A Critical Review Of Qualitative Interviews For Recruitment And Selection In Business

Ways of completing selecting checklist criteria

Describe about A Critical Review of Qualitative Interviews for Recruitment and Selection in Business?

Four basic steps need to be addressed for completing selecting checklist criteria:

Collect information- It is necessary to collect necessary material such as position description, skills required and any further questions (Enelow and Goldman 2015).

Identify each criterion- Every criterion must be distinctively broken into parts such as communication skills, ability to work in a group and negotiation skills.

Brainstorm examples- Equal attention must be given to all parts with examples for completing the checklist.

Revise and define- After brainstorming, required revisions may be done so that a variety of examples and experiences can be reflected.

It is necessary to follow the above guidelines as it is critical to developing an effective statement. These ways help in focusing what is exactly offered in the job. Examples help in backing up every statement (Enelow and Goldman 2015).

The STAR format can be used for conducting an interview that stands for Situation, Task, Action and Result. The questions shall be developed for knowing the situation experienced by the candidate that was challenging. The interviewer shall also look for the tasks performed for conquering the situation. The actions undertaken considering the alternatives shall be looked for in the process. Finally, the results of the actions undertaken and the reasons for developing shall be determined (Enelow and Goldman 2015).

Application Form

Position Applied for:
Surname:
First name:
References:

Application Letter

The Headmaster

QE School

UK

5^th Feb 2016

Respected Sir,

Re: Job Vacancy

I learnt about the job position vacancy for a teacher through your official website, and I am keen on putting my name forward for it.

As the current teacher at Xyz School, I have been successful in creating a dynamic environment for the students. As per the requirement criteria of holding a B.Ed. Degree and an experience of at least three years, I consider myself eligible for the job.

I am punctual in my teaching institute and have been awarded as the best teacher of my session. Kindly grant me the job. All the necessary documents are stated for your reference (Druhot 2011).

Yours sincerely,

Abc

Interview Questions	Reasoning and Explanation
What would I hear and see if I walked into your classroom in the midst of an interesting lesson?	This question helps in analysis the level of enthusiasm, behaviour and engagement created by the candidate for pupils.
Why do we teach in schools?	This question helps in reflecting upon basic causes such as economic needs, personal interests, increasing literacy and various others.
Can you tell me a situation or strategy you have developed in the past for engaging a group of pupils?	This helps in determining the effectiveness and initiatives of candidate for his pupils.
What are the key qualities and skills that students look for in teachers?	This question helps in analysing the basic behaviour of candidate in class such as confidence, sense of humour and tolerance level.
How do you evaluate success?	This question provides insight into a point or condition when the candidate considers his work successful through the pupil’s result or completion of his lessons.

Source: (Ratcliffe 2014)

The interview shall be placed in a private room that experiences the least noise and other disturbances. The applicants should be provided with pens/ pencils, paper and water for the interview. The candidate shall be asked to take notes during the interview. The interview room and facilities must be feasible for candidates with disabilities. All the candidates will be allotted the same duration of interview time. The candidates already appeared for interview must not be allowed to communicate with the people waiting to be interviewed (Williams 2012).

There would be three people on the panel out of which one person who would be panel co-ordinator, and the other two would be responsible for asking questions to the candidates. The panel coordinator would welcome the candidates and introduce every panel member. The coordinator would also thank the candidate for arriving at the interview (Williams 2012).

Application Pack

The second-panel member would describe the organizational characteristics so that candidates are thorough with the structure. The interview process shall be explained in a standardized way. Any questions that the candidate might have must be asked before the interview (Williams 2012).

The questions would be asked by second and third-panel member turn-wise. Continuous notes must be made by each panel member independently. The third member shall conclude the interview by providing a clear signal to the end. The applicant must be given an opportunity to ask questions. The approximate time and process shall be explained to the candidate. The notes from applicant must be collected before the candidate leaves the room (Williams 2012).

