The single most common
selection device is the employment interview. During the past
decades we have continually learned that one of the least
valid means of predicting future performance during the selection
process is the unstructured interview. As a consequence,
we are constantly seeking to find the right blend of structured
processes that will allow us to make the very best decisions
when deciding whom we should hire.
Currently, the two most common structured
interviewing techniques are the situational interview
(SI) and the behavior description interview (BDI). In
this article, the authors first review a study which was carried
out by Pulakos and Schmitt in 1995, comparing the effectiveness
of the two techniques for higher-level positions. The authors
then go on to describe two studies which they themselves conducted.
The authors then compared the results of the three studies, which
they found to be very similar.
In a situational interview, the
job applicant is presented with a hypothetical situation, and
asked to explain how he or she would respond. In the behavior
descriptive interview, applicants are asked to relate specific
incidents from their past which are relevant to the target job.
BDIs are grounded on the premise that the past performance of
an individual is the best predictor for the future.
All three studies predicted that the BDI
is by far the best predictor for success in higher-level positions.
The first study had a sample of 216 incumbents for the position
of federal investigative agent. The authors' studies involved
applicants for positions of mililtary officer and district manager
of a large retail chain. In the latter study, interviews were
conducted over the phone. (The authors quote recent research
by Schmidt and Rader suggesting that phone interviews are similar
in validity to face-to -face interviews.)
The conclusions show that SI's can be useful
in interviewing for lower-level positions, but they have diminished
success in higher-level positions. The studies indicate that
social-verbal presentation skills might have an influence on
BDI ratings. The authors found a significant correlation between
BDI scores and Extroversion scores in their second study. This
logically suggests that those candidates who are warm, energetic,
and talkative tend to receive higher BDI ratings.
Finally, the authors suggest additional
research where corresponding SI and BDI questions are written
to assess the same job characteristics for lower-level positions.