Selection Interview : Interview serves as a means of checking the information given in the application forms and the tests results. It also provides an opportunity to the candidates to enquire about the job during interview. Managers get an opportunity to take a decision about their suitability for employment. Selection interview should be conducted in an atmosphere which is free from disturbance, noise and interruption. Interview should be conducted in great depth to judge the suitability of the candidates. There are no hard and fast rules of interviewing candidates. Interviews, in general,
can be conducted in the following ways :
1. Structured or Patterned Interview: In such an interview different sets of questions having the same pattern and with the same difficulty level, are framed in advance. Different candidates are asked different series of questions.
2. Unstructured or Non-directive Interview: In this interview, questions to be asked are not planned in advance. Questions pertaining to the job are asked and candidates are asked to respond freely to show their ability for the job.
3. Stress Interview : This interview is held to note how thick-skinned the candidate is. The candidates are asked awkward questions and it is seen how they react to such questions. If they do not lose their balance of mind, they prove their worth as suitable candidates.
4. Group Interview : In this interview, a number of candidates face the interview . committee together. The candidates are asked to opine on an issue or they are asked to discuss a topic.
Checking References : References are generally required to enquire about the conduct of those persons who have been found suitable in the interviews and tests. References can be collected from the previous employers, colleges last attended or from any other reliable source. Before forming a balanced opinion, it is necessary to enquire from three to five persons about the conduct of the prospective employee. However, this exercise may not always produce the desired results because ;
(i) no candidate will cite the name of a referee who might speak unfavourably about him;
(ii) the referee may not always respond; and
(iii) due to a prejudice the referee may deliberately speak against the candidate.
