Appendix A: Competent Interviewing
Multiple-Choice Questions
1. Which of the following is not an accurate statement about interviews?
2. When a television journalist sits down to interview a leading political figure, what type of interview is being
conducted?
3. Let’s say you have hired an employment consultant to help you identify good potential career opportunities as
well as how to market yourself to get a great position after you graduate. During your first meeting with the
consultant, she asks you questions about your goals, priorities, interests, and preferences so that she can begin
her market research. What type of interview has taken place?
4. “Tell me a little about how your education has prepared you for this position” is an example of what kind of
interview question?
5. “What was your major in college?” What type of interview question is illustrated by this example?
6. Questions that seek clarification or elaboration of responses to previously asked questions are referred to as
7. A question that provides no hint to the interviewee concerning the expected response is called a
8. When an interviewer begins with closed questions and then moves on to broad, open–
ended questions, he or she is using which organizational format?
9. During Dana’s job interview, the interviewer first asked Dana several open questions to get a sense of her skills
and background, but then proceeded to closed questions to determine which software Dana had used and to
determine whether she had specific training relevant to the job. What format did Dana’s interviewer use?
10. A printed summary of your education, work experiences, and accomplishments is referred to as a
11. Employment interviewers will usually ask questions to explore all of the following areas of information, except
for
True/False Questions
2. The goal of an information-gathering interview is to gather the information needed to resolve a problem,
5. A common goal in the opening of an interview is to build a friendly rapport between the participants so that
6. Effective interviewers keep their motivation for the interview a mystery until after they have finished asking
8. “Would you be willing to work every other weekend?” This question is an example of a bipolar interview
9. Competent interviewers should strive to ask directed questions so that there is no question what information
10. The inverted funnel sequence starts with narrow, specific questions, and then moves to more open-ended, broad
11. The tunnel sequence begins with broad, open-ended questions and then moves to narrower, specific questions.
12. During the closing of an interview, it is important for the interviewer to explain to the interviewee what will
17. Successful job searches often require networking because more than a quarter of all new employees hired from
18. The employment objective stated in a résumé should be general, so that potential employers will consider the
19. You should avoid listing special skills on your résumé that are not directly related to the job you are applying
20. While most employers do require a cover letter to be submitted along with a résumé, most do not read them
22. Showing up right on time, or even a few minutes late for an interviewer communicates confidence and can give
23. It is appropriate for an interviewer to ask questions to elicit information about a candidate’s personality and
24. Interviewees should not ask questions at the close of an interview unless absolutely necessary to avoid seeming
25. Most interviewers prefer for an interviewee to refrain from contacting them any further after an interview has
Short-Answer Questions
1. What is the difference between an information-gathering interview and a selection interview?
2. Provide an example from your experience or a fictitious example of a problem-solving interview.
3. What are the three issues that should be addressed in the opening of any interview?
4. Provide an example of an open question that would be typical in an employment selection interview.
5. How do closed questions differ from bipolar questions?
6. Imagine you find yourself frustrated by your roommate, who has a markedly lower standard of cleanliness than
you do. You’re frustrated lately that the kitchen and bathroom are disgustingly dirty, and you have decided to
sit down for a problem-solving interview with him or her. Provide an example of a loaded question you would
not want to ask during this interview.
7. Describe a tunnel sequence interview.
8. List and briefly describe two of the responsibilities of an interviewer.
H = Roles and Responsibilities of the Interviewer (p. 372); C = knowledge; D = 2
9. List five types of information that are typically included in a résumé.
H = Prepare Your Materials (p. 376); C = knowledge; D = 2
10. Interviewers will often ask questions related to the interviewee’s personality and character. How would you
describe the difference between these two types of information?
11. When it has no bearing on job performance, and is not a legitimate criterion for ethical decision making, it is
unethical to ask questions about certain kinds of information. What are three of the criteria it would be
discriminatory to base a hiring decision upon in the United States?
12. What are two things the authors of your textbook advise that you should send to an interviewer following the
Essay Questions
1. Compare and contrast the different types of interviews, and provide at least one example of a context in which
the manager of a store might use each type of interview.
C = comprehension; D = 1
Ideal answers will include the following information:
2. How does interviewing compare to interpersonal communication, group communication, and public speaking?
In what ways is it similar? In what ways is it a distinctly different form of communication?
3. Describe the structure of an interview from beginning to end. What are the roles of the interviewer in each
specific stage of the interview? What are the interviewer’s responsibilities before and after the interview?
4. Alvaro graduated a month ago and is currently on the job market looking for his first professional position.
Despite the fact that Alvaro has a strong GPA, is a member of a fraternity for students in his field, and has
recently finished an internship, he hasn’t had any luck, so far, landing an interview, and he’s beginning to feel
frustrated. He’s focused on applying for jobs through monster.com, and he’s just not sure what to do next. Is
Alvaro making any mistakes in his job search? What advice do you have for Alvaro to help him land a great
interview?
5. Explain the interviewee’s role in the interview process. What steps should an employment interviewee take to
ensure he or she is adequately prepared to fill these roles and communicate effectively during the interview?
What advice would you have to help the interviewee communicate effectively during and after the interview?
does the interviewee want to accomplish? Doing so helps him or her seek out opportunities during the interview
6. How do the principles and skills you have learned about public speaking in Chapters 11‒15 relate to your
competence as an employment interviewee? How can you use these skills to improve your effectiveness in the
role of an interviewee?