Mika Vanessa C Ortega Mrs. Merlita Q.

Santos
III-ABEL B Journalistic Writing

• Arranging the interview

• Preparing for the interview
• Writing the interview

ARRANGING THE INTERVIEW

INTERVIEW may be conversational, but they are not casual conversations. Organization
is essential, as is attention to detail and a firm will. The process also begins well before
you talk with the other person, be it face to face, on the telephone or over the Internet.
The intensity of your preparations may vary depending on the gravity and importance
of interview.

The interviewer begins with easy, closed questions that provide a warm-up to the
interview process. In the middle of the interview, the interviewee is asked for opinions on
broad topics that obviously have no “right” answer. The interviewer then narrows the
questions again to get specific questions answered, thus providing closure for both the
interviewee and the interviewer. The diamond structure combines the strengths of the
other two approaches but has the disadvantage of taking longer than either other
structure.

The end of the interview is a natural place to ask one key question: “Is there anything
we haven’t touched on that you feel is important for me to know?” Considered a
formula question by the interviewee most of the time, the response will often be “No.”
You are interested in the other times, when this question opens the proverbial
floodgates and much new data are presented, though.

As you conclude the interview, summarize and provide feedback on your overall
impressions. Inform the interviewee about the subsequent steps to take and what you
and other team members will do next. Ask the interviewee with whom you should talk
next. Set up future appointment times for follow-up interviews, thank the interviewee for
his or her time, and shake hands.

Know who you’re interviewing:

The most important step in preparing for an interview is to learn about

the candidate you are about to meet.
Before you walk into an interview you will want to have a strong idea about the
candidate’s professional qualities, and you may want to know about their social
characteristics as well.

So how do you find out who you are interviewing?

1. Read and understand the resume
2. Research the candidate’s online presence

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3. Obtain qualitative information

What questions will you ask?

▪ To gain a deeper understanding about your candidate:

▪ Planning the interview
▪ Now that you know who you are interviewing, it’s time to think about how you will
interview them.
▪ The purpose of an interview is to determine whether there is a good fit between the
candidate and the criteria of the role.
▪ Therefore, design the interview to help you match the
candidate’s skills and experience to the job.

Designing the questions

When designing your questions, a good place to start is the resume. A candidate’s
resume generally only provides information the candidate wishes to reveal. Dig deep
into the resume, read between the lines, and uncover areas to question.
Design your questions to gather information on the following three key areas.
Skill and abilities
- what are the technical skills required?
- How much experience is needed?
- Does the role require specialized training?

2. Behavioral factors
- Why is the candidate interested in the role?
- What motivates them?
- What are their goals?

3. Culture and fit

Do they need to work as part of a team?
- Are they customer facing?
- Do they need to build relationship?
- Do they fit with the culture of the organization?

PREPARING THE INTERVIEW

▸ The key to any success is good preparation; the same applies to interview
▸ You must know and remember the mission of the company you are interviewing for
▸ Prepare your answers around: why should they hire me
▸ Do a few mock interviews
▸ For academic interview get help from a trusted faculty or administrator
▸ When asked a question do not hesitate and maintain an eye contact
▸ Remember first impression is should be good

Questions you must prepare for:

▸ Tell me something about yourself.

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▸ What are your hobbies?
▸ Which is the most recent book that you have read?
▸ What will you do if you reach office one morning and find out that you have lost your
job?
▸ What was your role in your previous company?
▸ What are your expectations from the job?
▸ What ae your strength and weaknesses?
▸ Give us an example of an adverse situation at work and how you tacled it?

Rehearsing for your Interview:

1. Rehearse your answers out loud before the interview to test and how you tackle how
well prepared you are.

Winning interview techniques include:

1. Positivity - Be well-mannered with any staff you meet before or after the interview
and, if you're feeling particularly nervous, remind yourself that the very worst
thing that could happen is you simply not getting the job. During the interview,
avoid talking about any personal problems unless completely necessary, and
never badmouth your previous employers.
2. Body language - Give a firm handshake to your interviewer(s) before and after
the session. Once you're seated, sit naturally without slouching in your chair or
leaning on the desk. Throughout the interview, remember to smile frequently and
retain eye contact.
3. Clarity - Answer all questions clearly and concisely, evidencing your most
relevant skills, experiences and achievements. It's perfectly acceptable to pause
before answering a difficult question to give yourself thinking time, or asking for
clarification if, at first, you're unsure what the question means. When answering,
don't speak too quickly.

