Human Resource Management

Types of Interviews

Types of Interviews

An interview is a conversation where questions are asked and answers are given. In common parlance, the word “interview” refers to a one-on-one conversation with one person acting in the role of the interviewer and the other in the role of the interviewee. An interview is based on the in-depth conversation which probes the areas of information that cannot be obtained by other steps of a selection process.

Types of Interviews

There are many types of interviews that an organization can arrange. It depends on the objectives of taking the interview. Some important types of interviews are stated below:

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.

Evaluation interviews: The interviews which take place annually to review the progress of the interviewee are called the evaluation interviews. The main objective of this interview is to find out the strengths and weaknesses of the employees.

Persuasive interviews: This type of interview is designed to sell someone a product or an idea. When a sales representative talks with a target buyer, persuasion takes the form of convincing the target that the product or idea meets a need.

Structured interviews: Structured interviews tend to follow formal procedures; the interviewer follows a predetermined agenda or questions.

Unstructured interviews: When the interview does not follow the formal rules or procedures. It is called an unstructured interview.

Counseling interviews: This may be held to find out what has been troubling the workers and why someone has not been working.

Disciplinary interviews: Disciplinary interviews are occurring when an employee has been accused of breaching the organization’s rules and procedures.

Stress interviews: It is designed to place the interviewee in a stress situation in order to observe the interviewees reaction.

Public interviews: These include political parties’ radio-television and newspaper.

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”.

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.

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 format is useful for those not practiced in interviewing.

 

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