Interview

Interview is an important selection technique where there is two-way exchange of information

either on one-to-one basis or by an interview panel. The interview gets important information
from the candidates and can also judge whether or not they can fit into the organisation culture.

Interview is a two-way conversation. It is a personal form of communication between two

people. It is a beneficial process for both the interviewer and the interviewee. The interviewer
tells the applicant about the job preview and helps the interviewee make his mind about whether
or not he wants to take that job. Though conducting interviews is not based on fixed rules,
certain guidelines for the interviewer and interviewee can make interview an effective process.

It is face-to-face interaction between interviewer and the interviewee.

2. It has a definite purpose known to both the parties.

3. It is generally based on pre-structured questions to be asked in a defined manner.

Importance of Interview:

Interview serves the following purposes:

1. Interview helps in selecting the candidate most suitable for the job.

2. It provides the candidate information about the organisation and the job for which he applied.

3. Interview helps in knowing details about candidate’s personality.

4. It is a method of direct contact between the employer and the candidate. Employer can observe
physical characteristics of the candidates. It helps managers to check authenticity of details in the
application form.

5. It helps interviewer and the interviewee know each other in detail. Complete information
about the company can be given to the candidate and negotiations on salary and other terms can
be made.

Forms of Interview:
There are generally three forms of interview:
1. Structured interview:
The interviewer prepares a set of purely job related questions asked in the same sequence.
Some of these questions are:
(1) Where were you working last?
(2) Why do you want to change your job?
(3) What are your expectations from this job?
Structured interview does not give flexibility to the interviewer to ask questions about the
candidate’s personality.
2. Semi-structured interview:
In a semi-structured interview, the interviewer asks the structured, pre-determined questions
along with questions about the candidate’s personality, strengths and weaknesses, his experience
at other jobs, etc. This interview is more conversational and interesting and gets better response
about the candidate’s personality than a structured interview.

3. Un-structured interview:
An unstructured interview is not planned or based on systematic, predetermined list of questions.
It is a spontaneous interaction between the interviewer and interviewee. The information that
interviewer collects about the candidate may not be relevant or truly job related which can assess
the candidate’s suitability for the particular job. It may contain an element of bias or subjectivity
on the part of the interviewer to select a candidate.

Ways to Improve the Interview:

Some of the ways in which weaknesses of the interview can be overcome are as follows:
1. Training of interviewer:
Before conducting an interview, the interviewer should be trained to ask questions related to the
job, rather than asking unstructured or haphazard questions. He should decide the basis on which
candidate is to be evaluated and weightage to be given to interview in the total selection process.

2. Maintain balance:
The interviewer should make the interview a comfortable interaction with the candidate where
the candidate does not feel tensed and stressed to answer the questions. He should be mentally
relaxed to answer the questions.

Sometimes, the interviewer deliberately asks questions to harass the candidate. Such an attitude
should be avoided. The interviewer should make interview comfortable and stress-free by asking
clear and simple questions in the beginning. Questions should be asked when the candidate
overcomes the mental stress of interview.

3. Multiple interviews:
To avoid personal bias in the selection process, different interviewers should interview the same
candidate and, jointly, they should decide the suitability of the candidate.
4. Supplementary facts:
Even if a candidate does not perform well in the interview, he should not be rejected
straightaway. The details in his application form, his performance in the preliminary interview
and responses of cross references should be considered before concluding the final result.

Suggestions to Ensure Success in an Interview:

Many people think they will get a good job after doing well in an interview. They think, they will
find a company they want to work for, on the basis of their knowledge. However, this is not
always true. Even the smartest student in the class, having more marks than any of his friends,
from a good private school, or a famous college may not get the job if he walks to an interview
unprepared. He should do research about the company, dress professionally and have reason to
tell the interviewer why they should hire him.

Many people struggle on finding the right steps to have a successful interview. The job interview
is usually the most stressful part of the job search. It does not have to be a stressful situation. The
most important thing for the candidate is to be prepared. If he prepares for the interview, the
stress level will be reduced dramatically.

The following suggestions ensure success in an interview:

1. The interviewee should research as much as he can about the company’s products, services,
markets, competitors, trends, current activities and priorities.

2. He should prepare answers for the type of questions he will be asked. He should be able to say
why he wants the job, what are his strengths, how would he do the job, what are his best
achievements etc.

