This e-mail contains six
separate items about interview notification and scheduling, applicants
with disabilities, and appropriate and inappropriate interview questions.
----------
[1] NMS INTERVIEW
We wanted to remind applicants that, this year, the APPIC
Board adopted a new online interview scheduling system called "NMS
Interview," which is available to everyone at no cost. We are
excited about this new system and the substantial benefits that it will provide
to applicants and programs. From the applicant perspective, you will have
greater control and flexibility in the scheduling of interviews, the ability to
view and modify your interview schedule online on one platform, and the ability
to import programs with which you interviewed directly into your Rank Order
List.
While internship programs are not required to use NMS Interview, we expect that
most will do so. If a site to which you apply uses a different interview
scheduling approach, that site should provide you with instructions.
Interviews scheduled outside of the NMS Interview system cannot be viewed or
changed from within that system.
Applicant instructions for NMS Interview are available at:
https://natmatch.com/psychint/applicants/interviews.html#scheduling
Internship programs that use this system will set up their available time slots
online and invite you to schedule an interview using NMS Interview. You
will receive the interview invitation by email, which will provide a link that
will enable you to schedule yourself into an available time slot for that
internship online. You can book, manage, change and view your schedule
online in the NMS Match System.
----------
[2] "SPAM" FILTERING
Most interview notifications, along
with other communications from sites and the Match, will come to applicants via
e-mail. Remember that "spam" filters used by your e-mail
server or program can result in your not receiving important messages from
internship programs, APPIC, and/or National Matching Services.
Applicants should check their Spam and/or Junk Mail folders regularly to ensure
that they do not miss any important communications during the selection
process. We recommend making any necessary adjustments to your
e-mail program so that you will receive all e-mail from APPIC (@appic.org or
@lyris.appic.org) and National Matching Services (@natmatch.com). More
information on adding specific e-mail and IP addresses to your "allow list"
for NMS is available at natmatch.com/psychint/contact.html .
----------
[3] INTERVIEW STATUS NOTIFICATION
We would like to remind applicants and Training Directors
about the APPIC Match Policy regarding interview notification. This
policy is designed to make the interview notification and scheduling process
considerably easier and less stressful for applicants.
Match Policy #6 states:
"6. For Phase I of the
Match, internship programs that conduct interviews must make a reasonable
effort to notify every applicant who submits a complete set of application
materials as to their interview status.
a. Sites that conduct open
houses to which all applicants are invited and conduct no other interviews are
exempt from this interview notification requirement (this exemption should be
clearly stated in sites' APPIC Directory listings and/or public materials).
b. Notification of interview
status for Phase I of the Match must occur no later than the interview
notification date that appears in the program's APPIC Directory listing and/or
other publicity materials, and may be communicated via e-mail, telephone,
regular mail (to be received no later than the interview notification date), or
other means.
c. For Phase II of the
Match, notification of interview status is not required."
While APPIC continues to recommend
an (optional) December 15th interview notification date, each internship site
ultimately determines its own date. Thus, applicants should consult
the APPIC Directory to determine the specific interview notification date for
each program to which they applied.
It is important for applicants to understand that Training Directors work very
hard to meet this notification date, and notifications can sometimes
arrive at the last minute. Furthermore, some sites don't send all
of their notifications out on the same day. Applicants should never
make assumptions about their interview status with a site until they
have received the notification from that site. In the event that you
don't receive an interview notification in a timely manner, then (1) check
your "junk mail" or "spam" folder to see if it ended up
there, and (2) contact the site the day after that site's interview
notification date to inquire about your status.
Please note that notifying an applicant about their interview status (i.e.,
whether or not they will be offered an interview) is not necessarily the same
thing as inviting an applicant to a specific interview event. Many sites will
notify applicants by the interview notification date of whether or not the
applicant will be offered an interview, but then send invitations to specific
interview events at a later date.
It is imperative that all Match participants be very familiar with the APPIC
Match Policies. The complete Match Policies may be found at appic.org/Internships/Match/Match-Policies.
----------
[4] INTERVIEW ATTENDANCE
Applicants who decide to cancel or
move a scheduled interview should provide as much advance notice to the
site as possible. Please don't be a "no-show" for your
interview! Most sites have a limited number of available interview
slots, and unused slots can be filled with other applicants if sufficient
notice is provided.
----------
[5] APPLICANTS WITH DISABILITIES
Given the recent shift to virtual
interviews at many sites, Training Directors should be aware that the online
approach (e.g., Zoom) can be challenging for some individuals with
disabilities. APPIC encourages Training Directors and training faculty/staff
to educate themselves about these issues and should be proactive in offering to
provide accommodations.
