What is an Observation Interview?
An observation interview is a new type of job interview that an employer can conduct before hiring a new worker or promoting an existing employee. It usually allows an employer or supervisor to watch and observe an individual at work. The interviewer will write down notes and let the hiring manager or director know how well the individual did. Some companies use this as a way to see if potential candidates can meet the needs of the job, but others use it as a way to determining which workers to promote.
Types of Interviews
The two common types of interviews are an unobtrusive interview or an obtrusive interview. In an unobtrusive interview, the individual does not know that someone is watching his or her movements. Employers use these interviews as a way to see how employees perform their daily activities when no one is watching. With an obtrusive interview, the person knows that a supervisor is watching him or her. In the second example, the employer will usually need to notify the worker of the exact date and time of the interview a few days in advance.
Fields Used
One of the job fields that commonly uses this type of interview is the education field. When you apply for a job as a tutor, the school needs to know that you can handle the classroom and that you can work effectively with your students. You may need to teach a single class, write up a lesson plan that others look at or teach an entire day of classes. The advertising field also use these interviews. Companies may give prospective candidates the name of a fictional product and give them a few days to come up with a simple ad campaign to demonstrate their skills.
Advantages of Interviews
Many companies use these interviews as a way to get an idea of the skills that workers will bring to the table before wasting valuable time and money training those workers. You can show the knowledge, experience and education that you have in a short interview session instead of going through multiple interviews. With existing workers, companies can get an idea of whether those workers have a handle on their job duties and whether they would succeed in a supervisory or managing position.
Disadvantages of Interviews
While there are some advantages to an observation interview, there are some disadvantages too. HR Zone points out that letting workers know about the interview in advance can lead to the Hawthorne Effect. As they know others will watch them, they work harder and act more productively than they would during a routine day. HR Zone also points out that an unobtrusive interview may not necessarily be legal. An employee may claim that the interview violates his or her civil liberties and impedes the worker’s overall job performance.
Getting a job in today’s world often requires going through at least one interview. This gives you the chance to talk to the HR manager or director, explain why you are the best fit for the job and get a feel for the company. You can also talk more about benefits, the duties of the job and your chances of promotion in the future. An observation interview is a new type of interview that lets employers actually see how well you perform on the job.
