TYPES OF INTERVIEWS Fundamentals of Research CSS 506 2003/06 Materials Assembled by Dr.

Bill McLaughlin using the following references: Dillman, D. A. (2000). Mail and internet surveys The tailored design method (2nd edition). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Flick, U. (1998). An introduction to qualitative research. Thousand Oaks, CA.: SAGE Publications, Inc. Gubrium, J. F. & Holstein, J. A. (eds.) (2003). Postmodern interviewing. Thousand Oaks, CA.: SAGE Publications, Inc. Reis, H. T. & Judd, C. M. (eds.) (2000). Handbook of research methods in social and personality psychology. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Taylor, S. T. & Bogdan, R. (1998). Introduction to qualitative research methods 3rd edition). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. . Structured Interview Description and/or Aim of interview: Normally, structured interviews are done in a face-to-face format or via telephone using a standard set of questions to obtain data that can be aggregated because identical questions have been asked of each participant. Nature of questioning route: fixed, given order, very standardized Type of question format/structure: Open-ended Closed-ended with ordered response choices Closed-ended with unordered response choices Partially closed-ended Role of probing: Little or none, perhaps only repeating or clarifying instructions Aims of Analysis: Aggregate data across participants and hopefully be able to project data from a sample to a target population. Open-ended data, which usually consists of phrases, sentences and short paragraphs is usually subjected to content analysis and notions of inter-rater reliability are employed.

Semi-structured Interview Description and/or aim of interview: More or less open-ended questions are brought to the interview situation in the form of an interview guide (Flick, 1998 p. 94). From the beginning the focus is on gaining an understanding based on textual information obtained. The level of depth of understanding that the researcher pursues is used to characterize this type of interview. Nature of questioning route: flexible, but usually a given set of questions is covered, varying levels of standardization Type of question format/structure: Open-ended, yet directed at obtaining particular information (content, topic, aspects of theory, etc.) In some cases, closed-ended style of questions are used Role of probing: Get the participant to expand upon their answer, give more details, add additional perspectives Aims of Analysis: The method starts with the assumption that flexibility is needed in order that participants are not restricted by standardized questions and closed-ended structured answering formats. Qualitative analysis can be focused on coding text to identify ranges of responses often categorized according to themes, named code categories. It also can focus on describing events, situations, people or providing information sought from asking a particular question. Normally, the goal is not to aggregate data across respondents, but rather explore things like similarities and differences of ranges across voices. Standard practices of content analysis maybe employed as well as more qualitative approaches to data analysis such as open and axial coding. Coded Semi-structured Interview (CSSI) Handbook of Research Methods in Social and Personality Psychology Description and/or aim of interview: Expert coders make judgments about particular psychological constructs and a flexible semistructured interview method is used to generate information from which to make these judgments (Reis & Judd (eds.) p.286) Normally, these approaches begin with a theory as opposed to the idea of theory generation. It is over all much more quantitative in its orientation. Nature of questioning route: flexible, but usually a given set of questions is covered, varying levels of standardization are employed to obtain textual information about a particular construct. Only questions that aid the researcher in understanding the construct of interest are asked. Type of question format/structure: Open-ended, yet directed at obtaining particular information (content, topic, aspects of theory, etc.) In some cases, closed-ended style of questions are used Role of probing: Get the participant to expand upon their answer, give more details, and add additional perspectives to construct of interest

Aims of Analysis: Expert raters using a codebook code the textual material obtained from interviewees. In fact, the development and implementation of a reliable coding system is a dominant element of this approach. Training interviewers and coders is a big part of this approaches effort to enhance validity and reliability. Unstructured Interview Description and/or Aim of interview: Normally, unstructured interviews are done in a face-to-face format and some would say you are trying to get participants to share stories. The researcher starts from a position of wanting to be sensitive to how participants construct their views and perspectives of things. Therefore, a goal is to allow the participants structure to dominate. Nature of questioning route: ask questions to get people to talk about constructs/variables of interest to the researcher. Type of question format/structure: Open-ended descriptive Reactions to a given situation presented by the researcher Role of probing: Simply to get the participant of talk about a topic area, normally probing questions are not directed, but rather asked to encourage the participant to keep talking or to get back to the subject of interest. Aims of Analysis: Rich, in-depth textual data is what is available for analysis which usually consists of some approach to coding such as the open, axial and selective coding as described by Strauss and Corbin (1990). Also, it is common to see discourse analysis techniques employed to analyze this type of rich textual data. Emerging approaches to interviewing: Internet Interviewing using computer-mediated communication (CMC) direct ongoing interview via keyboards using Asynchronous CMC (e.g. e-mail) or Synchronous CMC (e.g., yahoo messenger service-real-time chat). Group interviews using guided/facilitated processes varying in focus from unstructured to structured.
Before you go on your interview, you should realize there are several common types of job interviews. You will definitely want to inquire what type of job interview you will be going on beforehand so you can best prepare for it. Don't be afraid to ask your recruiter what type of job interview will be conducted, as it serves both of you and the interviewer to know. In this article, I am going to discuss the six of the most common types of job interviews.

