Job interview

Strategies

Researchers have attempted to identify interview strategies or "constructs" that can help interviewers choose the best candidate. Research suggests that interviews capture a wide variety of applicant attributes Constructs can be classified into three categories: job-relevant content, interviewee performance (behavior unrelated to the job but which influences the evaluation), and job-irrelevant interviewer biases.
Job-relevant interview content: Interview questions are generally designed to tap applicant attributes that are specifically relevant to the job for which the person is applying. The job-relevant applicant attributes that the questions purportedly assess are thought to be necessary for successful performance on the job. The job-relevant constructs that have been assessed in the interview can be classified into three categories: general traits, experiential factors, and core job elements. The first category refers to relatively stable applicant traits. The second category refers to job knowledge that the applicant has acquired over time. The third category refers to the knowledge, skills, and abilities associated with the job.
General traits:

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  Mental ability: Applicants' capacity to listen, to communicate, to work with a team, to have attention to detail, and to learn and process information
  
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  Personality: Conscientiousness, agreeableness, emotional stability, extroversion, openness to new experiences
  
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  Interest, goals, and values: Applicant motives, goals, and person-organization fit
  

Experiential factors:

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  Experience: Job-relevant knowledge derived from prior experience
  
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  Education: Job-relevant knowledge derived from prior education
  
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  Training: Job-relevant knowledge derived from prior training
  

Core job elements:

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  Declarative knowledge: Applicants' learned knowledge
  
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  Procedural skills and abilities: Applicants' ability to complete the tasks required to do the job
  
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  Motivation: Applicants' willingness to exert the effort required to do the job