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Employee Resources
Employee Handbook
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Employment & Procedures ManualQuestions anf Techniques for Interviewing ApplicantsOn the following pages are samples of generic questions and techniques covering typical interview situations with which screening committees may become involved. These generic questions and techniques are intended as guidelines for committees to use or modify as seen fit.
INTERVIEWING APPLICANTS Please review these important interviewing techniques prior to conducting the employment interview: Think first and carefully about what you want to accomplish in the interview. Use a job description and the application/resume to plan the interview before talking with the applicant. Determine the specific requirements of the job and the points you want to cover. Briefly let the applicant know your plan; then guide him/her through the process. Provide quiet, uninterrupted interview conditions. Put the applicant at ease. Encourage confidence through a relaxed manner. Begin with easy-to-answer questions, but don't waste time by asking questions already answered in the application/resume. Control the interview with you plan plus gentle guidance. Avoid snap judgments. Avoid letting your personnel prejudices influence your evaluation. Listen. Be sure the applicant does 60-75% of the talking. Listen some more. Put an awkward silence to good use; the applicant may volunteer more information to fill the void. Interviewers should avoid the temptation to psychoanalyze. Instead, concentrate on facts. Obtain information that can be verified, such as names, dates, salary, accomplishments and skills. Focus on acquiring information on knowledge, skills, and abilities in areas that parallel your job requirements. Identify job-related patterns of success. Check past job success. If former jobs were successful and were relevant to the one you are offering, chances are the applicant's experience with you will be the same. Avoid going overboard on education. While it is important which school the applicant attended, or what grades were received, it is not a sure-fire indicator that the applicant will be a winner (or loser). Provide information about the job, organization and conditions of employment. Before ending the interview, be sure the applicant has complete understanding and realistic expectations of the job and the organization. Record facts ascertained during the interview.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
FOR ANY POSITION Career Goals If you were hired, where do you see yourself
five-ten years from today? Stress Give me an example of what an organization should do to cushion or prevent the effects of stress from a job. How would you handle the need to juggle priorities
or projects? Motivation What should a manager do to motivate others? Why does it sometimes fail? What is your definition of success? Goal Orientation Do you think management by objectives works?
How do you adjust to working under a goal setting program? How do you
define management by exception? Attendance/Punctuality When do you feel it is necessary to work overtime? What would your last supervisor or manager
say about your attendance or punctuality? Are there any reasons why you cannot work
the hours required by the job? Creativity and Innovation Which have you preferred to work with ² a
set, planned day, or a day you created for yourself? Why? Problem Solving/Analytical Skills How do you go about setting priorities for your time? What information or technical support has helped you succeed on the job? What process do you follow in solving problems? What methods do you use to make decisions? Please give me an example of your approach. In your last job what kinds of decisions
did you have authority over? Describe the degree of authority you had
over these decisions. Ability to Learn How do you keep up with changes in technology (terminology, information) in your field? What would you expect from us to get you
oriented or trained in this position? Dependability What do you consider the three most impressive tangible contributions an employee can make to his/her employer? What do you think an employee owes his/her employer? What are the three of four bottom line (most critical) ways an employer can measure success of an employee? Organization, Attention to Detail and Time Usage How do you feel a meeting should be organized to be most effective? Do you like to juggle a lot of activities at the same time or do them one at a time? How do you keep track of your own paperwork, schedules, etc.? Explain. How do you decide what you should work on next? How do you monitor things which need your
attention? Interpersonal Communication Skills What sorts of things do you feel are important for an employee to share with a manager? And vice versa? What kind of performance feedback do you feel is important for an employee to receive? How do you persuade other to get what you want? What role do you usually take in a group meeting or discussion? What are the advantages of that role? What does the "open door" policy mean to
you? Do you think it works? Conflict What should a manager do to minimize conflict a work? How much should he/she get involved in solving it? How would you confront someone at work should it become necessary? When (co-workers, students, vendors, customers) get angry at you, how do you usually react? How do you solve the problem? What is the best way to handle problems and complaints that arise on the job? Cooperation How do you get cooperation from co-workers, vendors, student, suppliers, etc.? Which problems do you feel are appropriate to bring to your manager? Would you rather work on a team or on your own? What do you require from a supervisor? Previous Employment Tell me about your last (current) position. What were (are) your major responsibilities in you previous (current) position? What type of software/equipment have you used in your employment? Are you doing a good job in your present (former) position? How do you know? What do you expect your previous employers to say about you when we call them for references? Why?
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR
Decision Making At which point do you find it necessary to bring others into your decision-making process? Why? Describe your approach to making decisions and solving problems. Why do you approach it this way? When you recommend something to management, what approach do you usually use? How do you assemble relevant data to make your decisions? How do you know when you have enough data? How much leeway do you give your employees
to make decisions? How do you still maintain control? Administration What areas are within your sphere of responsibility in your current (previous) position? How do you make sure that you know what is happening (problems, changes, etc.)? How do you make sure that your employees are accountable? What operating systems do you use to monitor and maintain control of your area accountability? What do you typically do when you hear of a problem in your area? Explain. How useful have you found written procedures and guidelines in helping you manage your area? Do you feel that the chain of command is
important? Why? When do you feel it might inhibit organizational effectiveness?
