on safety?
d. What factors should one consider when developing a television
advertising campaign?
e. What experience have you had with direct point-of-purchase
sales?
(e; moderate; p. 241)
63. Consider the question: Suppose you saw a co-worker who was
not following standard work procedures. The co-worker claimed that
the new procedure was better. What would you do? What type of
question is this?
a. background question
b. past behavior question
c. situational question
d. job knowledge question
e. structured question
(c; moderate; p. 241)
64. Consider the question: Can you provide an example of a
specific instance where you provided leadership in a difficult
situation? What type of question is this?
a. background question
b. behavioral question
c. situational question
d. job knowledge question
e. structured question
(b; moderate; p. 241)
65. Consider the question: What work experience do you have in
marketing and sales? What type of question is this?
a. background question
b. behavioral question
c. situational question
d. job knowledge question
e. structured question
(a; moderate; p. 241)
66. Consider the question: What factors should be considered
when developing a customer database? What type of question is
this?
a. background question
b. past behavior question
c. situational question
d. job knowledge question
e. structured question
(d; moderate; p. 241)
67. Interview questions designed to assess such things as
complexity of tasks the person has performed seek to probe the
candidates _____ factor.
a. motivation
b. intellectual
c. personality
d. knowledge
e. experience
(b; moderate; p. 256)
68. Interview questions designed to probe such areas as a
persons aspirations and energy level seek information regarding a
candidates _____ factor.
a. motivation
b. intellectual
c. personality
d. knowledge
e. experience
(a; moderate; p. 256)
69. Interview questions that probe for self-defeating behaviors
and explore a persons past interpersonal relationships seek
information regarding a candidates _____ factor.
a. motivation
b. intellectual
c. personality
d. knowledge
e. experience
(c; moderate; p. 256)
70. Situational questions like How would you organize a sales
effort? seek information regarding a candidates _____ factor.
a. motivation
b. intellectual
c. personality
d. knowledge
e. leadership
(d; moderate; p. 256)
True/ False
71. The interview is the most widely used personnel selection
procedure. (T; easy; p. 236)
72. Exit interviews follow a performance appraisal and focus on
a discussion of the employees rating and possible remedial actions.
(F; easy; p. 236)
73. Nondirective interviews follow no set format so the
interviewer can ask follow-up questions and pursue points of
interest as they develop. (T; easy; p. 236)
74. Nonstructured interviews are preferred to directive
interviews because they are more reliable and valid. (F; moderate;
p. 236)
75. Nondirective interviews can be described as a general
conversation. (T; easy; p. 236)
76. All structured interviews specify acceptable answers for
each question. (F; moderate; p. 236)
77. Behavioral interviews ask interviewees to describe how they
would react to a hypothetical situation at some point in the
future. (F; moderate; p. 237)
78. Recruiters for technical and finance positions like to use
job knowledge questions to assess how candidates perform under
pressure. (F; moderate; p. 241)
79. Most interviews are one-on-one. (T; easy; p. 243)
80. Computer-aided interviews are primarily used for essay
questions. (F; easy; p. 244)
81. Some firms use the Web to assist in the employee interview
process through the use of automated video-based interview systems.
(T; easy; p. 245)
82. First impressions created from candidate application forms
and personal appearance can affect interviewer ratings of
candidates. (T; easy; p. 246)
83. Structured interviews have validities about twice those of
unstructured interviews. (T; moderate; p. 246)
84. Behavioral interviews yield a higher mean validity than do
situational interviews. (F; difficult; p. 246)
85. Interviewers tend to be more influenced by unfavorable than
favorable information about a candidate. (T; moderate; p. 246)
86. Interviewers tend to rate candidates who promote themselves
and use impression management tactics more poorly on candidate-job
fit. (F; easy; p. 247)
87. When interviewing disabled people, interviewers tend to
avoid directly addressing the disability which limits their ability
to get relevant information about the candidates ability to do the
job. (T; moderate; p. 250)
88. Under the EEOC guidelines, an interviewer must limit his or
her questions to whether an applicant has any physical or mental
impairment that may interfere with his or her ability to perform
the jobs essential tasks. (F; difficult; p. 250)
89. The EEOC uses testers who apply for employment which they do
not intend to accept for the purpose of uncovering unlawful
discriminatory hiring practices. (T; moderate; p. 250)
90. Because EEOC tests are not really seeking employment, they
do not have legal standing in court to charge unlawful
discriminatory hiring practices. (F; moderate; p. 250)
91. Understanding potential interview problems is important for
avoiding them. (T; easy; p. 249)
92. A structured behavioral interview contains a series of
hypothetical job-oriented questions with predetermined answers that
interviewers ask of all applicants for the job. (F; difficult; p.
249)
93. In the job analysis portion of developing structured
situational interviews, each job duty should be evaluated based on
its importance to job success and the time required to perform it
compared to other tasks. (F; difficult; p. 249)
94. Structured situational interviews contain situational
questions, job knowledge questions, and willingness questions. (T;
moderate; p. 251)
95. Willingness questions assess an applicants ability to meet
the job requirements. (F; easy; p. 251)
96. Companies generally conduct structured situational
interviews using a panel, rather than sequentially. (T; moderate;
p. 251)
97. Typically, the employees who write the structured
situational interview questions and benchmark answers are different
from the employees who conduct the interview. (F; moderate; p.
