Interview question development
Expert-defined terms from the Advanced Certificate in Semi-Structured Interviews course at London School of Business and Administration. Free to read, free to share, paired with a globally recognised certification pathway.
Interview question development #
Interview question development
Interview question development is a crucial aspect of conducting semi #
structured interviews. It involves crafting a set of questions that will help the interviewer gather relevant information from the interviewee. These questions should be carefully designed to elicit detailed responses while allowing flexibility for the interviewee to express themselves freely.
Key components of interview question development include #
1. Open #
ended questions: These questions encourage the interviewee to provide detailed responses and elaborate on their thoughts and experiences. For example, "Can you tell me about a time when you faced a challenging situation at work and how you handled it?"
2. Probing questions #
These questions are used to delve deeper into a particular topic or response provided by the interviewee. For example, "Can you provide more details about how you implemented the new strategy?"
3. Follow #
up questions: These questions are used to clarify or expand on the information provided by the interviewee. For example, "You mentioned that you worked with a team on this project. Can you tell me more about the team dynamics?"
4. Behavioral questions #
These questions are designed to assess how the interviewee has behaved in specific situations in the past. For example, "Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a conflict with a coworker. How did you handle it?"
5. Situational questions #
These questions present hypothetical scenarios to the interviewee to assess how they would respond in certain situations. For example, "If you were faced with a tight deadline, how would you prioritize your tasks?"
Challenges in interview question development #
1. Bias #
It is essential to avoid bias in the formulation of interview questions to ensure that the responses are unbiased and reflective of the interviewee's experiences.
2. Complexity #
Crafting questions that are clear and easily understandable is crucial to ensure that the interviewee can provide relevant and coherent responses.
3. Relevance #
Ensuring that the questions are relevant to the research objectives and the interviewee's experiences is essential to gather meaningful data.
4. Overloading #
Asking too many questions or questions that are too complex can overwhelm the interviewee and lead to incomplete or inaccurate responses.
5. Leading questions #
Avoiding leading questions that suggest a particular answer can help maintain the integrity of the interview process and ensure unbiased responses.
Practical applications of interview question development #
1 #
Conducting job interviews to assess candidates' qualifications, experience, and fit for a particular role.
2 #
Research interviews to gather data for academic studies, market research, or other research projects.
3 #
Performance reviews to assess an employee's strengths, weaknesses, and areas for development.
4 #
Customer feedback interviews to gather insights on products, services, and customer satisfaction.
5 #
Investigative interviews to gather information for legal or compliance purposes.
Overall, interview question development is a critical skill for anyone conductin… #
By carefully crafting questions that are open-ended, probing, and relevant, interviewers can gather valuable information from interviewees while allowing them to express themselves freely. Avoiding bias, complexity, and leading questions is essential to ensure the integrity and effectiveness of the interview process.