Enthusiasm - It's important that you allow your personality to shine throughout, as well as
ask thought-provoking questions at appropriate moments. Both of these strategies will
demonstrate that you're genuinely interested in the role and listening closely to the
interviewer.

Steps in Interview Preparation

Five Steps in Interview Preparation

The five major steps in interview preparation are explained below. These steps include a
range of activities from gathering basic background material to deciding who to
interview.
1.Read Background Material

Read and understand as much background information about the interviewees and
their organization as possible. This material can often be obtained on the corporate

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Web site, from a current annual report, a corporate newsletter, or any publications sent
out to explain the organization to the public. Check the Internet for any corporate
information such as that in Standard and Poor’s.

As you read through this material, be particularly sensitive to the language the
organizational members use in describing themselves and their organization. What you
are trying to do is build up a common vocabulary that will eventually enable you to
phrase interview questions in a way that is understandable to your interviewee. Another
benefit of researching your organization is to maximize the time you spend in interviews;
without such preparation you may waste time asking general background questions.

2. Establish Interviewing Objectives

Use the background information you gathered as well as your own experience to
establish interview objectives. There should be four to six key areas concerning HCI,
information processing, and decision-making behavior about which you will want to ask
questions. These areas include HCI concerns (the usefulness and usability of the system;
how it fits physical aspects; how it suits a user’s cognitive capabilities, whether it is
engaging or aesthetically pleasing; and whether using the system is rewarded with
desired consequences), information sources, information formats, decision-making
frequency, qualities of information, and decision-making style.

4. Decide Whom to Interview

When deciding whom to interview, include key people at all levels who will be affected
by the system in some manner. Strive for balance so that as many users’ needs are
addressed as possible. Your organizational contact will also have some ideas about
whom should be interviewed.

5. Prepare the Interviewee

Prepare the person to be interviewed by calling ahead or sending an email message

and allowing the interviewee time to think about the interview. If you are doing an in-
depth interview, it is permissible to email your questions ahead of time to allow your
interviewee time to think over his or her responses. Because there are many objectives
to fulfil in the interview (including building trust and observing the workplace), however,
interviews should typically be conducted in person and not via email. Interviews should
be kept to 45 minutes or an hour at the most. No matter how much your interviewees
seem to want to extend the interview beyond this limit, remember that when they
spend time with you, they are not doing their work. If interviews go over an hour, it is
likely that the interviewees will resent the intrusion, whether or not they articulate their
resentment.

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 6. Decide on Questions Types and Structure

Write questions to cover the key areas of HCI and decision making that you discovered
when you ascertained interview objectives. Proper questioning techniques are the
heart of interviewing. Questions have some basic forms you need to know. The two
basic question types are open-ended and closed. Each question type can accomplish
something a little different from the other, and each has benefits and drawbacks. You
need to think about the effect each question type will have.

PREPARING & CONDUCTING INTERVIEWS

Being well prepared and then conducting an interview methodically will help you make
the most of this important recruitment tool.

When interviewing job candidates, you want to determine what sort of people they
are, how good their interpersonal skills are, how they might react under stress, whether
they have the skills for the job, and whether they have been honest in their resumes.

PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW

 Set aside enough time. Dedicate specific time, conducting the interview in an
appropriate location, uninterrupted by email, telephones or other employees. This
will allow you to concentrate, while also giving a good first impression of your
company to the applicant.

 Read the resume first. Make sure you have carefully studied each resume ahead of
time. Of course, when meeting with a candidate, you should have a copy of the
resume on hand for reference, but this is not the time to ask, "What have you done?"
Know the resume so you can use the time to dig deeper.

 Write a good job description. Having a specific and thorough outline of what a
candidate would do on the job makes it easier to assess applicants, says Derek
Gagné, CEO of HR consulting firm Talent Edge Solutions. "Know what it is you’re
looking for: the must-haves and the nice-to-haves. Some things you can handle
later with training."