1. Traditional one on one job interview

The traditional one on one interview is where you are interviewed by one representative of the company, most likely the manager of the postion you are applying for. Because you will be working with this person directly if you get the job, he/she will want to get a feel for who you are and if your skills match those of the job requirements. You may be asked questions about the experience on your resume, what you can offer to the company or position. Many times the interviewer will ask you questions such as "Why would you be good for this job?" or "Tell me about yourself." The one on one interview is by far, one of the most common types of job interviews.

2. Panel Interview
In a panel interview, you will be interviewed by a panel of interviewers. The panel may consist of different representatives of the company such as human resources, management, and employees. The reason why some companies conduct panel interviews is to save time or to get the collective opinion of panel regarding the candidate. Each member of the panel may be responsible for asking you questions that represent relevancy from their position.

3. Behavioral Interview
In a behavioral interview, the interviewer will ask you questions based on common situations of the job you are applying for. The logic behind the behavioral interview is that your future performance will be based on a past performance of a similar situation. You should expect questions that inquire about what you did when you were in XXX sitation and how did you dealt with it. In a behavioral interview, the interviewer wants to see how you deal with certain problems and what you do to solve them.

4. Group Interview
Many times companies will conduct a group interview to quickly prescreen candidates for the job opening as

well as give the candidates the chance to quickly learn about the company to see if they want to work there. Many times, a group interview will begin with a short presentation about the company. After that, they may speak to each candidate individually and ask them a few questions. One of the most important things the employer is observing during a group interview, is how you interact with the other candidates. Are you emerging as a leader or are you more likely to complete tasks that are asked of you? Neither is necessarily better than the other, it just depends on what type of personality works best for the position that needs to be filled.

5. Phone Interview
A phone interview may be for a position where the candiate is not local or for an initial prescreening call to see if they want to invite you in for an in-person interview. You may be asked typical questions or behavioral questions. Most of the time you will schedule an appointment for a phone interview. If the interviewer calls unexpectedly, it's ok to ask them politely to schedule an appointment. On a phone interview, make sure your call waiting is turned off, you are in a quiet room, and you are not eating, drinking or chewing gum.

6. Lunch Interview
Many times lunch interviews are conducted as a second interview. The company will invite you to lunch with additional members of the team to further get to know you and see how you fit in. This is a great time to ask any questions you may have about the company or postition as well, so make sure you prepare your questions in advance. Although you are being treated to a meal, the interview is not about the food. Don't order anything that is too expensive or messy to eat. Never take your leftovers home in a doggy bag either. You want to have your best table manners and be as neat as possible. You don't need to offer to pay, it is never expected for a candidate to pay at a lunch interview. Chew quietly and in small bites so you don't get caught with a mouthful of food when the recruiter asks you a question. So, now you have an idea of these six common types of job interviews. However, no matter what type of job interview you go on, always do your best to prepare for it the best you can ahead of time so you can do your best and show them the best of who you are.

Stress interview
The idea of this type of interview is to stress the interviewee and see how he/she reacts. There are many ways to achieve this:

A one to one interview is perhaps the most used method. An interviewer creates a hostile atmosphere by not showing any interest towards the interviewee answers, not trusting some answers given, suddenly leaving the office or picking up the phone in the middle of a

conversation, not looking at the candidate or asking questions in a sarcastic or challenging way. The main idea is to check on the interviewee`s response, check if he/she goes emotional. Many interviewers that can interview the candidate one by one or all at the same time is other way to create stress, by constantly intimidating the applicant and, again, checking on his/her response. A presentation in front of both staff member and other candidates is valid to create a stressful environment.

This interviewing technique should be used when the work-environment is indeed stressing or hostile but a company should be very careful when applying this type of interviews since it can create a permanent hostile relationship between the candidate and the company or sometimes (if applied incorrectly) can make excellent prospects to refuse the job vacant.

