Part 2 - Select a Structured Interview Format

A structured interview provides little or no opportunity for the interview panel members to diverge from the format. Three such types of structured interviews are the situational interview, the comprehensive structured interview, and the behavior description interview.

Situational Interview 

The situational interview consists of a series of work-related scenarios that require the candidate to describe how he or she would handle the situation if confronted with it on the job.

Because situational questions focus on what the candidate would do in a particular situation rather than on what the candidate has done in a past similar situation, they are useful for entry-level positions in which a candidate is not expected to possess previous experience.

Example:

"Assume you are a supervisor and one of your subordinate employees consistently arrives late to work. What action would you take?"

The scenarios which comprise the situational interview questions can be developed on the basis of a job analysis or from input from subject matter experts.

Comprehensive Structured Interview 

The comprehensive structured interview may contain four types of questions:

• Situational
• Job knowledge
• Job simulation
• Worker requirements

Situational questions are identical to those used in the situational interview.

Job knowledge questions assess a knowledge or skill required by the job.

Example:

"Explain the concept of present value and provide an example of a business application."

Job simulation questions attempt to simulate the type of behavior required on the job.

Example:

"Human resources technicians are required to administer pre-employment written exams and read exam instructions to the candidates. Please read these exam proctor instructions to us as if you were reading them to a large candidate group."

Worker requirement questions assess work experience, education, licenses, or certificates that are required on the job.

Example:

"Please describe your previous work experience preparing detailed financial reports."

Behavior Description Interview

The behavior description interview is intended to measure typical, rather than maximal, performance. It is based on the belief that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.

Example:

"Tell us about a time when you were asked to complete multiple projects with conflicting deadlines. How did you resolve this situation?"

Remember! Questions should only deal with KSAOs that are expected upon entry to the job.

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 Carefully Construct Interview Questions 

Questions should be open-ended. Open-ended questions provide a framework in which to respond, yet leave the responsibility with the candidate to determine the level of detail to provide in the response.

Example:

"Describe your experience validating selection procedures using content validity."

Avoid "yes-no" questions, unless they are the best way to get right to the point of an essential qualification.

Example:

"Have you ever written a specification for a group health insurance plan?" Yes..8 points, No..0 points

In developing interview questions, it is important to ensure that questions are:

• Realistic given the requirements of the job
• Complex enough to allow adequate demonstration of the KSAOs being assessed
• Stated in a straightforward unambiguous manner
• Formulated at the language level appropriate for the candidate group
• Not assessing KSAOs that the candidate can acquire on the job

NOTE:

To determine whether an interview question is clearly stated, it may be helpful to ask yourself if the question would be clear to an individual for whom English is a second language.

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Be Aware of Acceptable and Unacceptable Pre-Employment Inquiries

The State of California Department of Fair Employment and Housing developed Form DFEH-161 containing the following table of frequently asked questions regarding a variety of subjects that can be acceptable or unacceptable for employers to ask about:

ACCEPTABLE	SUBJECT	UNACCEPTABLE
Name "Have you ever used another name?" "Is any additional information relative to change of name, use of an assumed name, or nickname necessary to enable a check on your work and education record? If yes, please explain."	Name	Maiden name
Place of Residence	Residence	"Do you own or rent your home?"
Statement that hire is subject to verification that applicant meets legal age requirements "If hired, can you show proof of age?" "Are you over eighteen years of age?" "If under eighteen, can you, after employment, submit a work permit?"	Age	Age Birthdate Dates of attendance or completion of elementary or high school Questions which tend to identify applicants over age 40
"Can you, after employment, submit verification of your legal right to work in the United States?" Statement that such proof may be required after a decision is made to hire the candidate	Birthplace, Citizenship	Birthplace of applicant, applicant's parents, spouse, or other relatives "Are you a U.S. citizen?" Citizenship of applicant, applicant's parents, spouse, or other relatives Requirements that applicant produce naturalization, first papers, or alien card prior to a decision to hire
Languages applicant reads, speaks, or writes, ONLY IF use of a language other than English is relevant to the job for which applicant is applying	National Origin	Questions as to nationality, lineage, ancestry, national origin, descent, or parentage of applicant, applicant's parents, or spouse
Name and address of parent or guardian if applicant is a minor Statement of company policy regarding work assignment of employees who are related	Sex, Marital Status, Family	Questions which indicate applicant's sex Questions which indicate applicant's marital status Number and/or ages of children or dependents Provisions for child care Questions regarding pregnancy, child bearing, or birth control Name and address of relative, spouse, or children of adult applicant "With whom do you reside?" "Do you live with your parents?"
	Race, Color	Questions as to applicant's race or color Questions regarding applicant's complexion or color of skin, eyes, hair
	Credit Report	Any report which would indicate information which is otherwise illegal to ask, e.g., marital status, age, residency, etc.
Statement that photograph may be required after employment	Physical Description, Photograph	Questions as to applicant's height and weight Require applicant to affix a photograph to application. Request applicant, at his or her option, to submit a photograph.
Statement by employer that offer may be made contingent on applicant passing a job-related physical examination "Can you perform (specific task)?"	Physical or Mental Disability	Questions regarding applicant's general medical condition, state of health, or illnesses Questions regarding receipt of Workers' Compensation "Do you have any physical or mental disabilities or handicaps?"
Statement by employer of regular days, hours, or shifts to be worked	Religion	Questions regarding applicant's religion Religious days observed "Does your religion prevent you from working weekends or holidays?"
Job-related questions about convictions, except those convictions which have been sealed, expunged, or statutorily eradicated	Arrest, Criminal Record	Arrest record "Have you ever been arrested?" (This is a violation of California Labor Code Section 432.7, which is enforced by the Labor Commissioner.)
Questions regarding relevant skills acquired during applicant's military service	Military Service	General questions regarding military services such as dates and type of discharge
"Please list job-related organizations, clubs, professional societies, or other associations to which you belong - you may omit those which indicate your race, religious creed, color, disability, marital status, national origin, ancestry, sex, or age."	Organizations, Activities	"List all organizations, clubs, societies, and lodges to which you belong."
"By whom were you referred for a position here?" Names of persons willing to provide professional and/or character references for applicant	References	Questions of applicant's former employers or acquaintances which elicit information specifying the applicant's race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, age, or sex
Name and address of person to be notified in case of accident or emergency	Notify in Case of Emergency	Name, address and relationship of relative to be notified in case of accident or emergency

Go to Part 3

Test Validation & Construction Program