Interviewing Considerations Beyond Applicant Ability

An employment interview is a selection tool involving the interpersonal exchange of information between an applicant and an organization, and it is designed to support the evaluation of an applicant’s qualifications and knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs). Although selection interviews are intended to assess specific types of information (e.g., structured interviews), the effectiveness of such interviews may be influenced by factors unrelated to applicant ability. The interpersonal and subjective natures of an interview create opportunities for the interviewer (a) to make misattributions during the interview and (b) to influence the applicant during the interview. These issues can result in a variety of effects on interview outcomes, the most common of which is reduced decision-making accuracy.