EMPLOYMENT
INTERVIEW STYLES
The
interview is the primary technique for information gathering during
the systems analysis phases of a development project. It is a skill
which must be mastered by every analyst. The interviewing skills of
the analyst determine what information is gathered, and the quality
and depth of that information. Interviewing, observation, and
research are the primary tools of the analyst. (Modell,
2007)
Information Gathering Interview
An
information gathering interview is an opportunity for interviewing an
individual involved in an activity of interest. This interview should
last for about 15 to 20 minutes at the most. It is not a job
interview and this should be made clear while making the request for
interview. This type of interview substantiates the information
already possessed. Moreover information of more up to-date
nature can be extracted and more can be learned about the subjective
aspect of interested activity. Such interviews provide familiarity
with similar situations and help in developing assertive skills.
Before holding an interview one should be prepared for it in the
sense that one should exactly know what kind of information is
required. While making arrangements for interview it should be
clearly spelled out that this interview is for gathering information
which will help in decision making regarding some interest or some
alternatives. Request about 15 to 20 minutes of interview time. While
interviewing, watch out for gestures which might indicated exhaustion
and request to be relieved or it might so happen that the person
being interviewed wants to talk about more than you had planned;
listen patiently, you might get some extra useful information out of
it. (The New York Times Company, 2009)
Following
is a list of questions from which the appropriate questions may be
asked:
What are
the activities and responsibilities connected with your job? Could
you describe your job routine for a typical day or week?
What
training, skills and/or education does your job/occupation require?
Do the training requirements vary from one employer to another?
What
classes, projects, volunteer or work experiences would you suggest a
student seek who is interested in this field?
What is
the most valuable thing you learned in university/college related to
this career?
How did
you get your first job?
Knowing
what you know now, would you follow the same path again? Why or why
not?
What do
you find is the most/least rewarding about you job?
What
would you look for if you were interviewing someone for your job?
What is
the usual pattern of job progression for people in your occupation?
What
other jobs or career paths could someone with your educational
background pursue?
Are
there opportunities for further education and/or professional
development with this position?
Would
you advise people to enter this career area? Why or why not?
What is
the job outlook in this career area?
How
competitive is entry into your field?
What
advice would you give someone considering this occupation or field?
If
someone were interested in this field, how would you suggest they
get more information to help them determine whether they would enjoy
this work?
Is there
anyone else you might suggest speaking to about this career?
Remember
to thank the person at the end of the interview. Go over the
questions once again and see if any might need to be reiterated. Keep
a notebook, binder, or file of all your contracts/interviews.
Include: interviewers name, title, address, date, and place of
meeting, notes on the interview, actions planned as a result,
referrals given, and copies of correspondence. (Saint
Mary's University, 2009)
Employment
Interview
Employment
interviews are of two categories; screening and hiring or selection
interview. Screening interview is meant to qualify a candidate before
the candidate get to see the hiring authority. It’s a process
of short-listing and weeding out candidates. These interviews are
short and quick and result in a shortened list of candidates. These
interviews prove to be feasible and economical by eliminating
unqualified candidates. For a face-to-face interview, the interviewer
is normally a third party recruiter or someone from HR department;
the gatekeepers of a company. They are experienced and professional
interviewers and are expert at interviewing and screening. These
interviews should be effective in judging character, intelligence and
if the candidate is fit for the company’s culture. These
interviews should also prove good in identifying candidate’s
problem areas in professional background and qualifications. Other
than face-to-face these interviews are also conducted via phone and
computer. (The New York Times Company, 2009)
Hiring
or selection interviews are more traditional than screening
interviews. During these interviews, candidates also get a chance to
ask the employer about job suitability. These interviews are normally
conducted in office environment and could have one of the several
formats.
One-on-one
interviews follow a traditional pattern in which the candidate meets
the employer in person. Each candidate is asked specific questions
which are loosely structured. By the end, the candidate and the
employer, both are skeptical about the result.
In
serial interviews a candidate is passed over from one
interviewer to other. This is normally done over a course of a day.
No decision is taken until the final interview is over and all the
interviewers had reviewed each others’ notes. The process can
last for more than a day or several days.
In
sequential interviews a candidate meets one or more
interviewers on one-on-one basis and the process can last for weeks
or maybe months. With each interview the candidate learns more about
the job, the company and maybe about the offer as well.
In
panel interviews a candidate appears before a panel of
interviewers. Candidates are evaluated on interpersonal skills,
qualifications, and their ability to think. This type of interview
can be intimidating for a candidate. The candidate should focus on
one or two key members and control their reaction. It is important to
make eye contact and communicate individually with each member of the
panel.
In
a group interviews, a candidates are interviewed as a group of
candidates at the same time. This type of interviews let the company
identify candidates with leadership potential and style. The
interviewer wants to view what tools of persuasion the candidate
uses. Does the candidate use logical reasoning and rational thinking.
An interviewer may call on the candidate to discuss an issue with the
other candidates, solve a problem collectively, or discuss the
candidate's qualifications in front of other candidates.
