Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
Define the term interview, list the 10 most common types of interviews, and suggest at
least two guidelines for effective use of each
Identify and briefly describe the three phases of an effective interview
Briefly list the types of questions used in an interview and where each fits on a
Briefly summarize the methods for organizing interview questions and when each is most
effective: the funnel, inverted funnel, hourglass, and diamond sequences
List at least five tips on how to answer questions effectively during an interview
Interviews
A. There are dozens of types of interviews, but the 10 most common ones are a good base.
B. Counseling interviews help the interviewee uncover and solve career-related personal
or interpersonal problems.
1. This interview is not used by all organizations (but is used by the best companies).
2. Communication skills such as empathetic listening, nonevaluative feedback, careful
paraphrasing, and nonverbal responses are important to create trust.
3. A directive approach, nondirective approach, or a combination might work best.
1. This interview is one of the most important types and can uncover information not
available from other sources (although a single interview is not predictive).
2. Multiple assessment techniques (including personal history) improve accuracy.
3. Some employment interviews are conducted by a group rather than one on one.
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
D. Exit interviews can be beneficial whether the employee is laid off, fired, or quits.
1. Company problems can be identified and corrected while still small.
2. Careful listening and reading between the lines is needed.
3. Outplacement counseling and thanks for services rendered build goodwill.
E. The grievance (or confrontation) interview is a one-on-one encounter involving conflict
and its resolution.
1. Emotions can run high, so honest feelings and remaining cooperative are important.
2. The interviewer must be both a good listener and a problem solver.
F. Group interviews are gaining in popularity.
a. Interviewees should speak to everyone, not just the interviewer.
b. Interviewees should take an active role but not always speak first.
2. The information-seeking interviewer wants
1. Interviewers should first discuss something of interest to the interviewee to assess
relaxed behavior and to create a dialogue that encourages narrative responses.
2. Questions should be open-ended to gather more information.
1. Such reviews can recognize and reward employee contributions.
2. Such reviews can give employees feedback on how the company sees them.
3. Such reviews can identify and solve communication problems.
4. Such reviews can motivate employees by setting performance objectives.
5. Review content should be relevant to the job and discuss observable job aspects.
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
6. Reviews are more productive if the employee is actively involved in the assessment.
1. Many interviews are persuasive in nature.
2. Persuasion appeals to the interviewee (or interviewer) based on needs and values,
1. Video interviews are increasingly used for recruiting.
6. Skype interviewees can improve their performance.
a. Practice in advance
b. Use Ethernet connection (not Wi-Fi), and plug headset into USB.
e. Double-check the time of the call (and the relevant time zone).
Basic
1. Rapport (a feeling of mutual comfort and receptivity) should be established during
2. Orientation (overall view of the interview) establishes the purpose of the interview.
a.
3. Motivation encourages the interviewee to give straightforward, complete answers,
but the type of motivation depends on the person and the circumstances.
1. Both participants should prepare carefully for this phase (few people can compose
effective questions or answers on the spur of the moment).
2. The interviewer should identify the information sought, prepare relevant questions,
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
The interviewer decides
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
prepare
Summary
7.1 Ask students to work in groups of two. They are to imagine that one of them
represents management and the other an employee. Role-play the following
situations, first defining the problem and finally coming up with a workable
solution:
7.2 Students are to locate a person (should not be a friend or boss) who currently
holds approximately the same job and title that he or she hopes to hold sometime
between 6 months and 5 years from now. Schedule a 15-minute interview with
this person. The student will be the interviewer; the business professional will
the student may elect to do the assignment over with a different professional.
7.3 Ask students to construct a set of questions that might be useful in an employee–
appraisal interview. They should utilize as many types of questions as possible to
7.4 Select an outstanding firm or organization in your community. Give precedence
to those firms that have existed for a long time and whose managements are
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
friendly to this assignment. From the list of the firm’s retirees, assign students to
gather oral histories about the firm or organization. Here are some possible
questions:
a. When did you go to work for__________________?
b. What are the names of the people with whom you most closely worked?
c. What do you remember about these people?
d. growth?
7.5 Use as an in-class assignment.
Have each team find a YouTube clip demonstrating an interview. Let them identify for
the audience the success and areas of improvement for the interview based on the
opening, question-response, and closing phases.
MindTap support materials for Chapter 7 include the following:
for Skype interviews so that they can reflect on, personalize, and apply
the concepts learned in the chapter
Flashcards to practice defining key terms
Quiz questions that reinforce student learning and understanding
Case study 3 of a real-life situation and associated questions for Chapter 7 (captured in
General MindTap resources cited at the beginning of Part III.
A number of useful webpages can be employed in conjunction with Chapter 7:
Instruct students to undertake information-seeking research of a company they would like
to work for in the future. Encourage students to look for the company home page which
may include links to annual reports, job openings, policies and procedures, profit and loss
statements, and the like. Stress the fact that this is the type of research they should
undertake before going on an employment interview. Some possible webpages to
suggest to your students for this assignment are listed here.
This website promises students the inside scoop on the jobs they want.
well as a traditional class. Have the students email you their completed Form B, post a
summary of the interview on the Message Board, and respond to at least one other
Use MindTap to assign students the Speech Video Library (SVL) video clip,
Click the SVL icon in Apps Doc/use Search and Filter functions
to find specific the speech and its video, transcript, outline, and speech-based questions.
What is O’Connor doing that makes his employees resent his communication with
them?
What did O’Connor do right in this interview, if anything?
What could he do to be a more effective communicator during performance reviews?
In addition, online sites provide a number of useful videos that support Chapter 7 topics:
video the Standard Deviants help you conquer the anxiety and snag the job you really
want.
accepting the offer.
the interviewer. Cerebellum Corporation.
Collateral websites also offer supplemental support for Chapter 7 topics:
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
1. A job interview by telephone could take as long as an hour, but most Skype interviews are
much shorter.
2. All interviews are organized around three phases: the opening phase, the question-response
phase, and the closing phase.
3. When there are more interviewers than interviewees, the interview is called a board
interview.
4. All interviews are organized in much the same way.
5. If a question catches you off guard, answer it quickly and change the subject.
Communicating for Results: A Guide for Business and the Professions (Cheryl Hamilton)
1. You are an interviewer and have the feeling that the candidate is trying to hide something.
What should you do?
a. Ask the candidate openly if he or she
is trying to hid something.
c. Check his or her references and ask
them if they know of something that
the candidate might be hiding.
b. Ask a series of open-ended questions
that allow flexibility in responding to
areas that might be related to the
problem.
d. Simply ignore the situation and
depend on your gut feeling as to
whether or not to hire the candidate.
2. Which of the following is a direct question?
a.
c. enjoy the most: working
b.
major field of study?
d.
meetings?
3. How are the following interview questions organized?
a. Funnel sequence c. Hourglass sequence
b. Inverted funnel sequence d. Diamond sequence
4. How are the following interview questions organized?
a. Funnel sequence. c. Hourglass sequence.
b. Inverted funnel sequence. d. Diamond sequence.
5. Questions following the hourglass sequence:
a. Begin with specif
ic or closed questions
and move to open or hypothetical open
questions
c. Begin with open or hypothetical
questions and move to specific or
closed questions
b. Begin with specific questions and end
with specific questions
d. Begin with open questions and end
with open or hypothetical open
questions
6. I thought we might begin by discussing your resume in terms of your work experiences,
interest, and educational background. Then we’ll pause and give you an opportunity to ask
This statement might be made by an interviewer in what part of the
interview?
a. Rapport c. Motivation
b. Orientation d. Closing