Tips for Interviewers:

Make the candidate unnecessarily wait for the interview to start. Make the candidate hurry for the interview. Be argumentative or a little rude towards the candidate. Be sarcastic or arrogant. Be negative by telling the prospect you think he/she may not be the person the company is looking for. Check for over reactions on the interviewee side. Check how calm the interviewee can remain. Check if the candidate gives different answers if you ask him/her the same question many times. Check for the candidates body language. Remember that in a Stress Interview the most important thing is the reaction, not the answer!

SCREENING INTERVIEW
Screening interviews help narrow down the list of candidates so the next one-on-one interview is much more efficient. They are considered the gates before taking the next step into a more formal interview. The idea is to get a "feeling" of how well the candidate meets the requirements of the company. A Screening interview usually means that the candidate has passed the first general application selection and now the company needs to check if he/she is ready for a major step. It is the least formal form of a one-on-one interview and it helps the company save time and money through the selection process. It is usually conducted by a member of the Human Resources department. These interviewers are usually very experienced and familiar with interviews, selection processes and identifying potential weaknesses in the applicants profile. There are different ways to conduct a Screening Interview: Face to face, telephone meeting, online conference, video conference.

Methods:
Computer Screening Interview: A simple way to narrow down candidate listing. It can be done through an online conference and sometimes a multiple-choice testing is possible (knowledge or IQ

based). Phone Screening Interview: Another simple way to narrow down the list of candidates before having a face-to-face interview. Applicants are told if they passed this interview. Usually a number of specific questions (job-related) are asked.

Face-to-Face Screening Interview: Simple, though it requires more

time than the methods listed above.

Tips for Interviewers:

Do not take too long in this interview. Look for the strong candidates; you will need solid reasons to be sure the candidate you will choose is ready for the next step. Keep in mind that there is a lot of competition involved in this type of interview and selection process. At some point the selection and interviewing process is not really about qualifying application, it may be more about disqualifying them. Salary expectations matter, since many unemployed people do not feel comfortable taking jobs that pay less than their previous jobs. Always ask candidates about their day-to-day routine and duties, this will help you a lot when grading applications. This interview has a great deal to do with technical skills and very specific characteristics.

Perhaps the most typical interview. Takes place with two people: The Interviewer and the interviewee. The general idea of this type of interview is to decide if the candidate is the person the company is looking for and, of course, if the company meets the personal and professional requirements of the candidate. In order to have a successful One to One Interview both parts must be prepared. A good interviewer should be able to analyze and assess not only the interviewees professional background and education but also his/her personality. Thus, an interviewer should ask the right questions in order to gather the necessary information. Questions asked should be 100% related to the information you need to gather and dont forget that as an interviewer you need to be confident and make your interviewee feel comfortable, otherwise you may not get the right attitude and answers, not only wasting valuable time but also making the candidate uninterested in the position.

Tips for interviewers:

Read body language from the very moment you meet the candidate. Check manners. Clothes should be the right ones for the type of interview and company. Questions should be general and technical. The candidate should support his/her answers with examples of previous achievements. Trust your intuition. Expect a thank-you letter. Take into account school accomplishments in case your interviewee does not have much professional background.

Lunch interview
Most types of interviews can be difficult and stressing for most interviewees, but lunch interviews are specially complicated since the candidate you interview will not only have to be careful with every single detail that comes with a normal interview, he will also have to show manners. Question is how are yours? Remember that, when not constantly applied, manners are easily lost, so check them out next time you go out for a meal and correct things, if necessary. These are some of the things to be considered during a Lunch Interview:

Manners:

Remember that politeness at the table is important, it is an interview, but the way an applicant talks and refers to the waiter/waitress and staff in general can tell you a lot about the person who wants to work for you. Pay attention to general table manners (people dont chew and talk at the same time, smoke while youre eating or put the elbows on the table).

What to order:

The best options on the menu are the ones that keep people clean and the ones you dont have to grab with your hands during an interview. A lunch interview is not about the most delicious menu option, it is all about the safe menu option. Dont forget to avoid onion and garlic! The interviewee should order food that has the same price range as the one you order. In case you want him/her to take the first step then he/she should order something that is average priced.

The Doggy Bag:

Since you scheduled an appointment it is you who should always get the bill. A doggy bag is definitely not appropriate. Check for your interviewee to show politeness as he/she says goodbye and to finally let you know his/her interest in the position.

