Cross-cultural Interviewing - How to avoid discrimination
The first case study describes an Algerian man, with relevant industry experience, applying for a job in Australia. After several phone discussions with the candidate, it was felt that he had a lack of cultural awareness, i.e. a lack of understanding of the differences in attitudes, perceptions, and behaviours between the two cultures. The interviewer thus utilised the interview as a vehicle for gaining a better understanding of Algerian culture as well as clarifying the candidates expectations of the role (and comparing them with what the role actually involved). He started the interview with an icebreaker focused on the candidates personal background, for example, his experience of living and working in Australia, and the similarities and differences between this and living and working in Algeria. During this time, the interviewer built rapport with the candidate and resisted forming any opinions of him. Once a clear understanding of each others cultural viewpoints had been established, the interviewer then asked the competency-based questions.
The second case study describes an Indian man, whose CV for a job in Australia contained too much information, including prior non-relevant experience. The authors observe that this is a fairly typical occurrence for people from a high-context culture, i.e. cultures where there is a preference to communicate implicitly through non-verbal behaviour, e.g. gestures, body language and the use of silence. Hence, people from such cultures often tend to write more than necessary in order to compensate for the lack of being able to communicate via non-verbal cues. Whilst the candidates CV was inappropriately written, his work experiences in three prior roles had some relevance, so he was therefore invited for an interview. During the interview, the candidate came across as articulate and engaging, which helped to crystallise his job relevant experience and prove that he was suitable for the role.
Interviews are used in all forms of HR practices e.g. recruitment, performance reviews, identifying training needs etc. It is therefore essential that managers and practitioners are aware of the potential impact of discrimination caused by cultural misunderstanding. To avoid this, interviewers need to
Lim, C., Winter, R. & Chan, C.C.A. (2006). Cross Cultural Interviewing in the Hiring Process: Challenges and Strategies. The Career Development Quarterly, 54, 265 268.
Over the past few decades, there has been substantial and continuous change in workforce demography. The UK National Statistics Social Trends publication in 2005 shows that there has been a growth in the minority ethnic population, resulting in multiplicity of religious beliefs as well as other cultural differences. In addition, it reported the employment rate for women increased from 56% in 1971 to 70% in 2004, thus highlighting a much more predominant female working population. As a consequence, individuals have different work expectations, values and beliefs. This presents new issues for recruiters and managers, who must effectively match individuals to jobs whilst demonstrating equal treatment for all and remaining sensitive and responsive to their diverse needs.
A recent article by Choon-Hwa Lim and colleagues based at The Australian National University in Canberra looked at this issue, focusing in particular on cross-cultural interviewing strategies for recruitment, selection and career development. They offer two case studies that highlight the importance of understanding cultural sensitivity for interviewers.
Case studies
The first case study describes an Algerian man, with relevant industry experience, applying for a job in Australia. After several phone discussions with the candidate, it was felt that he had a lack of cultural awareness, i.e. a lack of understanding of the differences in attitudes, perceptions, and behaviours between the two cultures. The interviewer thus utilised the interview as a vehicle for gaining a better understanding of Algerian culture as well as clarifying the candidates expectations of the role (and comparing them with what the role actually involved). He started the interview with an icebreaker focused on the candidates personal background, for example, his experience of living and working in Australia, and the similarities and differences between this and living and working in Algeria. During this time, the interviewer built rapport with the candidate and resisted forming any opinions of him. Once a clear understanding of each others cultural viewpoints had been established, the interviewer then asked the competency-based questions.
The second case study describes an Indian man, whose CV for a job in Australia contained too much information, including prior non-relevant experience. The authors observe that this is a fairly typical occurrence for people from a high-context culture, i.e. cultures where there is a preference to communicate implicitly through non-verbal behaviour, e.g. gestures, body language and the use of silence. Hence, people from such cultures often tend to write more than necessary in order to compensate for the lack of being able to communicate via non-verbal cues. Whilst the candidates CV was inappropriately written, his work experiences in three prior roles had some relevance, so he was therefore invited for an interview. During the interview, the candidate came across as articulate and engaging, which helped to crystallise his job relevant experience and prove that he was suitable for the role.
Implications
Interviews are used in all forms of HR practices e.g. recruitment, performance reviews, identifying training needs etc. It is therefore essential that managers and practitioners are aware of the potential impact of discrimination caused by cultural misunderstanding. To avoid this, interviewers need to
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Refrain from making stereotypical judgements about candidates based on their culture. Instead, interviewers should begin the interview by asking questions that allow the candidate to explain their background, values and work expectations. This not only allows the interviewers to build rapport with the candidate based on understanding and acceptance, but it also increases the interviewer's knowledge of cultural differences.
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Understand the cultural forces at play during an interview and refrain from making judgements about individuals based on single characteristics, such as deciding a candidate is unsociable according to their posture or body language.
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Realise that there are cross-cultural differences in how people communicate, which will be reflected in both their written and verbal communication style. It is therefore essential that cultural sensitivity is part of the whole recruitment process, from the screening of candidates CVs through to the actual interview.
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Bear in mind that speaking the same language i.e. fluency in English, does not mean sharing the same culture this may seem like an obvious statement but is something easily forgotten.
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Ensure that the qualities/criteria they base their questions on reflect the core organisational priorities, rather than a wish list of the type of person they would like in the role.
How can Human Assets help?
At Human Assets, we have developed an evolution to traditional competencies Indicators of Excellence which ensure the criteria for each role in an organisation are distinctly aligned with the business strategy and future organisational priorities. Within the development of these Indicators of Excellence, we encompass the crucial process of equality proofing. For example, we strongly advocate the involvement of a diverse range of people (including both internal and external stakeholders) in the formulation and verification of the criteria for each role, thus significantly reducing the possibility of indirect discrimination.
Once these clear and concise criteria have been developed, we advise the use of structured interviews as a way of ensuring that all candidates have an equal and fair chance of displaying their suitability for the role. We provide Interviewer Training that moves interviewers away from asking hypothetical questions and ensures they are fully trained in best practice past behaviour questioning skills. This provides evidence that the candidate already possesses and has previously demonstrated the qualities necessary for the role and reduces the likelihood that they produce answers that they know the interviewer wants to hear. These sessions also incorporate Cultural and Diversity Training, focusing on raising awareness in practitioners on how to differentiate between skills, personality and culturally-based behaviours.
If you would like to find out more please contact one of our consultants on +44 (0)20 7434 2122 or at enquiries@humanassets.co.uk
Reference
Lim, C., Winter, R. & Chan, C.C.A. (2006). Cross Cultural Interviewing in the Hiring Process: Challenges and Strategies. The Career Development Quarterly, 54, 265 268.
Newsletter: April 2006