Thursday / Friday January 3/ 4 introduction to interviews

introduction to interview unit : types of interviews and questions

Introduction to types of interviews and questions

IMPORTANT: you will need ear buds next Monday. 

Learning Target: I can analyze the purpose of information, so as to propel a conversation by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence, ensuring a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.

Class directions: 1. Read through the definition of an interview and the types of interviews.

                           2. Note specifically the objective behind the interview style

                           3. Please respond to the 7 questions that follow this information.

                            4. When you have finished the above, read the directions for back to back interviews.

                            5. Send along the interview questions and the "back to back" questions (part A and B) as one document.  

                            6. All work is due by midnight Friday, with the exception of those who receive extended time. 

                            Thank you.

What is interview? 

Meaning of interview: The word interview comes from Latin and middle French words meaning to “see between” or “see each other”. Generally, interview means a private meeting between people when questions are asked and answered. 

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.

Types of Interviews

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 interviewee 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 stress 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 formal is useful for those not practiced in interviewing.

Please send along your responses to the following questions, which are based upon the above information once you have completed parts A and B of the assignment.

A. 1. What type of interview would someone use on the telephone to elicit your thoughts on a particular product?

2. What type of interview would one have if called to Ms. Aspenleiter's office?

3. What type of interview would one have if the representative of a political candidate stopped you at the mall to talk about an impending election?

4. What type of interview would a couple have who wished to work out difficulties in their relationship?

5. What type of interview do the late night television hosts conduct?

6. What type of interview would the human resource representative conduct when someone is applying for a position in the company? 

7. What type of interview would the mayor of Gotham City give when discussing the latest crime wave?

B. BACK TO BACK INTERVIEWS:

Take a look at the following types of questions 

and especially the samples given. 

 1. Now select an historical figure.  This may be someone in realm of 

politics, sports or the arts; however, each has one thing in common: 

each is dead.  

2. Read a minimum of two sources about this individual. In this situation, Wikipedia is acceptable for one.  Create a citation for each, which should be listed at the end of your back to back interview.

The purpose is to have an understanding of this person's life, much as you would have the understanding of the context of a person or

situation prior to conducting any interview. 

 Now compose a list of questions asking two of each type of question listed below; that's a total of twelve questions. (That's a total of 12.)

 They should be rich, pithy in depth questions. Your deceased interviewee will not be responding. The goal is in asking insightful questions, so as to elicit honest, thoughtful responses. 

Below is a model of how the questions should be framed.

Note the following questions clearly demonstrate that I have read some background material on James Baldwin.

 As an example,  here is a chronological question I might ask James Baldwin:

Mr. Baldwin, you said that: "Once I found myself on the other side of the ocean, I see where I came from very clearly...I am the grandson of a slave, and I am a writer. I must deal with both." Could you explain to me how your reconciled the legacy of slavery with your writing career?

or a suggestive question:

How might your life have been different if you had not met Richard Wright?

or an explanation question:

How did you come to a personal realization that one's sexuality is fluid?

Again: Send along both the interview questions for part A and the 12  "back to back" questions from your interview with your departed individual by midnight on Friday. Include the two cited sources  on your document. Have fun. 

 
 Note that the sample styles of questions: basic,

explanation, justification, suggestive, choice and 

chronological.