APA Statements on the Profession

Hotel Room Interviews

The following statement was prepared by the Committee on Career Opportunities, Merold Westphal, Chair, and approved by the Board of Officers at its 1994 Meeting.

At its 1994 Meeting, the Board of Officers of the APA adopted a policy of banning job interviews in sleeping rooms as quickly as adequate alternatives can be provided. The purpose of this action is to protect job candidates from situations that can be awkward or worse. In the meantime it offers the following temporary guidelines for departments that consider it necessary or preferable to hold job interviews in the hotel rooms of members of the interviewing department. Wherever possible, such interviews should occur in the living room of a suite. When this is not possible, the interviewer should be mindful of the potential awkwardness of the situation, particularly for women candidates, and should do everything possible to ensure that a professional and respectful atmosphere prevails in the rooms. While it is not possible to specify all that this means, several points should be obvious: (1) rooms should be orderly (beds made, clothing picked up, etc.) during interviews; (2) interviewees should be seated in a chair (rather than on a bed).

In general, every attempt should be made to minimize the intrusion into the situation of the fact that the interview is being held in a bedroom. Interviewees who feel that these guidelines are not being adequately observed by interviewing departments are encouraged to convey this information to the Chair of the Committee on Career Opportunities who serves as an ombudsperson for the hiring process at APA meetings.

Originally published in Proceedings and Addresses of the American Philosophical Association, Vol. 68, No. 2, p. 56.