3. He should ask for a copy of the company’s employment terms and conditions or employee
handbook before the interview, in order to save time covering routine matters during the
interview.

4. He should collect evidence of his achievements in the past.

5. He should update his resume.

6. He should gather important material related to the company to be prepared for the interview,
like the sales brochures and literature, a trade magazine covering the company’s market sector,
and a newspaper for the few days before the interview to remain informed about the world and
national news.

7. He should review his personal goals and speak openly and honestly about them and how he
plans to achieve them.
8. He should have two or three good reputable and relevant references who would be happy to be
contacted.

9. He should adopt an enthusiastic, alert and positive mind-set in the interview.

10. He should positively deal with negative aspects of his profile and tell the truth rather than
evading or distorting facts.

Weaknesses of an Interview:

Though interview is the most commonly adopted method of selection, it may not always
prove to be effective because of the following weaknesses:

1. Imbalanced positions:
While interviewing, the interviewer is confident of his position. He can, therefore, ask any
question to the interviewee but interviewees are normally tensed during the interview. Even
knowledgeable and competent candidates may not perform well in the interview. Rejection of
candidates purely on the basis of interview is, thus, not desirable.

Interviewer may also be biased against interviewee. Selection on the basis of biased interview is
not correct. Interviews based on biases towards candidates does not give good results. It is the
assumption of the interviewer that a person good in one activity is good in all and a person bad in
one activity is bad in all other activities also.

It, thus, evaluates a person on the basis of a single or few qualities and not all the qualities on the
basis of which he should be ranked. It takes partial view of the person and evaluates him totally
on that ground. It is like evaluating the whole on the basis of a sample. Though it may work in
case of objects, it is not always true in evaluating people.

2. Wrong presentation:
Sometimes, the candidate answers to please the interviewer. This does not reflect true picture of
his candidature. A wrong candidate can, thus, be selected.

3. Unstructured interviews:
When the interviewer does not plan an interview, he may ask questions not relevant to the job.
This does not fully explore the potential of the candidate.

4. Theoretical details:
Interview only extracts theoretical details about the candidate’s personality. Job related practical
skills cannot be determined through interviews
Body Language

Body Language is a significant aspect of modern communications and relationships. Body

language describes the method of communicating using body movements or gestures instead of,
or in addition to, verbal language. The interpretation of body language, such as facial expressions
and gestures, is formally called kinesics. Body language includes subtle, unconscious
movements, including winking and slight movements of the eyebrows and other facial
expressions.

Body language is the unspoken part of communication that we use to reveal our true feelings and
to give our message more impact.

According to one study, only 7 percent of a receiver’s comprehension of a message is based on

the sender’s actual words; 38 percent is based on paralanguage(the tone, pace, and volume of
speech), and 55 percent is based on non-verbal cues such as body language

Gestures

Movement of hands and fingers enhance communication. But, gestures are culture specific. A
clenched fist may mean emphasis for an American but disrespect for an Indian. A thumbs up
sign, a movement of the index finger communicate messages effectively. Continuous gestures
should be avoided. Non-verbal communication in short, adds, subtracts and amends our message.
In an oral communication context, all the above features of body language play an important
role. If you expect to communicate in a relaxed atmosphere, you have to kill and destroy the
stiffness with appropriate components of body language. Though gestures are culture specific
some of them have become universal cutting across cultural boundaries. They have become
emblematic. A thumbs up sign stands for hitchhiking. A wave of the arm is for a ‘hello’ or a
good-bye. Emblems directly stand for a verbal message. Certain gestures are illustrators for they
illustrate a point. An arm can be used to draw a circle. The index finger shown with a little shake
stands to emphasise a point as an illustrator.

Certain gestures made unconsciously will reveal the mental state of the speaker. Anger, fear,
nervousness etc., are often revealed by fidgeting, shifting of legs etc., Twisting the shirt button or
cuff-links, rubbing the neck-tie, scratching the cheek, nose, stroking the chin are some of the
innumerable unconsciously acquired gestures. If overdone, they may degenerate to the level of
mannerisms. One has to avoid the habit of over-gesturing in oral communication.

