Study guide: Conducting Effective Interviews

📋 Course Outline

1. Interview Purposes and Types
2. Interview Planning and Preparation
3. Opening and Questioning Techniques
4. Active Listening and Ethical Conduct
5. Closing and Reviewing the Interview
6. Interview Practice and Assessment
7. Interview Evaluation Criteria

📖 1. Interview Purposes and Types

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Interview: A communicative process of exchanging and sharing information involving individuals.

★ Must-know

• Interviews may be conducted to: apply for a job, gather information about or research a person, product, or proposal, learn more about a person for employment, promotion, or an award or scholarship

📌 A structured interview uses standardized questions for all interviewees and allows little flexibility, an unstructured interview allows relevant questions chosen freely by the interviewer and is more conversational, and a semi-structured interview combines structured and unstructured features.

Further detail

📌 Most interviews are structured and strictly time-bound, so questions must be prepared beforehand and the time allotted for asking and answering must be respected.

💡 Memory Hook

Structured fixes the questions; unstructured opens the conversation.

📖 2. Interview Planning and Preparation

★ Must-know

• 🔄 Preparing for an interview involves: knowing the purpose, researching the person and reason for the interview, preparing questions, outlining points and related questions, anticipating responses and follow-up questions, setting the date and time, preparing clothing and materials, being ready at least 30 minutes early

Further detail

📌 An interview plan should identify the interview goal, possible leaders and their positions, ten questions related to the goal, expected learning, and anticipated challenges.

💡 Memory Hook

Purpose → research → questions → schedule → arrive early

📖 3. Opening and Questioning Techniques

★ Must-know

• 🔄 The opening of an interview should:
  1. greet the interviewee
  2. express gratitude
  3. ask rapport-building questions
  4. state the purpose

📌 The interviewer should ask questions clearly and ask only one question at a time.

Further detail

• Appropriate cohesive devices should be used when asking one question after another.

💡 Memory Hook

Greet → build rapport → state purpose → ask clearly

📖 4. Active Listening and Ethical Conduct

📝 Essential Points

• 🔄 Active interviewing requires: maintaining eye contact, using nonverbal signs, listening carefully, asking follow-up questions for clarification, expansion, or examples

📌 An interviewer should remain truthful throughout the interview and maintain a positive attitude to support a lively discussion and conversation.

📌 A person must give permission before an interview is recorded with a cellphone or another recording device.

💡 Memory Hook

Focused listening → clarification and deeper answers

📖 5. Closing and Reviewing the Interview

📝 Essential Points

• 🔄 To close an interview, the interviewer should:
  1. signal the ending
  2. summarize and synthesize the responses
  3. give a concluding and impactful statement
  4. express gratitude again

💡 Memory Hook

Signal ending → synthesize responses → conclude → thank

📖 6. Interview Practice and Assessment

★ Must-know

• 🔄 The family-member interview task requires:
  1. choosing the oldest family member
  2. preparing at least five relevant questions
  3. explaining the purpose
  4. conducting a 2–3 minute interview
  5. recording with permission
  6. reviewing the recording

Further detail

• The community-leader interview focuses on:
  • responsibilities
  • challenges
  • plans
  • advocacies

📖 7. Interview Evaluation Criteria

★ Must-know

• The rubric assigns these percentages to its criteria:
  • 15% to greetings and establishment of rapport
  • 40% to quality, sequence, and relevance of questions
  • 15% to engagement or interaction

Further detail

• The rubric uses these performance ranges:
  • outstanding: 14–15 points
  • proficient: 10–13 points
  • emerging proficiency: 0–9 points

📊 Synthesis Tables

General Interview Types