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SPECIAL REPORT Upgrading Your Police Officer Oral Interviews know a good answer when I hear it.��� This approach does not work when a team of interviewers are evaluating candidates together. In order for an interview to achieve a reliable outcome, the interview questions must have associated criteria that defne ideal responses. This ���answer key��� of sorts allows raters to hold candidates to a uniform standard. In addition to these rating guidelines, assessors should have a standardized system for converting rating criteria into a numeric score. This process may be as simple as giving a specifc numeric value based on the number of rating criteria achieved. Interviewers without Training Interviewers will often administer the interview without any training. The oral interview for lateral transfers may be even more critical than new Reviewing concepts such as rater recruits. Do you have an assessment plan? Do you have rating guidelines? error and improving reliability by esHave you considered enhancing the scope of the interview? tablishing scoring consensus rules are critical elements that make the interview process both fair and accurate. These will be discussed later. An interview is successful to the extent that the interviewers rate like performances with like scores. This can only happen Lack of Rating Guidelines when interviewers are playing by the same rules and using the Some interviewers operate with the following mentality: ���I will interview tool in the same manner. Rater training is a means of establishing standardization and identifying methods to improve process reliability. Consensus Scoring VEHICLE IMMOBILIZERS ���Provenperformance (since1958) ���Collectunpaid nes ���Modelsforall applications ���Parking enforcement ���Anti-theft applications Prevent wheel damage! Use Rhino D, H, HG & PB Series (US PAT. 5,865,048 6,032,497) CALL FOR CATALOG Enhancing the Scope of the Interview 3183 HALL AVENUE ��� GRAND JUNCTION CO 81504 970-243-9500 fax 243-9200 toll free 1-866-545-6484 services@mitico.com ��� website: mitico.com PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA Click on EInfo at - www.lawandordermag.com reader service #19 44 LAW and ORDER I December 2012 Assume that three interviewers each observe a performance and then rate the performance on a seven-point scale. One rater gives the candidate a ���3��� and the other two raters give the candidate a ���6.��� The interviewers average the three ratings and the candidate gets a score of ���5.��� Is that fair? Was the candidate���s skill level a 5? Or was it a 3? Or was it a 6? One performance cannot be accurately described as demonstrating three different skill levels. A reliable interview will seek to identify the proper score for the specifc performance. In order to achieve a reliable outcome, assessors need to discuss their scores and work toward consensus ��� or an agreement concerning the proper score. Averaging scores is a poor practice because averaging always pulls disparate scores to a center point. This center point is not necessarily the accurate score for a candidate; it is simply a statistical midpoint between multiple points of disagreement. A process of consensus turns disagreement into agreement, thereby creating accuracy. There are a number of strategies that can be employed to increase the effectiveness of your interview process by broadening its scope and increasing its realism. First, you can incorporate a writing exercise. Writing skills are frequently cited as one of the greatest weaknesses of law enforcement offcers and these skills are criti-