Eye Contact

Eye Contact In business, the style and duration of eye contact people consider appropriate varies
greatly across cultures. In the United States, looking someone in the eye (for about a second) is
considered a sign of trustworthiness. Facial Expressions The human face can produce thousands
of different expressions. Experts have decoded these expressions as corresponding to hundreds
of different emotional states. Our faces convey basic information to the outside world. Happiness
is associated with an upturned mouth and slightly closed eyes; fear, with an open mouth and
wide-eyed stare. Flitting (“shifty”) eyes and pursed lips convey a lack of trustworthiness. The
effect facial expressions have on conversation is instantaneous. Our brains may register them as
“a feeling” about someone’s character.

Posture

The position of our body relative to a chair or another person is another powerful silent
messenger that conveys interest, aloofness, professionalism—or lack thereof. Head up, back
straight (but not rigid) implies an upright character. In interview situations, experts advise
mirroring an interviewer’s tendency to lean in and settle back in her seat. The subtle repetition of
the other person’s posture conveys that we are listening and responding.

Facial Expression

Facial expressions are dynamic features which communicate the speaker’s attitude, emotions,
intentions and so on. The face is the primary source of emotions. During oral communication,
facial expressions change continually and are constantly monitored and interpreted by the
receiver. Examples are: a smile, frown, raised eyebrow, yawn or sneer. Face is the index of the
mind. We say, “she put on a long face” to mean that she was not in the best of her moods.
However much one tries, his hidden feeling of anger, fear, confusion, uncertainty, enthusiasm
and joy will get revealed by the facial expression. Sometimes, the words that you utter may be
contradicted by your facial expression.

Body Language for a Good First Impression

Your nonverbal signs play a big part in people’s first impression of you. Here are ways to
appear trustworthy, engaged, confident, and calm:
 Have an open posture. Be relaxed, but don't slouch. Sit or stand upright and place your
hands by your sides. Avoid standing with your hands on your hips, as this can communicate
aggression or a desire to dominate.
 Use a firm handshake. But don't get carried away! You don't want it to become awkward,
aggressive, or painful for the other person.
 Maintain good eye contact. Try to hold the other person's gaze for a few seconds at a time.
This will show them that you're sincere and engaged. But avoid turning it into a staring
contest!
 Avoid touching your face. If you do this while answering questions, it can be seen as a sign
of dishonesty. While this isn't always the case, you should still avoid fiddling with your hair
or scratching your nose, so that you convey trustworthiness.
 Smile! Warm, sincere smiles are attractive, reassuring – and infectious!

Body Language for Interviews and Negotiations

Body language can also help you to stay calm in situations where emotions run high, such as a
negotiation, performance reviews or interview. Follow these suggestions to defuse tension and
show openness:
 Use mirroring. If you can, subtly mirror the body language of the person you're talking to.
This will make them feel more at ease, and can build rapport . But don't copy their every
gesture or you'll make them uncomfortable.
 Relax your body. Maintain the appearance of calm by keeping your hands still and by
breathing slowly.
 Look interested. If you're asked a complex question, it's OK to briefly touch your cheek or
stroke your chin. It shows you're reflecting on your answer

Case Study

A case study is an in-depth study of one person, group, or event. In a case study, nearly every
aspect of the subject's life and history is analyzed to seek patterns and causes of behavior. Case
studies can be used in a variety of fields including psychology, medicine, education,
anthropology, political science, and social work.

Types

There are a few different types of case studies that psychologists and other researchers might
utilize:

 Collective case studies: These involve studying a group of individuals. Researchers

might study a group of people in a certain setting or look at an entire community of
people.
 Descriptive case studies: These involve starting with a descriptive theory. The subjects
are then observed and the information gathered is compared to the pre-existing theory.
 Explanatory case studies: These are often used to do causal investigations. In other
words, researchers are interested in looking at factors that may have actually caused
certain things to occur.
 Exploratory case studies: These are sometimes used as a prelude to further, more in-
depth research. This allows researchers to gather more information before developing
their research questions and hypotheses.
  Instrumental case studies: These occur when the individual or group allows researchers
to understand more than what is initially obvious to observers.
 Intrinsic case studies: This type of case study is when the researcher has a personal
interest in the case. The type of case study that is used depends on the unique
characteristics of the situation as well as the case itself.

How to Write a Case Study

1. Identify Your Goal or Objective

To draft a proper case study, you have to be crystal clear about your intent. Before you take a
deep dive into a particular subject, think about your end goal. What do you hope readers will
take away from your study? What problem(s) and solutions(s) are you highlighting?

