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WHAT DO STRUCTURED EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEWS MEASURE? EXAMINING THE CONSTRUCT VALIDITY OF A BEHAVIOR DESCRIPTION INTERVIEW CHAD H. VAN IDDEKINGE and PATRICK H. RAYMARK Clemson University 418 Brackett Hall Clemson, SC 29634-1355 Phone: (864) 676-1084 ckinge@msn.com CARL E. EIDSON, JR. Wilson Learning Corporation ABSTRACT Structured selection interviews have been shown to predict performance at work, although the reasons for this success are not well understood. This study examined the reliability and construct validity of two behavior description interviews. Results revealed that interviewers made reliable judgments on specific responses, but had difficulty distinguishing among items designed to assess different job dimensions. INTRODUCTION There is strong evidence that structured employment interviews predict performance at work (Huffcutt & Arthur, 1994; McDaniel, Whetzel, Schmidt, & Maurer, 1994). Research also shows that structured interviews have incremental validity over cognitive ability tests (Cortina, Goldstein, Payne, Davison, & Gilliland, 2000), but typically yield much smaller ethnic group differences (Huffcutt & Roth, 1998). However, like other popular selection methods (e.g., biodata and assessment centers), much less is known about the construct validity of structured interviews. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the reliability and construct validity of two behavior description interviews (BDI; Janz, 1982). Reliability of Employment Interviews Over a decade ago, Hakel (1989) commented that one way to enhance the employment interview would be to focus on the reliability of interview ratings. In subsequent years, several researchers have conducted meta-analyses on the validity of interviews (e.g., Huffcutt & Arthur, 1994; McDaniel et al., 1994), whereas much less attention has been paid to the reliability of interviews (cf., Conway, Jako, & Goodman, 1995). Nonetheless, there are several reasons why it is important to...