Q. Discuss the methods of reliability. How is reliability of “interview” as a selection instrument found?
Ans. Selection is a process of selecting the right candidate for the right job. It is about collecting information about the candidate’s qualifications, experience, physical and mental ability, nature and behaviour, knowledge, aptitude etc for judging whether a given applicant is suitable or not for the job. The test of reliability in the selection process can be carried out through various methods as discussed below:
- Written Examination: The organization have to conduct written examination for the qualified candidates after they are screened on the basis of the application blanks so as to measure the candidate’s ability in arithmetical calculations, to know the candidates attitude towards the job, to measure the candidates aptitude, reasoning, knowledge in various disciplines, general knowledge and English language.
- Preliminary Interview: The preliminary interview is to solicit necessary information from the prospective applicants and to assess the applicant’s suitability to the job. The information provided by the candidate may be related to the job or personal specifications regarding education, experience, salary expected aptitude towards the job, age physical appearance and other physical requirements etc. Thus preliminary interview is useful as a process of eliminating the undesirable candidates. If a candidate satisfies the job requirement regarding most of the arrears he may be selected for further process. Preliminary interviews are short and known as stand-up interviews or sizing up of the applicants or screening interview. This interview is also useful to provide the basis information about the company to the candidate.
- Business Games: Business games are widely used as a selection technique for selecting management trainees, executive trainees and managerial personnel at junior, middle and top management positions. Business games help to evaluate the applicants in the areas of decision making, identifying the potentialities, handling the situations, problem-solving skills, human relations skills etc. Participants are placed in a hypothetical work situation and are required to play the role situations in the game.
- Group Discussions: The technique of group discussion is used in order to secure further information regarding the suitability of the candidate for the job. Group discussion is a method where groups of the successful applicants are brought around a conference table and are asked to discuss either a case study or a subject matter. The candidates in the group are required to analyze, discuss, find alternative solutions and select the sound solution. A selection panel then observes the candidates in the areas of initiating the discussion, explaining the problem, soliciting unrevealing information based on the given information and using common sense, keenly observing the discussion of others, clarifying controversial issues, influencing others, speaking effectively, concealing and mediating arguments among the participants and summarizing or concluding aptly. The selection panel, based on its observations, judges the candidates skills and ability and ranks them according to their merit.
| BUSINESS GAMES AND THEIR UTILITY IN THE SELECTION PROCESS | |
| Business Games | Utility |
| (1) Case Study | Analytical, judgmental and decision-making skills |
| (2) Role Play | Human relations skills. |
| (3) In-basket method | Situational judgment, social relations, decision-making skills, problem-solving skills. |
| (4) Sensitivity | Degree of openness, concern for others, tolerance for individual differences. |
| (5) Simulations | Encountering skills. |
5. Test: Psychological tests play a vital role in employee selection. A psychological test is essentially an objective and standardized measure of sample of behaviour from which inferences about future behaviour and performance of the candidate can be drawn.
| Types of Test | |
| 1. | Aptitude Tests:
(a) Intelligence Test (IQ) (b) Emotional Quotient (c) Skill Tests (d) Mechanical Aptitude (e) Psychomotor Tests (f) Clerical Aptitude Tests |
| 2. | Achievement Tests:
(a) Job Knowledge Test (b) Work Sample Test |
| 3. | Situational Tests:
(a) Group Discussion (b) In Basket |
| 4. | Interest Test |
| 5. | Personality Tests:
(a) Objective Tests (b) Projective Tests |
| 6. | Multi-Dimensional Testing |
Eg.: Multi-Skilling : Multi-Dimensional Testing : L&G has realised that most of the company operations whether they are production or marketing or finance or human resources can be done by almost all the employees. Experts are needed only in rare cases. Infact, services of the experts can be outsourced. As such, L&G started selecting the candidates with multi-skills and who can perform a variety of functions. L&G developed multi-dimensional testing.
