Strategic Interviewing

Interviewing is one of the most effective ways to identify and attract employees who will be successful enough to stay. But few managers are adept at the skill. This book helps eliminate expensive errors of judgment by presenting readers with a set of behaviorally based interviewing strategies. Written by the faculty of the prestigious University of Michigan Executive Education Center--and based on one of their most popular courses--its seven-step "Strategic Interviewing Approach" helps interviewers define the competencies candidates need to possess and make hiring decisions based on accurate predictions of the candidates' performance.

Series Foreword xi

Preface xiii

1 The Case for a Strategic Interviewing Approach 1

2 Developing Realistic Goals and Managing the Interview Process 21

3 Defining Performance Expectations 45

4 Developing Job-Related Questions and Answers 69

5 Conducting an Effective Interview 99

6 Making the Hiring Decision 123

7 Getting Strategic Interviewing to Work for You 145

Appendix A Comments on Assessment 4.1 161

Appendix B Sample Job Barriers, Requirements, Questions, and Answers for a Sales Position 165

Notes 169

The Authors 175

Index 177

RICHAURD CAMP an industrial/organizational psychologist andmanagement consultant, teaches strategic interviewing at theExecutive Education Center at the University of Michigan BusinessSchool and is professor of management at Eastern MichiganUniversity. He also serves on the editorial board of The Journal ofBusiness and Psychology.

MARY VIELHABER teaches at the Executive Education Centerof the University of Michigan and is a professor of management atEastern Michigan University and the codirector of the graduateprogram in human resources and organizational development.

JACK L. SIMONETI an international consultant has servedas a professor and department chairman of management at theUniversity of Toledo and assistant industrial relations manager forB.F. Goodrich Company. In today's fast paced economy employers must hire, train, and retain the right employee for the right job. This is no easy task in an increasingly competitive environment with a dwindling talent pool and a growing number of workers who lack the appropriate job skills.

Strategic Interviewing outlines a proven process for managers to use to attract and retain quality employees from top-level executives to entry- level workers. Step-by-step, Richaurd Camp, Mary E. Vielhaber, and Jack L. Simonetti show managers how to overcome the two most common interview mistakes-subjectivity in asking questions and interpreting answers, and not knowing the kind of questions to ask that will predict employee performance. Using the authors' Strategic Interviewing Approach managers will learn to reduce subjectivity during the interview process, ask the right questions, and dramatically improve the accuracy of hiring decisions. In addition, managers can use the information gained from the strategic interview process to coach, counsel, and conduct performance appraisals more effectively.

Each of the book's chapters contains invaluable self-assessments and questions that will help you evaluate your current approach and identify areas for improvement. Filled with numerous illustrative case examples and grounded in an extensive knowledge base, the six-step interview process outlined in Strategic Interviewing is a reliable guide for helping you make the best hiring decisions across your organization.

Discover the strategic interviewing techniques that will spell success for your organization How can you refine the job interview process in order to choose the ideal candidate? Strategic Interviewing is a hands-on resource-which outlines a six-step process that managers can use to find the right employees for the right job. Using the author's Strategic Interviewing Approach managers will learn the skills they need to

• Set realistic goals for the interview
• Clearly define what is needed to perform the job successfully
• Ask the questions that will predict the candidate's ability to meet the performance standards
• Know the answers before they ask the candidates the questions
• Conduct an interview that will maximize effective communication
• Use behavioral decision making to predict the candidate's performance

From this book in the University of Michigan Business Series, managers can learn to use these proven techniques to attract, select, manage, and retain top-notch people for their organizations.