Interviewing

1
Interviewing Recruitment (includes sample
interview questions and reference check
questions)

• Guide for Supervisors

2
Table of Contents

• Hiring The Best People 3-5
• Interview Agenda 6-7
• Tips for Effective Interviewing 8-9
• Closed Open Ended Questions 10
• Closed Ended Questions 11
• Open Ended Questions 12
• Targeted Selection 13-14
• Job Requirement Definitions and
• Sample Interview Questions 15-20
• Non-Traditional Interview Questions 21-25
• Sample Interview Template 26
• Reference Check Questions 27-29
• Chart of Legal Questions 30-33

3
Hiring The Best People

• One of the goals of this guide is to learn to
  plan a logical structured
• interview with pre-planned interview questions.
  Youll learn to why its
• important to take control of the interview
  process by
• Asking open ended questions
• Taking notes
• Seeking contrary information
• Allowing silence if necessary

4
Hiring The Best People

• Additionally you will learn a method of
  interviewing called Targeted
• Selection some people refer to it as
  Behavioral Interviewing.
• Targeted selection teaches you to gather specific
  job
• related behavior from the job applicants past
  work experience.
• Basically it shows you that past behavior
  predicts future behavior. How
• someone acted in a previous situation at another
  job or in another
• situation is a pretty good indicator of how
  theyll act in similar situation.
• You can find out if a person has or doesnt have
  the skills you are
• looking for. You will be basing your hiring
  decision on facts and
• information, not just guesses.

5
Hiring The Best People

• Finally you will review some of the legality of
  the hiring process. What
• is legal and not legal to ask.?
• Legal action in the hiring process usually comes
  about by
• lack of preparation,
• failing to use a structured consistent process
• not asking questions that are job related.

6
Interview Agenda

•  Establish rapport
• Open the interview and help the applicants feel
  at ease
• Introduce the interview panel describe how you
  will conduct the interview
• Ask the applicant if they have any questions
  before you begin
• Ask them if they know anything about Pacific
  University.
• Tell them about Pacific University and tell them
  about the position they are interviewing for.
• Ask open-ended questions
• Use prepared job relevant questions to learn
  about their skills, knowledge and abilities
• Focus on the jobs challenges and specific tasks
• Encourage the applicant to elaborate on responses
  by using follow-up questions, silence and
  paraphrasing the applicants initial response

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Interview Agenda

• Invite the applicant to ask questions
• Ask What is your understanding of the
  position?
• Ask What questions do you have for me about the
  position or the university?
• Describe what happens next
• How soon will a decision be made?
• How will the applicant be notified?
• When would the position start?
• Thank the person for their interest and taking
  time to interview.

8
Tips for Effective Interviewing

•  When Interviewing Applicants
• Allow for silence
• Once you ask a question, sit quietly while the
  candidate thinks of a response.
• Control the interview by redirecting the
  conversation
• Develop questions in advance of the interview
• Maintain the focus of the interview
• Make smooth transitions from one topic to another
• Allocate time appropriately
• Return to the original questions when the answer
  is vague
• Pace the interview

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Tips for Effective Interviewing

• Seek contrary evidence
• Assess if your impressions or assumptions are
  one-sided
• Probe further to validate or challenge your
  assumptions
• Gain behavioral examples
• Gather specific information examples
• Focus on past performance rather than personality
  traits
• Take notes
• Make notes on applicants responses during the
  interview
• Was the applicant prepared for the interview?
• Note dress, appearance, timeliness if relevant

10
Closed Open Ended Questions

• Closed and Open - Ended Questions
• Closed-ended questions allow the job applicant
  to give simple yes/no answers. You would use this
  method of questioning to get information about
  certain qualifications such as licenses or
  certifications.
• Open-ended questions are used to encourage the
  job applicant to give more thorough information.

11
Closed Ended Questions

• Closed-Ended Questions
• Interviewer
• Are you attentive to details?
• Are you willing to work hard?
• Are you good with people?
• Candidates Responses
• Yes
• No

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Open Ended Questions

• Open-Ended Questions
• Interviewer
• Tell me about a time when
• Give me an example of
• How do you go about
• Candidates Responses
• When I was
• Three years ago
• I remember when
• I once had an experience
• Once in an emergency, I

13
Targeted Selection

• Targeted Selection is a behavioral approach to
  improved hiring decisions.
• The goal of every targeted selection interviewer
  is to collect job-related
• behavior from an applicant's past history.
  Interviewers are trained to
• focus their interview skills and selection
  decisions on five basic interview
• principles.
• Use past behavior to predict future behavior
  Behavior in one situation usually predicts
  behavior in a similar situation at a later time.
  For example, banks lend money to people with a
  proven tract record of paying loans back. There
  is a strong overlap between the past performance
  situation and the performance situation being
  predicted.
• 2. Interview for the critical job requirements
  The interviewer should be guided by a list of
  skills, special qualities, knowledge or behavior
  for the position he/she is interviewing for.
  This list is developed by identifying those
  aspects of on-the-job performance that are most
  critical to getting the job done (job
  description).

