Structured Interviews and the Assessment Center: Issues of Construct and Criterion-Related Validity
Although structured interviews are typically included as part of the assessment center process, very little research has directly compared the relative strengths of the two most common structured interview formats; the past-behavioral and the situational interview. In this session, empirical data from a large-scale study that examines the role of structured interviews within the assessment center context will be presented.
The investigation was based on a sample of more than 690 managerial candidates, each of whom completed an assessment center that consisted of a past-behavioral and a situational interview, in addition to several other traditional assessment center instruments. The findings of this investigation suggest that different constructs may underlie performance on past-behavioral versus situational interviews, and that there is a differential pattern of relations with job performance. Implications of the findings with respect to personnel selection and managerial development will be delineated.
Speaker
Julie McCarthy
Assistant Professor
Management
University of Toronto
Julie McCarthy is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Management at the University of Toronto (as of July, 2002). Julie is the recipient of a number of prestigious academic awards and has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals. Her research focuses on issues in the realm of human resources, and includes studies on personnel selection, leadership, performance measurement, personality, and test-taking attitudes. Julie has played a key role in several large-scale consulting projects in both the public and private sectors. These include the design, implementation, and evaluation of: job interviews, selection tests, training programs, performance management systems, and standardized letters of recommendation.
