If you’re like most college students, the selection interview is probably most relevant to you. The primary goal of a selection interview is to secure or fill a position within an organization and usually involves recruiting, screening, hiring, and placing new candidates (Baker & Spier, 1990; Joyce, 2008). Additionally, members of an organization (for example, university, company, sorority, fraternity, volunteer agency) and candidates evaluate one another by exchanging information to determine if they’d make a good match. Usually both parties want to make a good impression: the interviewer wants to persuade the interviewee about the value of the position or organization, while the interviewee wants to sell his or her unique qualities and abilities.

The job interview is the most common type of selection interview in business, government, and military organizations, with the end goal of filling a position of employment (DiSanza & Legge, 2002). Since job interviewing is usually very important to college students, we devote much of this chapter to helping you become more competent in job interviews.