Paper on Job Interview Questions: Excel Gant Charts, Capital Structure, Disagreements with Colleagues

Job Interview Questions

1. Why did you apply for this job? Are you seeking opportunities for promotion, or is this merely a job change for you?
2. As an employee in your past workplace, have you ever used Excel to build a Gantt chart before? Can you explain how to do that on the whiteboard?
3. Assume that no one in this panel is a financial manager, how would you make us understand the meaning term ‘capital structure’ in business terms?
4. Have you ever disagreed with a colleague at work? Tell me about it

Unstructured Questions

1. Comparing your employment situation right now and five years ago, how can you describe your path? Are there any gaps? Why?
2. Do you have any kind of personal milestone or achievement you have now? What is it? Are you proud of it? Why?
3. How can you describe your ideal job? What work environment would you prefer and why?
4. Do you have any religious beliefs that you think can interfere with how you do your work?

Behavioral Questions

1. In your past employment, have you ever worked under pressure? How did you do that?
2. Have you ever attempted and failed a project in any of your past employments? What new did you learn? How did that help you later?
3. Have you ever resolved a conflict before, what did conflict resolution teach you?
4. Have you ever led a team in any of your past organizations of employment? How did you keep your team together?

Situational Questions

1. If you were to be appointed the general manager of this company, what is the first thing you would change?
2. Give me an example of a goal or objective you would like to achieve and how you would do that.

Competency-based questions

1. What is the biggest workplace-related decision that you have ever made?
2. How can you advise your colleagues to relate well with each other?

Part Two: Theoretical Justification

Getting the right candidate to fit the position of a job posting is the most challenging task human resource management (HRM) has to deal with when they are seeking potential employees among the many who apply and get to be interviewed. The preparation that goes into the hiring process has numerous aspects to be considered and involves asking the interviewee the right questions that help bring out these attributes, skills, and competencies. Asking the right questions to bring out the right answers could help the human resource department find the right fit to fill a position in the organization or company in focus. Studies and research associated with human resources have pointed out particular theories that justify the kind of questions that should be asked in the interview process (Bratton & Gold, 2017). There are numerous theories or concepts used in the interview process, and each theory is unique in its own way in how it can be applied to each interview process. Some of the concepts/theories used by the HRM include situational and behavioral questions, competency questions, person-organization fit questions, structured and unstructured interview questions, job analysis and knowledge, skills, and abilities(KSAOs), and possible pitfalls questions (Blackman, 2017). Each category of these concepts contains justifications for why they should be asked by the human resource department. While some of the categories of questions are for the candidate’s knowledge about the job, others test their readiness and how best they can solve particular job-related problems for which they are hired, or bring value to the organization. Other concepts test the employee’s emotional intelligence, while others can be used to shed light on the potential employee’s tolerance and diversity at the workplace. This paper presents justifications of three categories of job interview questions.

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Justification of Structured Versus Unstructured Interview Questions

Structured queries refer to a well-planned and researched set of questions prepared by the interviewer to highlight the interviewee’s past experiences, abilities, strengths, and weaknesses and the assets the prospective employee can bring to the hiring organization. If the candidates are more than one, then the list of questions is asked to each in the same order, and the responses are noted down. While using a structured set of queries carries both advantages and disadvantages, the benefits outweigh the demerits. Human resource studies indicate that using structured interviews makes it easy for multiple job candidates to be compared as each candidate’s response can be pitted against other responders’ responses (Blackman, 2017). With a prepared list of questions, the interviewer is less likely to miss asking fundamental questions and getting targeted responses that help in decision-making. Structuring questions helps in reducing biased opinions that can come from potential job candidates. These questions are known for consistency, fairness, and effectiveness as the questions provide a controlled environment for all candidates (Campion et al., 2011). Also, interviewers can conduct faster interviews with these questions. On the other hand, standardized questions take more time to plan and preparation. The interview becomes shallow and robotic as more information is not gathered.

Unstructured interviews are more conversational and can begin randomly from any angle. They are unrehearsed, and the questions asked do not follow a specific order or style because the interviewer can pick information from the candidate’s resume or application letter and seek further information from the candidate.

