WITHIN EEO/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION GUIDELINES

1. Determine the required qualifications prior to interviewing.

2. Develop an “Interview Worksheet” and use it for every interview and rate each candidate using the same standard.

3. Use good interviewing skills. Know what discriminatory questions to avoid

4. Stick to the standard group of job related questions, and use them for all candidates

5. Document your interview

6. Document the reasons for your decision

There are several quantifiable methods to document your decision process:

EEO CONSIDERATIONS

All Interview Questions Must BeAll Interview Questions Must Be:: Relevant to Job performance

If Sensitive, Asked of All ApplicantsFor Example: Are you a legal resident of the U.S.? Do you have adequate transportation to get to the job on time?

Military Discharge National Origin Birth Place Ancestry Religion Health Age Financial Standing

Citizenship Family Status Club Membership

DON’T ASK

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTSTo conduct a successful interview you must know about all factors that contribute to on-the-job success.

All the non-physical skills, abilities and talents people bring to bear on a job will fit under one of these factors. Use all factors to describe what you are looking for on the Job/Candidate Profile.

Resume Factors Education / Experience / Knowledge

Academic degrees, technical knowledge, certification or licenses, Similar work experience.

Performance Factors

Intellectual

Capacity, application, decision making style.

Interpersonal

Ways of interacting with others.

Motivation

Goals, commitment, interests, values.

APPLICATION FORM FACTORS

Education / Experience / Knowledge

Academic Degrees

Technical Knowledge

Certifications

Licenses

Similar Work Experience

Application Form Review

Sketchy or erratic job history with many brief periods of employment.

Gaps in employment record or overlaps that don’t make sense. Salary requirements higher than job can offer. Frequent moves from one part of the country to another. Past experience and education related to job specification. Reasons for leaving previous employers. Overall appearance. Inconsistencies

PERFORMANCE FACTORS

INTELLECTUAL Capacity Application Decision making style

INTERPERSONAL Ways of interacting with others

MOTIVATION Goals Commitment Interests Values

The Interview

Be aware that interviews vary tremendously and the approach and strategy of applicants differ.

Some are open, candid and forthright. Some are evasive and even falsify aspects of

background. Some are glib and articulate; explanations sound

logical and convincing. Some are poised and confident. Some are nervous, tense and visibly uncomfortable.

Approaching the Interview

1. Establish rapport with applicant and put the person at ease.

2. Be sincere, warm and friendly.

3. Do not reveal or project criticism or disapproval of candidate’s actions or qualifications.

4. Focus on your task to obtain information and keep opinions and value judgments to yourself.

NOTETAKING

Tell the applicant what you are doing: (E.g., I’m going to be taking notes during the interview.

This is my method of recalling what took place during your interview)

Incline notepad (don’t reveal what you are writing)

NOTETAKING POINTERS

1. Write down positives AND Negatives.

Don’t wait until you hear the first negative piece of information

2. Use key words/phrases to remember responses.

You do not need to write everything you hear.

Self-appraisal Questions ask the candidate to explain the meaning of the facts, accomplishments, and data that come up in the interview. This helps you to translate facts about the candidate into hypotheses about future on-the-job behavior.

Two Types Direct Self-appraisal

Ask the candidate directly about a fact or accomplishment –

“Why do you suppose you were promoted so quickly in that job?

Third-party appraisal

Ask the candidate to interpret the fact or accomplishment through the eyes of a knowledgeable third-party –

“If I called your manager, why do you suppose she would say you were promoted so quickly?”

Obtain and use the third-party’s name to raise the candor level of the candidate’s answer.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

SELF-APPRAISAL QUESTIONS

Alternatives For candidates who do not feel they have the right to speak for a superior, make the third-party a peer rather than a superior.

“How would someone else on your team describe you?”

Lead-ins There are a number of ways to phrase the direct Self-appraisal Question.

“What would you say it was about you……?”“Why do you suppose…..?”“How were you able to….?”

SELF-APPRAISAL QUESTIONSADVANTAGES

1. Places the burden of interpretation of facts on the candidate, not on you.

2. Keeps you objective and prevent you from jumping to conclusions about the meaning of facts.

3. Encourages the candidate to elaborate on their experiences and accomplishments.

4. Draws out, through third-party questions, candidates from high-context cultures where boasting about accomplishments does not come easily.

5. Helps you avoid getting fooled or misled by the candidate. There are two reasons why this works:

It is hard for a candidate on the spot to conjure up a more favorable or believable explanation than the truth.

Use of Self-appraisal Questions throughout the interview is likely to catch inconsistent explanations of behavior.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Document Accomplishments Using PAR Format

Problem Action Results

ACCOMPLISHMENT QUESTIONS

To identify meaningful accomplishments (what the person did) and draw out behavioral evidence (how and why they did it).PAR MODELUse the PAR Model (Problem – Action – Result) to confirmyou have a meaningful accomplishment.

“Let’s talk about one of your recent accomplishments….”“What problem (or challenge) required your attention?”

