More Unfairness

I seemed to evoke a lot of surprise in my blog a couple of weeks ago regarding the fact that most interviews that are conducted are either unfair to the candidate or to the company.

I focused on a few key areas and how to best prepare for battling these barriers but I have been asked by many readers to expand on the other reasons as to why interviews are unfair.

So no further ado, here they are:

-Using historical info to predict the future.

This is typically covered by behavioral questioning which is great but too much emphasis can be an issue.

With the evolution of technology and global markets, specific successes from the past might no longer be relevant or an accurate footprint for the future.

-Inconsistent questions – reliability issues arise when candidates are not asked the same questions.

-No score sheets are used to make sure interviewees are rated consistently.

-Interviews are more focused on finding faults rather than positive aspects.

This can occur due to poor corporate culture or because a micromanager is leading the interview process.

-Non job related factors are used to influence decisions. (age, sex, origin, race)

-Specific interview questions asked by companies are known to the candidates in advance.

Common questions can be posted online or given to candidates by friends within the company.

This especially happens if employees are eligible for internal referral bonuses.

-Important things that are not be adequately measured in an interview.

Technical skills, team skills and intelligence often take a back seat in interviews.

Surprisingly, these areas are not very often covered in follow up meetings or interviews either.

-Lack of questions focused on the future.

Past performance is important but future scenarios are important to investigate in regard to anticipation and problem solving skills.

-Interview skills not directly related to the actual position.

Presentation and strong communication might not be essential pieces required for trouble shooting a global SAP system.

-Interview questions are not weighted but just ranked by the number of questions answered correctly vs. incorrectly.

-Company stakeholders have not come to an agreement on what is deemed a correct answer so scores can become unreliable.

-Interviewees frequently lie or omit key factors and interviewers will also do the same regarding a role or will misrepresent the company.

This can lead to frustration, reduced employee morale and higher than expected turnover.

-Pseudo professional interviewers.

“Promoters” as they are often referred to in the industry know how to ace behavioral interviews and have the acting skills to really deliver Oscar worthy presentations.

They can easily appear stronger than John Smith who has been with his company for 25 years but has not had an interview since graduating university.

-Relying too heavily on the facts provided by the candidate in the behavioral examples offered.

The facts may or may not be accurate and should require follow up or a related reference being available to verify them as being accurate.

-Hiring for short or long term needs to be established.

If there is long term desire, there should be questions that uncover the competencies for positions moving forward.

-The interviewer is tired, fatigued or distracted and judgement can weaken as a result.

-The time of the interview can create advantages for candidates and likewise disadvantages for others.

Farewell,

Mike