Using the concepts of reliability and validity, critically examine how confident Human Resource professionals should be in using interviews as an effective selection technique.
Interviews are the most common selection technique for recruiting. Notwithstanding, this method has been frequently criticised. It is the task of this essay to evaluate how valid and reliable they are. Therefore, firstly validity and reliability have to be defined to form a basis to start with. Secondly, different types of interviews, beginning with the traditional type, will be presented and analysed. Thirdly, attempts to standardise and improve the interview in terms of reliability and validity will be critically examined. Finally a short outlook will be given, to show that not everything can be related to be reliable and valid. This text will analyse only selection interviews as the topic refers mainly to these. Furthermore it will only deal with personal interviews of employees, which excludes, for example, telephone screening1. Every selection method has weaknesses and therefore it will become clear that interviews are not absolutely valid and reliable, but nevertheless to fill certain vacant positions they will be still irreplaceable.
Reliability and Validity are the two key characteristics that interviews have to have to be a suitable method for selection. They measure if the chosen methods provide consistent results and if they adequately measure the characteristic they are looking at2.
“Reliability means that the selection methods, tests and ensuing results are consistent and do not vary with time, place or different subjects”3. Or as Cowling puts it: “Reliability is a measure of the consistency with which a predictor continues to predict performance with the same degree of success”4. That means that, for instance, two interviews at a different time and place, with different interviewers and questions but under otherwise same conditions and with the same applicants will bring the same result; namely the best candidate should still be the best and the interviewees who failed should still fail5. It is also possible to maintain the conditions, the applicants and the structure but to change the other parameters of the assessment.
Table of Contents
1. Using the concepts of reliability and validity, critically examine how confident Human Resource professionals should be in using interviews as an effective selection technique.
Objectives & Topics
This essay evaluates the reliability and validity of interviews as a primary selection technique for recruitment. It aims to determine the extent to which HR professionals can trust interviews in predicting candidate performance and identifying the best fit for vacant positions.
- Theoretical definitions of reliability and validity in personnel selection.
- Critical analysis of traditional individual and panel interview structures.
- Evaluation of interview standardisation attempts, including performance-based models.
- Examination of inherent biases such as the halo and horns effects.
- Strategic recommendations for combining interviews with other assessment methods.
Excerpt from the Book
The traditional interview has questionable features in terms of validity and reliability.
Normally it is not structured. The person who conducts it, asks his/her own questions which are different for every applicant. We will first examine the one-to-one situation, which has considerable weaknesses. There are reasons not to believe in the consistency of the outcome: It is carried out by a human being and as such there is always a certain amount of inconsistency in the judgement, behaviour and mood. Personal communication always bears its weaknesses and for that reason cannot be a perfect judgement method. The model of the communication process shows that there are natural obstacles which cannot be avoided, such as the perceptual filter between receiving, sending and decoding a message. Therefore two interviewers will never interpret and assess information in the same way, and even the same interrogator will reveal fluctuations in interpretations of data and assessment over a period of time.
Summary of Chapters
1. Using the concepts of reliability and validity, critically examine how confident Human Resource professionals should be in using interviews as an effective selection technique.: This chapter introduces the core concepts of reliability and validity, establishes the research scope on personal interviews, and argues that while interviews have inherent weaknesses, they remain essential for specific recruitment needs.
Keywords
Reliability, Validity, Human Resource Management, Selection Techniques, Interviews, Recruitment, Personnel Selection, Performance Prediction, Halo Effect, Horns Effect, Job Analysis, Standardisation, Candidate Assessment, Professional Selection, Employee Recruitment.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper critically examines the effectiveness of job interviews as a selection tool by evaluating their reliability and validity in the context of Human Resource Management.
What are the central themes discussed in the work?
The central themes include the psychological challenges of interviewing, the impact of interview structure on consistency, and the necessity of combining different assessment methods to achieve reliable results.
What is the primary goal of the author?
The primary goal is to determine how much confidence HR professionals should place in interviews and to highlight the risks of relying solely on this technique for candidate selection.
Which scientific approach does the author use?
The author uses a qualitative, analytical approach, reviewing existing HR management literature and psychological theories to evaluate the consistency and predictive accuracy of various interview formats.
What topics are covered in the main body of the paper?
The main body covers definitions of reliability and validity, the strengths and weaknesses of individual and panel interviews, the role of interview standardisation, and the influence of subjective biases.
Which keywords best characterise this study?
Key terms include Reliability, Validity, HR Selection, Interview Techniques, Performance Prediction, and Interviewer Bias.
How does the "halo effect" impact the validity of an interview?
The halo effect leads an interviewer to allow an initial positive impression to bias their entire assessment of a candidate, thus distorting the objectivity of the evaluation and potentially neglecting other relevant traits.
Why does the author suggest that an "experienced intuition" might be valuable?
In roles like management, where personality traits are complex and diverse, the author suggests that an experienced recruiter's intuition can sometimes provide insights that fixed, overly rigid interview schemes might miss.
- Citar trabajo
- Peter Tilman Schuessler (Autor), 2002, Using the concepts of reliability and validity, critically examine how confident Human Resource professionals should be in using interviews as an effective selection technique, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/8910
