intern incorporation into an interview and selection process

POSTER TEMPLATE BY:

www.PosterPresentations.com

Intern Incorporation Into An Interview and Selection ProcessVictor S. Wolski, PhD, Shelley M. Prisco, PsyD, Christina Wilder, PsyD, and Nile Wagley, MS

Northwest Georgia Consortium (NGC) InternshipRome, GA

Focus of Interviews

Relevant Legal Issues

Interview Format

1. Teaches interns about various administrative and organizational responsibilities in staff selection in a supportive environment

2. Provides a different perspective during group discussions on ranking

3. Potentially increases applicants comfort during interviews

4. Shows applicants the collaborative approach emphasized in the internship experience at NWGC

5. Allows interns an opportunity to evaluate interview strategies for their own postdoctoral and employment interviews

6. Educates interns on legal and ethical issues around staff selection and hiringCurrent Interns and the Process

Current NWGC interns participate in every step of the process:1. Reading applications2. Reviewing the website and the brochure for accuracy3. Completing data entry sheets on applications, including

an overall global rating4. Narrowing the applicant pool down to 25 for interviews

through group discussion and review of the data entry sheets

5. Preparing and presenting a presentation to applicants in a group setting at the beginning of each interview day

6. Interviewing individual applicants on a pre-determined question, as well as spontaneous questions

7. Providing feedback on applicants after each interview day, including rank ordering applicants

8. Participating in a final group session to determining submitted rankings after all interview days are complete

9. Answering questions from applicants via email and phone10. Evaluating the interview and selection process, and

suggesting changes as needed.

Interview Days begin with the Director and current interns welcoming the applicants.

Current interns then give a 1-hour PowerPoint presentation on the internship, including pros and cons of the internship, and answer questions.

Current interns bring the applicants to a 15-minute “meet and greet” with all the internship faculty and refreshments (provided by faculty).

Current interns show each applicant to an office where he or she will stay for the individual interviews with faculty and interns rotating.

Applicants are interviewed individually for 30 minutes by a group of 2-3 faculty or the 3 current interns.

The 5 groups rotate around to each applicant such that each applicant is interviewed for a total of 2.5 hours.

After the interviews, everyone returns to the break room. The Director answers last questions and has closing remarks

1. Adequacy of academic training and clinical familiarity withpopulations served by the internship

2. Competencies determined by application and interviewquestions

3. Focus on assessment of training needs and our ability to meet

those needs4. Related life experiences adequate and relevant to both

organizational characteristics (ie. Southeastern U.S., urban, suburban, growth rural populations) and generalist practitioner focus at the internship (autobiographical statement extremely valuable)

5. Future career goals show commitment to public sector or notfor-profit organizational setting

Benefits of Incorporating Interns

Relevant Ethical Issues

August 30th – Update website and APPICSeptember/October – Receive applicationsNovember 1st – Begin reviewing applications; at least 2 faculty/interns read and comment on each applicationNovember 14th – Due date for applicationsDecember 4th – Director and Associate Director review all applications and reviews, and narrow the pool to 25 for interviewsFive Thursday afternoons: December 18th to January 22th- Interview 5 applicants and then meet as a group to rank order/discuss for 30 minutes January 29th – Final ranking meetingFebruary 4th – Submit RankingsFebruary 20th – MATCH Day; Director contacts internsFebruary 28th – Email all applicants zoomerang.com surveyMarch 15th – Clinical Training Committee and interns review survey feedback and determine what, if any, changes will be made to next year’s process

Approximate Timeline

Northwest Georgia ConsortiumInternship Interviews

December 18, 200812:30-1:00

Meet intern candidates Building 103, Conference Room A for Welcome and Introduction from current interns

Diane’s Office #2-07Intern Applicant #1

Sam’s Office #2-76Intern Applicant #2

Julie’s Office #2-77Intern Applicant #3

Intern’s Office #2-82Intern Applicant #4

Shelley’s Office #2-95Intern Applicant #5

1:00 –1:15

Forensic Services Conference Room as “Break room”General Welcome from Director of Training, and introductions from all psychologistsRefreshments