251)
98. When rejecting a job candidate, it is best to refrain from
providing an explanation detailing the reason for the rejection
because candidates feel that the process is fairer when they dont
know the reason for the rejection. (F; difficult; p. 255)
99. Employers may not explain why candidates are rejected,
despite the positive reasons for doing so, because of the possible
threat of legal dispute. (T; easy; p. 255)
100. Three dimensions of interview structure (having objective,
job-related questions; standardizing interview administration; and
having multiple interviewers) were related to verdicts in favor of
employers in a study of federal district court cases of alleged
employment interview discrimination. (T; moderate; p. 256)
Essay/ Short Answer
101. What three ways can selection interviews be classified?
What are the resulting types of interviews? (easy; p. 236)
Answer: Selection interviews can be classified according to 1)
how structured they are, 2) their content, and 3) how they are
administered. Structure can range from unstructured to structured.
Content classifications are situational or behavioral. Examples
include job-related interviews and stress interviews. Interviews
can be administered by one person or by a panel of interviewers.
Interviews may also be computer-administered.
102. How do nonverbal behaviors and impression management affect
interviewer ratings of candidates? (moderate; p. 247)
Answer: An applicants nonverbal behavior and use of impression
management can have a large impact on his or her rating.
Interviewers tend to respond more positively to candidates showing
more extraverted behavior like good eye contact and high energy.
Even smiling can affect interviewer ratings of candidates.
Interviewers infer the interviewees personality from the way he or
she acts in the interview.
103. Some interviewers have difficulty getting the best
information when interviewing disabled people who use assistive
technology because they try avoid directly discussing the
disability. Give five examples of questions that could be useful
when interviewing someone who uses assistive technology at work.
(moderate; p. 250)
Answer: Several examples are provided in the book.
Other than technology, what other kind of support did you have
in previous jobs? If not, is there anything that would benefit
you?
Provide an example of how you use technology to carry out your
job duties.
Do you foresee your technology needs changing in the near
future? Why and how?
Discuss a barrier or obstacle, if any, that you have encountered
in any of your previous jobs. How was that addressed?
Do you anticipate any transportation or scheduling issues with
the work schedule expected of this position?
104. Explain why structured situational interviews tend to yield
more reliable responses than structured behavioral interviews.
(difficult; p. 252)
Answer: Structured situational interviews ask candidates to
address how they would handle a certain hypothetical situation
while structured behavioral interviews ask candidates to think of
their own past experiences. Because the structured situational
question forces all applicants to apply the same scenario, the
responses are more consistent.
105. List the steps in developing a structured situational
interview guide. (moderate; p. 251)
Answer: The five steps in the procedure are 1) job analysis, 2)
rate the jobs main duties, 3) create interview questions, 4) create
benchmark answers, and 5) appoint the interview panel and conduct
interviews.
106. What three types of questions are contained in a structured
situational interview? Explain and give an example of each type.
(easy; p. 251)
Answer: The three types of questions are situational, job
knowledge, and willingness. Situational questions pose a
hypothetical job situation such as What would you do if the machine
suddenly began heating up? Job knowledge questions assess knowledge
essential to job performance such as What is HTML? Willingness
questions gauge the applicants willingness and motivation to meet
the jobs requirements such as Are you willing to travel for
work?
107. Explain the procedures for conducting a panel interview.
(moderate; p. 253)
Answer: The same panel members will interview all the candidates
for a specific job. They will review the job description,
questions, and benchmark answers before the interview. One panel
member will introduce the applicant and ask all of the questions of
all applicants in the interviews. All the panel members will record
and rate the applicants answers on a rating scale sheet. At the end
of the procedure, one panel member will explain the follow-up
procedure and answer any questions the applicant may have.
108. Even without following the procedures for developing
structured situational interviews, there are several things that
can increase the standardization of interviews. Name three of these
suggestions. (moderate; p. 252)
Answer: There are eight suggestions provided for increasing the
standardization of interviews. They are as follows.
Base questions on actual job duties.
Use job knowledge, situational, or behaviorally-oriented
questions and objective criteria to evaluate the interviewees
responses.
Train interviewers.
Use the same questions with all candidates.
Use descriptive rating scales to rate answers.
Use multiple interviewers or panel interviews.
Use a structured interview form.
Control the interview.
109. How can an employer protect itself from charges of
discrimination in its interview process? (moderate; p. 256)
Answer: It is best that employment interviewers refrain from
asking questions regarding an applicants race, color, religion,
sex, age, national origin, or handicap. Even when it may not be
illegal (as in the case of age or marital status), the EEOC
disapproves of such practices. In addition, employers should ensure
that the interview process is structured and consistently applied.
The interview should have objective, job-related questions and be
administered in a standardized format. There should be multiple
interviewers. Employers can also reassure candidates that the job
interview process is fair, treat the interviewees with respect, and
be willing to explain the process and the rationale for the
interview questions.
110. There are four specific factors that should be probed in an
interview. List the four factors and explain each one. (easy; p.
257)
Answer: The four factors are intellectual, motivation,
personality, and knowledge and experience. The intellectual factor
includes such things as complexity of tasks the person has
performed, grades in school, test results, and how the person
organizes his or her thoughts and communicates. The motivation
factor includes such things as the persons likes and dislikes,
aspirations, and energy level. The personality factor includes such
things as self-defeating behaviors, past interpersonal
relationships, and interpersonal behaviors. The knowledge and
experience factor includes information the candidate has directly
related to how to do the job in question.
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