Cross-cultural interviewing in the hiring process: challenges and strategies.

Although interviews are used widely in the selection of suitable job applicants, recruiters may unconsciously be operating from culturally biased frameworks. In this article, the use of interviews across different cultural backgrounds and the potential for cultural bias are presented. Two case studies are used to illustrate the importance of cultural sensitivity in successful interviewing. Effective techniques, which include establishing rapport with the candidate, building a relationship, and choosing appropriate interview styles, are provided for practitioners.

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Despite the widespread use of interviews as a selection tool (Graves & Karren, 1996), increasing workplace diversity has created challenges for interviewers and interviewees. The changing nature of workforce demography may result in a shift in people's work values, attitudes, and beliefs, which have important ramifications for the importance placed on certain work aspects. Different personal attributes are believed to exert influence on individuals' work expectations (Harpaz & Fu, 1997; Wiersema & Bird, 1993). Hence, recruiters and managers can expect different job expectations, and creative job designs may be required to accommodate diversity (Chan, 2002). Consequently, matching individuals to jobs while considering diversity issues can be challenging for those involved in the process.

Although diversity includes a multitude of differences, this article focuses on effective cross-cultural interviewing strategies for recruitment, selection, and career development. As many societies and workplaces become increasingly multicultural (Osman-Gani & Tan, 2002), interviewers and interviewees need to be prepared for job interviews. This is especially important when the mounting evidence that multiculturalism offers tremendous competitive benefits to an organization is considered (Raatikainen, 2002; Richard, 2000). Thus, having a better understanding of cultural values and behaviors may help recruiters make informed hiring decisions.

We present two case studies to illustrate the importance of cultural sensitivity in interviewing. The first author was involved in the capacity of an external recruitment consultant in the following case studies. Pseudonyms and altered contexts have been used to protect the privacy of the clients and candidates.