Reliability of Interview: This is the most essential step in the process of selection. In this step, the interviewer matches the information obtained about the candidate through various means to the job requirements and to the information obtained through his own observation during the interview.
Types of Interview: The types of Employment interviews are:
| 1. | Preliminary Interview
(a) Informal Interview This is the interview which can be conducted at any place by any person to secure the basic and non-job related information. It is the interaction between the candidate and the personal manager when the former meets the latter to enquire about the vacancies or additional particulars in connection with the employment advertisement etc.
(b) Unstructured Interview In this interview the candidate is given freedom to tell all about himself by revealing his knowledge on various items/arrears, his background, expectations, interest etc. The interviewer also may answer some information required by the candidate. |
| 2. | Core Interview: It is normally the interaction between the candidate and the line executive or experts on various areas of job knowledge, skill, talent etc.
(a) Background information interview This interview is intended to collect the information which is not available in the application blank and to check that information provided in the application blank regarding education, place of domicile, family, health, likes, dislikes and extra curricular activities of the applicant.
(b) Job and probing interview This interview aims at testing the candidate’s job knowledge about duties, activities, methods of doing the job, critical/problematic areas, and methods of handling those areas.
(c) Stress interview This interview aims at testing the candidate’s job behaviour and level of withstanding during the period of stress and strain. The interviewer tests the candidate by putting him under stress and strain by interrupting the applicant from answering, criticizing his opinions, asking questions pertaining to unrelated areas etc. Stress during the middle portion of the interview gives effective results.
(d) Group discussion interview There are two methods of conducting group discussion interviews viz group interview method and discussion method. This type of interview helps the interviewer in appraising certain skills of the candidates like initiative; inter personal skills, dynamism, presentation, leading, comprehension, collaboration etc.
(e) Formal and structured interview In this type of interview, all the formalities, procedures like fixing the value, time, panel of interviewers, opening and closing, intimating the candidates officially etc. are strictly followed in arranging and conducting the interview. The course of the interview is pre-planned and structured, in advance depending on job requirements. The questions for discussion are structured and experts are allotted different areas and questions to be asked.
(f) Panel interview A panel of experts interviews each candidate, judges his performance individually and prepares consolidated judgement. This type of interview is known as panel interview.
(g) Depth interview The candidate is examined extensively in core areas of job skills and knowledge. Experts test the candidate’s knowledge in depth. Depth interviews are conducted for specialized jobs.
(h) On Line Interview: Information technology brought significant developments in the selection process of employees. The vital development is on-line interview where the interview is conducted online. These techniques include, on-line submission, internet based recruiting, outsourcing employment function, sophisticated scanning and searching. |
| 3. |
Decision-Making InterviewAfter the candidates are examined by the experts including the line managers of the organization in the core areas of the job, the head of the department/section concerned interviews the candidate once again, mostly through informal discussion. The interviewer examines the interest of the candidate in the job, organization, reaction/adaptability to the working conditions, career planning, promotional opportunities, work adjustment and allotment etc. The Personnel Manager also interviews the candidates with a view to find out his reaction/acceptance regarding salary, allowances, benefits, promotions, opportunities etc.
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During various types of interviews depending on the job requirement the interviewer can see and analyse the strengths, weaknesses and potentials of the candidate. Whether he is suitable for the job, whether he is the right candidate. Various types of interviews help the interviewer to arrive at different conclusion. Eg. A Stress Interview helps to analyse whether a candidate can perform under stress and pressure and whether he can take a right decision at such times. Most of the organizations have realized recently that the employees’ positive attitude contribute much rather than employees skills and knowledge. Employees with positive attribute contribute much to the organization. Hence the interviewers look for the candidates with the right attitude while making final decisions.
Attitude Counts Much, but not the Skill
InfoTech Limited discovered that the employees with right attitude take up the activities willingly on their own. They acquire the necessary skills, if they do not possess them. They never say ‘no’ to other employees, superiors and customers. Hence the interviewers with right and or positive attitude, irrespective of their technical al skills and knowledge.
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