Tips for Interviewers:

Remember a lunch interview is not so different from a regular interview; main difference is that there are more details to take into account. Clothing should always be the appropriate one for an interview. If the interviewee arrives early he/she shouldnt be drinking while waiting for you. If you have an alcoholic drink it is not a bad thing that the applicant gets your same drink (after all, he/she will take you as a guide during lunch). When you are ready to leave, everyone leaves. The candidate should always pay more attention to you than to his/her lunch. You should expect a thank-you note from the candidate mentioning lunch.

Make a list of topics you would like to discuss during lunch, remember that a lunch interview is longer than a regular one and you dont want to run out of questions. The fact that you are done with your meal doesnt mean interview is over, keep your eyes open.

COMMITTEE INTERVIEW
In a Committee Interview (also known as a Panel Interview) many applicants and members of the staff (representing the interview panelists) sit around a conference table so the question-answer process starts. The staff members direct the questions and the applicants` answers are compared. This type of interview is becoming more and more popular; the only disadvantage of Committee Interviews is that it is stressful since there are many interviewers involved. It is more likely for large companies/organizations to use this type of interview and the Committee usually has from 2 to 8 people.

There are different advantages when it comes to Committee Interviews:

They are reliable, since the staff members represent different aspects and areas of the company. They get the same answer from the applicant and assess it from different important perspectives. They save a lot of time because of the serial-interviewing process. They help discard many of the applications, thus, making the one-to-one interviewing process more efficient. It gives a great opportunity to see how the staff works together.

There are many formats included:

Skeet Shoot Format: The applicant is asked a series of different questions from different panelists in order to test his/her ability to handle stress and think clearly. Presentation Format: The applicant makes a presentation of a given topic to the entire committee. Role Format: The members of the committee ask different questions (position-related) to the candidates. Questions have different categories, for example, a member of the committee asks a question about management, another asks a question about human resources, another asks a question about customer service, etc.

Tips for interviewers:

Check on how familiar with the company the candidates are and how much research they have done before going for the interview. See how confident the candidates are, if they use the names of the panelists and focus on their answers. Check if the candidates write notes down, this means they are taking many things into account. Check the body language of each candidate. Remember what candidates talk about their experiences and ask questions during the interview.

Make sure that every member of the staff understands their role in the meeting.

GROUP INTERVIEW

During this type of interview, interviewers and interviewees stay together in a meeting room and both, interaction and behavior of interviewees, are evaluated. Number of interviewers is relative, sometimes there may be only one person (a supervisor or manager) and sometimes it involves more people (staff, human resources manager and supervisors). Other skills that are evaluated during the interview are leadership, communication, delegation and analyzing and solving skills. The interview is conducted through a presentation about the company with detailed information on the position applicants are seeking. Sometimes a work drill is held (in order to assess planning skills, ability to organize and work in team as well as the ability to influence co-workers) by introducing applicant to a problem that has to be solved in team, a questions and answers session is also typical with these interviews. Individual questions are also asked and individual knowledge is valued. In some cases hypothetical situations are presented and candidates are evaluated during the process of arguing and influencing other candidates and interviewers. These interviews are popular because they help the company save a lot of time by evaluating applicants in a fast and reliable way. Once the potential candidates for the position are chosen a second interview (one on one) is held.

Tips:

Check who arrives early and who arrives late. Surprise factor is important, check how people manage it! Do not forget to introduce yourself and see who does. The way interviewees manage stress is fundamental. Check for candidates that take criticism and give a constructive feedback. Check for people that have an idea of the company and the position offered. Check for power conflicts. Remember a potential candidate must look confident and participative but not dominating and aggressive. Check for applicants that interrupt applicants and applicants that listen and praise other candidates for their opinions. Check for body language. Applicants that pay attention and have a good thinking usually make the most interesting questions. Look for active people. Remember those applicants who thanked you and said good bye before leaving.

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TELEPHONE INTERVIEW
The best way for a company to make the best out of time and costs is by interviewing candidates on the phone, especially when candidates live out of town or abroad. It is true that a recruiter cannot find the best candidate on the phone but this method definitely narrows the options, and only the selected candidates are invited to a one-on-one interview. Telephone interviews rarely last more than 30 minutes. Another reasons to go for a job interview is to get a better idea of the candidates personality and to test him/her if the job has to do with talking to people. Sometimes telephone interviews are scheduled ahead of time; sometimes recruiters call candidates and ask them if they have a few minutes to talk. There are many things you can check while having this type of interview: how properly the candidate speaks, how enthusiastic he/she sounds, how polite he/she is, how many questions of his/her own the candidate asks, if the candidate forgot the appointment.