 Know the intangibles. A resume can't indicate some of the intangibles that an
employee can bring to the job. Says Gagné, "Ask yourself, what the behaviors you
want are? You could have someone who's a point-of-sale wizard but may be a bad
team player." Identifying these intangibles ahead of time will help you probe for
them.

 Write some specific questions. Don't just take the candidate's resume and wing it,
says Gagné. "Have 10 or 12 questions that you will consistently ask each candidate.
This is particularly important if you will be interviewing multiple applicants and want
to compare answers later. It doesn’t mean there won't be one-off questions. A
skilled interviewer knows when to move off the script."

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CONDUCTING THE INTERVIEW

Now that you are well prepared, you are in a position to conduct a productive
interview. If you are uncertain of your interviewing skills, you can always learn more by
contacting your local chamber of commerce, taking courses at the community college
level, or seeking the assistance of companies like Talent Edge Solutions.

 Introduce yourself. Greeting candidates courteously shows respect for them and will
help put them at ease. Tell them something about yourself and the company. This is
the first impression the candidate will make of you, so present a tidy office and turn
off your cell phone.

 Set the stage. Set the tone by telling the applicant what to expect for the next half
hour or so. Remember, you too are being observed. Your behavior will set the tone
for the interview. If you come across as being too casual, an applicant may take
the interview less seriously. But being too serious will likely make the candidate more
nervous. In either case, you’re unlikely to bring out the best in the individual. How
you conduct yourself during the interview must also reflect the image and values of
your business.

 Review the job. Spell out what the position involves in more detail than was outlined
in the job posting, so candidates can make sure the job is right for them. Let them
know what the core duties and responsibilities will be, and any working conditions
that may affect them. Say whether the position is permanent or temporary, or on
contract.

 Start with generalized questions. Begin by asking a few questions about a

candidate's background and interest in the position. Get candidates to tell you
about how they see themselves in relation to the job and what they can contribute.

 Review the applicant’s resume. Ask candidates about specific positions on

their resume that relate to the position you are hiring for. Ask them about job details,
responsibilities, what they accomplished, pressures they encountered. Ask about
any inconsistencies or gaps in employment or education, as there may be a simple
explanation. Ask about the candidate's reasons for leaving a past or current job.

 Ask some consistent questions. Use a specific set of questions for all applicants. This
will help you to compare candidates and find the one whose skills and abilities most
closely match what you’re looking for.

 Vary your questions. It’s important that you ask questions on skills specifically related
to the duties and responsibilities of the position. This will help you uncover
candidates' strengths and weaknesses. Don’t forget that open-ended questions are
best during interviews, such as "What was the most difficult challenge of your last
job?"

 Give candidates a chance to ask questions. Confidently answering any question

thrown at you means knowing all aspects of the position and being able to clarify

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 your expectations, in addition to listing the benefits of working for your
business. Applicants should be given the chance both to answer your questions
and to ask questions of their own to determine if the job and the company are right
for them. Their questions can help you assess whether candidates have adequately
prepared for the interview and are genuinely interested in the job. An effective
strategy is the 80/20 rule: You do 80 per cent of the listening and 20 per cent of the
talking.

 Provide a timeline. Always provide an estimate of the length of time until final
selection will be made. Provide an indication as to when candidates might expect
to hear back from you regarding the final outcome or the next step in the
recruitment process.

Writing the interview

Expected Outcomes:

A. Knowledge of what an interview is and what the basic reasons for interviewing a
person are
B. Familiarity with the different approaches to an interview
C. Knowledge of the “Do’s” and “Don’ts” to observe during the Interview proper
and in writing the Interview
D. Ability to write interesting speech and feature interviews

Two thirds of all news stories in print are produced through interviews.

The reporter is not always present in the scene of an event – a fire, plane crash, a
scientific experiment going on, or in a policy making assembly so that he has to get the
most of his facts by asking questions from eyewitness or from participants.