1:15 – 1:45

Dr. Diane VendryesDr. Tonita Baines

Dr. Julie OliverDr. Richard StewartDr. Sam PerriDr. Ryan Beck

Dr. Victor WolskiDr. Shelley Prisco

Rhea Holler, MALindsay Klieman, MA Nile Wagley, MS

Dr. Tim ChomynDr. Arlene DeRienzo

1:50 – 2:20






2:25 –2:55

Rhea Holler, MALindsay Klieman, MANile Wagley, MS





3.00 –3:30




Dr. Diane Vendryes Dr. Tonita Baines


3:35 –4.05






4:05 –4:20

Please return to the Forensic Conference Room, Break room, for a wrap-up meeting. This is an opportunity to ask any additional questions and review the selection/ranking process of MATCH. You will also be provided a listing of all phone numbers and email addresses for contacting any of the supervising psychologists not present today.

*** Please do not mark in the applicant file; the interns have access to them once hired. If you would like to flag a part of the application, use a sticky note.

Applicant Name:Applicant Program:APA Program? Yes No School_______________________

Reviewer Name:

When reviewing this application I found: Please put a Y or N or #

Circle One

Transcript Concerns Any Cs, Ds or Fs? Any Incompletes?

________

Yes No

Grammatical/Punctuation Errors Yes NoWriting Sample Concerns Is the report integrated? Does the evaluation support the diagnosis?

________

Yes No

Applicant lacks Adequate Experience Base How many Adult therapy clients? How many C&A therapy clients? How many Adult evaluations? How many C&A evaluations?How many Rorschachs using Exner Objective and Projective tests? Inpatient Experience? Outpatient Experience?

________________________________

Yes No

Concerns with Letters of Recommendations Yes NoPotential problems with “Goodness of Fit” Work with our faculty? Work with Treatment teams/organizations? Want to work with this population? Does the person seem to want generalist training?

____________________

Yes No

Other: (specify) Yes No

Interview QuestionsEach group of 2-3 faculty or current interns has a question to ask.The questions are determined by the Director and the Associate Director with input from everyone. The following is one example.

Topic: Clinical Work ConceptualizationQuestion: Please select and describe a piece of your clinical work as you would for a supervision session.Poor response:•The theoretical framework is either not stated or cannot be identified or linked to the work presented.•The ability and willingness to engage in dialogue is limited by resistance or lack of conceptual understanding.

Average response:•Identifies or clarifies adequately the theoretical framework used to conceptualize the approach taken.•Engages in dialogue that demonstrates receptivity and use of new information in analysis or consideration of alternatives.•Points to some clinical literature and/or empirically supported treatment literature as basis for the approach used.

Excellent response:•Does all of the above with a degree of thoroughness and discrimination more characteristic of an advanced intern.•Demonstrates the use of the questions and discussion to generate new learning on the topic and/or develop awareness or insight into themselves personally.

Preliminary Intern Application Review

Based on federal laws, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, interns are instructed not to ask aboutan applicant’s:-Age-Marital or family status-Sexual orientation-Religious affiliation-Physical condition or limitations

As a general rule, interns are instructed to ask applicants questions only directly relevant to the applicant's qualifications or to the internship position and duties. When in doubt, don't ask!

Potential ethical issues when taking on the task of the recruitment and the selection of staff or future interns include:Avoiding harmMaintaining integrity and accurate representation of the program/avoiding false or deceptive statementsPreventing unfair discriminationRecognizing and disclosing conflicts of interest that impairs objectivityRefraining from requiring disclosure of personal information regarding sexual history, psychological treatment, and relationships with parents, peers, and spouses

The applicant appears to be a match for the consortium based on:

Poor Average Excellent

Interest in and preparation for a generalist trainingInterest in seriously mentally ill population

Level of personal maturity relative to their training (to handle the stress and fully utilize the training experience)Flexibility and adaptability to organizations

Good personality match for the training program/Clinical Training CommitteeOverall match for the program

POSTER TEMPLATE BY:

www.PosterPresentations.com

• A 15-item survey has been distributed via email and Zoomerang.com to applicants after their interviews since 2005.