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Targeted Selection

• 3. Organize your interview into a system
  Hiring decisions are based on the evaluation of
  applicant information accumulated from a variety
  of sources. Prepare by reviewing the resume and
  selecting relevant background areas to focus on.
  State the purpose of the interview and describe
  the interview process. Tell about the job and
  give information about the company. Prepare your
  planned behavioral questions, let the applicant
  ask questions and close the interview.
•  
• 4. Apply effective interviewing skills and
  techniques An interview is only as good as the
  questions asked. Follow your system, take notes,
  maintain the applicants self-esteem and control
  the pace of the interview.
• 5. Exchange information with the other managers
  involved in interviewing.

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Job Requirement Definitions and Sample interview
Questions

• Initiative
• Actively attempts to influence events and people
  to achieve goals self
• Starting rather than passive acceptance. Taking
  imaginative, creative
• action to achieve goals beyond what is called
  for.
• Tell me about a situation where you went above
  and beyond the call of duty. What happened? Why
  did you do it?
• Give me an example of being in a situation where
  things were not going well and you turned it
  around. What did you do? Why did you do it?
  What was the outcome?
• What was the most difficult task you've had to
  learn? What did you do to learn? What was the
  result?
• What is a recent responsibility you have taken
  on? Why did you assume this responsibility.

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Job Requirement Definitions and Sample interview
Questions

• Motivation
• The activities that stimulate and intrinsically
  reward an individual.
• Give me an example of when you worked the hardest
  and felt the greatest sense of achievement. What
  did you do? What happened?
• Tell me about a recent frustrating experience.
  Why were you frustrated? What did you do? What
  were the results?
• Tell me about your favorite club or activity?
  What specifically makes it your favorite? What
  has been your role/how have you progressed?
• Tell me about your job search strategy. What
  actions have you taken? Results?
• When did you feel the most significant
  achievement in a work situation? What did you do
  and why was it so rewarding?
• How do you spend your free time? What do you
  like about and why?
•  
•  
•  
•  
• Stress Tolerance - Stability of performance under
  pressure and/ or opposition. Handling
  disappointment and/or rejection while maintaining
  effectiveness.
• Tell me about a situation in which you were
  rejected. How did you handle the outcome?
•  
• What has been your greatest obstacle? How have
  you dealt with it? What was the result?

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Job Requirement Definitions and Sample Interview
Questions

• Stress Tolerance
• Stability of performance under pressure and/ or
  opposition. Handling
• disappointment and/or rejection while
  maintaining effectiveness.
• Tell me about a situation in which you were
  rejected. How did you handle the outcome?
• What has been your greatest obstacle? How have
  you dealt with it? What was the result?
• Give an example of when your work was criticized.
  What was wrong with it and how did you deal with
  it?
• Give me a time in the past year when you have
  been opposed in a discussion. How did you react?
• What kind of pressure do you feel at work/school?
• Under what conditions and in what environment do
  you work best? Give specific examples.
• How often is your schedule upset by unforeseen
  circumstances? Give me a recent example and how
  do you handle it.

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Job Requirement Definitions and Sample Interview
Questions

• Leadership
• Utilization of appropriate interpersonal styles
  and methods in guiding
• Individuals (subordinates, peers, superiors) or
  groups toward maximum
• results.
• What has been your most difficult experience in
  giving others direction? What specifically did
  you do? What was the outcome?
• Tell me about your most challenging leadership
  role. What was your role in the group? What was
  the result?

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Job Requirement Definitions and Sample Interview
Questions

• Decision Making
• Readiness to make decisions, tender judgments,
  and to commit with
• confidence after carefully weighing the
  consequences of alternative
• actions. Risk taking balanced by judgment in
  selecting a course of action
• in which the benefits appear greater than the
  risks.
• Tell me about procrastinating about a decision in
  the last 6 months. Why did you do it? What was
  the outcome?
• What is the most important decision you've had to
  make in the last six months? Did you seek
  advice? What did you decide? Did it work?

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Job Requirement Definitions and Sample Interview
Questions

• Persuasiveness
• Ability to convince others, help groups to work
  together.
• Tell me about a relationship where a person
  started out as an adversary and is now a
  supporter.
• Tell me about your most difficult supervisor.
  Give me an example. How did you handle this
  supervisor?
• Give me an example of convincing someone to
  extend a deadline.
• Tell me about convincing a group to make a change
  you felt necessary. What was the change? How
  did you convince them? Why did you feel it was
  necessary?

21
Non-Traditional Interview Questions

• Questions To Reveal Integrity/Honesty/Trustworthin
  ess
• Discuss a time when your integrity was
  challenged. How did you handle it?
• What would you do if someone asked you to do
  something unethical?
• Have you ever experience a loss for doing what is
  right?
• Have you ever asked for forgiveness for doing
  something wrong?
• In what business situations do you feel honesty
  would be inappropriate?
• If you saw a co-worker doing something dishonest,
  would you tell your boss? What would you do
  about it?

