Misunderstanding the Job: When interviewers do not have a good understanding of the jobrequirements, they do not make good selections of candidates.All interviewers shouldclearly understand the jobs and know what is needed for success in those jobs.
Pressure to Hire: Anytime an interviewer is told that they must hire a certain number ofpeople within a short time frame, poor selection decisions may be made.This type ofpressure should be avoided whenever possible.
Candidate-Order (Contrast) Error: When an adequate candidate is preceded by either anoutstanding, or a poor candidate, by contrast he or she looks either less satisfactory or muchbetter.This can be countered through interviewer training, allowing time between interviews,and structured interviews with structured rating forms.
Influence of Nonverbal Behavior: Candidates who exhibit stronger non-verbal behavior, suchas eye contact and energy level are perceived as stronger by the interviewers.This can beminimized through interviewer training and structured interviews.
Telegraphing: An interviewer might “give” the right answers to candidates they hope to hire.This can be combated through structured interview questions, multiple interviewers, andinterviewer training.
Too Much / Too Little Talking: On either end of these extremes, the interviewer may notgather all the information that is really needed to make an appropriate selection decision.Structured interviews help keep this from happening.
Playing District Attorney or Psychologist: Some interviewers misuse their power by turningthe interview into a game of “gotcha” or by probing for hidden meanings in everything theapplicants say.Structured interviews help keep this from happening.