Writing Skills When you have to write letters or memos, how do you usually get started? How do you keep track of incoming and outgoing correspondence? What do you think is important to document? How do you document it? What do you see as the difference in writing
strategy for a report vs. a memo vs. a letter? Financial What responsibility do you have for budgeting?
What budgeting method do you use? Leadership How would describe the difference between "leadership: and "management"? How do you get others to follow you? How do you use power of authority to get what you want done? How do you delegate responsibility for an assignment? Who do you choose, what and how do you delegate and what do you do to monitor and follow up? How often do you evaluate your employees? How do you get employees involved in their
own evaluation? Evaluating Performance What do you do to insure objectivity when you evaluate the work of others? What sort of performance standards have you held employees to? Were they written? How often do you evaluate your employees? How do you get employees involved in their own evaluation? How do you evaluate the overall performance of your department/division? When you evaluate someone's performance verbally, what approach do you take? How do you plan for performance improvements? How do you measure performance in your area? How do you measure your own performance?
Employee Relations How do you go about developing the people you manage? How do you help your employees become committed to a job or to the organization? How do you deal with an "attitude" problem? How often do you think it is necessary to meet with your employees? How have you handled "complainers"? How do you deal with an employee who needs to be disciplined? Explain your strategy. What sort of employee training do you think it is necessary to offer? How would you handle a personnel situation which might have a potential legal impact? How do you develop trust and loyalty in your
employees? Planning How far in advance do you typically plan activities for yourself and your employees? How do you assess priorities? How do you
then assign them? Organizational Relationships How would you deal with "politics" in the work place? What would you describe as an effective staff meeting? Ineffective? How do you typically get cooperation from someone in another department? Have you had to make oral presentations to other managers? Explain.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR
FACULTY POSITIONS
How do you define the educational philosophy of the community college and that of a four-year institution? What can you bring to Lee College that is uniquely yours? What kinds of techniques have you found to be effective? Take us through an assignment. Describe your grading criteria. Are you familiar with the composition of our student body? Describe your relationship with/to your students. Tell us how you keep current in your field. In the last year, what have you done to develop professionally? What is your view of the relationship between
faculty and administration?
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR Assertiveness How would you handle a boss who gave you assignments without complete instructions? How would you handle a situation where you found mistakes on an assignment someone else gave to you to type and/or process? How would you minimize interruptions on the
job? Independence and Initiative How do you organize your typical workday? How do you begin a complex assignment? What do you do when you have "down" time at work ² those times when the work slows down? Please be specific. What sort of directions do you want from
a supervisor? Do you like detailed instructions, or would you prefer to
have just the highlights? Do you want them in writing? Business Writing/Editing How much rewriting do you usually do when working on someone's proposal/report? When typing or data entry, what sorts of mistakes can you catch quickly and correct for the original writer? When typing a document, what things do you feel comfortable changing without needing to check with the one who have assigned the work to you? Which do you feel is necessary to ask about before changing or rewriting? What type of letters, memos, etc. can you set-up and write "from scratch"? What formats or forms have you had experience working with? How much writing have you done from general
instructions or notes? Explain. Handling Pressure How do you deal with tight deadlines? How would you deal with people who have angered or frustrated you? How would you handle a situation where someone
is pressuring you for their work to be completed? Prioritizing Work How do you prioritize your work? How well does this work? If you have a situation where several people
gave you assignments ² all due very quickly - how would you handle the
problem. Attention to Detail Do you prefer to see a project through from beginning to end, or just do a part of it? Walk me through how you set up and complete a job (job specific) assignment? What are the most important trouble spots you anticipate? How do you rate yourself on proofreading
or correcting the work of others? How would your current or previous supervisor
rate you? Internal Relations What type of things should be kept confidential? Would this be a problem? How would you handle co-workers who ask too many questions regarding confidential or sensitive information? How would you handle a conflict situation with a co-worker?
SUPERVISOR'S CHECKLIST FOR
PRE-EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEWS The guidelines for pre-employment interviews listed below are intended as an aid to Supervisors and Managers in ensuring that objective criteria re used in evaluating a job applicant's qualifications. In general, Supervisors should make sure that all interview inquiries are job related and represent business necessity. PROHIBITED INQUIRIES PERMITTED INQUIRES NAME
Inquiries to determine national
Whether candidate has ever AGE
Age, birth certificate. Any inquiry
Whether candidate meets CITIZENSHIP/NATIONAL
Ancestry, descent, native language,
"Are you a citizen of the United RACE OR COLOR
Complexion, color of skin. Height or
None SEX
Sex of applicant, where sex is not a
Sex of applicant, where sex may ORGANIZATIONS
Inquiries about membership to
Membership in professional MARITAL AND
Marital status, number of children,
Whether candidate can meet EDUCATION
Inquiries regarding specific degrees
Inquiries regarding degrees RELIGION
Religious preference, affiliation
Whether candidate can meet DISABILITIES
Any inquiry that would elicit
Whether candidate has any ARREST
Any inquiry relating to arrest.
None MILITARY
Discharge status, unless
Type of experience and CREDIT RATING/
Inquiries concerning charge
Inquiries about credit rating, TRANSPORTATION
Method of getting to work,
Ability to work required hours. GENERAL: It is appropriate for a supervisor to discuss institutional or departmental organizational structure and general policies regarding compensation with a job applicant during an interview. Supervisors should not, however, make promises or guarantees regarding length of employment, pay treatment, or promotions.
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