Interview

An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other
provides answers.[1] In common parlance, the word "interview" refers to a one-on-one conversation
between an interviewer and an interviewee. The interviewer asks questions to which the interviewee
responds, usually providing information. That information may be used or provided to other
audiences immediately or later. This feature is common to many types of interviews – a job
interview or interview with a witness to an event may have no other audience present at the time,
but the answers will be later provided to others in the employment or investigative process. An
interview may also transfer information in both directions.

A musician interviewed in a radio

studio

A woman interviewing for a job

Athletes interviewed after a race

 Street interview with a member of the
public

Interviews usually take place face-to-face, in person, but the parties may instead be separated
geographically, as in videoconferencing or telephone interviews. Interviews almost always involve a
spoken conversation between two or more parties, but can also happen between two persons who
type their questions and answers.

Interviews can be unstructured, free-wheeling, and open-ended conversations without a

predetermined plan or prearranged questions.[2] One form of unstructured interview is a focused
interview in which the interviewer consciously and consistently guides the conversation so that the
interviewee's responses do not stray from the main research topic or idea.[3] Interviews can also be
highly structured conversations in which specific questions occur in a specified order.[4] They can
follow diverse formats; for example, in a ladder interview, a respondent's answers typically guide
subsequent interviews, with the object being to explore a respondent's subconscious motives.[5][6]
Typically the interviewer has some way of recording the information that is gleaned from the
interviewee, often by keeping notes with a pencil and paper, or with a video or audio recorder.

The traditionally two-person interview format, sometimes called a one-on-one interview, permits
direct questions and follow-ups, which enables an interviewer to better gauge the accuracy and
relevance of responses. It is a flexible arrangement in the sense that subsequent questions can be
tailored to clarify earlier answers. Further, it eliminates possible distortion due to other parties being
present. Interviews have taken on an even more significant role, offering opportunities to showcase
not just expertise, but adaptability and strategic thinking.
Contexts

A radio interview

Interviews can happen in a wide variety of contexts:

Employment. A job interview is a formal consultation for evaluating the qualifications of the
interviewee for a specific position.[7][8] One type of job interview is a case interview in which the
applicant is presented with a question or task or challenge, and asked to resolve the situation.[9]
Candidates may be treated to a mock interview as a training exercise to prepare the respondent to
handle questions in the subsequent 'real' interview. A series of interviews may be arranged, with
the first interview sometimes being a short screening interview, followed by more in-depth
interviews, usually by company personnel who can ultimately hire the applicant. Technology has
enabled new possibilities for interviewing; for example, video telephony has enabled interviewing
applicants from afar which is becoming increasingly popular.

Psychology. Psychologists use a variety of interviewing methods and techniques to try to

understand and help their patients. In a psychiatric interview, a psychiatrist or psychologist or
nurse asks a battery of questions to complete what is called a psychiatric assessment.
Sometimes two people are interviewed by an interviewer, with one format being called couple
interviews.[10] Criminologists and detectives sometimes use cognitive interviews on eyewitnesses
and victims to try to ascertain what can be recalled specifically from a crime scene, hopefully
before the specific memories begin to fade in the mind.[11][12]

Marketing and Academic. In marketing research and academic research, interviews are used in a
wide variety of ways as a method to do extensive personality tests. Interviews are the most used
form of data collection in qualitative research.[3] Interviews are used in marketing research as a
tool that a firm may utilize to gain an understanding of how consumers think, or as a tool in the
form of cognitive interviewing (or cognitive pretesting) for improving questionnaire design.[13][14]
Consumer research firms sometimes use computer-assisted telephone interviewing to randomly
dial phone numbers to conduct highly structured telephone interviews, with scripted questions
and responses entered directly into the computer.[15]
 Journalism and other media. Typically, reporters covering a story in journalism conduct interviews
over the phone and in person to gain information for subsequent publication. Reporters also
interview government officials and political candidates for broadcast.[16] In a talk show, a radio or
television host interviews one or more people, with the topic usually chosen by the host,
sometimes for entertainment, sometimes for informational purposes. Such interviews are often
recorded.

Other situations. Sometimes college representatives or alumni conduct college interviews with
prospective students as a way of assessing a student's suitability while offering the student a
chance to learn more about a college.[17] Some services specialize in coaching people for
interviews.[17] Embassy officials may conduct interviews with applicants for student visas before
approving their visa applications. Interviewing in legal contexts is often called interrogation.
Debriefing is another kind of interview.

Interviewer bias

The relationship between the interviewer and interviewee in research settings can have both
positive and negative consequences.[18] Their relationship can bring deeper understanding of the
information being collected, however this creates a risk that the interviewer will be unable to be
unbiased in their collection and interpretation of information.[18] Bias or discrimination can be
created from the interviewer's perception of the interviewee, or the interviewee's perception of the
interviewer.[18] Additionally, a researcher can bring biases to the table based on the researcher's
mental state, their preparedness for conducting the research, and the researcher conducting
inappropriate interviews.[19] Interviewers can use various practices known in qualitative research to
mitigate interviewer bias. These practices include subjectivity, objectivity, and reflexivity. Each of
these practices allows the interviewer, or researcher, the opportunity to use their bias to enhance
their work by gaining a deeper understanding of the problem they are studying.[20]

Blind interview

In a blind interview the identity of the interviewee is concealed to reduce interviewer bias. Blind
interviews are sometimes used in the software industry and are standard in blind auditions. Blind
interviews have been shown in some cases to increase the hiring of minorities and women.[21]

See also

Repertory grid interview