Human Resource Management, 14e, Global Edition (Dessler)
Chapter 7 Interviewing Candidates
1) Which of the following is the most commonly used selection tool?
A) telephone reference
B) reference letter
C) interview
D) personality test
2) Which of the following refers to a procedure designed to predict future job performance based
on an applicant’s oral responses to oral inquiries?
A) work sample simulation
B) selection interview
C) reference check
D) arbitration
3) When an interview is used to predict future job performance on the basis of an applicant’s oral
responses to oral inquiries, it is called a(n) ________ interview.
A) group
B) selection
C) benchmark
D) background
4) According to the text, selection interviews are classified by all of the following factors
EXCEPT ________.
A) administration
B) structure
C) content
D) length
5) What is the type of interview which lists the questions ahead of time?
A) structured interviews
B) unstructured interviews
C) situational interviews
D) behavioral interviews
6) Which of the following is another term for an unstructured interview?
A) directive
B) nondirective
C) unformatted
D) administrative
7) Which of the following is an advantage of using a nondirective format when interviewing job
candidates?
A) allows candidates to ask questions
B) uses a manager’s time more effectively
C) pursues points of interest as they develop
D) scores and compares candidates with consistency
8) Which of the following is the primary disadvantage of using structured interviews during the
employee selection process?
A) higher potential for bias
B) limited validity and reliability
C) inconsistency across candidates
D) reduced opportunities for asking follow-up questions
9) How do situational interviews differ from behavioral interviews?
A) situational interviews are based on an applicant’s responses to actual past situations
B) situational interviews are based on how an applicant might behave in a hypothetical situation
C) situational interviews ask applicants job-related questions to assess their knowledge and skills
D) behavioral interviews ask applicants to describe their emotions in different hypothetical
situations
10) Which of the following statements is representative of what might be asked in a behavioral
interview?
A) “Consider a time when you were faced with an angry client. What did you do to turn the
situation around?”
B) “We are concerned with employee pilferage. As a manager here, how would you go about
discouraging this behavior?”
C) “Employees in this division are frequently under a great deal of pressure. How do you think
you would handle the stress of the position?”
D) “What would you do if a subordinate threatened to sue the company for discrimination?”
11) What type of interview would most likely include the statement, “Tell me about a time when
you worked successfully in a team environment”?
A) situational
B) behavioral
C) puzzle
D) stress
12) Which of the following statements is representative of what might be asked in a situational
interview?
A) “Tell me about a time you showed leadership in a difficult situation.”
B) “Suppose you were confronted with an angry customer who threatened to sue the company.
What would you do?”
C) “Can you think of a time when you were especially proud of your management skills? Tell me
about that.”
D) “In this position, you are responsible for hiring and firing subordinates. Have you ever fired
anyone before? Describe how you handled the situation.”
13) What type of interview would most likely include the following statement? “Imagine that
you have just been assigned the task of winning the business of our competition’s biggest client.
How would you proceed?”
A) behavioral
B) stress
C) puzzle
D) situational
14) In a stress interview, the interviewer ________.
A) provides an applicant with a task to complete in a set amount of time
B) tries to make the applicant uncomfortable in order to spot sensitivity
C) gives a word problem to see how the candidate thinks under pressure
D) describes a hypothetical situation to assess how the applicant responds
15) Which of the following questions would most likely be asked during a stress interview?
A) “I see that you switched colleges four times before finally earning your degree. I think that
reflects an inability to make good decisions and remain focused. What do you think?”
B) “Can you tell me about a time in the past when you used leadership skills to handle a difficult
situation?”
C) “Mike and Todd have $21 between them. Mike has $20 more than Todd has. How much does
Mike have and how much does Todd have?”
D) “Why are you leaving your current position and changing careers?”
16) What type of interview would most likely include the following: “It must be difficult to leave
a company after such strong accusations of unethical behavior. Tell me about that”?
