Interviews form the basic selection criteria for most large companies. However, some people think that interview is not a reliable method of choosing whom to employ and there are other better methods. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Recruiting new employees can be a long and painful process. Some employers conduct interviews to select new workers. I disagree with the given statement, which says that interview is not a reliable method, and other methods are better. I believe that interview is a reliable method, but there are many other methods which are equally good, and the choice is on the recruiters as to which method they find suitable for their need. There are many reasons why interview is preferred by some employers for hiring new employees. Firstly, by the interview the recruiters can get an idea about the personality and social skills of the potential employees. In interviews, there is face-to-face interaction and the candidates have to answer impromptu questions, from which personality traits can be judged. Also, by asking some case study type questions, employees can judge traits like ability to handle pressure, confidence and ability to think outside the box. However, there are many other selection methods with varied advantages. One of other common methods is written test. This method is preferred when the focus in on judging the theoretical knowledge of the person Another conventional selection basis is group discussion. This method is good where a major job requirement of the company is conversational skills for instance sales jobs. Group discussion can determine the convincing power of an individual. Last but not the least, there can be combination of the all the three methods like written tests, followed by group discussion and finally interviews. This method is the most thorough of all the methods checking everything from personality traits to knowledge and also communication ability. It is evident that different methods have different advantages and the best method cannot be singled out. It depends upon the situation. For example, interviews assess a person's individual traits better whereas written tests are more about knowledge and expertise in an area. There are shortcomings of every method too for example there is a chance of personal bias in interviews. The combination of methods can take too long to select a candidate and may be too expensive to conduct for small companies. To conclude, hiring method depends upon the job and company requirement. In some situations, conducting interviews is more apt, whereas in some situations the other methods may be more advantageous.