Human Resources Services Centre

Human Resources Services Centre Telephone: +61 8 6304 5995 Web: www.hr.ecu.edu.au

Edith Cowan University

Interview Guide

Purpose: To provide information to the Selection Committee on interviewing procedures.

Introduction:The selection interview is frequently and extensively used to acquire information from candidates, contributing to the overall assessment of their capability. It is also an opportunity to exchange information about the organisation and the vacancy that will enable both the Selection Committee and candidate to evaluate the match between the individual’s needs and those of the organisation.

An interview provides the Selection Committee with an opportunity to:

• Present the University as an excellent prospective employer;

• Market the benefits of working at ECU;

• Confirm the candidate's working rights, medical fitness for work and qualifications; and

• Validate the candidate’s expertise, motivations, values and capabilities aligned to the vacancy. The information obtained from the interview will be consolidated with information from other sources (eg. written application, skills test, references) to enable a hiring decision to be made.

Preparation for the InterviewThe Committee Chair should ensure that:

• Candidates have been given written instructions on interview date, time, venue, documentation to bring and details on any skills test;

• Any additional requirements, such as wheelchair access, are accommodated;

• A structured interview schedule is followed, typically 30-45 minutes per interview and 10-15 minute period between interviews for Selection Committee assessment;

• A private and quiet venue is reserved, with a suitable waiting area for candidates;

• Interview questions are behavioural-based and that the questions encourage candidate responses that are evidence of actual experiences and achievements;

• A list of questions have been agreed on by the entire Selection Committee;

• Each Selection Committee member is assigned specific questions to ask;

• Each Selection Committee member is provided with an Interview Question outline which contains space for assessment notes; and

• A copy of the position description and any other relevant information is available to the candidate.

Other Preparation Tips• Try to hold all interviews on the same day and at the same venue;

• Provide water for candidates and Committee;

• Turn off mobile phones and place an 'Interview in Progress' sign on the door to prevent interruption;

• If it is appropriate for the specific position, interview questions can be provided to candidates prior to the interview. This will enable him/her to prepare answers and provide relevant examples. However, this method is not suitable if you are assessing candidates on their ability to 'think on their feet'.

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Human Resources Services Centre

Human Resources Services Centre Telephone: +61 8 6304 5995 Web: www.hr.ecu.edu.au

Edith Cowan University

Commencing the InterviewTo put the candidate at ease, the Chair should commence the interview by:

• Thanking the candidate for attending the interview;

• Receiving the certified copies of qualifications, working rights (eg. birth certificate, citizenship certificate, permanent residency or visa documentation) and pre-placement medical or declaration;

• Introducing the Selection Committee members;

• Explaining the purpose and structure of the interview, and that notes will be taken by Selection Committee members;

• Explaining that the questions are based on the requisite capabilities for the job; and

• Advising the candidate that they will have the opportunity to ask questions at the completion of the formal questions.

In the time scheduled between interviews, Selection Committee members will need to individually rate candidates and then discuss their assessments to derive a final rating.

During the Interview• The Chair manages the Selection Committee members and/or candidate to ensure the interview is conducted

effectively, timely and appropriately;

• Follow-up or probing questions are encouraged to obtain clarification of a response or validate specific information;

• The Selection Committee members need to demonstrate appropriate body language and display interest in the candidate’s responses;

• When asking questions, provide the candidate with sufficient time to respond;

• Keep all discussion focused on the requirements of the vacancy and the relevant capabilities of the candidate;

• The Committee should take the opportunity to sell the benefits of working at ECU including:

o excellent work environment and facilities

o generous employer contribution to superannuation;

o professional/career growth opportunities;

o work/life balance, wellness program and supportive terms and conditions;

o generous annual leave; and

o salary packaging products.

Concluding the InterviewThe Chair should conclude the interview by:

• Advising the candidate that the formal questions are finished;

• Inviting questions and/or asking the candidate whether they have anything further to add;

• Advising him/her of the next steps in the process and the approximate timeframe; and

• Thanking them for attending the interview.

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Human Resources Services Centre

Human Resources Services Centre Telephone: +61 8 6304 5995 Web: www.hr.ecu.edu.au

Edith Cowan University

Common Objectivity Issues with the Interview ProcessThe issues below may impact on objectivity in the interview situation:

Issue Description Suggested Counteracting Strategy

Comparisons to previous candidates

Assessing a candidate in comparison to others, not on how he/she directly meets the required capabilities.

Assess each candidate on every capability at the end of each interview.

Discriminatory questions

Asking questions not directly related to the required capabilities, and are not relevant.

Follow a prepared interview plan that is free of discriminatory questions. The Chair should waive or re-direct if an inappropriate question is asked.

First impressions Forming an opinion based on appearance or behaviour, which can interfere with assessment of capabilities.

Take notes throughout the interview, most responses have examples of many capabilities. At the conclusion of the interview, share notes with the other Selection Committee members. Discuss any subjective issues.

Primacy and Recency Recalling more details of first and last candidates, and fewer details of middle candidates.

Take detailed notes during all interviews, and assess each candidate at the completion of that interview.

Halo Effect /

Reverse Halo Effect

Allowing one positive or negative aspect of a candidate's capabilities to influence other capabilities in a positive or negative way.