You can have more than one objective for your case study, but it’s best to focus on five at most.
General case study goals include:

 measuring the impact of a specific action

 explaining a phenomenon or illustrating a unique circumstance
 proving or disproving a generalized assumption

2. Prepare the Case

To begin, you must thoroughly understand the subject of your study. Familiarize yourself with
the person or company you’re writing about. Start by taking a lot of notes related to the
background information a stranger would need to know and the problem you’re addressing.

Highlight relevant points that support your goal. Be on the lookout for a unique angle you can
use to make your point.

3. Review What's Already Known

Now that you and the subject are well-acquainted, it's time to determine what's already known
about the case. This serves as the baseline for understanding your case and helps you develop
solutions.

Consider these research methods:

 Review related literature on the topic.

 Watch media clips, speeches, debates, and discussions.
 Read reports from your subject.
 Conduct interviews with the subject, people close to the project, or topic professionals.

4. Collect Data
At this point, you have your background information and supporting evidence. Now, it's time to
put together what you’ve learned. You can use existing data, but you may also create new data
points by compiling all your research.

Compile any data that illustrates the solution(s) or main message you’re presenting. You can use
charts and graphs as part of your final case study. It doesn’t have to be entirely narrative.

5. Draft Your Case Study

With information by your side, it's time to formally compose your analysis. There are four main
sections in a case study. It is similar to writing an essay or telling a story.

Introduction

Your introduction serves as an overview of all your hard work. Begin with a thesis statement that
indicates what was being analyzed and why. Assume the audience isn't familiar with the subject
by offering some context.

Background Information

It's best to break the body of your case study into two parts. The first part involves outlining your
background information, pertinent facts, noted issues, and prior research from other sources.

Findings

The second part of the body of your case study is where you share the actual observations and
data you recorded. Note any areas of intrigue or uniqueness. Did they line up with your prior
research or contradict it?

Mention what you noticed before, during, and after a defining action was taken. Break your
presentation into appropriate subheadings so the reader will know what topic is being addressed
in each section.

Conclusion

It is a wrap up of what was observed, unearthed, and dissected. This might be the place for a call
to action. If this is for school, you can leave it as an open-ended or rhetorical question. If a
company has hired you to conduct a case study, then you might want to recommend a specific
call-to-action so that, moving forward, your research will serve a valuable purpose.

Audience Analysis
Audience analysis involves identifying the audience and adapting a speech to their interests,
level of understanding, attitudes, and beliefs. Taking an audience-centered approach is important
because a speaker’s effectiveness will be improved if the presentation is created and delivered in
an appropriate manner. Identifying the audience through extensive research is often difficult, so
audience adaptation often relies on the healthy use of imagination.

Multicultural issues in communication

Direct versus Indirect Communication

Communication style in Western cultures are direct and the meaning is seemingly obvious. Other
cultures tend to be more discrete in the way they present their message. As a result, communication
between a Westerner and a non-Westerner can result in confusion within the workplace. This can
occur during face-to-face interactions and when communication is virtual. Needless to say, how
employees of diverse cultures respond to one another is a major determining factor towards the
cohesiveness of an organization. For example, in a Western culture, the question might be, “Is option
A or option B more effective?” Whereas in a non-Western culture, employees may have to imply or
suggest a particular option without stating it directly. Oftentimes, in a Western culture, during a
board meeting, when someone nods, we tend to think they agree with the statement. However, in
other cultures, a nod doesn’t necessarily mean mutual agreement, rather, just an acknowledgement.

Trouble with Accents and Fluency

A more obvious challenge within an organizationally diverse workplace is the language barrier
among employees, including accents and fluency. Although English is the standard language
internationally for business, many non-English speakers can feel unnoticed and unappreciated in the
workplace because they have difficulty conveying what they want to say in their non-native
language. Employees who may be subject matter experts, may take a backseat to contributing to the
team because of their inability to get a message across in their second language.

Different Attitudes toward Hierarchy and Authority

In any organization, teamwork is essential to success and profitability. However, in some cultures,
employees are treated different based on their rank within the organization. Diversity training in the
workplace should account for negotiation tactics among different cultures. For example, multicultural
employees have different ways of presenting an idea to the manager or CEO. In some organizations,
employees must present to higher-level team members and up the corporate ladder before reaching
the executive level. Other organizations have relatively flat hierarchical structures where employees
and leaders work as a unified team. A lack of cultural awareness can result in a disconnected
workforce and leave some employees feeling left out and unrecognized.