Time	Planning Structure
9.00 – 9.45	Registration of candidates shall be done Introduction and welcome in the guest room for candidates and test conductors Availability of refreshments (Aluise 2012)
9.45 – 9.55	Relevant Planning of Interview
9.55 – 10.20	Tour of School Campus
10.20 – 12.00	Practical assessment of candidates that involves teaching task
10.20 – 11.00	Test conductor introduction and talks
11.00 – 12.00	Test conductors can wait in the waiting room and have refreshments
12.00 – 12.30	Candidates and guests would have lunch in the Guest Room
12.30 – 13.30	Audits and literacy tests shall be conducted. The test conductors shall wait in the guest room until the end of test.
13.30 – 16.30	Formal interviews shall be conducted (Aluise 2012)

QE School

UK

5^th Feb 2016

Dear Applicant

Re: Vacancy for Accounting Teacher

Thank you for your interest and application form for the above position. I would be grateful if you attend a formal interview at QE School Campus on 8^th Feb 2016 at 9.00 am. You are required to take teaching classes in Accountancy for Class 11.

The interview will be with ABC, High School Coordinator; DEF, Teaching Assistant and GHI, Accountancy Teacher. Upon arrival at reception please ask for DEF. The entire interview process is scheduled to last approximately 7.5 hours and will take the form of structured interview (Messmer 2012).

You are requested to bring along the following supporting documents to the interview:

Marks Certificates of High School, Graduation, Higher Education and other relevant degrees

Academic Awards/ Certificates

Past job certificates

Proof of ID

Two passport size photographs

Please contact JKL on 0101011010 to confirm your attendance at the interview. If you have any disability that requires special arrangement, please let ABC know about the same. A map with location of the venue is attached (Povah and Thornton 2011).

We look forward to meeting you.

Yours sincerely

ABC

High School Coordinator

Criteria	Details
Conduct a job analysis	The job tasks, responsibilities, knowledge requirements, abilities and skills required to take the position successfully.
Determination of competencies to be assessed by the interviewer	The key competencies are identified as activeness, engagement level and communication skills.
Select the Interview format and develop questions	The format shall be prepared if a behavioural interview, situational interview or a combination of both shall be used. The questions must be developed accordingly (Druhot 2011).
Develop Rating Scales	The proficiency scale shall be developed that reflects candidate’s scores.
Create interview probes	If more information is required for in-depth interview, the probes should be drafted.
Pilot-test the Interview questions	The persons similar to candidates must be given the list of questions to check if they are clear, precise and meaningful. The questions may be edited as required.
Create the interviewer’s guide	A guide, rating form and question booklet must be prepared.
Document the development process	The stages of practical assessment and formal interview shall be documented (Druhot 2011).

Evidence shall be provided by teacher

I need to consider issues of diversity and equality so that there is balance in the organizational structure.

Notes of answers

Interview Questions	Notes
What would I hear and see if I walked into your classroom in the midst of an interesting lesson?	On entering a classroom in the midst of an interesting lesson, you would witness high level of engagement, discussion and enthusiasm among pupils. The students would be clearly making progress with oral and written contributions with a behaviour that supports learning (Kennedy 2013).
Why do we teach in schools?	Teaching is important for independent learning, gain qualification, enjoyment, enhance the pupils, develop academic skills, improve career prospects, memory development, encourage learning and various other prospects (Kennedy 2013).
Can you tell me a situation or strategy you have developed in the past for engaging a group of pupils?	As a teacher, it is my responsibility to encourage learning in the classroom. There is no perfect way to handle behaviour of pupils as every child is different. However I have developed a reward system that helps the students in acting appropriately. I assign students with group activities that help in bringing them together. I find the reward strategy to control the behaviour and hard work best for my pupils (Kenned 2013).
What are the key qualities and skills that students look for in teachers?	Every pupil looks forward to having a teacher who is consistent, unbiased, passionate and has a great sense of humour. The pupils tend to like young people more and who is able to encourage learning with confidence (Kennedy 2013).
How do you evaluate success?	In my opinion, I evaluate success with regular assessments that helps them in building confidence for the session end examinations. It would help in consistent revision of lessons that avoids last minute preparation. The mistakes can be cleared in regular assessments (Kennedy 2013)

