The Evaluation Interview : How to Probe Deeply, Get Candid Answers, and Predict the Performance of Job Candidates [Hardcover]

Richard Fear (Author), Robert Chiron (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071377913 | ISBN-13: 978-0071377911 | Publication Date: May 22, 2002 | Edition: 5

This book contains interviewing techniques for building rapport, keeping control, and listening behind the words to hear what a candidate is really saying. "The Evaluation Interview" has been the essential interviewer's guidebook for more than 40 years. Its hands-on techniques and interviewing insights are renowned for helping hiring managers and personnel interviewers put applicants at ease and reveal their true character. This revised and updated fifth edition, is tailored to the realities of interviewing applicant's in today's workplace with new material covering: tactical interviewing strategies; how to ask 'behavioral' questions that leave interviewees no wiggle room Legal issues; questions you cannot ask in an interview; overall 'fit'; and evaluating candidates for how well they fit into your organization's culture and strategic priorities.Praise for previous editions of "The Evaluation Interview": 'Stands out above the rest...Should be in the library of every organization and owned personally by every personnel interviewer' - "Personnel Psychology". 'The definitive work in its field...This book lays down a technique used by thousands of personnel interviewers across the country' - "Esquire". 'People, in the final analysis, determine whether a business succeeds or fails. Organizations need to hire people with potential for growth. That is what this book is all about' - From Chapter 1.For four decades, "The Evaluation Interview" has set the standard for conducting accurate employment interviews, learning what makes prospective hires tick, and hiring only those people who will contribute to a company's growth as they grow along with it. This fifth edition updates the book, yet keeps intact the basic principles and guidelines that have made this human resources classic the most valuable and indispensable interviewer's guide on the market.Managers and HR professionals will gain essential information on: tips for developing rapport and encouraging the candidate to talk spontaneously; guidelines for crafting a detailed and accurate job description; key character traits for job levels - from administrative to executive; writing the interview summary and determining the overall interview result; and, using interviews to assist in succession planning, teambuilding, and other vital tasks.' Wherever they are faced with situations that require drawing another person out, finding out what is on that person's mind and analyzing the responses, students of this book have a genuine advantage' - From the Preface. More than just the actual employment interview, "The Evaluation Interview" is helpful in conducting numerous other day-to-day activities. The book includes on-campus interviews, on-the-job performance appraisals, information gathering from contractors, subordinates, and even superiors. The interviewing skills learned here can be applied to virtually any one-to-one situation, and will often spell the difference between evasive, selective responses and full disclosure."The Evaluation Interview" has retained its popularity for nearly two generations by combining fundamentally sound interviewing techniques with lively writing and up-to-the-minute behavioral research. It remains the essential guide for posing meaningful questions, gaining honest and complete answers, and getting the information you need to build a cohesive, dedicated, and long-term workforce.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Interviewing Techniques for Building Rapport, Keeping Control, and Listening Behind the Words to Hear What a Candidate is Really Saying

The Evaluation Interview has been the essential interviewer's guidebook for more than 40 years. Its hands-on techniques and interviewing insights are renowned for helping hiring managers and personnel interviewers put applicants at ease and reveal their true character. This revised and updated fifth edition, is tailored to the realities of interviewing applicant's in today's workplace with new material covering:

• Tactical interviewing strategies: how to ask "behavioral" questions that leave interviewees no wiggle room
• Legal issues: Questions you cannot ask in an interview
• Overall "fit": Evaluating candidates for how well they fit into your organization's culture and strategic priorities

Praise for previous editions of The Evaluation Interview...

"Stands out above the rest...Should be in the library of every organization and owned personally by every personnel interviewer."­­Personnel Psychology

"The definitive work in its field...This book lays down a technique used by thousands of personnel interviewers across the country."­­Esquire

"People, in the final analysis, determine whether a business succeeds or fails. Organizations need to hire people with potential for growth. That is what this book is all about..."­­From Chapter 1

For four decades, The Evaluation Interview has set the standard for conducting accurate employment interviews, learning what makes prospective hires tick, and hiring only those people who will contribute to a company's growth as they grow along with it. This fifth edition updates the book, yet keeps intact the basic principles and guidelines that have made this human resources classic the most valuable and indispensable interviewer's guide on the market.