A) situational
B) behavioral
C) stress
D) puzzle
17) Which of the following terms refers to a group of interviewers working together to question
and rate one applicant?
A) serial interview
B) board interview
C) sequential interview
D) mass interview
18) Kevin is interviewing for a position as a public relations specialist in a communications firm.
He first meets with the HR manager. Afterwards, he meets with the department manager. Finally,
he meets with the company president. Kevin is most likely experiencing a ________ interview.
A) board
B) panel
C) serial
D) mass
19) In a ________ interview, a panel questions several candidates simultaneously.
A) formal
B) topical
C) panel
D) mass
20) Dr. Ross is interviewing for a position as Assistant Professor of Biology. His interview is
conducted by a team of other faculty members in the department who interview him
simultaneously and then combine their ratings into one score. This is an example of a ________
interview.
A) serial
B) panel
C) one-on-one
D) mass
21) An employer can most likely increase the reliability of a panel interview by ________.
A) using an unstructured interview format
B) interviewing multiple candidates simultaneously
C) providing interviewers with scoring sheets and sample answers
D) requiring candidates to participate in work sampling techniques
22) Ellen is interviewing along with several other talented candidates for a position as a
journalist at a newspaper. A team of interviewers will meet with all the candidates at once. The
team will pose problems to the candidates and see which candidate takes the lead in formulating
an answer. This is most likely an example of a ________ interview.
A) serial
B) board
C) mass
D) panel
23) Which of the following best explains why an increasing number of firms use the Internet to
conduct prescreening interviews?
A) high number of foreign applicants
B) globalization of manufacturing firms
C) lawsuits involving panel interviews
D) reduced recruitment budgets
24) All of the following are common characteristics of computerized selection interviews
EXCEPT ________.
A) questions presented rapidly
B) response times measured for any delays
C) questions focused on experience and skills
D) essay questions based on hypothetical situations
25) The primary advantage of computer-aided interviews is the ability to ________.
A) identify personality traits appropriate for the industry
B) reduce time spent with unacceptable candidates
C) ask follow-up questions due to system flexibility
D) form benchmarks for current firm employees
26) Which of the following interview formats will most likely result in the highest validity?
A) structured, situational
B) unstructured, situational
C) structured, behavioral
D) unstructured, behavioral
27) Which of the following traits is most likely to be assessed accurately during an interview?
A) intelligence
B) agreeableness
C) conscientiousness
D) emotional stability
28) According to studies, which of the following has the most influence on the outcome of a job
interview?
A) thank-you notes sent from the candidate to the interviewer
B) an interviewer’s first impression of the candidate
C) favorable information about the candidate
D) a candidate’s extroverted personality
29) Which of the following refers to an error of judgment on the part of the interviewer due to
interviewing one or more very good or very bad candidates just before the interview in question?
A) context error
B) contrast error
C) recency error
D) primacy error
30) During an interview, Tanya discusses her numerous accomplishments at previous jobs and
praises the interviewer frequently. Tanya is most likely using ________.
A) impression management
B) talent management
C) mixed motives
D) behavior modification
31) When interviewing an applicant with a disability who uses assistive technology, which of the
following questions should NOT be asked?
A) Have you ever experienced any problems between your technology and an employer’s
information system?
B) How have you addressed any barriers or obstacles that you may have encountered in previous
jobs?
C) What is the severity and exact nature of your disability and how does the technology assist
you?
D) What specific technology have you successfully used in previous jobs that facilitated your
work?
32) Which of the following terms refers to individuals asked by the EEOC to apply for
employment which they do not intend to accept, for the sole purpose of uncovering unlawful
discriminatory hiring practices?
A) spies
B) moles
C) testers
D) insiders
33) Which of the following best describes telegraphing during an interview?
A) drawing out the most useful information from an applicant
B) searching for hidden meanings in an applicant’s answers
C) smiling at an applicant to suggest a desired answer
D) allowing an applicant to dominate an interview
34) What is the best way to avoid most interview errors?