Rating scale is developed for making final decision as under:

Criteria Weighting	Candidate Assessment
1= Somewhat beneficial 2 = An Asset 3 = Important 4 = Very Important 5 = Vital	1 = Not met 2 = Potential to meet 3 = Meets with exception 4 = Meets 5 = Exceeds

Job Criteria	Criteria Weighting	Candidate Assessment	Total Score
Analytical Skills	4
Ability To Take Initiative/Responsibility	5
Tolerance for weak pupils	5
Past Experiences/ Awards	3
Communication Skills	5
Engagement Levels	5
Adaptability towards technology	5
		FINAL SCORE:

For calculating the final score, the criteria weighting would be multiplied by candidate assessment. The total scores would then be compared with other candidates and the highest one would be recruited (Wilkinson and Johnstone 2016).

Recruiting a candidate is done on the basis of meeting job criterions. The candidate is selected on the basis of practical assessment, interview performance and literacy test. A discussion of every candidate is made among the panel members (Schmitt 2012).

A successful applicant Mr. MNO has been recruited for the job of an Accountancy teacher for attending pupils of Class 11. The applicant is chosen as he creates high level of engagement, communication skills, high tolerance, attentiveness and takes initiatives on improving continuously. The candidate not only considers the job of teaching as developing career prospects on students but also enjoys teaching. The fact of enjoying teaching cannot be ignored as he was the only candidate who represented the job as an art. A person who enjoys his job would carve out innovative ways to personally develop his pupils (Schmitt 2012).

Planning Interview Questions

QE School

UK

9^th Feb 2016

Dear MNO,

Re: Contract of Employment

We are pleased to offer you the position of Accountancy teacher with us here at QE School. We hope you enjoy your role and make a significant contribution for development of pupils.

Your employment will commence on 22^nd February 2016. This is a permanent position for your job. A three month probationary period will apply to this role. During this period you may receive advice and guidance to become competent with your job. You salary is at a rate of £25,000 p.m. Your salary will be paid on the 3^rd of every month.

The general working hours are between 8am-2pm. It is expected that you will work an average of 30 hours per week. You are entitled to 20 days annual leave per year of service. A teacher shall not be entitled to sick pay unless a notification is made to the management. A doctor’s statement has to be submitted in case on longer period of leave (Seglin and Coleman 2015).

You are required to undergo medical test such as freedom from infection; interruption of consciousness; vision, hearing and speech; literacy and numeracy and overall health screening (HEOPS, 2016). As an employee teacher, the work-related expense claims that can be made are motor vehicle, compulsory uniforms, self-education, cost of travel between school and home, electronic organisers, calculators, teaching aids and meals. A deduction for the cost of journals and magazines strictly related to employment as a teacher shall also be provided (Hmrc.gov.uk 2016).

MNO, we would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to QE School wishing you a long and rewarding career with us.

Yours sincerely,

ABC

Panel Co-ordinator

While participating in interviews, I came across certain experiences. There was diversity in candidates in terms of age. The younger generations have come across new ways of dealing with pupils. They are mainly focusing on latest technologies that are well adapted by students. The older generation candidates have some great teaching experiences. The difference between younger generation and older generation candidates was level of enthusiasm. Since the upcoming generation of pupils is more inclined towards technology, a candidate suitable with job criterions with an additional skill of technicality had to be chosen (Reinhard, Scharmach and Müller 2013).

As an Interviewer

The group members helped me in reflecting the role as an interviewer possessing strengths of punctuality and preparedness. I was confident while asking questions to candidate and was able to tie up a non-verbal communication with them. I listened to the candidates effectively and gave judgments by asking non-discriminatory questions. I need to improve on the areas of taking accurate notes (Marr and Cable 2013).