Tips for Interviewers:

Keep the CV and all necessary information about the candidate you are calling at hand when calling. Have a pen and paper within reach. Make sure your call-waiting mode is off so the interview is not interrupted. In case your call has not been scheduled and the candidate is not available make sure to reschedule the appointment at a convenient time. Make a list of important questions you would like to ask. Make sure there will not be noises or interruptions. Remember that a landline is always more reliable than a mobile phone line. Make straight, clear questions; you do not want to repeat yourself many times on the phone. Keep water near you to wet your throat. Keep an appropriate voice tone. Check the candidates info clearly before calling. Take notes of everything you consider important right after you hang up.

INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW
An amazingly rich source for job-seekers to learn more about their career fields. This type of interview gives you the opportunity to express your opinions about your job, your impressions and, at the same time, give a helpful hand to someone who is trying to gather as much valuable occupational information as possible. It is true that there is a lot of printed and online information about jobs and companies, but nothing as direct, flexible and intimate as an Informational Interview. Something very particular about these interviews is that you are not the one who directs the questions: it is the job-seeker. Here you are not the interviewer; you are the interviewee, so if you are not very familiar with job interviews this is a great chance for you to practice. The fact that an informational interview is more relaxed than a regular job interview means that some questions may also be different, the job-seeker may ask for particular things he/she wouldnt ask in

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a normal job interview (salary, benefits, vacations, day-to-day activities, etc.). Another important reason why job-seekers appreciate these interviews is because they can build self-confidence in a nonthreatening interview atmosphere. A job-seeker will not ask you for a job (this would be considered rude) but would consider you the first contact in a constant-growing network. There is a universe of questions to be asked from someone who is interested in getting a job, so be ready to hear all type of functional questions: Whats your background? What do you enjoy the most in your career? How many hours do you work? But when it comes tooccupational questions, the following can give you a good idea of what to expect:

What is exactly your position in the company? What do you usually do? Is there a routine? What skills do you require to accomplish your daily work? What degree of education do employers look for? What courses from university/college are more valuable for you and why? What opportunities of growing are there for someone in that position? What are the best pieces of information to include in a CV when looking for a job? Besides that specific occupation what other fields are there available? What are the salary ranges? What are the most remarkable personality characteristics that employers look for? What obstacles, stressing situations and demands are found in this occupation? How can you determine you have the skills to succeed in this position? What recommendations would you give him/her? What would be the best way to look for a job? Is there anyone else you would suggest he/she talks to?

Tips:

Even though the interview atmosphere is not as formal as a regular interview the dressing is formal. Learn the name of the job-seeker and welcome him/her as if expecting him/her. This will help creating a more appropriate atmosphere. Expect the job-seeker to lead the questioning. This is a good chance for you to express your feelings and talk about your personal experiences about your job, position and career so enjoy it!

STRUCTURED INTERVIEW
It is a patterned and quantitative research tool. It is also known as Standardized Interview. It works by collecting data (through interviewers) and then using that data in a statistical survey. This type of interview is very straightforward and perfect for managers who do not really enjoy interviewing applicants. The main idea is to be able to quantify and compare results by asking the same number of questions in exactly the same order (to avoid context effect). Interviewers must read questions in the same way they are written. Most questions are close-ended; nonetheless open questions can be included. Another way to give a Structured Interview is by using a questionnaire that each candidate fills out. Some of the most remarkable advantages of a Structured Interview is that it collects all the necessary data in order to compare it, it is reliable, it gives every interviewee the same opportunity to show

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his/her skills, it is more organized than other types of interviews and it takes less time. Some cons are that you need to make a very accurate questionnaire so you will need different sources and time to build it up. Another disadvantage is that since the research is quantitative you will need to interview enough applicants in order to get the right comparison results. Some typical questions to include are:

What are your university/college grades and qualifications? Tell me about yourself. Why do you want this job? What are your strong and weak points?

You can also include more personal-related questions.

Tips for interviewers:

Work together with other Departments in order to ensure the questions to be formulated cover the real requirements for the position. Always ask the interviewees if they have any questions after the interview so they have a chance to mention any extra information they consider could be valuable for the company. Take notes during the interview if necessary, remember that all the data you collect will be compared so you do not want to miss anything.

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