Effects of Interviewee's Job Experience and Gender on Ratings and Reliability in a Behavioral Interview

Abstract

In this paper, the potential unfairness when using a behavior description interview (BDI) is analyzed. Twelve interviewees (6 experienced and 6 inexperienced ones, half of them men and the other half women) were assessed using a BDI. The average scores of participants and the interrater reliability coefficients when using 12 or 6 raters were calculated. Statistically significant differences were not found between experienced and inexperienced interviewees, or between male and female ones. The implications of these findings in the use of the BDI for personnel selection processes are discussed. Key words: behavioral interview, unfairness, selection, experience, gender.