Decoding Job Interviews: Strategies and Preparations for Success

This is a research paper that examines the job interview process details among U. S. employers, lists the general preparations that a job applicant needs for the job interview, and presents professional advise on the successful strategies for the job interview. First, this paper will present the different types of job interviews then it will list the common structured job interview process details from the perspectives of both the employer and job applicant. Afterwards, it will note certain human resource management forms that establish standards in the job interview process.

Second, this paper will list the general preparations that a job applicant needs for the job interview based on the common structured interview process. Third, this paper will evaluate professional advise on certain successful strategies for the job interview. Finally, this will conclude with an assessment of the materials researched and provide insights from the information evaluated. The Job Interview Process. After a spate of job interview-related court cases, U. S. employers have fairly evolved job interview processes (Office of Personnel Management State of Oklahoma [Oklahoma]

1). Most U. S.employers with professional human resource managers or hiring consultants now steer away from the traditional, unstructured interview and instead conduct structured interviews for certain benefits. The traditional, unstructured interview basically has interviewer-bias with subjective and non-job related questions (x). It is also inconsistent content-wise since different job candidates are asked different questions (x). Hence, U. S. employers that conduct traditional interviews are usually prone to litigation and incur inaccurate and unreliable judgments on the future job performance of a candidate.

On the other hand, researchers found that structured interviews are highly reliable, with predictive validity, and fair (Jones, Steffy and Bray 256) mainly due to their consistency, job-related content, and objective measures for skill. The structured job interview could be of several types such as: [a] situational; [b] patterned behavior description; or [c] past experience-based (256). However, the more superior structured interviews appear to be structured around “four types of interview questions: job knowledge, past behavior, background, and situational” (Oklahoma 2).

Another benefit of the structured job interview aside from the reasons cited is that it is more ‘legally defensible’ (x). The job interview process can be broken down into several parts: a) pre-interview; b) interview; and c) post-interview. Moreover, it can also be seen from the point of view of the employer then the job applicant. Examining the job interview process this way equips the job applicant to better understand the interview process. Moreover, looking at the contents of some standard forms could also give a quick idea on what information are job interviewers collecting and how such information will be handled or assessed.

The pre-interview process consists of the following activities from the perspective of the employer: [1] Analysis of the job to be filled considering knowledge, skills, and abilities or KSAs (Oklahoma 1); [2] Creation of the interview panel of three to five persons (2); [3] Development of the interview questions considering job knowledge, past behavior, background, and situational scenarios including follow-up questions (2-5); [4] Identification and removal of questions that are illegal (6-9); [5] Establishment of rating scales and benchmarks (9-10); and [6] Conduct of training for interviewers (11-14).

On the other hand, the pre-interview process consists of the following activities from the perspective of the job applicant: [1] Scouting for a job; [2] Developing a resume and cover letter; [3] Submitting the resume; and [4] Practicing and preparing for the interview (Office of Disability Employment Policy [ODEP] “Finding a Job…”). It should be noted, however, that a prospective employer would not interview all job candidates since the selection process usually begins with an evaluation of most cover letters and resumes.

A typical rejection letter template is courteously worded in any of the following manner with variations: [a] “While your background is an interesting one, we have received a number of resumes from people whose qualifications are a closer match with our firm’s current needs” (IMSI Fig. 1); and [b] “We were fortunate to have interviewed a number of applicants with strong backgrounds such as yours, making the selection process difficult” (IMSI Fig. 2).

Meanwhile, the employer’s representative will politely ask the successful job candidate for an interview at a specific time, date and place. The interview process consists of the following activities from the perspective of the employer: [1] Choosing the right and legal interview setting (Oklahoma 15); [2] Setting up the proper seating arrangements (16); [3] Conducting the interview (16-17); [4] Taking notes (17); [5] Asking questions (17-18); [6] Controlling the interview (18-19); and [7] Closing the interview (19-20).

From the job applicant’s point of view, the interview process consists of the following activities: [1] “Paying attention to personal hygiene and choice of clothes” (ODEP “Interview Checklist” 1); [2] Bringing a copy of the resume, references, letters of recommendation, paper, pen, and research notes on the interviewing company (1); [3] Arriving at most ten minutes early at the venue, introducing self to the receptionist, and confirming interview appointment in a relaxed, friendly and business-like manner (1-2); [4] Greeting the interviewers by name, shaking hands, and maintaining a positive body language (2); [5]

Answering questions by staying on topic and using specific examples on background information such as education, training, transferable skills, and work experiences (2); and [6] Asking any suitable questions, repeating interest in the position and business, stating appreciation for the interview, confirming the response date, and saying goodbye (2). The typical job interview forms that the interview panel will have are the following: [1] Job Announcement with job details as to required knowledge, skills, and abilities (IMSI Fig. 3; Fig. 4); [2] Job or Position Description that will serve as a guide in the rating and selection of the ideal job candidate (IMSI Fig.5); [3]

Application Cover Sheet where the interview panelists can take down their notes for every job applicant being interviewed (IMSI Fig. 6); [4] Applicant Comparison Summary where the interviewers can compare the ratings of several job candidates (IMSI Fig. 7); [5] Applicant Rating Form where each individual job applicant can be rated by each interview panelist (IMSI Fig. 8); [6] Clerical Applicant Rating Form which is a sample rating form for clerical jobs (IMSI Fig. 9); and [7] Employment Application Form (IMSI Fig. 10; Fig. 11) where the job applicant fills in the required information as to job knowledge, skills, abilities, and work experience.

The post-interview process consists of the following actions from an employer’s point of view: [1] rating, criteria weighing, and selection of the ideal job candidate; and [2] informing job candidates on the results of the selection process. The main purpose of employers for the structured job interview is to “conduct more effective and legally sound interviews” (Oklahoma 27). From a job applicant’s viewpoint, the following comprise the ideal post-interview process: [1] follow-up; [2] sending a thank you letter to the prospective employer for the interview; and [3] providing a written answer whether to accept or decline the job offer within a week (ODEP 2).