(The New York Times Company, 2009)
Performance
Appraisal Interview
Total
Quality Management (TQM) movement by public and private organizations
has stimulated an attack upon the formal performance appraisal
process in general, and, more specifically, upon the performance
appraisal interview itself. Scholars and managers who are TQM
advocates suggest that the adoption of TQM reduces, modifies, or even
eliminates the need for the formal performance appraisal process and
the interview itself. (Kikoski, 1999)
Apparently,
performance appraisal interview is a simple management tool but
experience has demonstrated it to be the opposite. Some members of
the management avoid this crucial task, while others experience
anxiety and discomfort doing it. Despite strong pressures, managers
are often reluctant about the appraisal interview. They often dislike
the face-to-face encounter and feel unskilled in performing the vital
appraisal interview into which all prior efforts flow. Encouraging
effective face-to-face communication basically begins by nonverbally
"attending" to another individual. In the performance
appraisal interview this means that the superior sits with a slight,
but comfortable forward lean of the upper body trunk, maintains eye
contact, and speaks in as steady, warm and soothing a voice as
possible. Engaging in such behavior may seem unnecessary, and even
outlandish at first. Until one learns that Ray Birdwhistell, a
pioneering scholar in the field, estimated that 65-70% of all
face-to-face communication is nonverbal. (Birdwhistell, 1970)
New
techniques in conducting appraisal interviews include, open and
closed questions, paraphrasing, reflection of feelings and careful
observation for feedback. These interviews are still a weak area in
the process of performance appraisal and we need a new theoretical
model of interpersonal communication to address this challenge.
(Kikoski, 1999)
Listening
Informative
listening takes a lot of information with full concentration and thus
helps one understand the message being given. Because of intensity of
effort in taking most of the information, the message is understood
almost close to what is intended. This is the best way to learn and
an ideal kind of listening. While imbibing what is given by the
teachers or while taking instructions from the superiors or when the
subordinate is explaining the problem he is facing, the listener
engages himself in informative listening. Informative listening
requires a lot of attention. Informative listening is the first stage
of positive listening from which other kinds of listening like
attentive listening, evaluative listening, empathic listening etc
originate. Informative listening requires good vocabulary,
concentration and memory so as to be effective in achieving its
purpose. (Raman, 2006)
In
evaluative listening, the listener either assesses the value of the
message or compares it with what is usually considered the best. He
may do this either simultaneously while listening or by stopping for
while. Since evaluation takes place in this kind of listening, the
listener may decide either to continue listening or turn away from
the listening. Alternately, he may engage himself in framing the
statement of rebuttal. Hence evaluative listening may lead to either
positive or negative outcome depending on the open-mindedness and
intellect of the listener. (Meesala, 2007)
Empathic
listening, which is also known as 'sensitive listening' is the
opposite of projective listening in that only the speaker's view is
taken predominantly while that of the listener is either completely
ignored or given less importance. If a proper balance between two
views is struck, it could be classified as positive. Owing to
dominance of only speaker's view, it has to be termed as negative
listening and hence needs to be improved. Being too empathetic with
others may leave the broader perspective to winds or lead to listener
being exploited. But there are some features of this type of
listening. They include building of trust, facilitating release of
emotions, reducing of tensions, creating of positive climate for
negotiations etc. The listeners must attend, support and empathize
with the speaker. Since empathetic listening build relationships, it
can also be called 'relationship listening'. Prof. Asha Kaul opines
that empathetic listening coupled with active would prove to be the
ideal listening wherein the objectives of the message are served the
best. (Kaul, 2004)
Bibliography
Birdwhistell,
Ray (1970). Kinesics and Context: Essays on Body Motion
Communication. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
FAO.
(1997). FAO Corporate Document Repository. Retrieved April 8,
2009, from FAO Corporate Document Repository Web site:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/W7505E/w7505e03.htm#TopOfPage
Kaul Asha,
Business Communication, Prentice Hall of India, New Delhi, 2004,p.41.
Kikoski, J.
(1999, Summer99). Effective Communication In The Performance
Appraisal Interview: Face-To-Face Communication for Public Managers
In the Culturally Diverse Workplace. Public Personnel Management,
28(2), 301. Retrieved April 7, 2009, from Business Source
Elite database.
Meesala,
D. (2007, December 15). Knowledge of Types of Listening - The Key To
Understanding and Being Understood. Retrieved April 8, 2009, from
http://ezinearticles.com/?Knowledge-of-Types-of-Listening---The-Key-To-Understanding-and-Being-Understood&id=882125
Modell,
M. E. (2007). A Professional's Guide to Systems Analysis (2nd
Edition ed.). New York, NY, United States of America: McGraw-Hill
Book Company.
Raman, Meenakshi
and Singh, Prakash, Business Communication, Oxford University Press,
New Delhi,2006, p.98.
Saint
Mary's University. (2009). Information Gathering Interview. Career
Services .
The
New York Times Company. (2009). About.com: Human Resources.
Retrieved April 8, 2009, from Interviewing Styles:
http://humanresources.about.com/cs/selectionstaffing/a/interviews.htm
University
of Calgary. (2001). Counselling Center. Retrieved April 8,
2009, from University of Calgary Web site:
http://www.ucalgary.ca/counselling/careerdevelopment/
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