Interview:
Definition, Types, Uses & Comparison

An interview is a structured conversation where one participant asks questions and the other provides answers to collect information and assess qualifications, perspectives, or opinions. In common usage, an interview refers to a one-on-one exchange between an interviewer and an interviewee, though interviews can involve multiple participants and take various formats including face-to-face meetings, telephone conversations, or video conferences.

Interviews transfer information bidirectionally and serve as a fundamental methodology across multiple disciplines including employment, journalism, psychology, marketing research, and academic research. The format ranges from highly structured conversations with predetermined questions in a specific order to unstructured, free-flowing discussions without prearranged questions.

Related terms: structured interview, semi-structured interview, unstructured interview, behavioral interview, focus group

An interview serves as a two-way communication tool between interviewer and interviewee, where the interviewer asks questions to gather information and the interviewee provides responses. This method enables both parties to exchange information and make informed decisions.

The 4 primary objectives of an interview are:

• To determine the applicant's suitability for a specific role or purpose
• To gain in-depth information from the applicant beyond surface-level data
• To provide brand awareness about the organization to the applicant
• To create a positive image of the organization among applicants

These objectives apply across interview contexts, though emphasis varies depending on whether the interview is for employment, research, journalism, or other purposes. The interviewer seeks to evaluate qualifications while the interviewee assesses whether the opportunity aligns with their goals.

Interviews are categorized into 9 main types based on their structure, format, and purpose:

1. Structured interview: The interviewer asks job applicants a standardized set of predetermined questions in a fixed order, also known as a patterned or guided interview. Questions often have pre-set answers rather than open-ended responses, making this approach predominantly quantitative.
2. Semi-structured interview: A blend of structured and unstructured approaches where the interviewer follows a general plan with predetermined themes but maintains flexibility to adjust question phrasing, order, or add follow-up questions based on responses.
3. Unstructured interview: The interviewer does not follow formal rules or procedures, with questions emerging spontaneously during free-flowing discussions. This wholly qualitative approach includes only topic areas and themes rather than standard questions.
4. Behavioral interview: The candidate recounts real-life occasions demonstrating specific knowledge, skills, or attitudes. Questions typically start with "Tell me about a time..." to elicit examples of past performance as indicators of future capability.
5. Stress interview: Used for positions prone to high stress, where the interviewee faces rapid-fire questions to assess how they respond under pressure.
6. One-to-one interview: The most common format involving only two participants, the interviewer and the interviewee, allowing for direct questions and follow-ups.
7. Panel interview: A panel of two or more interviewers representing different areas of the organization conducts the interview together.
8. Telephonic interview: Conducted over the telephone, this economical and time-efficient format focuses exclusively on asking and answering questions without visual cues.
9. Video interview: Employs video conferencing tools to evaluate applicants remotely, offering flexibility, speed, and cost-effectiveness while maintaining face-to-face interaction.

In practice, these approaches are routinely combined. Qualitative exploratory interviewing can complement more structured interviewing using closed questions later in an evaluation process.

Interviewers use 5 distinct question types to gather different kinds of information from candidates:

• Behavioral questions: Ask candidates to recount specific past experiences demonstrating required knowledge, skills, or attitudes. These questions typically start with "Tell me about a time..." and provide evidence that candidates actually possess claimed skills.
• Situational questions: Present hypothetical circumstances and ask how the candidate would handle them, revealing thinking processes, work values, and critical thinking skills. Candidates explain both what they would do and why they would take that action.
• Case questions: Present a case study requiring resolution or action. Candidates analyze the situation, present solutions, explain their rationale, and provide supporting evidence.
• Technical questions: Assess whether candidates possess specific technical knowledge or skills required for the job, such as explaining principles or methodologies relevant to the position.
• General questions: Conversational questions that build rapport and make connections with candidates while still evaluating fit for the target job in a formal business context.

Most interviews use a combination of question types rather than relying on a single approach. Knowing what type of interview to expect helps candidates determine how to best prepare their responses.

Structured interviews present interviewees with a standardized set of questions in a fixed order, often in questionnaire form with pre-set answer options. Each interview features identical questions asked in the same sequence, making this approach predominantly quantitative and ideal for pattern recognition and comparison between participants while maintaining constant environmental conditions.

Unstructured interviews take the form of natural conversation between two or more people, with only topic areas and themes guiding the discussion rather than standard questions. The interviewer pursues follow-up questions or new lines of discussion as appropriate, using only open-ended questions. Interviewees often identify the information they consider most important for the discussion.

