'Workshop' interview

cazziebo

this is something I am passionate about - and I have to disagree.

In a CIPD research study (2001), it was found that interviews alone were one of the least effective ways to recruit staff - in fact - had little more success than graphology. The most successful are blended recruitment processes using assessment centres, work trials,personality tests and skill tests.

A one on one interview of an hour is exactly the way to recruit someone the interviewer likes - usually because they have something in common. It is a very subjective way to hire, doesn't encourage diversity and will not be predictive of job effectiveness.

Where is the research that consistently shows otherwise? If it's based on HR managers recruiting then it must be pretty outdated as it's usually line management who recruit with HR there to guide and support.

dawnydee73

Well done :T :T :T your a braver person than me, I don't think I could handle a 4 hour interview

bristol_pilot

cazziebo, I agree that interviews alone are one of the least effective ways of selecting people, so what is needed is less interview not more interview!
The OP said it was a four-hour INTERVIEW: "I have my 2nd interview on Friday...It will last for 4 hours". The more you interview (e.g. four hours etc) the more you rely on it so the worse the ineffectiveness gets. That was exactly my point! A so-called assessment centre is often little more than a series of interviews - I once went to one where the eight partners came in one at a time and asked me almost exactly the same questions. It took half a day. Or it is a load of nonsense about getting over an imaginary river with a couple of planks and some oil barrels. One of my best people is someone who told another Company to get stuffed when he attended their assessment centre and that's what they asked the candidates to do. Good on him!

Personality tests may be of some value where personality matters more than skills - although they are subject to fashion and they certainly do not encourage cultural diversity! A practical test is preferable where skills are of higher value.

I use one hour interviews to probe the CV and work history, to check that what is claimed is actually true. For example, if the candidate says they can speak Italian and it is relevant to the job, they may be asked some questions in Italian. If they say they can solve equations then some equations will be written down to be solved. The actual selection is made on the basis of the best work track record not the interview itself. I would argue that this process enhances diversity as it attempts to concentrate on facts. I would be tempted to recruit on CV alone if HR would let me! (They do so like to come along and ask their stock questions).

cazziebo

Mizz_Pink wrote: »

Hi,

I'm back from my interview, it went ok actually. I ended up doing a course on Excel at work, it only took 40 mins and its a good job I did.

We had lots of tasks to do like write a report, letter, spreadsheet, explain a spreadsheet organise a seminar and 4 role plays.

Fingers crossed ! :j

Sequence of interviews is not an assessment centre - what the OP has experienced is a targeted robust recruitment process - and that takes time.

What I'm disagreeing with you on is that recruitment decisions should be made in a short time - they often are, but that doesn't make it right. Twenty minutes is skimming the surface. Interviews are for the interviewer to examine what can't be accessed by tests and assessments - and equally importantly - for the interviewee to examine if this is the right job for them.

Sorry to go on - I'm usually a very agreeable person - but having spent a good deal of my career in hr & recruitment my pet hate was senior people hiring people with no process, after a 20 minute chat, telling me "I can just tell they're right, it's gut feel" then the person leaves, having !!!!ed off their colleagues and it's another expensive recruitment exercise!

bristol_pilot

I'll see if I can dig out the research showing that relatively quick decisions (but not gut-feel snap decisions, obviously) are better than ones taken over an extended period of time. I have a recent reference to it at the office somewhere. It did not refer narrowly to recruitment, but to a wide range of types of decisions and was based on academic psychology research not surveys of HR managers. I believe I have been a much better manager since taking it's advice on board - mostly in relation to which projects should be started or stopped, but also to recruitment.

I don't take your disagreement as you being a disagreeable person cazziebo, it's an interesting subject to discuss.

Sorry for hijacking your thread Mizz_Pink! Enjoy the job!

Mizz_Pink

Shall I give you more info on what the candidates hadto do ? Ive never had an interview like this before and I thought it was really good although was daunted at the '4 hour' bit !

We each had a folder which had in it instructions on 3 written tasks
1. Plan a seminar using the sheet of ideas provided
2. Write a letter using the content provided
3. List good and bad health and safety conducts

We hadto complete these tasks whilst in the board room during our technical tasks, interview and role plays.

Then a member of staff came in and asked for the first candidate to do role play 1 or technical task 2 for example. Each time we completed each technical task or role play we hadto tick the relevent box next to our names on the white board. So it just went like that for about 2 hours, each one us going in and out the room to do the tasks.
The role plays were:
1. A conversation with a Halifax rep who wants to book an appointment with us but we arnt interested. What would you say ?
2. The client has had his direct debit taken out of his account twice for 2 months running and all management are in a meeting and not available for him to speak to, what would you do ?
3. A client is anxious on how long its taking for his mortgage application to be processed, what would you say and do ?
4. Explain a spreadsheet (even i thought this was a bit easy, one candidate hadnt ever seen a spreadsheet)

Technical tasks were:
Complete a spreadsheet using Excel, content was written out all mixed up in different fonts and sizes
Type a report using Word.

Also we had another short interview by the managing director.

So it took 4 hours in total but during that time we had a buffet lunch and an question and answering session with all other staff and 2 IFA's (independant financial advisors), which we hadto wait at least half an hour for !

I had a really good experience even though I had forgot how to add up my column on Excel and I had no idea how to type a report and on the role play the interview would not let up when I said " management decision is final, we are not interested in your products":rotfl:

I start 30th July :T