The Easy Method

Interviewing is not just a matter of hoping for the best. The reporter should have some
advance preparations. It would be unethical and unprofessional for him/her to rush into
an office brandishing a notebook in the air without first making an appointment in
advance. He/she should arrange the time and the place convenient to the
interviewee.

Before meeting with his/her subject, the reporter should understand exactly the
assignment given to him/her by his/her editor. He should select definite and limited
subjects or topics of interest to the readers.

To make the conversation lively, the reporter should know before hand, about his
subject, his/her position, accomplishments, personality, etc. As much as possible, he
should ask thought provoking questions.

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During the Interview proper, the reporter should be alert to new unexpected angles of
the topic that usually pop up. If this happens, he should be ready to forego prepared
questions if he can obtain a better story on another topic that presents itself
unexpectedly.

General questions such as “What do you think of family planning” should be avoided.
Questions should be definite and specific. Also, for better results, the interview should be
kept on a conversational basis.

The story should be written right away after the interview. But before this, the reporter
should first determine what kind of interview he has to write: Informative? Opinion?
Feature? or a combination of these?

Upon arriving at your office, the candidate is already forming an impression of your
organisation – and first impressions last. This can include the presentation of the foyer,
greeting at reception and the length of time the candidate waits for you (the
interviewer).
Next, the candidate meets you...
As the interviewer it’s important you:
Are presented well
Are well prepared for the interview
Greet the candidate on time
Make the candidate feel comfortable, maintain good eye contact and build rapport
Are able to promote the company, role and area of the business

How to Write Interview Questions

If you're in charge of hiring new employees, writing an article or just want to learn more
about a person you admire, you'll probably find yourself in a position where you will be
tasked with interviewing people. Being prepared for the interview with several well-
crafted questions is important and will help you get what you need out of the interview.
To write interview questions, understand or discover the purpose of the interview, who
you are interviewing, and what you need from this person.
1
View your interviewee as an intelligent person. Whatever type of job you are hiring
someone for, you should formulate questions that a smart and capable person could
answer. You don’t want to hire someone who isn’t cut out for the job because you
assumed your candidate couldn’t answer difficult questions.
When writing your questions before an interview, treat yourself as both interviewer and
interviewee.
Putting yourself in the candidate’s shoes will help you create questions that you could
answer. You should be able to provide answers to your own questions. It’s a good idea
to even write these answers down so you can compare.
By treating your interviewees as intelligent individuals, you can come up with
challenging questions that will allow you to not only see who may be right for the job,
but who is the best fit.

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Start with an open-ended question. An open-ended question cannot be answered by
“yes" or "no" and it usually does not have right or wrong answers.
An open ended question is a good way to put the candidate at ease. You want your
candidates to feel comfortable. And if a candidate feels comfortable that person is
more likely to engage.
Open-ended questions are also a good way for you to find out some basic
qualifications of the candidate, and to get some cues as to what to ask next.
Try for questions like: “Tell me about the relationships you’ve had with the people
you’ve worked with. How would you describe the best ones? The worst?” This question
will immediately give you a good idea of well the candidate might fit on a team in your
workplace. Candidates typically don’t like to speak badly about coworkers or bosses,
especially in an interview. This question lets you see how this person navigates those
waters.

3
Formulate questions that force your interviewee to express a knowledge of your
company. You want to make sure that your interviewee did homework and learned
about your company. And you should want to find out if this person just learned facts,
or really understands you.
Questions that ask the candidate to visualize being in the role of an existing employee
will quickly show you how well this person knows your company. [1]
You might ask “Pitch [name of your company] to me as if I were buying your product or
service.” This question will immediately show you how well this candidate knows what
you do and if this person has the ability to speak with the company’s voice. [2]
Depending on the position you’re hiring for, be lenient on how well the candidate
pitches your company. If you’re hiring for an internal, non sales position, all you want to
know is if your candidate did the homework.
You could also ask “If we were to sit down a year from now, reflecting on your year with
the company, what would you like to have achieved?” A question like this will allow
you to gauge how well the candidate sees the bigger picture of the work you do, and
that this person has not only done the homework, but is committed to being a part of
the company. A question like this will help weed out candidates who just read the job
description.

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