An interview is a face-to-face meeting between two or more people where questions are asked to evaluate a person for a job or potential employment. Interviews can be structured, where questions are predetermined, or unstructured, where questions are more free-flowing. Interviews are used to assess a candidate's qualifications as well as soft skills like communication, problem-solving, and ability to work with others. There are different types of interviews that serve different purposes, such as stress interviews to evaluate performance under pressure or exit interviews for departing employees. Interviews provide useful information for hiring decisions but also have limitations like personal bias that interviewers must be aware of.
1. INTERVIEW Interview is a face to face interaction between two persons for a particular purpose. An interview is a purposeful exchange of ideas, the answering of questions and communication between two or more persons. A selection interview is a selection procedure designed to predict future job performance on the basis of applicant’s oral response to oral enquiries.
2. Objectives of Interview Judgment of Applicant Give information to the Applicant To establish a rapport Promote Goodwill Valuation tool Solve Problems Exit
3. TYPES OF INTERVIEW Classification according to Structure Classification according to the purpose Classification according to Interview’s content Classification according to administering the Interview
4. Classification according to Structure 1. Structured or Direct Interview In Structured interview the questions and acceptable responses are specified in advance and the responses are rated for appropriateness of content. Such interviews are also called standardised interviews as they are pre planned to a high degree of accuracy and precision.
5. 2. Unstructured or Indirect Interview The unstructured interview is not directed by questions or comments as to what the candidate should be asked. There is generally not set format, so the interview can take various directions as they develop. The candidate is encouraged to express himself on any topic of his interest, his expectations, background etc. The interviewers look for traits of character and nature of his aspirations and his strengths & weaknesses, potential etc.
6. Pros & Cons of Structured & Unstrucured Interview Structured interviews are more reliable & valid as all candidates are asked the same questions. Structured interviews enhance consistency across candidates Unstructured interviews leave the flexibility to pursue points of interest as they develop. They also help in assessing the clarity of thoughts of the candidate.
7. Classification according to Purpose of Interview Stress Interview Stress interviews aim to find out how a candidate behaves under stressful situations i.e. whether he loses his temper, or is frustrated. The interviewer adopts a hostile behaviour towards the candidate. He deliberately puts the candidate on the defensive by trying to annoy, embrass or frustrate him. He asks questions rapidly, criticizes his answers, interrupts him frequently, keeps silent for long time, makes derogatory remarks, accuses him of lying etc.
8. Pros & Cons of Stress Interview Good way to identify hypersensitive candidates who might be expected to over react to mild criticism with anger & abuse. Difficult to keep the interview under control. Useful for jobs where emotional stability & resistance to stress is required.
9. 2. Appraisal Interview An Appraisal interview is a discussion following a performance appraisal in which the supervisor & employee discuss the employee’s rating and possible remedial actions.
10. 3. Exit Interview When an employee leaves the company for any reason, an Exit interview is often conducted. It aims at eliciting information about the job or related matters that might give the employer a better insight into what is right or wrong about the company.
11. Classification according to Administering Interview One to One Interview Most interviews are administered one on one. As the name suggests two people meet alone, the interviewer interviews the candidate by seeking oral responses to oral candidates.
12. 2. Sequential Interview Here the applicant is interviewed by several persons in sequence before a selection decision is made. In an unstructured sequential interview, each interviewer may ask different questions & form an independent opinion about the applicant. In a structured sequential interview each interviewer rates the candidate on a standard evaluation form & ratings are compared before hiring decision is made.
13. 3.Group Interview Also known as GD’s, here groups rather than individuals are interviewed. A topic for discussion is given to a group. The candidates are carefully observed for leadership skills, participation in the group, team playing skills & communication skills. Such interview is based on the assumption that group behavior displayed is related to potential performance on the job.
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15. Candidates express their behavior freely without any fear as they are not directly interviewed but observed from far.
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17. Classification according to Interview’s content Situational Interview Here the interview will focus on the individual’s ability to project what his behavior will be in a given situation. The interview can be both structured & situational with predetermined questions requiring the candidate to project what his behaviour will be.
18. 2. Job-related Interview Here the interviewer tries to deduce what the applicant’s on the job performance would be, based on his answers about his past behaviors. Job related questions are asked to draw conclusions about the candidate’s ability to handle the job to be filled.
19. 3. Behavioural Interview Here a situation is described & candidates are asked how they have behaved in the past in such situation. While situational interviews ask candidates to describe how they would react to a situation in future, the behavioral interview seeks candidates to describe how did they react to situations in the past.
20. 4. Psychological Interviews Psychological Interviews are interviews conducted by a psychologist in which questions are intended to assess personal traits such as reliability or dependability etc.
