Real Communication An Introduction

504 Appendix A   Competent Interviewing

than is warranted (Gordon, 2011). In fact, leav-

ing an organization requires people not only to

physically disengage but also to deal with feelings

of ambivalence and an adjustment in identity as

they start to focus on their future (Davis & Myers,

2012). These complexities may not be revealed by a

standard exit interview.

Selection Interviews

If you’re like most college students, the selection

interview is probably most relevant to you. The

primary goal of a selection interview is to secure or

fill a position within an organization and usually

involves recruiting, screening, hiring, and placing

new candidates (Baker & Spier, 1990; Joyce, 2008).

Additionally, members of an organization (for example, university, company,

sorority, fraternity, volunteer agency) and candidates evaluate one another by

exchanging information to determine if they’d make a good match. Usually

both parties want to make a good impression: the interviewer wants to per-

suade the interviewee about the value of the position or organization, while the

interviewee wants to sell his or her unique qualities and abilities.

The job interview is the most common type of selection interview in busi-

ness, government, and military organizations, with the end goal of filling a posi-

tion of employment (DiSanza & Legge, 2002). Since job interviewing is usually

very important to college students, we devote much of this chapter to helping

you become more competent in job interviews.

The Format of an Interview

Whether you are interviewing for a job, answering questions for a news reporter,

or even watching competitors on a show like The Apprentice, you will note the

same basic pattern: an opening, the questions, and a conclusion.

The Opening

Late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon’s interviewees are always welcomed with

a grand entrance and audience clapping and cheering. But if you’re not a movie

star plugging your latest project, you probably won’t have to worry about this.

Whether you are the interviewer or interviewee,your interview will likely begin

in a calmer manner, setting the tone for the discourse to follow. As you begin an

interview, you should think about three interrelated issues:

c The task: the nature of this interview and how it will proceed

c The relationship: whether you like or trust the other party

c Motivation: what you hope to gain by participating in the interview

The opening of an interview

is much like the introduc-

tion to a speech. As we

discuss in Chapter 13,

speech introductions help

you achieve four goals:

capturing your audience’s

attention, introducing your

purpose, previewing your

main points, and connect-

ing with your audience.

Openings in both contexts

establish the interaction

that follows, so your suc-

cess in engaging your

listeners depends on your

competency from the start.

Theopening of an intervi

CONNECT

AFTER EVERY

CHALLENGE on The

Apprentice, the losing team

is subjected to a lengthy

questioning by “The Donald”

and his advisers to try to

figure out what went awry.

© NBC/Photofest

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