Improving structured interview acceptance through training

Abstract

Despite having predictive validity above other selection methods, structured interviews are not always used. Using the Theory of Planned Behavior as a framework, this study examines the role of interview training in increasing structured interview acceptance (SIA). Based on a survey of 190 practitioners in the fields of Human Resources, I-O Psychology, and other professionals who conduct employment interviews, our results show that not all interviewer training programs are equally effective in increasing SIA. While participation in formal interviewer training is related to SIA, SIA could be influenced more by incorporating certain training components, including training on how to avoid rating errors (r = .21), learning how to evaluate interview answers (r = .19), interview practice/roleplaying (r = .17), training on job analysis (r = .15), legal issues (r = .15), background and purpose of the interview (r = .13), job requirements for the position(s) being filled (r = .13), and a discussion about interview verbal and nonverbal behaviors to avoid (r = .13). Additionally, we found that training components display different relationship with SIA across our two sub-samples. For example, in the MTurk sample (i.e., composed primarily from a managerial population) including job analysis, how to evaluate answers, and how to avoid rating errors correlated significantly with SIA. However, in the non-MTurk sample (i.e., composed primarily from a HR professional population), interview practice/role playing, rapport building, use of a videotaped interview to guide instructions, and how to make decisions from interview data correlated significantly with SIA. This highlights the importance of training needs analysis to better understand the audience before training. We suggest that organizations incorporate the identified components into interviewer training to enhance the structured interviews acceptance and ensure that interviewers are more likely to implement structured interview techniques in practice.