Using Service Learning to Improve Interviewer and Interviewee Effectiveness

Interviews are a critical component of assessing a candidate’s fit in an organization. Students aspiring to be managers or human resource professionals will need to complete an interview to successfully gain employment and then, in turn, will be responsible for conducting interviews to effectively ascertain the capabilities and motivation of job candidates. The service-learning experience presented here offers students a competitive advantage when competing against peers for limited job openings. This article outlines a service-learning experience aimed at improving both interviewee and interviewer effectiveness. This activity is interdisciplinary and can be beneficial for students across all industries. It is particularly useful for instructors who want to add an experiential learning component to their courses and who are teaching units on human resources and interviewing