The arrival of November brings with it the countdown to Christmas!!  Did you know it is only 8 weeks to go before Christmas?

Now is the time to pick up the telephone and contact Irene at Profile – let her assist you; she will organise a Temp for your company while your staff are away on leave.

Irene is contactable on 043-7260308 or irene@profilepersonnel.co.za.

Have you seen Profile Personnel’s revamped website yet??  www.profilepersonnel.co.za

We are really proud of the changes that have been made and would like to thank our graphic designer, Travers Harty, for the excellent work done.

For your reading pleasure, this month’s article is taken from the
Recruitment & Selection - Honeyguide.

Preparing to Interview

 Conducting the Interview

 “Much of the skill and success of non-discriminatory interviews will be based upon the manner in which you ask questions …  You need to establish the questions you might wish to ask, be aware of the style of questioning and the limitations, as well as having your questions prepared.  We cannot stress highly enough the fact that if you know what you want, and you know how to test for it, you are unlikely to ever fall foul of a charge of unfairness.”
(Andrew Levy & Associates, 1999)

Aims of the Interview

• Opportunity for the employer to find out more about the applicant
• Chance for the applicant to find out more about the prospective employer

Providing a Positive Impression of the Company as an Employer

• Remember that the applicant has taken time out of his/her schedule to come to the interview
• Treat him/her with the respect that s/he deserves

Legal Issues

•  If it does not apply to the job, do not ask it
• Only ask what you need to know – be careful of invading the applicant’s privacy
• Know what evidence you need to reach a sound decision
• Ask the same key questions to ensure standardisation and to avoid bias
• Know what constitutes an appropriate response to interview questions to ensure consistency in evaluation of candidates
• Gather evidence for each criteria for each candidate
• Ensure that selectors are trained in interview skills
• Avoid common mistakes of judgement made in interviews
• Ensure a valid and reliable process

Conducting the Interview: Maximise its Validity & Reliability

Research has demonstrated that:-

Unstructured Interviews

• Lack reliability
• Do not allow for comparison of candidates
• Often results in important evidence not being collected
• Are poor predictors of job success, i.e. not valid
• Bad PR image for the organization

Structured Interviews

• Are linked to inherent job requirements
• Reduce the effects of prejudice and bias
• Ensure the collection of critical evidence
• Are better predictor of job success, i.e. are more valid

Structured vs. Unstructured Interviews

In a structured interview, you ask all the candidates the same questions so you can compare answers.  Structured interviews are used in order to be fair and objective, but they may not elicit as much information from the candidates.

Unstructured interviews are individual conversations that do not necessarily cover all the same questions with every candidate.  You may learn more about the candidates, but it will be more difficult to compare their responses.