Interviews are the most crucial step in the recruitment process. They decide the makeup of your employee pool and your organization’s frontrunners. However, exceptional organizations need to have high-quality interviews under their belt to build a high-quality and diverse team.
Improving the interview quality is no doubt an arduous task. However, organizations with weak or poor interview quality make for bad hires. Companies often hire people based on their credentials, which can be biased in many ways, if they don’t have the right metrics, data, and evidence to back them up. In contrast, interview quality measurement results in quality hiring decisions.
According to LinkedIn’s Future of Recruiting Report, the “holy grail” of judging candidate performance is how well you hire them. The same report states that 88% of companies believe using metrics to measure interview quality would be beneficial.
In this article, we will provide you with five practical ways to measure interview quality. You can improve your process by combining these strategies.
Several companies use performance reviews as a measure of quality. Ask the interviewee for feedback on the interview process. This includes the questions asked and the behavior/mannerisms of the interviewer. You can use these reviews to figure out what went wrong or what needs work in order to make the next interview better.
Getting hired for a job in measurement requires strong technical skills and knowledge. However, you also need to ace the interview by impressing the interviewers with your communication abilities and personality. In this comprehensive guide we will cover the top measurement interview questions candidates can expect, along with sample answers to help you shine in your upcoming interview.
Overview of Measurement Roles
Measurement professionals work in various industries using tools and techniques to quantify and analyze physical properties Some common measurement roles include
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Metrologist – Focuses on precise measurement using scientific instruments and standards.
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Quality Control Inspector – Checks products and materials for defects and adherence to specifications.
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Calibration Technician – Calibrates, maintains, and repairs test equipment and measurement devices.
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Dimensional Inspector – Measures dimensions of manufactured parts to verify conformance.
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Data Analyst – Collects, analyzes, and interprets measurement data.
Technical Interview Questions on Measurement Fundamentals
Having a solid grasp of basic measurement concepts is key for any position involving testing, inspection, or data analysis. Here are some common technical questions to expect:
Q: What are some common units of measurement and which properties do they quantify?
A: Length (meters, inches), mass (grams, pounds), time (seconds, minutes), temperature (Celsius, Fahrenheit), pressure (Pascals, psi), voltage (Volts), current (Amps), etc. Know the metric and standard US customary units used in your industry.
Q: Explain the difference between accuracy and precision.
A: Accuracy refers to how close a measurement is to the true value. Precision relates to the variation between repeated measurements – high precision means consistently getting the same result.
Q: What factors can introduce errors into measurements?
A: Calibration errors, environmental conditions, improper technique, defective equipment, interference between instruments, analog-to-digital conversion, and computational mistakes. Minimizing errors is a key part of metrology.
Q: When would you use absolute vs relative measurements?
A: Absolute measurements quantify a property using established units and standards. Relative measurements determine the change in a property relative to a reference point or baseline. Use absolute for precise, standardized values and relative to track fluctuations.
Q: How can statistics be used to analyze measurement data?
A: Statistics like the mean, standard deviation, and margin of error quantify the central tendency, variability, and uncertainty of measurement results. Statistical methods can identify patterns, anomalies, and sources of error.
Q: What is traceability and why is it important in metrology?
A: Traceability means measurements can be compared to a national or international standard through an unbroken chain of calibrations. It ensures accuracy and consistency across different instruments, labs, and organizations.
Behavioral and Situational Questions
In addition to technical knowledge, you need to present yourself as a strong team player and problem solver. Use these examples to prepare for behavioral interview questions:
Q: Tell me about a time you had to work with incomplete or inaccurate measurement data. What did you do?
A: Don’t blame others. Explain how you made the best of the situation by finding workarounds, re-calibrating equipment, confirming anomalies with other tests, reporting the issues for correction, and learning lessons for next time. Focus on solutions.
Q: Describe a situation where you had to collaborate with engineers, technicians, and other staff to resolve a measurement issue.
A: Share an example that highlights cross-functional teamwork, communication, and leadership skills. Discuss how you built relationships, managed disagreements, and leveraged each person’s expertise to arrive at the optimal solution.
