What is interview

Each panel member then rates each interviewee on such dimensions as work history, motivation, creative thinking, and presentation. The scoring procedure for oral interview boards has typically been subjective; thus, it would be subject to the personal biases of those individuals sitting on the board. This technique may not be feasible for jobs in which there are a large number of applicants that must be interviewed.

In a one-on-one interview, one interviewer meets one candidate. In a typical employment interview, the applicant meets one-on-one with an interviewer. As the interview may be a highly emotional occasion for the applicant, meeting alone with the interviewer is often less threatening. It is a procedure for the discovery of leadership. Several job applicants are placed in a leaderless discussion, and interviewers sit in the background to observe and evaluate the performance of the candidates. The panel poses a problem and then watches to see which candidate takes the lead in formulating an answer.

Here, neither party needs to worry about appearance or handshakes, so each can focus on substantive answers. Or perhaps candidates — somewhat surprised by an unexpected call from the recruiter — give more spontaneous answers.

Personal Interview is interviews are one-on-one ; in which the candidate meets privately with a single interviewer. The rest of this section focuses primarily on the one-on-one scenario. It is an interview in which each interviewer forms an independent opinion after asking different questions.

It is an interview in which each interviewer rates the candidates on a standard evaluation form. The top-level manager then reviews and compares the evaluations before deciding who to hire. Other nonverbal means of rendering assistance are equally significant. Because such utterances provide no direct interpretation, they are received as the interviewee wants to receive them. He then emphasizes or magnifies the point as he sees fit. A succinct summary of information from time to time not only allows for clarity in the communication process but also gives the informant a mirror of just what has occurred.

Alterations can be made easily by the interviewee once he hears what he has said. In the final stage, a precise statement of what was agreed on or of the general conclusions reached often allows for a reduction of confusion. When details or figures have been discussed, the summary can often be in the form of a written memorandum. If the interviewer wants to be sure of what the interviewee communicated or to check on whether the interviewee really understood the data discussed, he can ask him to write the memorandum.

The tools of the interviewer are his questions. They should be used with dispatch and yet with the utmost care. Sarcasm or obscure humor should be avoided unless the interviewer is positive that the interviewee perceives them as such. Through the judicious use of questions, the skilled interviewer not only obtains information but also guides the talk along productive lines.

Leading questions or questions designed with built-in responses are usually not very effective. Similarly, the double negative type of interrogation is to be shunned as it tends to evoke anxiety.

To avoid slipping into such traps, even the best interviewer should review his questioning techniques from time to time. Thus, self-analyzing by tape recording or by having a third person observe an interview for diagnostic purposes can prevent poor techniques from developing into set procedures. This process may be extended to the use of video tape recordings with proportionately more significant results. In a research project that concentrated on questioning techniques, I analyzed the recordings of about interviews held for the purpose of selecting job applicants, appraising executive performance, or counseling employees in their careers.

One of the conclusions from this study is this: successful interviewers as evaluated by information obtained utilize at the outset of the interview a pattern of broad, general questions. Apparently this allows the respondent to answer with information which he feels is important, as well as providing him the opportunity to expand into areas that he deems to be of vital concern.

Once this information is released, the interviewer can sharpen the focus with specific questions eliciting short answers. It seems that silence in our society is to be avoided at virtually all times and all places. Unfortunately, this feeling affects the interview. Usually fear of silence is felt most by the inexperienced interviewer.

All too often he tends to put forth another question while the respondent is meekly attempting to formulate his own thoughts into a logical reply—all just to keep the air filled with words.

The tendency to hurry questions and answers is compounded by the distorted sense of time that people get during an interview. To understand the amount of distortion, one research group carried out such simple tests as stopping a conversation for a short period. Consequently, the interviewer in particular should be cautious of pushing forward too quickly. Not only may the words fall far short of the desired goal, but also they may convey misunderstandings.

Allowances for the ever-present failures in semantics must constantly be made, and further interrogation conducted, in order that a clear approximation of the true meaning be obtained. The often posed maxim to the effect that we hear what we wish to hear does not appear at first glance to be a profound statement. Yet it summarizes the mechanics that lie behind poor listening techniques. Individual biases and attitudes as well as role perceptions and stereotyping all contribute to the phenomenon of selective perception.

Thus, in order to obtain the best possible information, it is necessary that one be aware of his own particular filters that tend to impede if not prevent clear and relatively undistorted reception of information. It is possible to hear at the rate of from to words per minute over sustained periods. The result is a surplus of thinking time over listening time.

