Conducting the Employee Selection Interview: How to Do It Effectively While Avoiding Legal Obstacles

Abstract

Employment interviewing as it is known today is an essential process but one fraught with potential traps and legal pitfalls. On balance, it is a far-from-perfect means of selecting employees, but it remains the best such means available. Effective interviewing requires thorough preparation, including knowledge of how to seek out the most helpful kinds of information available; complete information about the position as it presently exists; and detailed knowledge of what kinds of questions can or cannot legally be asked. Effective interviewing also depends on the development of one's ability to seek out intangible information as well as factual information and use all that is learned, recognizing that the well-cultivated "gut feel" is fully as important as "facts" in evaluating an employment applicant.