A) conduct panel interviews
B) use a structured interviewing format
C) utilize computerized interviewing technology
D) ask only situational questions during the interview
35) George Reyes has recently been hired as the vice president of marketing at Great Toys, a
mid-size firm that specializes in classic wooden toys. The CEO of Great Toys wants to expand
the firm’s presence in the toy market, which is highly competitive. As a result, the marketing
department’s budget has been significantly increased. George plans to use some of the additional
funds to hire a new media planner. George is considering the idea of conducting a structured
situational interview in the hiring process.
Which of the following, if true, best supports the argument that George should use a structured
situational interview to hire a media planner?
A) Great Toys’ HR department has developed a job description for the new media planner
position.
B) Great Toys’ competitors typically face legal issues in the hiring process stemming from the
ADA.
C) Great Toys’ employees typically remain with the company for many years because they feel
comfortable with the organizational culture.
D) Great Toys’ executives want to ensure that the interview process is fair to all candidates and
that the best candidate is hired.
36) George Reyes has recently been hired as the vice president of marketing at Great Toys, a
mid-size firm that specializes in classic wooden toys. The CEO of Great Toys wants to expand
the firm’s presence in the toy market, which is highly competitive. As a result, the marketing
department’s budget has been significantly increased. George plans to use some of the additional
funds to hire a new media planner. George is considering the idea of conducting a structured
situational interview in the hiring process.
Which of the following most likely undermines the argument that George should use a structured
situational interview to hire a media planner?
A) The HR department prefers handling job evaluations without the assistance of managers.
B) George and the HR manager lack the time required to participate in a lengthy interview
process.
C) George worked as a media planner at another firm and is familiar with the tasks involved in
the job.
D) Great Toys has used headhunters in the past to fill executive-level positions at the firm.
37) A series of job-relevant questions with predetermined answers that interviewers ask of all
applicants for a job is known as a ________.
A) nondirective situational interview
B) structured behavioral interview
C) nondirective behavioral interview
D) structured situational interview
38) When developing a structured situational interview, the first step in the process is to
________.
A) rate the job’s main duties
B) create interview questions
C) write a job description
D) create benchmark answers
39) What is the second step in the procedure for developing a guide for a structured situational
interview?
A) rate the job’s main duties
B) create interview questions
C) create benchmark answers
D) appoint the interview panel
40) In a structured situational interview, interview questions should primarily address ________.
A) essential job duties
B) occupational benefits
C) salary requirements
D) personality issues
41) After creating questions for a structured situational interview, ________ need to be
developed for scoring purposes.
A) grade definitions
B) alternative rankings
C) benchmark answers
D) human resource metrics
42) Which of the following is a true statement regarding structured situational interviews?
A) Answers are compared to industry standards.
B) Hypothetical questions are typically avoided.
C) Job descriptions are written after the interview.
D) Interviews are usually conducted by a panel.
43) Which of the following is an example of a job knowledge question?
A) “What are the legal restrictions regarding the use of telemarketing for consumers who have a
past relationship with a company?”
B) “Suppose you were confronted with an angry customer who threatened to sue the company.
What would you do?”
C) “Mike and Todd have $21 between them. Mike has $20 more than Todd has. How much has
Mike and how much has Todd?”
D) “Can you tell me about a time in the past when you used leadership skills to handle a difficult
situation?”
44) How many interviewers usually make up a panel interview?
A) 0-1
B) 2-3
C) 5-6
D) 7-9
45) What is the first step in conducting an effective interview?
A) studying the job description
B) developing relevant questions
C) establishing rapport with candidates
D) asking technical questions
46) In order to conduct an effective interview, interviewers should NOT ask job candidates about
their ________.
A) knowledge
B) lifelong goals
C) willingness
D) motivation
47) Which of the following is the most likely outcome of using the same questions with all
candidates being interviewed?