Take detailed notes to record evidence (or lack of) for each capability. Seek contrary evidence to test the effect.

Cloning Effect Seeking candidates who display the same qualities/capabilities as the Selection Committee members.

Follow the prepared interview plan. Focus on gaining evidence of meeting the required capabilities. Share views with the Selection Committee to test for bias.

Insufficient knowledge of the job

Selection Committee members without detailed understanding of the position, requirements or importance within the work area.

All Committee members to thoroughly read the position description, required capabilities, and other relevant documentation. The Hiring Manager, Chair or immediate supervisor should provide all Committee members with a summary of the position and its requirements.

Different weightings by interviewers

Selection Committee members may place differing weights of importance on capabilities.

The Selection Committee agrees to any weighting prior to the shortlisting stage.

Lack of information / Lack of clarity

Insufficient evidence on either meeting or not meeting capabilities required.

The Selection Committee should ask follow up questions that are behaviour based event questions to gain evidence and more information. Consider skills testing and referee checks.

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Human Resources Services Centre

Human Resources Services Centre Telephone: +61 8 6304 5995 Web: www.hr.ecu.edu.au

Edith Cowan University

Constructing Interview Questions Interview questions are developed in alignment with the position's required capabilities and behaviour, and are aimed at gaining the maximum information about the candidate’s suitability by establishing the extent to which the candidate:

• Meets the requisite capabilities;

• Displays values which are aligned with ECU values and culture; and

• Has the ability to undertake the responsibilities of the position.

An effective interview question technique to apply is behavioural-based event or critical incident interviewing. The principle of this approach is that a candidate’s past behaviours can be a strong indicator of future performance.

Behavioural Event Interviewing consists of asking specific questions that require the candidate to give an example from past experience which illustrates how they behaved in a particular situation. This will give evidence of the behaviour sought as well as how the person went about the task at hand.

A sample behavioural based interview question is:

Q. Tell us about a time from your own experience that best demonstrates your ability to manage a project?

Use the ‘STAR’ approach (situation, task, action, results) to prompt the interviewee.

This type of questioning allows the Committee to explore in detail the candidate's actions, motivations and the end results.

How do behavioural questions differ from hypothetical questions? Hypothetical questions involves putting a situation to the candidate and asking how he or she would respond. This does not necessarily reflect what a person does in practice on the job, rather what they think they should do and, possibly, what the Committee will want to hear. It can also give a person who is acting in the job an unfair advantage.

Behavioural questions ask for actual examples of what the candidate did in practice, drawing from their previous experiences. The answers are likely to be more candid, more honest and real because the person is asked to be specific.

There may be a place for one or two hypothetical questions in an interview. However, it is recommended that the majority of questions be behavioural based event questions.

Question Types The following are examples of the different types of questions that can be used.

Question Type Description Examples

Rapport Building Questions

Rapport building questions are intended to put the candidate at ease, gain their confidence and encourage them to talk about their strengths, etc.

• What attracts you to this role?

• Have you been to this campus before?

• What do you enjoy about your current job?

Closed Questions Closed questions allow candidates to give short answers to clarify facts.

• What was your role?

• How long did it take to get the group to agree to that course of action?

• Did you meet the project deadline?

Open Ended Questions

Open questions allow candidates give a long detailed answer with examples from past experience.

• What did you do in your last position to encourage teamwork? Can you please give specific examples?

• Please give an example of a time when you had to reach a decision very quickly? What process did you follow?

• How have you developed your research

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Human Resources Services Centre

Human Resources Services Centre Telephone: +61 8 6304 5995 Web: www.hr.ecu.edu.au

Edith Cowan University

networks?

Encouraging Questions / Phrases

Encouraging questions invite candidates to expand on the last answer. Interviewers can also encourage more information non-verbally (eg. head nod).

• Can you tell us more about that?

• Please go on.

Probing / Follow-up Questions

Probing or follow-up questions ask for more information or specific information. These questions are open ended and ask for evidence.

• Thank you for that example. How did you plan your work with others to ensure the team met the project deadline?

Contrary Evidence Questions

Contrary evidence questions ask candidates to give evidence of mistakes, weaknesses or problems experienced in the past.

• Thank you for that example of how you solved the client's problem. Can you give an example of when you could not solve a client's problem? How did you respond to that situation?

• Thank you for that example of your management skills. Can you please give an example of when you could not manage a staff member very well? What action did you take?

Equal Opportunity ConsiderationsSelection Committees must be proactive in:

Identifying candidates who require specific arrangements to enable the individual to participate effectively in the interview; and

Identifying ways in which a candidate with a disability or impairment could undertake the role, and providing a suitable environment and requisite aids.

Interview questions should focus on the candidate’s capability to undertake the role. The questions should directly align to the requirements of the vacancy. Selection Committees must not ask for information that may be used to unlawfully discriminate. Sometimes these questions are asked out of habit, or they reflect assumptions or biases about certain groups of people. These questions may result in discrimination action.

Areas of questioning to avoid include:

Marital status Family responsibilities

Carer responsibilities

Age Sex Sexual Orientation

National Extraction

Race Colour Disability Pregnancy Religion Political views Social Origin

For further information, contact HRSC: 6304 5995 or hram@ecu.edu.au.

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