Types of Interview in Business Communication | Kinds of Interview | Sorts of Interview

Types of Interview in Business Communication or, Kinds of Interview or, Sorts of Interviews can be classified into various types depending on the objectives, occasions, situations, time, etc. The various types or interviews are mentioned and discussed below- What is Interview?

Types of Interview

  • Employment Interview or Selection Interview: The most important and widely used interview types are employment interview or selection interview. This type of interview is conducted to find out potential suitable candidates for the vacant positions. An important objective of employment interview is to assess the suitability of candidates for jobs. In most organizations, employment or selection interviews are taken by a panel of interviewers. The objective of such interview is to draw out and reveal important aspects of the candidate’s personality which are relevant to the needs of the job. It is also known as job selection interview. Business Communication
  • Assessment or Appraisal Interview: An appraisal interview is conducted to appraise or assess the overall performance of the employees. It is usually held once a year. By assessment interview, the employer tends to know the employee’s performance and shortcomings. It is also possible to find out the employee’s ambition, motivation, interest and the state of his morale by appraisal interview.
  • Promotion Interview: In organizational laddering system, employees are promoted to higher ranks depending on their skill and job performance. Promotion interview is an interview that is conducted in order to select the best candidate from the employees for promotion to higher post. purpose of such interview is to measure the attitude of the person and his fitness to take up the responsibility of the higher post. The interview also provides an opportunity to the management to make the person aware of the responsibilities he will have to shoulder.

    Types of Interview
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  • Termination Interview: Termination interview takes place when the manager calls problem employees to inform them the causes of termination of job. Sometimes it may be inevitable to warn the employees who are continuously violating the rules of the organization. In such case, the management reminds them the reasons of termination of job but wants to retain relationship if they abide by the organizational rules.
  • Conflict Resolution Interview: If an interview takes place to resolve conflict between two rival groups in the organization. It is called conflict resolution interview. In this interview the solicitor or moderator of the interview tries to make the conflicting parties close together, minimize their misunderstanding, build positive attitudes and eradicate conflict.
  • Exit Interview: The exit interview takes place when the employee is leaving the organization either voluntarily or through dismissal. This types of interview is very important for an organization for several reasons. Firstly, the management can find out the reason for the employee’s decision to leave and can clear up any misunderstanding or ill feeling that might have developed. Secondly, the management tries to get the employees assessment of the company in terms of its employee relations, public relations, sales policies etc. His opinions will be usually representative of the general opinions of the staff and will be useful to modify its employee policy.
  • Problem Interview: An interview where a problem employee attends as an interviewee and the management as interviewer is called a problem interview. When the performance of an employee is unsatisfactory in spite of warnings by his supervisor, an interview is more likely to show a solution than just another warning. The objective of such interview is to find out the reasons behind the poor performance of the employee for example, dissatisfaction with the job, domestic or personal problem, poor health and lack of adjustment to the environment or to the job. Giving advice and suggestions and to help the employee to overcome the problem are also some major purposes of problem interview.
  • Grievance Interview: Many people are working in an organization especially in large organization there may be some grievances with some employees that are to be removed immediately. In such cases manager calls the grieved employees in interview to know their resentment and pacifies them to minimize these as early as possible. This type of interview is known as grievance interview.
  • Reprimand Interview: Reprimand interview takes place when the management criticizes an employee severely by taking him to his room for some undesirable statement or action. Sometimes the manager summons the employee to his room and talks to him in his official capacity. A reprimand is a form of disciplinary action likely to be resented by the employees. The objectives of such interview are to improve the work performance of the employees, to prevent the recurrence of such offences and to protect the other employees from the malaise of anti-organizational behavior. There are two aspects of reprimand interview. The disciplinary aspect where the employee is administered a warning and the guidance aspect where the employee is helped to improve his performance.
  • Stress Interview: In stress interview the interviewee is put into difficulties in order to test his reaction to stress situations. This interview method is used only for selection persons for posts in which the person must be able to face difficult situations without getting upset. For example the post of college teacher, a factory manger, a labor welfare manager etc. Stress interview tests such qualities as courage, tact, cool-temper, self-command etc. Asking questions on different topics, cross-questioning, arguing, asking for a sudden silence etc. techniques are used here to test the employee. Only a cool-headed and self-possessed candidate can respond appropriately and pass this test. In the following sections, we would like to concentrate our discussion on selection interview only.
  • Information Interview: Information interview is that kind of interview where either the interviewer or the interviewee attempts to get important information from the participating parties or people. A people officer, investigating a case, taking interview of people, a journalist asking questions to people for gathering information for a report, a surveyor asking questions to respondents over telephone, etc. are some examples of information interview.
  • Counseling Interview: Counseling interview is conducted to provide necessary counseling to the interviewees. Problem employees are given counseling so that they can improve their performance in respective areas.
  • Disciplinary Interview: When interview is conducted to improve the disciplinary condition of the employees or interviewees, it is called disciplinary interview. Sometimes in the organization, there may be some employees continuously violating the disciplinary rules of the organization and it becomes necessary to rectify their behaviors. It helps the indiscipline employees improve their morale, attitude and behavior.

From the above discussion it is fount that there are different types of interviewing system each of which have certain objectives. These should be used considering the objective, timing, interviewees etc. There are more information about Purposes of Interview in Business Communication | Objective of Interview.

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