Preliminary interview

Short and concise

Main purpose:

• Pre-selection and the elimination of applicants who are obviously not qualified

Usually done telephonically

Straightforward questions about qualifications, experience, etc.

Application blank

A form that is completed by the applicant providing information such as

• education

• work history

• personal data

• medical history

• hobbies

• Etc

Purpose:

• Gives an indication of an applicant’s suitability for the job

Employment test

An instrument which is used to obtain information about personal characteristics

Cognitive ability (intelligence)

• Provides an indication of general intelligence

Aptitude

• Gives an indication of aspects such as

  • Verbal ability

  • Work fluency

  • Memory

  • Deductive reasoning

  • Numerical ability

  • Coordination

Personality

• Identify personality traits

Performance

• Assess an applicant’s performance on specific tasks (eg typing test, editing skills, mechanic tool identification)

Interest

• Interest is related to a person’s motivation and satisfaction

Types of employment interview

Structured

• Careful systematic planning

• Exclusive use of technically skilled interviewers

Unstructured

• Coincidental

• Random procedure

Problems with the employment interview

Interviewer’s own perception

Decisions based on first impressions

Females rated lower than males

Social prejudices