Q: Have you handled measurement equipment needing repair or maintenance? What was your process?
A: Show you understand proper protocols by describing steps like taking equipment out of service, troubleshooting issues, coordinating qualified technicians to service it, verifying calibration after repairs, and documenting all activities. Emphasize safety.
For quality inspector roles, expect situational questions on interpreting measurements:
Q: If one of your test readings falls outside the expected range, what should you do?
A: Recommend repeating the test to confirm the result, checking the equipment calibration,
Use Objective Data and Evaluate Hiring Outcome
Using objective data, for example, standardized assessments or work samples to add to the interview, is beneficial. This would give you a full picture of the candidate’s skills and how well they would fit the job.
Evaluating the interview’s success is necessary to predict the candidate’s performance for the prescribed role. Interview quality measurement can be further improved by using this method correctly.
For example, Suppose the candidate performs exceptionally well in the interview but not on the job. In that case, the interview questions may not have indicated the candidate’s fit for the role.
Make a Quality Hire Assessment
This involves gathering specific evidence of comparable past performance using performance-based interviewing. The above-mentioned data can then be used to figure out the candidate’s overall score, which can be used to judge how good they were in the interview. Also, measuring quality after the hire uses the same factors as comparing differences in hiring before and after the interview. This gives better feedback for process improvement. Most of the time, the problems are caused by not being clear about what the job requires or using basic interview methods.
Examples:
- Hiring manager’s satisfaction surveys
- Employee engagement surveys for fresh hires
- Asking managers to rate the new hire’s performance and work
A great way to improve interview quality and interview quality measurement is to use online metric analytic platforms to track data. Record your interviews to gather data such as.
- Speaking time
- Number of questions asked,
- Follow-up question data
This will help find interviews that aren’t consistent or where the questions aren’t clear, which could lead to bad or biased hiring decisions. All of the above adds to the Interview Quality Score, which can be displayed company-wide.
Interviews are the most necessary goal-defining step in the process of hiring. Companies must conduct high-quality interviews to build a good team; interview quality measurement is the first step.
Barraiser is committed to improving the quality of your interviews and, therefore, your hiring. Take inspiration from the above steps to help better the quality of your interviews.
Assessing the interview quality is essential to ensure successful hiring. This can be done by examining structured questions, uniform scoring methods, and proper interviewer preparation. In this way, companies can make better hiring decisions. To find out how good an interview was, it’s important to use structured questions that are related to the job and are asked of all applicants in the same way. This ensures a fair and objective evaluation. Companies might benefit from behavioral and situational inquiries that measure necessary skills and talents. Standardized assessment systems are essential for evaluating the quality of job interviews. These systems provide a structured way to score applicants’ responses and compare them objectively. By using a competency-based approach or giving numerical scores, companies can cut down on hiring bias and subjective evaluations.
Also Read: Important Recruitment Metrics You Must Track In 2023
Measuring Tape10 Basics Questions Answers Quiz – 1
FAQ
What do interview questions measure?
How many instrumentation interview questions are there?
Our comprehensive guide ‘100 Instrumentation Interview Questions and Answers’ contains 100 questions to help you gain deep insight into industrial instruments. Can you explain what process control is?
How should one prepare for an interview?
Here are four interview questions and sample strategic answers to help you prepare: Question: How should one prepare for an interview? Answer: (Your answer here), 1. Question: How do you differentiate between two-wire, three-wire and four-wire transmitters? Answer: Two-, three- and four-wire transmitters play a major role in the 4 to 20 Milliamp (mA) signal transmission system, which can regulate the current flow.
What questions are asked during a job interview?
During a job interview in the field of instrumentation, the interviewer may ask you questions to evaluate your knowledge and skill level, such as: What is process control? What is a transmitter and what is a ‘smart’ transmitter? What is the function of a controller? What are the process variables and their units of measurement? What is mathematical modelling?
What do interviewers want to know about equipment maintenance & care?
The interviewer wants to understand your knowledge of equipment maintenance and care. This allows them to assess your technical skills, attention to detail, and commitment to high-quality results, all of which are vital in this role. Example: “Maintaining metrology equipment involves regular calibration to ensure accurate measurements.