22
Non-Traditional Interview Questions

• Questions To Reveal Personality/Temperament/Abilit
  y To Work
• With Others
• What brings you joy?
• If you took out a full-page ad in the New York
  Times and had to describe yourself in only three
  words, what would those words be?
• How would you describe your personality?
• What motivates you the most?
• If I call your references, what will they say
  about you?
• Do you consider yourself a risk taker? Describe
  a situation in which you had to take a risk.
• What kind of environment would you like to work
  in?
• What kinds of people would you rather not work
  with?

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Non-Traditional Interview Questions

• Questions To Reveal Personality/Temperament/Abilit
  y To Work
• With Others (continued)
• What kinds of responsibilities would you like to
  avoid in your next job?
• What are two or three examples of tasks that you
  do not particularly enjoy doing? Indicate how
  you remain motivated to complete those tasks.
• What kinds of people bug you?
• Tell me about a work situation that irritated
  you.
• Have you ever had to resolve a conflict with a
  co-worker or customer? How did you resolve it?

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Non-Traditional Interview Questions

• Questions To Reveal Managerial Ability
• Describe the appropriate relationship between a
  supervisor and subordinates.
• What sort of relationships do you have with your
  associates, both at the same level and above and
  below you?
• How have you worked as a member of teams in the
  past?
• Tell me about some of the groups youve had to
  get cooperation from. What did you do?
• What is your management style? How do you think
  your subordinates perceive you?
• As a manager, have you ever had to fire anyone?
  If so, what were the circumstances, and how did
  you handle it?

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Non-Traditional Interview Questions

• Questions To Reveal Managerial Ability
• Have you ever been in a situation where a project
  was returned for errors? What effect did this
  have on you?
• What previous job was the most frustrating and
  why?
• Tell me about the best boss you ever had. Now
  tell me about the worst boss. What made it tough
  to work for him or her?
• What do you think you owe to your employer?
• What does your employer owe to you?

26
Sample Interview Template
Competency Question Response Comments
Communicates effectively and appropriately with students, faculty, staff and the public.
Demonstrates critical thinking skills in problem solving and decision making.
27
Reference Check Questions

• Hello, My name is and I work in the
• (department) at Pacific University. We are
  seriously considering
• hiring (applicants name) formerly employed by
  you. Id like to ask you a
• few questions about him/her, is this a convenient
  time for you?
• 1. Can you tell me the dates he/she was with
  your organization?
• 2. What was your relationship to him/her?
• 3. What type of work did he/she do? What was
  his/her job title?
• 4. What are his/her strong points?
• 5. What are his/her weak points?
• 6. How did he/she get along with others?
• 7. How would you compare his/her work to the
  work of others who performed the same job?

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Reference Check Questions

• 8. Why did he/she leave the position?
• 9. Would you employ this person again? If not,
  why not?
• 10. Is there anything else you would like to
  comment on regarding (applicant's name)
  employment or job performance?
• 11. Is there anyone else who could give me
  information on this individual?
• 12. Are you aware of any reason why we should not
  consider this applicant for employment?

29
Reference Check Questions

• Optional Questions
• Was he/she a self motivated person? How would
  you rate his/her initiative and follow-through?
• To what extent is he/she capable of working
  independently? Capable of working in a team?
• When there was a particularly urgent assignment,
  what steps did he/she take to get it done on
  time?
• Was he/she absent from work or late to work
  frequently?
• What type of management style would best help
  him/her to be a top performer?
• What is the biggest change youve seen in
  him/her? Where has he/she grown the most?

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Chart of Legal Questions
Topic Discriminatory Questions Legal Question
Family Status Are you married? What is your spouses name? Do you have any children? Are you pregnant? What are your childcare arrangements? Do you have any responsibilities that conflict with the job attendance or travel arrangements?   Ask of all applicants!
Race What is your race? None
Religion What is your religion? Where do you go to church? What are you religious holidays? None Can you work the required schedule? You may inquire about availability for weekend work?
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Chart of Legal Questions
Topic Discriminatory Questions Legal Question
Military Service What type of discharge did you receive? How do you think your experience in the military would benefit you in this position?
Gender/Sex Do you prefer working for a man or a woman? None Avoid comments that imply that gender is a factor in the hiring decision.
Age How old are you? What is your birth date? When did you graduate from school? If hired can you provide proof that you are at least 18 years of age?
32
Chart of Legal Questions
Topic Discriminatory Questions Legal Question
Arrest or convictions of a crime Have you ever been arrested Have you ever been convicted of a crime? You must state that a conviction will be considered only as it relates to fitness to perform the job being sought.
National Origin Are you a U.S. Citizen? Where were you born? Can you show proof of your eligibility to work in the U.S.? Are you fluent in any languages other than English (You may ask this questions if it is a job requirement)
33
Chart of Legal Questions
Topic Discriminatory Question Legal Question
Height/Weight An applicants height or weight cannot a factor in the job process.
Disability Are you disabled? What is the nature or severity of you disability? Are you able to perform the essential functions of this job with or without reasonable accommodation?   Show the applicant the position description so they can give an informed answer