Interviewing Techniques
Dennis W. Mills, Ph.D.

Note: The most important aspect that you as an interviewer gains out of an interview is a subjective feeling. You are trying to find out what kind of person the candidate is, and the questions you ask are the tools to get at the inner person. Never interview a candidate that doesn't meet all your paper qualifications. You are not trying to hire the "best" from the "marginal."

Techniques of questioning

The quality of information that is gathered during a job interview depends to a great extent on the techniques that are used in the questioning process.

It is not good enough to ask good questions. The questions, in addition to being good, must be asked in a manner that elicits a response that provides relevant and meaningful information about the candidate. The questions must also be legal!

Ineffective techniques

• Asking too many questions that can be answered merely "yes" or "no" which can also come through as an interrogation.
• Asking a series of routine, unimaginative questions for which a sharp applicant has already prepared answers.
• Asking leading questions that suggest the proper answers, to the applicants. For example, an interviewer should not say, "you do believe in corporal punishment, don't you?" Instead you might ask, "what do you think about using corporal punishment in Christian schools?"
• Don’t ask questions or make comments that reveal your own attitude or feelings.
• Don't ask questions that are already answered on the resume, application form, or in other correspondence with the applicant.
• Don't ask questions that are not related to the job nor to the task at hand.

Rule of thumb: the more talking the applicant does, the more information you will receive. The interviewer who takes up a third or more of the interviewing time talking is a poor interviewer.

Open-Ended Questions:

•Would you tell me about …

•How would you describe …

•What do you feel are …

•What are some of the reasons …

•How did you happen …

•What were some of the situations …

Direct Questions: questions that can be answered adequately in a few words,

•What was your favorite subject in college?

•What textbooks do you prefer?

Reflection Questions: repeat or rephrase a portion of what the applicant has said.

Try To Avoid List

1. Irrelevant, illegal, or stressful questions.

2. Not asking enough questions to keep the interview flowing.

3. Questions already answered on the resume or employment application

Illegal-Questions

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes these questions illegal unless you can show that these area directly relate to bona fide occupational qualifications.

1. Are you married, divorced, separated, or single?

2. How old are you?

3. Do you go to church regularly?

4. Do you have many debts?

5. Do you own or rent your home?

6. What social and political organizations do you belong to?

7. What does your spouse think about your career?

8. Are you practicing birth control?

9. Were you ever arrested?

10. How much do you weigh?

11. How tall are you?

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    Copyright © 2002 Dennis W. Mills, Ph.D.
    This publication may be reprinted in any format without expressed written permission, but notification is appreciated. mailto:millsd@citlink.net
    

    This page was last updated on: December 30, 2001