Unstructured interviews allow both the interviewer and the interviewee to dive into deeper discussions about the job and personal life hence providing a window into how the candidate’s strengths and weaknesses look (Blackman, 2017). These interview questions are more flexible than the unstructured questions because both taking part in the interview can adapt and change questions depending on the responses of the candidate. This interview concept gives room for improvisation of questions that can allow the interviewer to ask relevant questions. In some cases, if the person asking the questions is smart at coming up with spot-on questions, then they can make the interview atmosphere more relaxed, enabling the candidate to feel comfortable.

The underpinnings of this conceptual framework include the fact that it makes it easier for the interview process to be distracted, and the participants can lose track of the interview. Such distraction can make the interviewer miss learning about particular attributes of the candidate concerning their ability to handle the job well. When non-standardized questions are used, it can allow room for the interviewee to be misjudged. The interview process is prone to biases when these unstructured queries are used.

Justification of Behavioral and Situational Interview Questions

Behavioral interview questions dig deeper into the candidate’s past and how they handled certain situations in the past work environment. Employers can be interested in a candidate’s work history and how they handled certain conditions, including but not limited to pressure or conflict (Bangerter et al., 2014). Other employers can also seek to know how a candidate solved a problem in the past and use that information to predict how they are likely to solve a similar problem in their new workplace. Knowing a person’s behavior and reactions in particular situations can say a lot about their personality, and the interviewer has to be aware of the same. Such knowledge can enable them to ascertain whether the prospective employer meets the company’s culture or not, and help the employer decide if they can choose to pursue another candidate. Behavioral questions reveal whether or not the prospective employee will interact well with other workers in the organization. Keen interest can be taken on how candidates have been creative and provided solutions to problems in the past. Blackman (2017) posited that such questions are predictors to future possibilities or successes of the prospective worker.

Situational interview questions are also fundamental in a job interview as they provide additional means of understanding incoming human resources in an organization. Situational interview questions provide the job seeker with a series of situations in which they have to find their way through or seek solutions to practical problems in the workplace. A hypothetical problem or situation can be created in the interview, and the candidate is asked to solve it. In most cases, the hypothetical problem or situation is a real possibility in the line of work for with the interview is about. One can be asked “What would you do if...” and the response that is given can help the employer determine if the candidate is capable of wise decision-making when faced with a conflict or problem(Cheng & Hackett, 2019). If these situations or behaviors are not addressed, the employer risks getting the wrong candidate for the job.

Justification for Competencies

It is very important for the candidate to be grilled for their competencies and qualifications for the job. Campion et al. (2011) have fervently noted that competent candidates in their line of work perform effectively in their jobs because their skills, knowledge, and abilities are a perfect fit. The authors have also noted that some competencies can be developed while on the job, while others are generally grouped according to certain similar job profiles. Asking competency-based questions provides a clear path of progression that the candidates have taken in the past. It also allows recognition and reward of good behaviors while also helping in identifying the best from average job performers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, conceptual frameworks underlying human resource management are based on fundamental reasons crucial to employment information. An employment interview is a different kind of questioning, unlike most interviews, because it aims at bringing forth specified behaviors and competencies in the potential employee. Each concept is responsible for a particular piece of information needed by the employer concerning the employee.

References

Bangerter, A., Corvalan, P., & Cavin, C. (2014). Storytelling in the Selection Interview? How Applicants Respond to Past Behavior Questions. Journal of Business And Psychology, 29(4), 593-604. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-014-9350-0

Blackman, M. (2017). Using Interviewing in Selection. In H. Goldstein, E. Pulakos, J. Passmore & C. Semedo, The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of the Psychology of Recruitment, Selection, and Employee Retention (pp. 182-201). Wiley-Blackwell.

Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2017). Human Resource Management: theory and practice. Palgrave.

Campion, M., Fink, A., Ruggeberg, B., Carr, L., Phillips, G., & Odman, R. (2011). Doing Competencies Well: Best Practices in Competency Modeling. Personnel Psychology, 64(1), 225-262. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2010.01207.x

Cheng, M., & Hackett, R. (2019). A critical review of algorithms in HRM: Definition, theory, and practice. Human Resource Management Review, 100698. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2019.100698