As an interviewee

While answering the questions as an interview, I had expressive hand movements. I was well presented in terms of dress. The tone was polite, calm and assertive. I did not stammer reflecting good communication skills and high confidence. I need to improve conciseness of giving answers. My answers were too elaborated and there was scope to present it in a formalized and brief way (Ruben, Hall and Schmid Mast, 2015).

Room Plan

Pre-interview documents

The pre-interview documents comprise of methods to short-list candidates, application packs, references and planning interview. The job application pack helps in providing opportunities to potential applicants as it gives a clear image of the vacancy in the organisation. The job application pack encourages participants who are suitable to apply and deters unsuitable applicants for the position (Brighton & Hove City Council 2016). The references help in analysing trusted contacts from a former employer. These references help in speaking about technical ability, personality and other relevant skills required for the job. Planning interview helps in framing the structure of the day and room plan that keeps processes clear after the candidates arrive at the venue (Armstrong and Taylor 2014).

The interview documents comprise of questions, interview checklist and decision documentation. The list of questions helps in testing the candidates if they are suitable for recruitment. The behavioural and situational questionnaire helps in analysing the qualities or skills possessed by the candidate. The interview checklist in planning for advance and there is no need to pause or think (Higgins 2013). Based on the answers provided by candidates, the rating scale is used as decision document. The decision document helps in giving a brief about the decision to be made. The rating scale acts as evidence to the reasons of recruiting a candidate (Yeung, 2011).

The post-interview documents comprise of offer letter, references, candidate’s feedback and medical checks. The offer letter provides complete information to the applicant selected. The details required by the successful applicant regarding terms of payment, working hours, leave entitlement and various other information is mentioned. It also acts as an evidence of contract of employment. Candidate’s feedback helps in improvising the questionnaire and skills as an interviewer. Medical checks help in ensuring if the chosen applicant is suitable for performing the jobs and tasks in terms of fitness. Any infectious diseases that are communicable can be detected that pose a risk on pupils (Shouksmith 2014).

Contribution in interview process

As an interviewer, I reviewed the job specifications of candidates. The job description was matched with the potential capabilities of candidates before the interview. A set of standard questions were prepared that was unbiased and helped in comparing technical aspects with other candidates. I further prepared a rating scale for judging the candidates on the basis of their answers on behavioural and situational tasks (Ingold et al. 2014). As an interviewee, I researched about the school on the official website. I gathered information regarding culture and activities conducted at school. I answered the questions with ease and confidence. I did not ramble on about irrelevancies. I contributed favourable ideas as considered ideal for the job. I prepared the answers in a way that articulated my personal self (Raccanello 2015).

The documents were prepared in three stages: Pre-interview, during the interview and Post-interview. The pre-interview documents could be improved by planning the structure in a formalized manner with several steps. There is a requirement of separate section of references that the candidates have. It would help in providing a strong base for the panel members if the references are trustworthy. The interview documents such as list of questions could be improved by adding more questions with situational criteria. It would help in developing a practical insight about the behaviour of candidates in real-life situations. In the post-interview questions, the offer letter could consist of more details relating to expense claims. The feedback of candidates after conducting the questions were undertaken and improved. There is a need for more situational questions. While conducting the pilot test, there were some rectifications made in the frame of questionnaire. I pursued questions that were not adequately answered (DeWalt and DeWalt 2011).

Yes, I was able to work as a part of the small team. The work was divided among the panel members where everybody was given specific tasks and responsibilities. It is critical to record audio or video of the interview process, therefore notes were made as recordings. Note-taking is not sufficient as it is not possible to write huge amount of data. I showed great interest and participation in the interview planning. I was responsible for preparing introductory notes, list of questions, closing notes and letter of offer. I provided narrative and theoretical devices that were a time-consuming process (Alsaawi 2014). However, I prefer working individually rather than in a group. There were several issues faced due to time-constraints. There was lack of co-ordination and reporting as the other members were available at different times because of which meetings were difficult to conduct. I feel more confident when I plan work myself by breaking the entire project into small components (Belbin 2012).

