Interview Techniques Used in Both Interviews. Include

¶ … interview techniques used in both interviews. Include commentary and analysis of best practices, practices to avoid, and how this viewing experience will inform your approach to the interviewing assignment introduced in this week's Application. Evaluate the techniques used in each interview. Which practices could you use in your own interviews? Which practices should you avoid? Where did the person in the video go wrong? How could this issue have been avoided or corrected? During the first interview, Linda the interviewer, acted extremely apologetic about the interview process.

She seemed uncertain about the direction of the interview and how long it was going to take. She also did not prepare her subject Laura adequately beforehand, given Laura's evident surprise at the fact that Linda was taking notes. No matter how intelligent the interviewer, lacking a confident demeanor can make the subject less forthcoming in terms of his or her responses, as was seen during the halting beginnings of the interview.

Linda did not phrase her initial inquires about workplace morale in a clear fashion, using a leading question: "now we've all had bad workplaces" Part One, 2013: 3). After Laura finally 'got going' and began to talk, instead of asking more questions about Laura's response, Linda merely offered a personal anecdote of her own. While occasionally offering some personal information can be a good 'icebreaker,' Linda's comment after Laura had been so forthcoming seemed to leave Laura's anecdote hanging in the air and did not 'validate' Laura's willingness to open up.

She also reacted in a very emotional fashion to Laura at one point, which could possibly 'slant' the interview in an unprofessional fashion: "Well, I can't believe -- that's really too bad for the leader of the school to be behaving like that towards you" (Part One, 2013: 4). There were several more effective practices observed in the interview between Linda and Laura in the second interview.

Linda informed Laura what the subject of the interview would be and how precisely how the information in the interview would be used in an ethically-acceptable manner. However, in this interview Linda was rather abrupt: she attempted to get straight to the 'meat' of the interview without 'warming up' Laura with more directive, easier questions, such as asking Laura about her background. Laura clearly felt 'put on the spot' about having to talk about how different attitudes in the classroom enhanced or de-enhanced learning.

Linda could have asked Laura to talk a little bit about herself without immediately 'pouncing' on Laura with a highly conceptual question about workplace morale. However, despite the open-ended nature of most of the questions, Linda did use effective paraphrasing of what Laura had said in the second interview and was able to direct Laura's focus back.