Analysis of out-of-control interview
The strategy used by the firm reflects a random and unstructured approach. The carelessness of the firm’s management requires rectification to ensure the improvement of the interview process at Apex environment. The first rectification should target the type of questions asked by the panel; the questions need to be appropriate and professional. Secondly, ensuring a representative group with human resource personnel to oversee and help in the recruitment process proves imperative in bettering the process. Lastly, the need for courtesy is vital in easing up the interviewee as well as making them feel valued. Emphasis on imparting critical communication skills for interviewers is an essential approach in promulgating the need for courtesy.
If I was Maria, I am not confident I will take up the job. Based on the conduct displayed by the firm in the interview, I will be hesitant to take up an offer. Interviews aim to asses for skills and experience of the job applicant. However, they can also serve as a platform for the company to emphasize their culture and practices. I will need additional information concerning the company’s culture. For example, information on the company’s perspective and actions on sexual harassment and equality could provide clarification. Understanding the firms view on the particular aspects of respect, dignity and value of employees will help in making an informed decision on the job offer.
The questions I would ask in the interview to assess the applicant’s skills, commitment, and ability to deal confidently with customers, flexibility, intelligence and character will not be direct but instead depicted as instances. The question include would be how you can describe yourself? What do you think are the essential skills a mechanical engineer should possess? How would you explain intricate designs to non-engineers? Do you prefer working in groups or alone? Suppose you were assigned to travel to Argentina for a month to carry out research, how willing and able are you to travel? How long can you last away from home? How would you respond when under pressure? Suppose you are making a presentation on engineering, and a difficult question arises, how would you respond? How would you deal with a demanding customer? And lastly, what was the first thing you designed, and how does it work?
The key issue is that the interview Maria faced was hostile, and there was a lack of respect and dignity from the panel as well as underestimation of her worth. The underlying issues are the use of inappropriate questions, bias and prejudicial attitudes. According to Kapur (2020), the human resource management principles aim to treat people with respect and dignity as well as making them feel worthwhile. The issues have a significant effect on the interviews conducted at the firm as well as the interviewees. The need to mitigate the impacts that result from the problems noted from Maria’s case is paramount in improving the interview and recruitment processes.
Issues like lack of respect and dignity in an interview are critical. They show through by several facts like when the panel asked Maria about her role as a waitress. The statement was undignifying with the connotation that working as a waitress compromises one’s intelligence and mental capability. The question of whether she was planning to start a family is another fact that substantiates the primary issue that the interview lacked respect and dignity. Additionally, the statement was sexist and inappropriate. It depicted more information about the company leadership perspective considering the panel consisted of the president, two vice presidents, the marketing director and an engineer, portraying them as chauvinistic and impertinent.
Several actions can help correct the situation presented with Maria’s case. The first solution is the reorganization of the firm to use a structured approach for interviews. The strategy used with Maria does not reflect an excellent organizational picture of the firm. A structured strategy entails the use of well-thought-out questions that are structured to assess the qualities, skills and abilities of the job applicant (Levashina, Hartwell, Morgeson & Campion, 2014). The human resource needs to liaise with the different departments to obtain information that will direct on the appropriate questions for a specific interview. Secondly, the panel should contain a diverse representation of the organization in terms of gender and competence, and each participant should have a particular role. For instance, in Maria’s case, the individual discussion session was better than the first session, indicating that not everyone on the panel contributed to the hostile environment she experienced. Therefore, the need to outline the roles played by each of the panel participants like a facilitator is paramount to improving interview processes.
Lastly, the need to emphasis on the impact of civility is essential for all panel members. A brief preparation session hosted by the human resource personnel is necessary to ensure that the members of the panel understand the significance of guaranteeing to uphold od dignity is vital. A follow up on the interviewees conducted via a short questionnaire after the interview will help inform on the effectiveness of the solutions. In cases where the proposed solutions do not reflect efficiency, the use of strategies like feedforward could bring new insights in an interview process (Kluger & Nir, 2010). Additionally, employing new approaches like the use of behaviour-based interviews where the panel assess the behavioural impulses of the interviewee (Huffcutt, Iddekinge & Roth, 2011). It is essential to create a conducive environment for job applicants during interviews to get the best out of them.
References
Huffcutt, A. I., Van Iddekinge, C. H., & Roth, P. L. (2011). Understanding applicant behaviour in employment interviews: A theoretical model of interviewee performance. Human Resource Management Review, 21(4), 353-367.
Kluger, A. N., & Nir, D. (2010). The feedforward interview. Human Resource Management Review, 20(3), 235-246.
Levashina, J., Hartwell, C. J., Morgeson, F. P., & Campion, M. A. (2014). The structured employment interview: Narrative and quantitative review of the research literature. Personnel Psychology, 67(1), 241-293.