Interview

An interview is a structured form of conversation used to exchange information. In this process, one participant acts as the interviewer by asking questions. The other participant is the interviewee, who provides the answers.

This information can be used by an audience immediately or saved for later use. While many people think of interviews as one-on-one meetings, they can involve two or more parties. The goal is often to gather specific data, expertise, or personal stories to share with others.

Interviews function through different levels of organization. A highly structured interview follows a strict plan where specific questions occur in a set order. In contrast, an unstructured interview is more like a freewheeling, open-ended conversation without a prearranged plan. Some researchers use a focused interview to guide the talk toward a specific research topic. There is also a technique called a ladder interview. In this format, the respondent's answers guide the subsequent questions to explore subconscious motives or core values.

The way people communicate during an interview has changed with technology. Traditionally, interviews take place face-to-face in person. However, parties can now be separated by long distances using telephone or videoconferencing. Most interviews involve spoken words, but they can also happen through typing. To ensure the information is captured accurately, interviewers often use tools like audio recorders, video recorders, or simple pencil and paper for notes.

Employment is one of the most common settings for interviews. A job interview is a formal consultation used to evaluate if a person is qualified for a specific position. Some companies use a case interview, where the applicant must resolve a specific task or challenge. To help people prepare, some may undergo a mock interview, which is a training exercise. Often, a process begins with a short screening interview before moving to more in-depth sessions with company personnel.

Psychology and law also rely heavily on interviewing methods. Psychologists and nurses may conduct a psychiatric interview to complete a psychiatric assessment. In these settings, they might even conduct couple interviews involving two people. Criminologists and detectives use a specialized method called a cognitive interview. This technique helps eyewitnesses and victims recall specific details from a crime scenes before those memories fade.

In the worlds of marketing and academia, interviews are essential for data collection. They are the most used form of data collection in qualitative research. Marketing firms use them to understand how consumers think or to improve questionnaire design through cognitive pretesting. Some firms even use computer-assisted telephone interviewing. In this method, computers randomly dial numbers to conduct highly structured interviews using scripted questions.

Journalism is another major field that uses this tool. Reporters conduct interviews in person or over the phone to gather information for news stories. They may interview government officials or political candidates for broadcast. Talk show hosts also use interviews on radio or television to entertain or inform an audience.

Other unique uses include college interviews for prospective students and visa interviews conducted by embassy officials.

One challenge in interviewing is the presence of interviewer bias. This occurs when an interviewer's perceptions or mental state influence how they collect or interpret information. To fight this, researchers use practices like subjectivity, objectivity, and reflexivity to improve their work. One effective method is the blind interview, where the identity of the interviewee is concealed.

This is common in software industry hiring and musical auditions. Using blind interviews has been shown to increase the hiring of women and minorities by reducing unfair discrimination.