A interview It can be defined as a conversation between two or more people on a particular topic of interest to each of them. This type of dialogue can have a specific objective focused on work or personal issues and is based on questions and answers.
The main objective of an interview is to be able to meet the people who participate in it, thus knowing their interests and opinions about a particular topic. However, the purpose of the interview depends on the purpose of the interview, that is, what is intended to be known from the interviewee.
The roles within an interview must be clearly defined, since it must be established if the interviewers are going to be more than one, as well as if the interviewees will be several people. The success of the interview depends on these roles, as this guarantees order and clarity in the process.
Purposes of an interview
As mentioned, the main objective of an interview is to get to know one or more people, as well as their interests and ideas. However, there are different purposes depending on what you want to know about the interviewees.
Interview to meet another person
It could be said that it is the basic purpose of any interview, since what is always sought is to know something about another person. However, the point of this is simply to find out about someone.
The purpose of these interviews is to know what the interests of a person are, their age, tastes, family, etc. That is, its purpose is to know as much information as possible about the interviewee.
Unlike what other interviews seek, the objective of a knowledge interview about another person is focused on knowing about the individual as such and not on opinions or specific knowledge.
Opinion or journalistic interview
The purpose of this interview is to know what one or more interviewees think about a particular topic. The questions can be about different facts, which can range from a current event to past events.
In these interviews, publicly recognized people can be consulted who can give their opinion or concept on a specific topic. Likewise, people without public recognition can be interviewed to give their opinion on the matter.
Through opinion interviews, the aim is not only to find out the point of view of one or more people on a specific event, but also to be able to inform and disseminate the information collected in these interviews.
Normally those who do these interviews are people who have studied journalism or who have the knowledge to consult people. Thus, it will be guaranteed that the objective of the interview as such is successfully fulfilled.
Job or job interview
The objective of these interviews is to be able to meet a candidate who is qualified for a job position. They are the interviews that are normally carried out in companies to find ideal employees for a job vacancy.
As the objective of these interviews is to find a qualified candidate, there can be several within the same process. Thus, knowledge of the applicant for the position will be guaranteed.
Through these interviews, the aim is to find out what work experience the candidate has had, what are their knowledge and skills, what are their expectations and what are their aspirations for the position.
These interviews must be carried out by trained personnel who are part of the company. These must have sufficient knowledge not only in interview techniques, but in knowing what is best for the company.
Clinical or medical interview
The purpose of this interview is to know the state of a person’s health, so that it can be determined if they need any medical treatment or if they are in good health.
Medical interviews are carried out by health experts who consult their patients with specialized questions, managing to determine if they have any disease or discomfort.
In order to establish if a patient who is interviewed by a doctor is well, it is not enough with the questions that can be asked. Normally they must be accompanied by the study of the patient’s clinical history and hospital examinations.
psychological interview
The objective of this interview is similar to that of the medical interview, differing in that the psychological one seeks to understand the state of mental health of a patient, while the clinical one seeks to know the state of physical health.
In this type of consultation, there must be a lot of willingness and honesty on the part of the interviewee, since the quality of the information that the interviewer can collect depends on this.
These are very complex interviews, where the interviewer must know how to identify the mental problems that a patient may have. Thus, he will know how to deal with the affectations of the interviewee.
As the objective of these interviews is mainly to find out the state of someone’s mental health, a single consultation is not enough. These are made up of long and constant processes where each time relevant information is obtained from the patient.
interview types
Once the different purposes of the interviews are known, it is important to be able to establish their structure, since in this way it will be possible to know how to direct the interviewer’s questions to the interviewees.
open interview
It is characterized mainly by being a flexible and simple interview, without scripts or scripts that guide the questions. What is sought with this is to create an atmosphere of trust and tranquility between the interviewer and the interviewee.
It can be used for any of the purposes mentioned above.
closed interview
Unlike the open interview, the closed interview is more rigid and has a script by the interviewer. This guarantees that there is greater order in the questions to ask the interviewee and more precise answers.
This type of interview is used mainly in those whose purpose is to learn more about an interest. For example, for a job or medical interview.
mixed interview
It is that interview that combines the two previous ones, where there may be a script of questions, but also a calm and flexible environment to ask them.
References
10 of the Most Common Types of Interviews. (2018). Retrieved from jemsrecruitment.co.uk
10 Types of Interviews You’ll Face. (2020). Retrieved from resumego.net
Interview Types. (2015). Retrieved from lebow.drexel.edu
Interview Types. (2020). Retrieved from barclayslifeskills.com
Types of interviews that serve different scenarios. (2017). Retrieved from slinuacareers.com