Interviews A systematic approach

What is an interview? …a planned two-party conversation in which at least one person has a specific, serious purpose. (Adler & Elmhorst 2005)

Types of interviews Survey/informational interview Purpose: to gather information for future actions Diagnostic interview Purpose: to gather information to help to respond to needs of clients Research interview Purpose: to gather information to determine cause & effect, motivations. Findings are used to improve concepts/strategies Job interview Purpose: to select candidates for employment Purpose: to select candidates for employment Investigative interview Purpose: to determine cause of events Purpose: to determine cause of events Exit interviews Purpose: to determine why an employee is leaving the company Purpose: to determine why an employee is leaving the company

Planning the interview Define the goal/objective/purpose Before any interview you should make your purpose as clear as possible. Identify and analyze the other party (interviewee) The persons background influences the quality of the responses. Do some background research Before conducting the interview try to find out as much as possible about the respondent and the organization.

Planning the interview Prepare a list of topics Purpose: to find out about the company and the interviewee. Topics: Personal background -let the interviewee tell you about his qualifications and experience? Company’s background -How long has the company been existing? Who are the main customers etc.?

Planning the interview Prepare a list of topics Purpose: to find out about communication strategies used. Topics: Internal communication -how do people in the organization communicate? External communication -how do people communicate with customers, suppliers, partners?

Planning the interview Choosing the best interview structure 1. Highly structured interview -standardized list of pre-formulated questions. Common in market research. 2. Unstructured interview -consists of topical agenda without specific questions or only few key questions. 3. Moderately structured interview -combination of 1. & 2. Allows for a flexible approach.

Differences in structural approaches Highly Structured Interview Interview Usually takes less time Easier for interviewer to control Provides quantifiable results Requires less skills by interviewer Low flexibility in exploring responses UnstructuredInterview Usually takes more time More difficult to control Results more difficult to quantify Requires high degree of interviewer skills Highly flexible in exploring responses

Open versus closed questions Closed questions -restrict the interviewers response “How long have you worked for this company?“ Open questions -invites for a more broader range of responses. “What do you like about your job?”

Open vs. Closed Questions When to use open questions 1.To relax the interviewee 2.To discover the interviewee’s opinions 3.To evaluate the interviewee’s communication skills 4.To explore the interviewee’s possession of information 5.To discover the interviewee’s feelings or values When to use closed questions 1.To maintain control over the situation 2.When specific information is needed 3.When time is short 4.When interviewer is not highly skilled 5.When a high degree of standardization between interviews is important

Factual versus Opinion Questions Factual questions -investigate matters of fact “How many customers use your service?” Opinion questions -ask for respondents judgment “What hospitality sector do you think is most profitable?”

Primary and Secondary questions Primary questions -introduce new questions “Who are your main customers?” Secondary questions -aim at gathering additional information about same topic “What nationality are most of your customers?”

Conducting the Interview: The Opening The Opening shapes the whole interview. Greeting and building rapport Begin with a greeting and self-introduction A few minutes of informal conversation make everybody feel comfortable.

Conducting the Interview: Orientation Give the respondent an overview of what is to follow -this makes the respondent relax and establishes control at the same time. Explain the reason for the interview Explain what information is needed and how it will be used Mention the approximate length of the interview

Conducting the Interview: Body In this part you will ask your questions Try to use a systematic sequence Funnel sequence > Start with a open ended-question and begin to narrow down with closed-ended questions. Inverted Funnel < Start with an closed-ended question followed by open-ended questions. Diamond structure <> Begin closed-ended questions then go to open- ended questions and end in closed-ended questions.

Conducting the Interview: Closing End your interview by establishing goodwill Signal the end of the interview If possible review some of the key parts Establish future actions -repeat what the information will be used for: a term project/report/presentation etc. Conclude with thanking your respondent and engaging in informal ‘ small talk’ After the interview Write a follow-up Thank you letter