• 7 of the 15 items are on a 1-5 Likert Scale (e.g, the NGC websiteprovided clear and accurate information with 1 being strongly disagree and 5 being strongly agree)

•8 of the 15 items are open-ended (e.g., What did you like most about the NWGC interviews? What do you consider to be the weaknesses of the NWGC?

•Response rate over the past 5 years has ranged from 36% (2008) to 65% (2009).

•Total number of surveys collected over the past 5 years is 58

Post MATCH Surveys

Post MATCH Survey Utility

One use of survey results is to evaluate the consistency of applicants’ perceptions of various aspects of the NWGC, including whether applicants agree or disagree with the statement “overall a positive experience.”

Overall positive experience

3.8

3.9

4

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

4.5

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009Aver

age

on a

1-5

sca

le w

ith 5

bei

ng s

trong

ly

agre

e

Another use of survey results is to determine where changes could be made to improve the process and the internship. For example, after looking at the data on whether applicants agreed or disagreed with “I felt the individual interview sessions allowed faculty to get to know me,” it was decided to reduce the scope and number of questions discussed to one question/topic per individual interview segments in 2009.

Individual Sessions Facilitate Knowing Me

3.53.63.73.83.9

44.14.24.34.44.54.6

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Three overarching themes can be qualitatively derivedfrom the open ended questions on the surveys.

1. Interview LogisticsLikes: Meeting all the training staff and

interns, receiving an overview of the internship from interns, and staying in one room while the interviewers rotate

Dislikes: Having brief individual interviews, being interviewed by multiple people at one time, and not having a tour of the facility

2. Rotation Specifics Likes: Forensic opportunities, assessment opportunities, and diversity in rotations

Dislikes: Not knowing the theoretical orientation of trainingstaff, perceived lack of therapy opportunities relative toassessment, training in the Rorschach

3. Internship CharacteristicsLikes: Relaxed/collegial atmosphere, organized

internship with clear and updated materials

Dislikes: Traveling over an hour to a rotation, amount of stipend, and perceived lack of diversity in faculty and clientele

Themes from Post MATCH Surveys

It is interesting to note that several factors mentioned in our post MATCH surveys, such as up-to-date materials, time with faculty and interns, theoretical orientation of staff, and geographical location/travel time, are consistent with previous literature on intern applicants' decision-making processes and variables important to students in interviewing and selecting internship sites (Stedman, 2006, Vowles and McNeil, 2000).

Director calls to confirm MATCH and congratulate the future intern

Director facilitates exchanging names, phone numbers and email addresses of other interns

Director establish expectation of meeting Psychology group, faculty and interns, at “Hello and Good-bye” party last Saturday in August for transition into internship and the social/professional group

MATCHes consistently within top 50% of rankings

MATCH

Total distributed = 23 N=15

1 - Strongly Disagree, 2 - Disagree, 3 - Neutral, 4 - Agree, 5 -Strongly Agree

Average Score

• The NWGC website provided clear and accurate information about the consortium.

4.2

• The NWGC brochure provided clear and accurate information about the consortium.

4.2

• The introductory group meeting on interview day was helpful in orienting me to the consortium.

4.4

• The introductory group meeting helped me to feel more comfortable with the interview process. 4.3

• The individual interview sessions helped answer my questions about the Consortium.

4.5

• I felt the individual interview sessions allowed faculty to get to know me.

4.5

• The overall interview process was a positive experience. 4.4

Intern Incorporation Into An Interview and Selection ProcessVictor S. Wolski, PhD, Shelley M. Prisco, PsyD, Christina Wilder, PsyD, and Nile Wagley, MS

Northwest Georgia Consortium (NGC) InternshipRome, GA

Was there any information not provided on the website or in the brochure that would have been useful?