Determine whether there was a special need to deal with this or was it really just part of the job.

ACCOMPLISHMENT QUESTIONS(Continued)

•“What action did you take?”

How did the candidate accomplish this? Ask them to explain the actions in terms of “I” rather than “we.”

•“What were the results?”

Get specifics – dates, names, quantifiable results.

ACCOMPLISHMENT QUESTIONS(Continued)

Pointers

•Ask for the name (not just the title) of the person’s manager at the time of the accomplishment.

“If I called your major customer, Betty Gonzales, how would she say you handled the problems with the inventory?”

•More recent accomplishments have a greater predictive value for future performance.

PROBE FOR UNSEEN BEHAVIOR QUALITIES

TRAIT Don’t Ask A Question Request An Example:Ambitious “Let’s talk about ambition as

a quality you have.”Give me an example of a situation ….where your ambition was reflected in the goals you set for yourself.”

Career-minded

“How career-minded would you say you are?”

Give me an example of a situation ….when your career-mindedness led you to avoid a short-term opportunity.”

(Wants a) Challenge

“What can you tell me about wanting a challenge?”

Give me an example of a situation ….where you sought out a problem to solve because it represented a challenge for you.”

PROBE FOR UNSEEN BEHAVIOR QUALITIES

TRAIT Don’t Ask A Question Request An Example:Committed “What can you tell me about

your being committed to things or ideas?”

Give me an example of a situation where your level of commitment sustained you in the face of numerous obstacles.”

Customer-oriented

“Some people see themselves as being customer-oriented. What can you tell me about that quality in you?”

Give me an example of a situation where you were especially attentive or responsive to customer concerns.”

Determined “How determined would you say you are?”

Give me an example of a situation where your determination made something happen.”

PROBE FOR UNSEEN BEHAVIOR QUALITIES

TRAIT Don’t Ask A Question Request An Example:Enthusiastic “Some people would

describe themselves as being enthusiastic, what can you tell me about that quality in you?”

Give me an example of a situation… where your enthusiasm for what you were doing sustained you in the face of disappointment.”

Entrepre-neurial

“How entrepreneurial would you say you are?”

Give me an example of a situation ….where you gave up some security and took a risk.”

Goal-oriented

“Some people think of themselves as being goal oriented, what can you tell me about that quality in you?”

Give me an example of a situation ….where a goal you achieved was because you wanted to, not because others expected it of you.”

PROBE FOR UNSEEN BEHAVIOR QUALITIES

TRAIT Don’t Ask A Question Request An Example:Go-for-it Attitude

“Tell me about you having a go-for-it attitude.”

Give me an example of a situation ….where others hesitated but you went for it.”

Hard-working

“How hard working would you say you are?”

Give me an example of a situation ….where hard work accounted for an accomplishment you are proud of.”

Interested in_____

“How would you describe your interest in ______?”

Give me an example of a situation ….where you picked a job or volunteered to handle a project calling for ___________.”

PROBE FOR UNSEEN BEHAVIOR QUALITIES

TRAIT Don’t Ask A Question Request An Example:Persistent “I’d like to know how

persistent you are.”Give me an example of a situation ….where others gave up but you persisted.”

Quality Commitment

“How does having a quality commitment describe you?”

Give me an example of a situation ….where your commitment is reflected in how you shop for or maintain the things you own.”

Resourceful “Let’s talk about resource-fulness as a quality you have.”

Give me an example of a situation ….where resources to complete a job were not available and you had to be resourceful to get it done.”

Responsive “Tell me about your responsiveness.”

Give me an example of a situation ….where your responsiveness won a customer.”

PROBE FOR UNSEEN BEHAVIOR QUALITIES

TRAIT Don’t Ask A Question Request An Example:Self-motivated

“Let’s talk about you being self-motivated.”

Give me an example of a situation ….where being self-motivated led you to initiate something without being told to do so.”

(Seeks) Variety

“Some people think of themselves as seeking variety. What can you tell me about that quality in you?”

Give me an example of a situation ….where you changed jobs or assignments in the hope of achieving more variety in your work.”

Willing to Travel

“Tell me about your willingness to travel.”

Give me an example of a situation ….where you traveled a great deal on the job.”

Note – These questions can be revised to make them more appropriate to your job situation.

MAKING THE DECISION

Specifically identify key strengths Specifically identify key limitations

Relevant to job? Offset by strength? Subject to training and development?

Assess strengths and weakness

Never….Never…Never…

….Never reject the applicant. To begin with, non-selection notification is an awkward, if not impossible task.

Some applicants are hostile or aggressive. Many applicants are well prepared for rejection with excuses and

rationalizations. At the very least, a time-consuming argument is likely to take

place, which the interviewer cannot win. You want to convey the message that the applicant was not found

unqualified; rather, someone else was selected who most closely matched the desired qualifications.

It is safer to say “we went through a selection process, not a rejection process so I do not have any reasons to give you on why you were not selected. I can tell you that we have selected the person we think is the best match for the position”.

Rejecting the Person Not Selected