Interviewing

Interviewing: An interview is just an organised dialogue in which one person asks questions and the other responds. The term “interview” is often used to describe a one-on-one dialogue between an interviewer and an interviewee.

The interviewer asks questions to which the interviewee replies, generally so that the interviewee may contribute information to the interviewer, which can then be utilised or shared with other audiences, whether in real time or afterwards. Many forms of interviews have this aspect; for example, a job interview or an interview with a witness to an incident may have no other audience present at the moment, but the answers will be shared with others later in the employment or investigation process.

In a traditional interview, the “information” or responses may also be sent back and forth.

Although contemporary communications enable dialogues between people who are separated geographically, such as via videoconferencing software, and telephone interviews may happen without visual contact, most interviews take occur face-to-face and in person. A talk between two or more participants is usually always part of an interview. A “conversation” between two people who write their queries and replies may happen in certain cases.

Interviews may be unstructured, open-ended interactions with no preset agenda or questions, or highly organised conversations with particular questions asked in a certain sequence. They may take a variety of forms; for example, in a ladder interview, a respondent’s responses often direct future interviews, with the goal of uncovering a respondent’s hidden motivations. The interviewer usually has some manner of capturing the information gained from the subject, whether it’s with a pencil and paper or a video or audio recorder. Interviews are generally just a few minutes long and have a beginning and a conclusion.

The classic two-person interview method, often known as a one-on-one interview, allows for direct questions and follow-ups, allowing the interviewer to assess the accuracy and relevancy of replies more accurately. In the sense that following questions may be customised to explain past replies, it’s a flexible system. It also removes any potential distortion caused by the presence of other parties.

Face-to-face interviewing allows individuals to engage and create connections more easily, and it benefits both the possible employer and the potential recruit. In addition, face-to-face interviews might be more entertaining.

Interviews may take place in a number of settings:

Interviewing

(I) Workplace

In the context of work, interviews are sometimes referred to as job interviews, and they depict a formal consultation with the goal of assessing the interviewee’s credentials for a certain post. Interviews are seen to be an effective strategy for evaluating qualifications. A case interview is a sort of employment interview in which the candidate is given a topic, assignment, or challenge and is asked to solve the problem. Candidates are often given a mock interview to prepare for job interviews as a training exercise to prepare the responder to handle questions in the’real’ interview.

The interviews may occur in waves, with the first session being referred to as a screening interview since it is shorter in duration, followed by more in-depth interviews later on, generally by corporate executives who can eventually hire the candidate. Technology has opened up new avenues for interviewing; for example, video calling technology has allowed job seekers to interview for positions even if they are in different towns or countries than the interviewer.

(ii) Psychology

To better understand and support their patients, psychologists use a number of interviewing approaches and strategies. A psychiatrist, psychologist, or nurse asks a battery of questions during a psychiatric interview to complete a mental examination. An interviewer may interview two persons at the same time, a method known as pair interviews. Criminologists and police may occasionally conduct cognitive interviews with eyewitnesses and victims in order to determine what can be remembered particularly from a crime scene before the memories fade.

(iii) Conducting research

Interviews are used in a number of methods in marketing research and academic research to conduct detailed personality evaluations. In qualitative research, where companies aim to understand how customers think, interviews are often employed. Consumer research businesses may employ computer-assisted telephone interviewing to conduct highly organised telephone interviews with planned questions and replies immediately loaded into the computer.

(iv) Journalism and other forms of communication

Journalists who are reporting a story usually conduct phone and in-person interviews to gather material for later publication. Reporters also conduct televised interviews with government leaders and political candidates. In a talk show, a radio or television “host” interviews one or more persons about a subject that is generally selected by the presenter, sometimes for amusement, sometimes for knowledge. These kind of interviewing are often taped.

(v) Other circumstances

College officials or alumni may conduct institution interviews with prospective students to evaluate a student’s suitability while also providing the student with an opportunity to learn more about a college. Some companies specialise on interview preparation. Before granting student visa applications, embassy authorities may conduct interviews with candidates. Interrogation is a term used in legal settings to describe the process of interviewing.