The manner in which this surplus time is utilized varies, of course, with the individual. One result is that he makes assumptions about the respondent and his information that are compatible not so much with the interviewee as with what the interviewer has already concluded about the interviewee. Suffice it to say that it is altogether more rewarding to spend this extra time in formulating hypotheses, which later can be confirmed or denied as more information is revealed, or in constructing a frame of reference for the on-going interview, which allows acquired information to be categorized easily as it is given.

The information that is gathered should be approached and analyzed from two points of reference: the objective and the subjective. Content —This term refers, of course, to the factual presentation—what is actually being said and whether or not it is reliable. The overview of the interview or the pattern of the total situation must be firmly grasped and then noted.

In addition, it would seem that the following items are valuable in evaluating information—. Words take on different meanings when differentiated along these lines. Form can be subdivided into verbal what is heard and into nonverbal what is observed content.

Nonverbal expressions are perhaps the purest kind of information transmitted, since they are the most difficult to mask or disguise. By developing an awareness of and a sensitivity to such signals as when a certain fact was mentioned, what prompted the mention, how it was presented, and so forth, the skilled interviewer takes a most useful if not an essential step.

Indeed, this awareness might well be extended to include the nonverbal transmissions of the interviewer himself. In evaluating information from a subjective point of view, the interviewer is attempting primarily to assess feelings and attitudes. It is often argued that these intangibles have no obvious place in an interview that takes place in a business environment. Yet, even though it is impossible to determine exactly how feelings and attitudes do influence the information transmitted, it is nonetheless crucially necessary that one be fully aware of the fact that these intangibles are powerful, active agents in creating opinions.

When you need to ascertain everything about the interviewee right from life history, academic qualifications, work experiences, hobbies, and interests; you conduct the depth interview. Here the interviewer has a clear idea about the questions he will be asking but once the question is asked, he allows the conversation to flow and is more of a listener.

This interview takes time and more of a friendly approach of the interviewer towards the interviewee. Very rare, but such interviews are conducted to see how the candidate will be able to react in stressful situations and to assess if he will be able to handle the crisis at his job. This interview is conducted over the phone and its main objective is to narrow down the probable list of candidates so that only the most eligible ones finally get shortlisted.

This is done in the initial stages and before the personal interview. Also when the candidate is far-off, the company first conducts a telephonic interview and if satisfied then arranges the travel expenses for a one-to-one interview. This interview may be was done by instant messaging, online chats, email or through videos. This involves the interviewer asking questions just like in a personal interview. This is done based on situations like if the interviewee resides far-off or if the interview at the appointed time gets cancelled due to valid reasons.

Also, it is more convenient for the interviewer that he can fix the interview at his spare time and convey the message to the candidate a few hours before or so. Here the interviewer does a mini-interview to know the qualifications and the technical knowledge.

Then basic technical questions are asked to know if the candidate can proceed further for the main interview. This is a very short interview to net only the potential candidates. This interview is more of a conversational interview mainly designed so that the interviewer gets to know more about the candidate. This also helps the interviewer to assess how the candidate conducts himself in a less-formal environment and how he presents himself.

This is the same as a lunch interview but only that it differs in the time limit. Here the interviewee gets less time to prove himself. The interviewer here has a structured format for questioning since there is a time limit. Example: Interview for positions in the fashion and glamour industry and sales posts. Here the candidate is a novice and the interview is a very formal one with general questions and some skill related questions being asked.

In this interview, a fixed set of questions are asked and a scoring system evaluates the points scored. This type of interview negates the scope of the personal bias of the interviewer. This is for an employee of the company seeking a higher position for career enhancement purposes. When employees are called and their problems and solutions are discussed within the organization, such meeting type interviews are called counselling interviews.

Here an individual or number of employees or sometimes the employee union is interviewed for their misconduct or non-performance. This is more sort of a meeting between the manager and the employees to get the problem resolved. The interviewee here has to persuade the interviewer to accept his point of view as in case of an employee persuading his manager to implement some changes in the policy or a sales manager persisting on selling a product. The job of an interviewer spans from preparing the right set of questions to assessing the answers of the candidates and then finally selecting the best candidate for the job.

So then what are the guidelines for effective interviewing for interviewers or employers? Review the bio-data clearly before the interview process. Know the candidate, his qualifications, his experiences, and his skill sets. This will give you an idea of the line of questions to be asked to the candidate. Note down all the questions you need to ask so that they help you in getting an assessment of the candidate.

Ask questions related to the role and responsibilities the post needs and see if the candidate is ready to assume the roles responsibly. Know how you will go about the process of interviewing the candidates. Make a structured plan so that you are able to review the candidate properly. See to it that you ask appropriate questions.