Thus CWH should train all managers to identify non-verbal cues to interpret whether or not applicants might be lying. This will help eliminate the potential to hire an individual based on false pretenses, and further help reduce turn over.
Other tools that can be used to improve the interview process include:
Establishing an interview objective (Smeltzer, 2002, p. 231) - what is the purpose of the interview? In a hiring situation it will be to gather information about the candidate's skills, abilities and interests in order to determine who will be the best fit for the organization in the short and in the long-term.
Determination of the Best Place to Interview (Smeltzer, 2002, p. 231) - time and setting can impact a mangers evaluation of an interview. If one party is more inconvenienced by the other by time and place, this may affect the interview outcome. Thus it is best to accommodate both parties' best interests whenever possible.
Deciding on the best way to initiate the interview (Smeltzer, 2002, p. 231) - for the most part an applicant interview will be most successful if the interviewer establishes rapport and familiarity earlier rather than later in the interview. The more comfortable the applicant is the more likely they will give open and honest answers.
Utilization of a solid questioning strategy (Smeltzer, 2002, p. 231) - there are many ways to conduct an interview, structured and non-structured. When interviewing applicants, the best case at CWH would be to structure interviews in a manner that elicit open ended responses, so the interviewee can in essence fill in the blank.
Other factors that should be considered are the best types of questions (Smeltzer, 2002, p. 234). This is of critical importance in the applicant interview. Because there is such a high turn over rate within the organization, it is possible that the wrong types of questions are being asked in the interviews. In fact, close...
Some questions that might facilitate more useful information in this respect include the following:
Tell me more about why you are applying for this position specifically?
How do you see yourself growing with the company in the next 5 years?
Tell me why you left your last employer and how long you were with them?
What are your short-term goals?
If given the opportunity, would you pursue other career options or do you consider this your ideal career? Why?
How long would you like to work in this position before moving on?
What are your primary interests?
Describe your ideal position.
All of these questions will elicit responses that can provide the manager with information about turn over potential and the long-term intentions of the employee. An example of a primary question (which introduces a topic and is followed by a secondary question) that would benefit the employer in determining a potential employee's intentions might be: "What do you expect to do after entering the organization?" (Smeltzer, 2002, p. 240). I propose that CWH adopt a standard set of questions based on the best practices of similar organizations related to turn over, similar to or modeled from the list above. This will help provide more information about an applicants future potential for success within the organization.
The desired results of more directed questioning will be hiring of more long-term employees less likely to leave the company because of a desire to pursue other interests or a lack of a good fit to begin with.
References
Smeltzer, L.R., Leonard, D.J., Hynes, G.E. "Managerial Communication Strategies and Applications, Second Edition." Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin, 2002.