Planning for interview day

The list of questions asked at the interview was created with logical reasoning and explanations. The questions were prepared in a way that analyzes candidate for making a good impression within the first 30 seconds of the interview. There was mutual exchange of information so that the interviewee could understand well and informed decision could be made. On conducting the pilot test, the questions were framed in a clear, consistent and easy language that could be understandable by the candidates. As expected, all the interviewees understood the questions clearly and they answered with logical reasoning. I avoided making premature decisions and gave the candidates time to answer appropriately. The questions were prepared keeping in mind the goal of interview that was successfully answered by the candidates. The answers reflected their key competencies, technical capabilities, communication skills and analysing skills. The appropriate answers reflected attentiveness. The probe questions determined presence of mind as they did not ask to repeat the questions.

Recruitment process is critical and I incorporated several steps that helped in carrying out the planning process effectively. Firstly, I defined the nature of job. I gathered content and defined the purpose of job. This analysis formed the basis of a job description and person specification. Secondly, job and person profile was prepared. The document formed from the person specification could then be used to inform the criteria used to shortlist applicants. Thirdly, candidates were shortlisted through internal and external methods of recruitment. Advertisements were genuine and related to the job. They appealed all sections of the community using positive visual images and wording (Robinson 2013).

Fourthly, the application process was managed through application forms. Application forms allowed for information to be presented in a consistent format, and therefore made it easier to collect information from job applicants in a systematic way and assess objectively the candidate’s suitability for the job. Fifthly, candidates were selected by short listing and assessment. The process of short listing involved slimming down the total number of applications received to a shortlist of candidates we wished to take forward to the more detailed assessment phase of the selection process. Interview was conducted for assessing candidates. Lastly, appointment was made by preparing letter of contract, references and medical examinations. Offers of employment were made in writing. Medical examinations ensured health suitable to perform tasks effectively (Robinson 2013).

McKeown provides hiring tips for improving recruitment and planning practices. Firstly, magic bullet questions must not be asked. The questions should strictly focus on getting to know the candidates’ experiences, attitudes, skills, behaviours and knowledge that reveals capability or potential to be successful in the job position. Secondly, clarification of job position must be made with detailed tasks and responsibilities. The job clarification must be made with various sub-parts that states experience, knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours separately in each section. This would help in providing a better roadmap for evaluating each candidate. Thirdly, candidates must be tested thoroughly. There is a requirement to conduct role-plays, presentation and written test so that the it is easy to differentiate candidates from one another apart from interviewing skills. Lastly, I must involve others in the planning process.  I must give equal opportunities and let others participate in major components of the process (Quast 2012).

Letter of invitation

As an interviewer, I gave time to the interviewee for answering. I was successful in providing ease to the candidates. I failed in keeping adequate record of key points and impression of candidates. There was a requirement of a combination of open–ended and close-ended questions. As an interviewee, I succeeded in expressing self-awareness while discussing negative qualities. There is a thin line while portraying self-awareness and revealing shortcomings. I do not have a people-pleasing mindset that must have impressed the panel members in my opinion. I should take care to maintain time for answering questions and not keep things too elaborate or descriptive (Seidman 2013).

While playing the roles of interviewer and interviewee, I have evaluated certain issues that must be kept in mind for both the roles. When conducting an interview, it is very important to select the right questions that are not too time-consuming. While answering questions, the time-constraints must be maintained and too much time should not be consumed in a single question. Goals must be set for both the roles that should strictly be linked with the main purpose. Questions and answers must be given in alignment with the main purpose or job position. The end-result is important. Hurried behaviour should be avoided and the right person has to be selected. It is critical to look for references as it helps in easing the interviewing process. Flexibility is the key and is required both for interviewer and interviewee (Tipton et al. 2016).

References

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