News writing and reporting:
The word interview comes from Latin and middle French words meaning to “see between” or “see each other”. Generally, an interview means a private meeting between people when questions are asked and answered. The person who answers the questions of an interview is called in the interviewer. The person who asks the questions of our interview is called an interviewer. It suggests a meeting between two persons for the purpose of getting a view of each other or for knowing each other. When we normally think of an interview, we think a setting in which an employer tries to size up an applicant for a job.
According to Gary Dessler, “An interview is a procedure designed to obtain information from a person’s oral response to oral inquiries.”
According to Thill and Bovee, “An interview is any planned conversation with a specific purpose involving two or more people”.
According to Dr. S. M. Amunuzzaman, “Interview is a very systematic method by which a person enters deeply into the life of even a stranger and can bring out needed information and data for the research purpose.”
So, an interview is formal meetings between two people (the interviewer and the interviewee) where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information, qualities, attitudes, wishes etc. Form the interviewee.
Types of interviews
There are many types of interviews that an organization can arrange. It depends on the objectives of taking the interview. Some important types of interviews are stated below:
1. Personal interviews:
Personal interviews include:
- Selection of the employees
- Promotion of the employees
- Retirement and resignation of the employees
Of course, this type of interview is designed to obtain information through discussion and observation about how well the interviewer will perform on the job.
2. Evaluation interviews:
The interviews which take place annually to review the progress of the interviewees are called the evaluation interviews. Naturally, it is occurring between superiors and subordinates. The main objective of this interview is to find out the strengths and weaknesses of the employees.
3. Persuasive interviews:
This type of interview is designed to sell someone a product or an idea. When a sales representative talk with a target buyer, persuasion takes the form of convincing the target that the product or idea meets a need.
4. Structured interviews:
Structured interviews tend to follow formal procedures; the interviewer follows a predetermined agenda or questions.
5. Unstructured interviews:
When the interview does not follow the formal rules or procedures. It is called an unstructured interview. The discussion will probably be free-flowing and may shift rapidly form on subject to another depending on the interests of the interviewee and the interviewer.
6. Counseling interviews:
This may be held to find out what has been troubling the workers and why someone has not been working.
7. Disciplinary interviews:
Disciplinary interviews are occurring when an employee has been accused of breaching the organization’s rules and procedures.
8. Stress interviews:
It is designed to place the interviewee in a stressful situation in order to observe the interviewees reaction.
9. Public interviews:
These include political parties’ radio-television and newspaper.
10. Informal or conversational interview:
In the conversational interview, no predetermined questions are asked, in order to remain as open and adaptable a possible to the interviewee’s nature and priorities; during the interview the interviewer “goes with the flow”.
11. General interview guide approach:
The guide approach is intended to ensure that the same general areas of information are collected from each interviewee this provides more focus than the conversational approach but still allows a degree of freedom and adaptability in getting the information from the interviewee.
12. Standardized or open-ended interview:
Here the same open-ended questions are asked to all interviewees; this approach facilitates faster interviews faster interviews that can be more easily analyzed and compared.
13. Closed or fixed-response interview:
It is an interview where all interviewers ask the same questions and asked to choose answers from among the same set of alternatives. This format is useful for those not practiced in interviewing.
14. Mixed Interview:
It is a combination of structured and unstructured interview, wherein a blend of predetermined and spontaneous questions are asked by the interviewer to the job seeker. It follows a realistic approach which allows the employer to make a comparison between answers and get in-depth insights too.
15. Behavioural Interview:
It is concerned with a problem or a hypothetical situation, put before the candidate with an expectation to solve. It aims at revealing the job seeker’s ability to solve the problem presented.
16. One to one Interview:
The most common interview type, in which there are only two participants – the interviewer (usually the representative of the company) and interviewee, taking part in the face to face discussion, in order to transfer information.
17. Panel Interview:
Panel interview is one in which there is a panel of interviewers, i.e. two or more interviewers, but limited to All the members of the panel are different representatives of the company.
18. Telephonic Interview:
Telephonic interview is one that is conducted over the telephone. It is the most economical and less time consuming, which focuses on asking and answering questions.
19. Video Interview:
An interview, in which video conference is being employed, to judge or evaluate the candidate. Due to its flexibility, rapidity and inexpensiveness, it is used increasingly.
Following are the main objectives of interview.
1.Collect information about an existing social problem
2. Create relation between interviewer and interviewee
3. Gain inner feelings of the respondent
4. Create a source of knowledge
5. Provide rich hypothesis
6. Reduce the distance between human beings
7. Observe the situation quickly
8. Collect additional information
9. Draw quantitative facts.
10. Gain new knowledge about the topic
- Exit interview
The Exit Interview is conducted at the time an employee is separating from the organization. The main purpose of the exit interview is to determine the employee’s reason for departure.
Through this interview, the organization can get an effective feedback from the departing employee and can assess the weakness and the strength of a firm. It is often recommended to have a face-to-face interview with the departing employee in order to have an effective communication and to give him the sense of how important he was for the organization.
In case the employee is shy and is reluctant to give the feedback in person, then the mailed questionnaire is the best method to gain insight on his departure.
Organizations conducting the exit interview makes the existing employees feel good about the culture of an organization and a sense of being heard at their difficult time of separation.
Through the exit interview, the interviewer tries to ask all the questions from the interviewee to arrive at the definite reason for his departure.
- Halo Effect
Halo effect refers to cognitive bias, wherein the interviewer makes a judgement about the applicant’s overall potential for the performance of the job, considering a single characteristic, like the way he/she talks, sits, dresses, etc.
Interviews also have several shortcomings, such as lack of reliability, i.e. no two interviewers give similar points to an applicant after the interview. Further, lack of validity and biases of interviewers may also trouble interview.
Knowledge World 