SOME FACTORS EXPLAINING THE RELIABILITY OF A STRUCTURED INTERVIEW SYSTEM AT A WORK-SITE

Recent meta-analytic research has demonstrated structured interviewing to hold acceptable validity and reliability. While the emphasis has b een on refining psychometric properties, there is sufficient evidence to suggest a discrepancy between the manner in which interviewing syst ems should be used and how they are actually used. The present study e xamined the use of a commercially available structured interviewing sy stem based on past behaviour. 112 candidates were interviewed on two s eparate occasions by 28 interviewers. Inter-rater reliability was 0.55 . The system required the derivation of a consensus score which was fo und not to differ significantly from the arithmetical mean of the orig inal scores suggesting the process was not undertaken as required. Fol low up discussions with interviewers reported three main areas of misu nderstanding; lack of role clarity, different interpretations of job s pecification and inconsistent use of the rating system. Data also sugg ested interviewers were inexperienced. A critical finding involved fem ale interviewers making assumptions about female applicant's motivatio ns and suitability to the position. This finding was explained by empl oying 'person-in-job' prototypes. The data support the conclusion that although structured interviews may contain appropriate psychometric p roperties, the application of the system is critical.