Conflicting Norms for Decision-Making

It isn’t surprising that individual cultures have their own way of reaching an agreement and coming
to an executive decision. Cultures differ on how long the decision-making process takes, what steps
must be in place beforehand and how much effort should be put in. Successful organizations create a
culture of awareness that inspires employees to respect one another through diversity training. This
mutual understanding among managers and employees encourages new ideas, different perspectives
and collaboration, making all the difference within an organization.

Gender Neutral Language

Gender-neutral language is language that avoids bias towards any gender. In other words, it
avoids the use of masculine or feminine pronouns and terms, in favour of terms that are not
gender-specific in any way.

It is also known as gender-inclusive language.

Why Gender-Neutral Language Matters

The use of gender-neutral language may seem unnecessary to some writers.

They argue that ‘everyone knows’ that masculine pronouns cover everyone, or that they have
defined the use of he/him as meaning anyone.

This is, however, arguable. Writing can be taken out of context. An isolated quote, or even
reading a different section of the text can give the impression that women are or were excluded.
It is also likely to give the impression that women are somehow less important than men.

This is dangerous because it can lead to bias of thought and action.

It does not matter what the writer intended. What matters is the impression gained by the reader.
Many readers read masculine pronouns to refer only to men. By using masculine language,
writers can therefore inadvertently create the wrong impression.

There is also a ‘flip side’ to this. When masculine language is used to mean ‘everyone’, this can
obscure situations when women were genuinely excluded.

Using Gender-Neutral Language in Writing

There are several different elements to using gender-neutral language in writing.

These include honorifics, pronouns, and descriptive terms. These need care because of the
assumptions that we may make, often inadvertently, when seeing a name or honorific.

Honorifics
Honorifics are titles prefixing a person's name, for example Miss, Ms, Mr, Sir, Mrs, Dr and
Lord.
Some of these, such as ‘Dr’, relate to qualifications. These should not be problematic. If you
know that someone holds that qualification, you can use that term.

However, others, such as Miss and Mrs, relate to marital status. Many women, unsurprisingly,
object to providing this information, especially when men do not have to do so. The term ‘Ms’
has therefore been adopted as an alternative.

The rule here is to consider the issue on the basis of the question ‘Are the boys doing it?’. This
was described by Caitlin Moran in her book How to Be a Woman. If ‘the boys’ aren’t doing it (in
this case, having to provide information about their marital status simply by giving their name),
then why should women?

In other words, do not assume that you know which honorific a woman prefers on the basis of
her marital status. Unless you know her preference, use “Ms” until instructed otherwise.

You should also take care not to assume that a doctor (for example Dr J. Smith) or
someone with a gender-ambiguous name (for example Pat or Alex) is necessarily male.

Job Titles and Descriptive Terms

A number of job titles have traditionally included the word ‘man’ or ‘woman’, or had male- and
female-specific versions.

These have now largely been replaced with gender-neutral terms, to cover everyone.

Copyright

Copyright is the legal protection which gives the owner of certain 'works' the right to control
how the works may be used. 'Works' range from literary works and images, to sound and video
recordings, as detailed below.

Copyright gives the copyright owner certain exclusive rights. Generally, the following acts are
only allowed with the owner's permission, (subject to some exceptions):-

 reproducing and most forms of copying of or from the work

 publicly performing, transmitting or broadcasting the work

  adapting the work

 translating the work

 issuing the work or providing copies of the work to the public.

Copyright is an automatic right (so it doesn't have to be registered or formally applied for). It
applies to the following types of work:

 Literary works - this includes academic publications, novels, text books, short stories,
essays, written teaching material, commercial documents, pamphlets, articles,
newsletters, leaflets, poems, manuscripts, manuals, song lyrics, computer programs etc.

 Artistic creations - this includes photography, paintings, sculptures, architecture,

technical drawings, diagrams, maps, logos, sketches etc.

 Sound recordings - this includes the recordings of other copyright works, e.g. musical
and literary.

 Film - this includes video footage, clips from You-Tube, films, broadcasts etc.

 Typographical - this includes the layout of magazines, periodicals and other published
material.

 Dramatic works - this includes things like plays and dance.

 Musical writings - this includes recordings and score etc.