What did you like most about the NWGC interview process? What did you like least about the NWGC interview process? What do you consider to be the strengths of the NWGC?

What do you consider to be the weaknesses of the NWGC?

What factors made the NWGC drop in your ranking compared to other sites you visited and ranked?

What other feedback can you provide for us?

Weekly Rankings Data

Intern Applicant Rankings

Appl Psy Psy Psy Psy Int Psy Psy Psy Int Psy Int Psy Psy Total AverFinal Rank

12/18

A1 4 5 3 3 3 3 3 4 4 3 5 2 4 46 3.54 15

A2 3 2 2 1 2 1 2 1 3 2 2 1 1 23 1.77 4

A3 2 4 5 4 1 5 4 5 1 1 3 3 3 41 3.15 10

A4 1 1 1 2 4 4 1 2 2 4 4 4 2 32 2.46 9

A5 5 3 4 5 5 2 5 3 5 5 1 5 5 53 4.08 17

1/8

B1 n/a 2 2 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 n/a 2 18 1.64 5

B2 n/a 4 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 5 5 n/a 3 44 4 18

B3 n/a 5 4 5 5 3 5 5 4 3 4 n/a 4 47 4.27 16

B4 n/a 1 1 2 2 1 1 1 1 4 3 n/a 1 18 1.64 1

B5 n/a 3 3 3 4 5 3 3 5 2 2 n/a 5 38 3.45 20

1/15

C1 1 3 2 1 2 3 3 1 3 2 3 n/a 1 25 2.08 7

C2 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 n/a 2 56 4.67 21

C3 4 2 4 2 5 2 2 2 4 4 4 n/a 3 38 3.17 13

C4 2 4 3 3 1 1 1 3 1 3 2 n/a 5 29 2.42 11

C5 3 n/a 1 4 3 4 4 4 2 1 1 n/a 4 31 2.82 19

1/22

D1 3 n/a 1 3 2 3 3 2 3 2 1 n/a 3 26 2.36 14

D2 1 n/a 4 2 3 2 2 3 1 1 3 n/a 2 24 2.18 8

D3 4 n/a 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 n/a 4 41 3.73 22

D4 2 n/a 3 1 1 1 1 1 2 4 2 n/a 1 19 1.73 6

1/29

E1 2 1 1 3 3 1 n/a 1 2 1 1 n/a 1 17 1.55 3

E2 1 4 2 1 2 2 n/a 2 1 2 2 n/a 2 21 1.91 2

E3 5 3 3 2 1 3 n/a 3 3 3 4 n/a 3 33 3.00 12

Final Ranking Meeting

• Usually one hour with all available faculty and interns

• Interviewed pool of 25 sorted into “excellent,” “very good” and “good” categories based on initial rankings after interviews

• Anyone may propose an “elimination” or non-ranking of any applicant at any time in the meeting

• A suggested “elimination” from ranking can be negated by an expressed commitment by a faculty member to work with the individual, and the Director and Associate Director concur that such a commitment would most likely result in successful completion of the internship.

• After applicants are placed into categories, they are assigned rankings starting with those in the “excellent” category working through all three groupings with slight movement between groupings

Ethical dilemmas are discussed with interns throughoutrecruitment and selection. Ethical dilemmas encountered byinterns primarily center around conflict of interest/objectivity andinclude:- Sharing an educational or work background with an applicant-Knowing the applicant personally through school or work-Knowing the applicant as a result of internship interviews the year before-Feeling uncomfortable giving low ratings or pointing out weakness of an applicant-Having to remind an applicant of the intern’s involvement in recruitment and selection because the applicant is too casual or disrespectful during an interview or in an email

Ethical Dilemmas

Post Interview Applicant Survey – Part 1

Post Interview Applicant Survey – Part 2

intern incorporation into an interview and selection process

Documents