Meeting the Market Need for Effective Interviewer Training in the Digital Age

By Posted in - Interviewing on September 2nd, 2015 2 Comments

Interviewer training has been established as a key component for maximizing the predictive validity of the employment interview. Early interviewer training programs were workshop based to provide sufficient opportunity for practice and observation of interviewing skills.

With the coming of the digital age, the market demanded online alternatives to the workshop format. However, the effectiveness of online programs were seem as being limited if sufficient practice and feedback opportunities were not provided. The content of the training programs might also be too limited in an attempt to reduce the completion time for online training.

In order to meet the market need for effective interviewer training in the digital age, two conditions must be met:

  1. The content of the training must cover the critical topics needed for an effective program
  2. The learning format must meet the time and access demands of the user while providing sufficient opportunity for practice and transfer of learning.

Content Requirements

The following topics are needed for an effective interviewer training program:

How to Use Structured Interview Guides. Structured interview guides are the start for interviewing success. Structured interview guides provide a roadmap for ensuring that all critical requirements are covered and relevant aspects of a candidate’s background are thoroughly explored. Professional interviewers need to know:

  • How to use common competencies to define job requirements.
  • How to use effective pre-planned behavioral questions that link to those competency requirements
  • How to use a “blended” interviewing strategy to obtain full information concerning the candidate

How to Obtain Good Interview Data. After planning and structuring the interview, professional interviewers need to be able to help candidates provide good information that reflects their true potential. Professional interviewers need to know:

  • How to listen for information that is critical in properly evaluating candidate responses
  • How to ask effective follow-up questions to gather useful data

How to Evaluate Candidate Responses Accurately. After obtaining good interview data, the interviewer’s task is to make an objective evaluation of the quality of the responses and make an accurate prediction about the candidate’s likelihood of being successful in the job. Different interviewers reviewing the same data should come to the same conclusions. Professional interviewers need to know:

  • How to recognize and avoid common rating errors
  • How to evaluate the three critical components of a behavioral response (circumstances, approach, and results)

How to Follow a Professional Interview Process. In addition to obtaining quality information, a professional interview needs to maintain control over the interview process to ensure that both the interviewer’s and the candidate’s objectives are met. Professional interviewers need to know:

  • How to organize interview time
  • How to manage the pace of an interview to ensure full and proper coverage of each assigned competency
  • How to adhere to legal standards in conducting the interview

Learning Format

The key to an effective learning design for the digital age consists of two elements:
Provide Opportunities to Practice and Develop on the job. Research shows that 70% of development happens on the job; 20% through coaching and mentoring and 10% through formal learning, which includes e-learning modules. Effective e-learning courseware structures the 70% through step by step instructions, thus leveraging the natural way a person develops.

Short, Bite-sized Learning Modules that can be Delivered on Mobile Devices. Learners retain more information when it is delivered in small, bite sized learning modules. Small bite sized learning modules and mobile device delivery meet the time constraints and schedules of people in the digital age.

The Total Solution

OMNIview partnered with the Vado learning team to create bite sized e-learning courses that build the skills needed to successfully interview for fit and get a totalView™ of the candidate. With six courses, covering six topic areas, interviewers and hiring managers now have the tools they need to be successful interviewers. Contact us to learn more.

Patrick Hauenstein, Ph.D.

About Patrick Hauenstein, Ph.D.

Patrick Hauenstein is the President and Chief Science Officer for OMNIview. During his free time Pat likes to cook. He is particularly fond of traditional southern cuisine. Pat is also an animal lover ...
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