Interview skills

When done properly, job interviews can save the government money, according to a new report.

"Selecting the wrong person for a federal job can be an expensive mistake," Merit Systems Protection Board Chairwoman Susanne Marshall said in a statement announcing the release of a new study "The Federal Selection Interview: Unrealized Potential." According to the MSPB report, hiring the wrong candidate can cost the government as much as $300,000 in wasted salary, benefits, severance pay, training costs-and time. Last year the government hired 135,978 new full-time, permanent workers.

The board found that while the majority of federal managers emphasize the interview when making hiring decisions, few agencies invest in the tools needed to glean the most-and best-information about a job candidate during the interview process.

"Federal employment laws, regulations, and guidelines emphasize assessments such as written tests, level of education, and evaluation of training and experience, but appear to regard the interview as an afterthought," the report said.

Often, managers ask unplanned questions in a casual conversation format during interviews or ask general questions about a candidate's background, rather than questions geared to find out if the candidate would be a good fit for the organization and the job in question.

"A lot of people sort of use the unstructured approach because in the short term they see it as easy: It doesn't require much advance planning, no investment and not much time, but it doesn't work very well," an MSPB official said Tuesday. "It doesn't give you anything relevant back to the job requirements itself; it will let you get other people just like yourself, which isn't necessarily bad, but it's not necessarily good either."

Because these casual or unstructured interviews are "less valid than structured interviews, are subject to bias, and may expose employers to complaints and challenges," MSPB recommended that federal managers use structured interviews.

"The structured interview is based on kind of an analysis of the job itself and what criteria are important in the job," the MSPB official said. "Take the criteria and develop some questions and let candidates show you what they have to offer. The best predictor of a person's future behavior is her past behavior, in context."

MSPB recommended that agencies interested in improving their interview process contact the Office of Personnel Management for guidance.

Drug Stockpile

Office of Personnel Management Director Kay Coles James has asked Federal Employees Health Benefits Program insurance carriers to help participants stockpile medical supplies for use during an emergency.

"We need your help to make certain that our members can get additional supplies of medications as backup for emergency situations," James wrote in a letter sent to carriers last week. "We especially need to build in flexibility so that reservists and National Guard members can meet their medium-term drug supply needs. "

The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Homeland Security Department recommend that people store extra medication in their disaster supply kits.

"We appreciate your sensitivity to the special needs of your federal members and appreciate your cooperation in meeting those needs," James wrote.