Online Chapter
Defined: An interview is a goal-driven
transaction and interviews are generally more
goal-driven than other types of
communication.



Characterized by questions and answers
Tend to be more structured than other types
of communication.
Generally controlled by an interviewer, who is
responsible for moving the interview toward
its intended goal.

Interviews are unbalanced, with an
interviewer typically speaking less than the
interviewee.
Speaking %
Interviewer
Interviewee
Interviews in the workplace include:
 Employment interviews
 Performance interviews
 Exit interviews
Other interview types include:
 Information-gaining interviews
 Persuasive interviews
 Problem-solving interviews
 Helping interviews




Review job candidate’s
application material
Prepare a list of
questions in advance
Gather materials
needed for the
interview before the
interviewee arrives
Strive to begin the
interview on schedule.
Interviewer







Gather information about
the organization, about the
profession, and about
his/herself
Prepare a list of questions
to ask the interviewer
Practice the interview
Convey credibility and
professionalism through
their personal appearance
Arrive on time
Bring materials
Turn off cell phone
Interviewee






Exchange greetings, introduce yourself, and
establish proxemics.
Address the interviewer using his or her last
name and a formal or professional title.
Initiate a professional handshake
Convey respect for an interviewer’s space.
Negotiate the relational connection and the
tone of the interview.
Establishing the purpose and the agenda


Primary questions introduce new topics
Secondary questions are follow-up questions
s an there are two main types: probing
questions and mirror questions.
◦ Probing questions are brief statements or words
that urge an interviewee to continue or to elaborate
on a response.
◦ Mirror questions paraphrase an interviewee’s
previous response to ensure clarification and to
elicit elaboration.
Open questions are those that enable and prompt interviewees to answer
in a wide range of responses.
Three important functions of open questions:
(1)
enable interviews to gather information about an interviewee
(2)
enable an interviewer to assess the communication skills of an
interviewee
(3)
provide valuable insight in the worldview of an interviewee.
Closed questions are those with limited available responses.
Three important features of closed questions:
(1)
They do not take up as much time as open questions
(2)
They can be used to gather specific information about an interviewee
(3)
The answers to closed questions make it easy to compare and contrast
interviewees.

Bipolar questions are a type of closed question that forces an
interviewee to select one of two responses.


Neutral questions are those that provide an
interviewee with no indication of a preferred
way to respond.
Leading questions are those that suggest to
an interviewee a preferred way to respond.
1.
2.
3.
A funnel sequence occurs when an
interviewer begins with open, general
questions and gradually moves to narrower,
more closed questions.
An inverted funnel sequence occurs when an
interviewer begins with closed, specific
questions and gradually moves to broader,
more open questions.
A tunnel sequence occurs when an
interviewer asks only broad, open questions
or only narrow, closed questions.


Directive interviews are those which are
greatly controlled by an interviewer.
Nondirective interviews are those in which the
direction of the interview is primarily given to
the interviewee.



potentially discriminatory questions should be
avoided to prevent possible discrimination during
the hiring process.
Illegal questions reference areas that cannot be
discussed with potential employees including
age, marital/family status, ethnicity/national
origin, religion, affiliations, and disabilities.
Bona fide occupational qualifications Otherwise illegal areas of questioning are allowed
when jobs demand certain abilities or
requirements, known as bona fide occupational
qualifications.




In the interview frame, one person generally asks
a lot of questions and the other one answers
them.
How a person frames a situation often dictates
what will happen.
Self-fulfilling prophecy maintains that if someone
believes a particular outcome will take place, his
or her actions will often lead to its fruition.
Optimal interview framing suggests that
interviewee frame the interview less threateningly
as an opportunity.






Clearly articulate career goals
Refer to the organization and
the interviewer
Provide support for
assertions
Are more actively involved
and spend more time talking
Use active, concrete words,
positive language, technical
jargon associated with
position, and good grammar
Speak loudly and confidently,
use vocal variety and avoid
nonfluencies
Successful Interviewees:






No clear career goals
Tend to demonstrate little to no
previous knowledge of an
organization
Tend to provide little evidence or
support material when
answering questions.
Tend to be passive
Use passive, ambiguous words,
language with negative
connotations, little or no
technical jargon, and bad
grammar.
Tend to speak softly and provide
little vocal variety, with their
delivery often sounding
monotone.
Unsuccessful
Interviewees:










Tell me a little about yourself.
What are your greatest strengths?
What are your greatest weaknesses?
What do you know about this organization?
Why do you want to work here?
What is your ideal job?
Why do you want to leave your current job?
What are your expectations in terms of salary?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Why should we hire you?
If illegal questions are asked during the interview process,
you may need to seriously question whether the position
and the employer are right for you.





Responses to Illegal Questions:
You may respond to illegal questions with tactful refusal.
You may respond to illegal questions with a direct but
brief answer.
You may respond to illegal questions with tactful inquiry.
You may neutralize concern in response to illegal
questions.
You may exploit the question in response to illegal
questions.






Initiate the conclusion
through a wrap-up signal.
Provide a straightforward,
relatively brief summary of
the interview
Ask the interviewee for any
questions
Provide the interviewee with
information about what will
happen next and the
schedule for making
decisions
Offer sincere thanks for
participation in the interview
Formally end the interview
Interviewer
Responsibilities





Ask previously prepared
questions
Briefly summarize
qualifications and
enthusiasm for the
position
Inquire about a schedule
of future contact and
decision
Express sincere thanks
Follow the lead of the
interviewer
Interviewee
Responsibilities



Record their reaction to
the interviewee along
with any additional
thoughts or information
Assess his or her own
performance in order to
improve both personally
and professionally
Ensure that all
interviewees are
contacted about the final
decision
Interviewer
Responsibilities:



Develop a candid
assessment of his or her
performance, the
position and the
organization
Send a letter of thanks
following the interview
Avoid irritating the
interviewer by inquiring
about the progress of a
job search
Interviewee
Responsibilities:

1.
2.
3.
4.
The cover letter is the
tool used to get a
potential employer to
actually review your
resume and it has four
purposes:
to declare interest in the
position
to provide a summary of
qualifications
to compel the person to
read your resume
to request an interview
Purposes:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The cover letter has several key
elements or features:
Address the cover letter to a
specific person.
Identify the position for which
you are applying in the first
paragraph of the letter.
Summarize the qualifications
that make you an ideal fit for
the position
Reaffirm your interest in the
position and request an
interview
Sign the letter in a professional
and respectful manner.
Organization:
The purpose of the resume is to present credentials in a
clear and concise manner.
There are several key elements of effective resumes:
1.
Use your full name and include contact information.
2.
Include your career objective in one or two sentences.
3.
List your degrees or training in reverse chronological
order.
4.
Include your employment history and other relevant
endeavors such as volunteer work if these endeavors are
job or skill relevant.
5.
Include the skills which are most relevant to the position.
6.
Include those activities most relevant to the position.