Structured interviews offer higher reliability and validity through consistency but can be overly formal and limited in scope. Unstructured interviews provide flexibility and depth but risk interviewer bias through leading questions and present challenges in pattern analysis. Semi-structured interviews combine both approaches, offering predetermined themes with flexibility to adapt questions based on individual session contexts.

Interviews serve critical functions across 5 major contexts:

• Employment: Job interviews evaluate candidate qualifications for specific positions through formal consultations. This includes screening interviews, case interviews presenting challenges to resolve, and mock interviews for training purposes. Technology enables video telephony for remote candidate interviews.
• Psychology: Psychologists use various interviewing methods to understand and help patients. Psychiatric interviews involve asking questions to complete psychiatric assessments. Couple interviews involve two interviewees simultaneously. Cognitive interviews help eyewitnesses and victims recall specific details from crime scenes.
• Marketing and Academic: Interviews conduct extensive personality tests and serve as the most common form of data collection in qualitative research. Firms use interviews to understand consumer thinking or improve questionnaire design through cognitive interviewing. Computer-assisted telephone interviewing randomly dials phone numbers for highly structured surveys.
• Journalism and Media: Reporters conduct interviews over phone and in person to gather information for publication. Talk show hosts interview guests on radio or television for entertainment or informational purposes, often recording these conversations.
• Other Situations: College representatives interview prospective students to assess suitability. Embassy officials interview visa applicants. Legal contexts use interrogation as a form of interviewing. Debriefing represents another interview variant.

Interviewer bias is a type of bias that emerges when characteristics of an interviewer, such as race, age, or gender identity, influence the responses given by the interviewee. The relationship between interviewer and interviewee in research settings creates both positive and negative consequences.

This relationship can bring deeper understanding of information being collected, but creates risk that the interviewer cannot remain unbiased in their collection and interpretation of information. Bias or discrimination arises from the interviewer's perception of the interviewee or the interviewee's perception of the interviewer. A researcher can introduce biases based on their mental state, preparedness for conducting research, or conducting inappropriate interviews.

Interviewers use 3 practices known in qualitative research to mitigate interviewer bias:

• Subjectivity: Acknowledging personal perspectives and how they influence data collection
• Objectivity: Maintaining distance and neutrality in observation and interpretation
• Reflexivity: Critically examining one's own role and influence on the research process

Each practice allows the interviewer to use their bias to enhance their work by gaining deeper understanding of the problem they are studying. Blind interviews, where the interviewee's identity is concealed, reduce interviewer bias and have been shown in some cases to increase hiring of minorities and women.

The interview process follows 4 general stages regardless of the specific approach selected:

1. Design and Planning: Investigators determine the generalized approach (structured, semi-structured, or unstructured), select specific techniques, formulate research questions, and consider practical, conceptual, and ethical external factors. Interviewers complete any specialized training or preparations required.
2. Conducting and Transcription: Interviews are conducted and their results are subsequently transcribed. The transcription process can take as long as or longer than the interviewing itself.
3. Analysis and Interpretation: Results are analyzed and interpreted using the investigator's chosen analysis method. Verification of the data and findings collected from the interviews is required during this stage.
4. Reporting: Results are compiled and presented to relevant stakeholders or audiences.

Within the actual interview session, the process includes opening with informal introductions and small talk, properly introducing the investigation and interview format, administering questions while recording answers and noting emerging themes, and closing by asking the respondent for feedback and thanking them for their time. Investigators should review and expand notes immediately after each interview while the conversation remains fresh.

An interview is often compared to 3 related data collection methods:

Interview vs. Survey

An interview involves direct conversation between interviewer and interviewee, allowing for follow-up questions, clarification, and deeper exploration of responses. Surveys distribute identical questions to many respondents simultaneously without real-time interaction, making them more efficient for large-scale data collection but less flexible for exploring complex topics.

Interview vs. Focus Group

A traditional interview typically involves one interviewer and one interviewee in direct conversation, though panel interviews can involve multiple interviewers. Focus groups bring together multiple participants simultaneously, studying both individual responses and group dynamics, body language, and how participants influence each other's opinions.

Interview vs. Observation

An interview relies on asking questions and receiving verbal responses, making it dependent on participants' self-reported information and memories. Observation involves watching and recording behavior as it naturally occurs without direct questioning, capturing actions rather than explanations, though participants' awareness of being observed can alter their behavior.