Managers and HR professionals will gain essential information on:

• Tips for developing rapport and encouraging the candidate to talk spontaneously
• Guidelines for crafting a detailed and accurate job description
• Key character traits for job levels--from administrative to executive
• Writing the interview summary and determining the overall interview result
• Using interviews to assist in succession planning, teambuilding, and other vital tasks

"Wherever they are faced with situations that require drawing another person out, finding out what is on that person's mind and analyzing the responses, students of this book have a genuine advantage."­­From the Preface

More than just the actual employment interview, The Evaluation Interview is helpful in conducting numerous other day-to-day activities. On-campus interviews ... On-the-job performance appraisals ... Information gathering from contractors, subordinates, and even superiors ... The interviewing skills learned here can be applied to virtually any one-to-one situation, and will often spell the difference between evasive, selective responses and full disclosure.

The Evaluation Interview has retained its popularity for nearly two generations by combining fundamentally sound interviewing techniques with lively writing and up-to-the-minute behavioral research. It remains the essential guide for posing meaningful questions, gaining honest and complete answers, and getting the information you need to build a cohesive, dedicated, and long-term workforce.

About the Author

Richard Fear is a leading expert in the field of interviewing. A licensed industrial psychologist, past vice president of The Psychological Corporation, and faculty member emeritus of Columbia University, Fear has trained thousands of interviewers in the U.S. and abroad.

Robert Chiron, Ph.D., is president of Chiron Group­­a consulting firm specializing in creating alignment and unleashing potential in organizations­­whose clients range from small businesses to Fortune 100 corporations. He formerly taught at the University of Iowa and Columbia University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 300 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 5 edition (May 22, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071377913
• ISBN-13: 978-0071377911
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #848,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quaint, but well worth reading, May 16, 2003

By 

Timothy Horrigan "Tim Horrigan" (Durham, NH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Evaluation Interview : How to Probe Deeply, Get Candid Answers, and Predict the Performance of Job Candidates (Hardcover)

This is an updated version of an old book about interviewing techniques. It is reasonably up-to-date, but it takes a rather quaint view of the hiring process. It assumes that a typical company has a large and politically powerful human-resources department which has been given vast amounts of time, staff, and resources to engage in a fastidiously objective hiring process. It also assumes that a company's management actually knows what the firm's future personnel needs are. Most unrealistically of all, it assumes that HR and line managers actually communicate with one another. Even in 1968 when Chiron & Fears wrote the first edition of this book, this was a pollyannaish viewpoint. In 2003, their assumptions add up to a ludicrous fantasy.

The heart of the book is a detailed explanation of a methodology for conducting structured hiring interviews. It also covers yearly perfomance reviews and related topics. The authors frankly describe how to create an illusory rapport with the interviewee while homing in on the character flaws which might make him or her unfit to hold the job he or she is interviewing for. The flaws the authors think you should be particularly worried about are laziness and stupidity.

It is a useful book for anyone who has to do hiring interviews, even when the company is trying to cut corners in the hiring process. It is even more useful for the interviewee, because after the reading the book, you have a better idea what the person on the other side of the desk is looking for. (By the way, the authors tell interviewers to AVOID sitting on the far side of a desk.)

It is worth buying the book just for the discussion of the dreaded "strengths and weaknesses" question. You should admit to a weakness while proving you don't really have that weakness. A good weakness to admit to seems to be "I don't work hard enough"--- assuming you can convince the interviewer that you are in fact a workaholic.

I have taken a sarcastic view of this book's content, but it is well worth reading and contains many excellent suggestions. Although I personally don't agree with many aspects of Chiron and Fears' methodology, I do think the business world would be a more humane place if more companies used a similar methodology (or just about ANY methodology) to evaluate job applicants.

I gave the book a 5th star for actually being readable and entertaining (unlike most management books.)

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Review of The Evaluation Interview, March 20, 2007

By 

James J. Kuminkoski "The Bookie" (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Evaluation Interview : How to Probe Deeply, Get Candid Answers, and Predict the Performance of Job Candidates (Hardcover)

This book not only provided expert subject matter, it also provided a lot of good templates/resources to take advantage of. Whether you are seasoned interviewed/recruiter or just starting in the process, this book will put in the right direction of the true interview.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a perfect evaluation of an applicant can be quite tricky..., February 24, 2001

By 

A. Kallmeyer "Heilpraktiker" (Hannover) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Evaluation Interview (Hardcover)

This books leads you through the application process from the employer viewpoint. It shows you where to, what to consider and how to circumvent traps.

It doesn't provide you with worksheet-like lists where you can make crosses to evaluate the candidate.