The APA Public Interest Directorate
provides an online "Resource Guide for Psychology Graduate Students with
Disabilities (2nd Edition)" which includes articles on internship
selection and interviews from the student perspective:
apa.org/pi/disability/resources/publications/resource-guide.aspx
Click the links on that page for
the following articles:
"The Internship Match Process
and Suggestions for Applicants with Disabilities"
"Factors to Consider in
Psychology Practicum and Internship Interviews"
The APA Public Interest Directorate
also provides the following articles from the Training Director perspective:
"Interviewing Applicants with
Disabilities for Doctoral and Postdoctoral Internship Positions"
apa.org/pi/disability/resources/interviewing.aspx
"The ADA and Internships:
Your Responsibilities as Internship and Postdoctoral Agency
Directors"
apa.org/pi/disability/resources/internship-directors.aspx
"Providing Reasonable
Accommodations to Individuals with Disabilities in Internship Sites and
Postdoctoral Internship Positions"
apa.org/pi/disability/resources/reasonable.aspx
----------
[6] APPROPRIATE AND INAPPROPRIATE INTERVIEW
QUESTIONS
This 2015 article in Training and
Education in Professional Psychology discussed appropriate and inappropriate
interview questions and explored the experiences of students who interviewed at
doctoral programs and internships (thanks to Mike Parent (michael.parent@ttu.edu),
Dana Weiser, Andrea McCourt, and the APA Journals Department for making this
copyrighted article available to the education and training community):
apa.org/pubs/journals/features/tep-0000068.pdf
The following article was published a number of years ago in
the APPIC Newsletter, and addresses appropriate and inappropriate interview
questions. Please note that this article is based on U.S. law.
Individuals who are interviewing in Canada should consult the laws and
regulations pertinent to their jurisdictions, and may find the following
article helpful: canadahrcentre.com/base/interview-questions/ .
Questions
During Interviews, Revisited
by
Mona Koppel Mitnick, Esq.
As Match season approaches, the
issue once more arises about the types of questions site interviewers may
ask applicants. Or, conversely, what questions either violate
applicants' legal rights or infringe upon their privacy.
The issue is a recurring concern among intern applicants. Improper or
inappropriate personal questions to applicants/interviewees also should be
of concern to Training Directors and their staffs because such questions,
ultimately, could have legal consequences. Even questions that are not
inherently illegal may raise the specter of an illegal motive or
action. This article is another attempt to provide guidance, both
to interviewers and interviewees about permissible and non-permissible (or
non-recommended) questions.
A general rule for interviewers is to ask only questions directly relevant to
the applicant's qualifications; or to the internship position and
duties. When in doubt, don't ask!
In particular, improper or inappropriate areas of questioning relate to areas
in which applicants presumably have some interest in protecting their
privacy, e.g., their physical or mental status or health; their
marital, familial, or other close personal relationships; religion,
etc. Generally, it is inappropriate - and possibly even illegal - to
ask questions in these areas unless they directly relate to the internship or
the applicant raises the issue first.
As I stated in my previous article:
• Generally, you may ask questions
about an applicant/interviewee's education, language proficiency (if
directly relevant to the requirements of the position), training and
experience in psychology/mental health areas, past practice and placement,
career interests and goals, professional memberships, and any other
subjects directly related to the internship and the psychology
profession. Ask the same basic questions of all
applicants/interviewees insofar as possible.
• Conversely, you may not ask
personal questions before hiring (i.e., either on an application or during
an interview) unless, either, they relate to bona fide qualifications; or
the applicant first raises such issues him/herself. For example, you
should not ask questions about a candidate's marital or family status,
religion, or physical conditions or limitations. An exception to
this rule is that Federal government agencies, states and municipalities,
and many state universities generally require an employee to be a U.S.
citizen. They also may require some explanation of any criminal
record other than misdemeanors. While it is not always clear whether an
intern is an employee or a student, such questions may be permissible when
the internship center is a government agency or government-affiliated
entity.
Notwithstanding the above guidance-
• [E]ven impermissible questions
sometimes may become permissible if the applicant first raises the
issue. For example, if an applicant/interviewee asks questions about the
hours of work and mentions family responsibilities or [their] religion and
requests accommodations in work hours; or asks about the physical demands
of the position and mentions physical limitations, the interviewer may
follow up on such questions.
• Other questions, which may be impermissible on an application or
during an interview, may become permissible after the intern is hired.
For example, proof of age and marital or parental/relationship
status may become relevant, after hiring, for tax, insurance, and
emergency contact purposes. Photographs also may be required after
hiring for identification cards. Some questions are almost never
permissible. For example, you should never ask questions about
sexual preference or whether someone has a particular disease, such as
AIDS.
Interviewers, however, continue to ask inappropriate or
improper questions. While they may view these questions as
establishing rapport with, or expressing personal concern about, the
applicants, many applicants take offense at such questions. The
following were samples of interview questions recently submitted to
APPIC by unhappy applicants:
• In what ways do you think your
older age will make it hard for you to fit in with the other interns?
• Do you have a
partner/spouse and, if that person won't move, can you manage being parted
from that person?
• Who will care for your
children?
• Who is your therapist, and
what specific issues have you worked on?
• Will a nose ring (an
indicia of religion on someone from India) be problematic?
As mentioned above, while these questions may not be inherently illegal, they
may suggest to some applicants improper motivation by the interviewer:
The question about being older may make the applicant suspect
that being older is a disadvantage, creating a possible allegation of age
discrimination. The question about child care may make the applicant
suspect that being married or involved in a relationship, or having children
will place him/her at a disadvantage. Of course, the question would
become a permissible one if the applicant first raised the issue of the
hours and concern about child care.
The question about the name of the therapist and the specific issues worked on
relate to an area in which an applicant may be presumed to have a
significant privacy interest, so that he/she is unwilling to disclose
that information. The applicant may feel pressured to disclose the
information and may believe that, if he/she refuses to do so, he will be
at a disadvantage in the selection process.
Note: The information in this article merely is intended to provide
practical guidance. It is not intended to be definitive or to be
relied on without first consulting your legal counsel.