IO PSYCH FINAL EXAM

• Types of Interviews


  • Structure
  • Style
  • Medium

  
• Structured interview


  Interview with job-related questions, same questions asked to all applicants, and standardized scoring

  
• Unstructured interview


  Interview where interviewers are free to ask anything they want and assign points at their own discretion
• Examples of unstructured interview questions


  • Tell me about yourself
  • What is your greatest strength?
  • What is your greatest weakness?
  • How will our company benefit by having you as an employee?
  • Are you married? Single? Do you have a boyfriend/girlfriend?
  • What is your favorite...?
  • What was the last book you read?
  • Where do you see yourself 5..10… years from now?
  • Why did you leave your last job?
  • What do you really want to do in life?
  • Give an example of an occasion when you used logic to solve a problem
  • Give an example of a goal you reached and tell me how you achieved it
  • Describe a decision you made that was unpopular and how you implemented it
  • Have you gone above and beyond the call of duty? If so, how?
  • What do you do when your schedule is interrupted? Give an example of how you handle it
  • Have you had to convince a team to work on a project they weren't thrilled about? How did you do it?
  • Have you handled a difficult situation with a co-worker? How?
  • Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure
• One-on-one interview


  Interview with one interviewer and one applicant
• Serial interview


  A series of single interviews
• Return interview


  Similar to serial interview but with a passing of time between the first and subsequent interview
• Panel interview


  Interview with multiple interviewers asking questions and evaluating the same applicant

  
• Group interview


  Interview with multiple applicants answering questions during the same interview
• Face-to-face interview


  Interview where interviewer and applicant are in the same room, allowing use of visual and vocal cues
• Telephone interview


  Interview conducted over the phone, not allowing use of visual cues
• Videoconference interview


  Interview conducted remotely at different sites
• Written interview


  Interview where applicant answers written questions and sends answers back
• Problems with unstructured interviews

  • Poor intuitive ability
  • Lack of job relatedness
  • Primacy effects
  • Contrast effects
  • Interviewer-interviewee similarity
  • Interviewee appearance
  • Nonverbal cues
• Types of interview questions

  • Clarifiers
  • Disqualifiers
  • Skill-level determiners
  • Past-focused
  • Future-focused
  • Organizational fit

  
• Clarifiers


  Questions that allow the interviewer to clarify information, fill in gaps, and obtain other necessary information

  
• Disqualifiers


  Questions that must be answered a particular way or the applicant is disqualified
• Skill-level determiners


  Questions that tap an applicant's level of expertise
• Past-focused questions


  Also called patterned behavior description interviews, ask applicants to provide specific examples of how they demonstrated job-related skills in previous jobs

  
• Future-focused questions


  Situational questions that ask an applicant what they would do in a particular situation
• Organizational fit questions


  Questions that tap the extent to which an applicant will fit into the culture of an organization or with the leadership style of a particular supervisor
• Conducting the structured interview

  1. Build rapport

  2. Set the agenda

  3. Ask interview questions and score answers

  4. Provide information about the job and organization

  5. Answer applicant questions

  6. End the interview on a pleasant note

  7. Sum the scores to get the applicant's interview score

  
• Training can increase an applicant's score on structured interviews
• There is a negative correlation between interviewee anxiety and interview performance
• Scheduling the interview


  Arriving late will drastically lower the applicant's score
• Before the interview


  Learn about the company, including its products, services, future needs, major problems, and philosophy or mission
• On the day of the interview


  Dress neatly and professionally, avoid flashy accessories, and have conservative hairstyle
• During the interview


  Use firm handshake, eye contact, smiling, and head-nodding as nonverbal behaviors; ask questions, point out similarities to interviewer, avoid discussing salary, and don't hesitate before answering as verbal behaviors
• After the interview


  Briefly thank the interviewer
• Cover letter


  Tells an employer you are enclosing your résumé and would like to apply for a job; should be no longer than one page
• Parts of a cover letter

  • Salutation
  • Opening paragraph
  • Second paragraph
  • Third paragraph
  • Closing paragraph
  • Signature
• Salutation


  Get the name of the person to whom you want to direct the letter, and address them properly (e.g. Mr. Smith, Ms. Smith)
• Opening paragraph


  One or two sentences communicating the name of the job you are applying for and how you know about the job opening
• Second paragraph


  States that you are qualified for the job and provides about three reasons why
• Third paragraph


  Explains why you are interested in the particular company to which you are applying
• Closing paragraph


  Closes your letter and provides information on how you can best be reached
• Signature


  Use words like "sincerely" above your personally signed signature
• Avoid sounding desperate or begging in cover letters
• Avoid grammar and spelling errors in cover letters
• Don't discuss personal circumstances in cover letters