Job Interview

The interview (also interview , interview , job interview ) is a personal conversation between a candidate and one or more personal decision-makers, which as part of a personnel selection process is performed.

The number of representatives of the future employer can vary from one to more people. In larger organizations, the number of participants is usually up to four people, as not only the future supervisor is present as a representative of the specialist department, but also a personnel officer and a representative of the works council or staff council . As a rule, there are several rounds of talks, in the course of which the composition varies. The effort tends to increase with the value of the position, ie the job interview with an intern requires fewer company resources than the job interview with a manager.

Before the interview

The interview is usually started with a written or electronic application , and sometimes the actual interview is preceded by test procedures ( personality tests , intelligence tests , etc.). There are two types of interview; either the applicant and the employer meet in person, a face-to-face interview . The interview can also be carried out by telephone, this process is called a telephone interview . In the event of inadmissible questions from the employer, the employee has the right to lie .

The job interview is not only about recording professional qualifications , but also about social skills . The organization wants to know whether the applicant fits into the existing team and the requirements, and how they appear. The outward appearance of the applicant is particularly relevant here.

Only a small group of people is invited to a job interview in order to be able to make a final decision. Often reference is made to the application documents. Publicly available sources may also be used, such as the applicant's existing profiles on social networks.

Structure of the interview

In most cases, an interview is unstructured. Only in demanding positions does the interview follow a clear line in rare cases.

Common topics of conversation are:

• Greeting and introduction to the conversation partner
• Presentation of the company structure, the department, the position to be filled
• Self-presentation by the applicant
• Aptitude diagnostic questions for the applicant
• The applicant can ask questions to the company
• Organizational information on the further procedure and adoption

Structured job interviews based on aptitude diagnostic criteria can significantly improve the predictive quality, but are rarely used because of the additional work involved. One example is the multimodal interview by Heinz Schuler .

On the part of the applicant, the interview gives the opportunity to ask questions on topics such as career prospects and the like. and to compare previous knowledge gained about the employer with your own impression. In this way, the applicant for his part comes to a decision as to whether he wants to take up an employment relationship with this employer.

Cost of the interview

In Germany it is customary for the employer to reimburse the applicant for the costs associated with attending the interview.

See also

• Salary negotiation
• Attitude (work)
• Application costs
• Structured recruitment interview

literature

• Heinz Schuler : The recruitment interview . 2nd Edition. Hogrefe, Göttingen 2018, ISBN 978-3-8017-2871-7 (370 pages).
• Christian Berndt, Bernd Wierzchowski: Systematic applicant interviews. Recognize and evaluate competencies with the VeSiEr method . 3. Edition. Haufe-Lexware, Freiburg / Munich / Stuttgart 2018, ISBN 978-3-648-10607-5 (294 pages).
• Christof Obermann , Marc Solga : Conducting job interviews professionally. Over 400 interview questions for successful applicant selection . 1st edition. Springer Fachmedien, Wiesbaden 2018, ISBN 978-3-658-18714-9 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-3-658-18714-9 .

• Christian Püttjer, Uwe Schnierda: Job interview - prepare, convince, win . 5th edition. Campus Verlag, Frankfurt 2018, ISBN 978-3-593-50909-9 (127 pages).
• Jürgen Hesse, Hans Christian Schrader: The perfect job interview. Prepare and convince professionally . Stark, 2014, ISBN 978-3-86668-976-3 (152 pages).
• Johannes Stark: Successful in job interviews and job interviews. The standard work for managers and junior managers . Goldmann, Munich 2019, ISBN 978-3-442-17771-4 (288 pages).

Web links

Wiktionary: job interview  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

• Jochen Mai: Job interview: tips, questions, checklists. Karrierebibel.de, January 28, 2017 . 
• How to convince in the interview. Application.com ( XING SE ), accessed on February 23, 2019 . 
• The interview. Jobware online service , accessed February 23, 2019 . 
• The interview. Monster Worldwide Germany , accessed February 23, 2019 . 
• Job interview - this is how you score at a personal meeting. Robert Half Germany, accessed February 23, 2019 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Thomas Bartscher, Regina Nissen: Interview. In: Gabler Wirtschaftslexikon. February 14, 2018 . 
2. ↑ Intelligence tests are better than assessment centers. In: Zeit-online. February 26, 2013.
3. ↑ Reimbursement of travel expenses to the interview and other interview costs. Haufe.de, September 17, 2012 .