Essay Example on Book Critique: Action Speaks by Paul Green

Actions Speak is short but a comprehensive article that looks into what entails behavior-based interviewing. The book answers the critical question of what is the evidence-based practice to enable organizations "hire for fit." The author of the book, Paul Green, is an accomplished industrial-organizational psychologist with extensive experience in what he does best: consultancy, training, and development of learning guides.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

It is a coincidence that the writing of this book is at a time when organizations no longer approve of traditional methods and techniques in recruiting employees and are in search of something, something fit for the 21st century globalized job market. The main concern is that hiring for fit is the best strategy and the way to get there is a nightmare. Thus, Green's book fits into the context by providing an evidence-based approach to hiring the right fit through the behavior-based interview. The theory guiding this authorship is that past actions are hood predictors of expected behaviors or actions.

The book commences with a clear and brief overview of what behavior-based interview is and what are some of its critical aspects. The authors also highlight some of the success stories behind the technique and crown the section with a note leading into the subsequent sections. He then embarks on debunking behavior-based interview, pinpointing key aspects of the technique and giving detailed information on each. Here the author offers both theoretical and practical approaches to using behavior-based interview technique. In one section, for instance, the author details the theoretical concept behind using job-related, structured interview and then provides an example of a practical approach to implementing this kind of interview. He posits that using job-related, structured interview ensures that the interviewer assesses a candidates fitness for a particular position by understanding the latter's competencies (Green, 2012). It is the basis of these competencies, says Green, that an organization will be able to pick the best candidate whose competencies much skills requirement for a job. It is also based on these competencies that an interviewer gets to understand the behavioral aspects of the interviewee that would or would not match organization's interests.

It is good to note at this point that the authorship of this book is great in many aspects of writing and presentation of ideas as well as defending such ideas. Green ensures that each idea or theory he presents is followed by supporting evidence, elaboration or rationale. He has presented in this book a theory on using behavioral predictors and has actually presented too evidence for its effectiveness as well as how to get the results. For instance, the suggested use of reversed questions is not only meant to get the interviewers to overcome drawbacks of behavior-based interviews such as the "like me" syndrome but as well enables the interviewer to get deeper into candidates past experiences. It is no doubt that experiences and how one emerged out of them tells a lot about his or her behavior, thus Green's take. However, it is also in order to mention that Green ought to have placed some information in the appendices rather than literally incorporate in the text. For instance, the interview questions should have been at the appendix section to avoid causing a distraction to a reader who would want to get the concepts before seeking out for practical examples later at the end of the reading.

References

Green, P. (2012). Actions speak!. Des Moines, Iowa: Media Learning International LLC.