More than one-third (37.5%) of employers rely on interviews as the sole selection tool during recruitment, according to research by XpertHR.
Selection interviews were rated as effective by two-thirds (66.1%) of employers and the majority (62.5%) of organisations used them alongside other tools to recruit suitable candidates.
In two-thirds of organisations, training was provided for staff prior to undertaking interviews. Nearly all (95.5%) employers covered equal opportunities issues in interview training and three in four covered anti-discrimination legislation.
Public sector employers were the most likely to provide interview training, with 90% doing so.
Rachel Suff, author of the report, said that training was one of several ways in which companies could improve the effectiveness of interviews: “Training interviewers in interviewing skills is a prime example of how recruiting organisations can enhance the objectivity of interviews and avoid covert discrimination creeping into the process.”
Line managers were found to have a high level of responsibility in the interview process, taking the lead in almost three in four organisations.
Many employers used additional methods to improve the success of selection interviews, with six in 10 using structured interviews during their selection process.
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In nine organisations in 10, interviewers used a schedule with a pre-defined list of questions and seven in 10 used a scoring system to rate candidates’ suitability.
The 2011 XpertHR selection interviews survey gathered results from 186 employers on their selection interviewing processes.
