CODESP Interviewing Techniques and Methods 2 β Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which interview format is most likely to yield legally defensible hiring decisions under EEOC guidelines?
- Unstructured conversational interview
- Structured behavioral interview with standardized scoring (Correct answer)
- Panel interview with open-ended questions
- Telephone screening with informal notes
Correct answer: Structured behavioral interview with standardized scoring
Structured behavioral interviews with standardized scoring criteria are most defensible because they apply consistent, job-related criteria to all candidates.
Question 2: In a STAR-based behavioral interview, what does the 'R' stand for?
- Rationale
- Result (Correct answer)
- Role
- Recommendation
Correct answer: Result
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result β the four components candidates should address in behavioral responses.
Question 3: An interviewer consistently rates candidates higher after seeing an impressive resume before the interview. This exemplifies which bias?
- Contrast effect
- Halo effect (Correct answer)
- Primacy effect
- Recency effect
Correct answer: Halo effect
The halo effect occurs when a positive impression in one area (resume) unduly influences ratings in other areas (interview performance).
Question 4: What is the primary advantage of using multiple interviewers in a panel format?
- It reduces the total interview time
- It lowers the cost per candidate
- It reduces individual interviewer bias and increases reliability (Correct answer)
- It allows candidates to be assessed on more personality traits
Correct answer: It reduces individual interviewer bias and increases reliability
Panel interviews reduce individual bias and increase inter-rater reliability by averaging perspectives across multiple trained evaluators.
Question 5: Which question type directly assesses a candidate's past behavior as a predictor of future performance?
- Hypothetical situational question
- Behavioral question (Correct answer)
- Knowledge-based question
- Credential verification question
Correct answer: Behavioral question
Behavioral questions ask candidates to describe specific past experiences, based on the premise that past behavior predicts future behavior.
Question 6: When developing scoring anchors for a structured interview, what should each anchor level describe?
- The candidate's educational background
- Observable behavioral indicators that distinguish performance levels (Correct answer)
- The interviewer's subjective impression of the candidate
- The candidate's salary expectations
Correct answer: Observable behavioral indicators that distinguish performance levels
Scoring anchors should describe specific, observable behaviors that clearly distinguish between poor, adequate, and excellent responses.
Question 7: Which practice best reduces the recency effect in interview scoring?
- Scoring each candidate immediately after the interview ends (Correct answer)
- Waiting 24 hours before scoring to allow reflection
- Scoring all candidates together at the end of the day
- Relying on memory without notes for a more holistic view
Correct answer: Scoring each candidate immediately after the interview ends
Scoring candidates immediately after each interview limits the recency effect by preventing later interviews from overshadowing earlier ones.