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3 Common Types of Interview
3 Common Types of Interview
Selection Interviews
Both informal and formal interviews in the context of selection will be considered. 'Informal interviews' are occurring more frequently now in professional practice. They occur prior to the formal job interview and offer the applicant a chance to discuss the job and see the work environment often before making a final decision to apply for the job. They also offer the prospective employer (and sometimes prospective colleagues) the opportunity to influence what the applicant thinks of the job and may indirectly shape the shortlist for formal interview by dissuading marginal candidates from carrying on with the application. The informal interview is open to considerable misuse and can be an occasion for misinformation.
Formal selection interviews now encompass a range of methods: they can involve one interviewer or several in a panel; they can involve an individual or a group of interviewees; they can entail a sequence of exchanges, sometimes spread over some days; and they can be used in tandem with other assessment techniques, such as psychometric tests. Each type of selection interview requires somewhat different tactics.
Appraisal interviews
Most professions have moved towards some variant of 'management by objectives', and some are now using very sophisticated assessment and review procedures far removed from the naive, narrowly-specified, task-oriented early approaches. The basic method typically entails establishing performance indicators for each type of job. The success of each person is then measured against how far he or she achieves clearly specified objectives within a given timescale. Inherent in this approach is the need for regular appraisal. Clearly, interviewing can be used to elicit information about performance but it also plays a central role in the negotiation of indicators and objectives.
Both appraisers and those being appraised need to know how to use the interview optimally. This includes understanding the peculiarities of repeat interviews, perhaps taking place at annual intervals over several years, where they involve co-workers. It touches upon the features to look for in choosing an appraiser, the training needed for appraisal, and the anxiety of being an appraiser. It emphasises that appraisal can be an opportunity rather than a hurdle. It can be, on both sides, a legitimate time-out for planning and re-orientation.
Media interviews
The media are ever more present in the lives of all professionals whether they work in the public services, industry or commerce. They call for justification and explanation of the performance and powers of the professions. It explores the differences between passive and active interactions with the media. Most often, someone from the media will approach you for information. Sometimes you may wish to approach the media; for instance, if you want to advertise a service or promote a cause or enlist the public's help. Where the exchange is in your interests, your tactics will differ from those where the interview is motivated by the interests of the media.