mc connell pp_ch09

© 2010 Jones and Bartlett Publishers, LLC

Umiker's Management Skills for the New Health

Care Supervisor, Fifth Edition

Charles McConnell


Chapter 9

Interviewing and Employee Interviewing and Employee

SelectionSelection


Who Should Interview?

The primary interviewer of any

applicant, and the person who

makes the hiring recommendation,

should be the individual who will

directly supervise the person who is

hired.


Preparing for the Interview

Review the position description

Study application or résumé

Draft a list of questions

List the positive features of the job,


Preparing for the Interview (more)

Familiarize yourself with the salary and

benefits for the position

Visualize the tour of your facilities that

you will give the applicant

Schedule a time and place that ensure

privacy and freedom from

interruptions.


Conducting the Interview

Be on time

Put the applicant at ease

Review applicant’s chronology

Review work history

“Market” the job and department


Kinds of Questions to Ask

Ask open-ended questions that

require an applicant to answer in

two or three sentences (closed-

ended questions, answerable in a

word or two, give you little

information).


Kinds of Questions to Ask

Use a number of probing questions

that address the five “W”s: why,

what, who, when, and where, plus

how.


Questions to Avoid

Ask no questions that require an applicant to reveal age, date of birth, race, religion, or national origin

Ask nothing about disability Do not ask for a recommendation Do not ask about “next of kin” Do not ask nature of military

discharge


Questions to Avoid (more)

Do not ask marital status Do not ask about home or car ownership Ask nothing about credit or financial

status Do not directly ask applicant’s height or

weight Do not ask about arrest record Do not ask if person collects Social

Security


Everything Asked --

-- should relate to what the

individual knows, have done, can

do, and would like to do; you are

seeking the producer, not the

private individual.


Recommended Kinds of Questions

Ask questions to determine

professional or technical

competency. These should be

related to duties and responsibilities


Ask Questions Intended to Evaluate:

• Motivation

• Teamwork potential

• Followership skill and attitude

• Resistance to stress

• Retention potential

• Customer service orientation


In Addressing Sensitive Issues:

Avoid strong terms such as

“weakness” and “deficiency.”

Substitute phrases such as “area of

concern,” “need for more

experience,” and “need to enhance

full potential, etc.”


Clues to Untruthfulness

Resume’s that are “too good to be true”

Imprecise wording that may be

intended to mislead

Unexplained gaps in personal

chronology

Contradictions and overlaps within

education and work history


Questions from Candidates

You can learn much from the applicant

who asks intelligent questions about

the job; as you can also learn much

from the applicant who asks only selfish

questions, such as those that deal with

salary, benefits, vacation, etc.


In Evaluating Candidates:

Weigh negatives more heavily than positives.

Evaluate flexibility and ability to adjust to change.

Watch for strong feelings and beliefs. Note whether person’s emphasis is

customer-oriented or task-oriented. Avoid leaping to conclusions during the

initial phase of an interview.


At Interview’s End

Indicate that follow-up will come

from human resources; do NOT

presume to offer the job on the

spot.


Job Offers --

Are extended by human resources.

Should be extended conditional

upon completion of reference

checking and passing a pre-

employment physical examination.


“Why Not Me?”

Do not attempt to respond directly

to unsuccessful applicants who call

you directly to ask why the were not

hired. Always refer them back to

human resources.


Reference Checking

Do not attempt to check references

yourself. All reference checking

should be performed by and

through human resources.

mc connell pp_ch09

Career