Necessary steps of effective interview

An interview is one of essential process to do a project, such as creating website, film, database, and other projects. It is important as a meeting because we need much information for doing a project. For example, when I create a website for company, restaurant, or person, we need the information about website that they want. Web designer, programmer, or other creator needs a lot of information to create something. An interview is necessary to obtain information. The book “Chapter three of Systems Analysis and Design with UML, 4^th edition” provides effective process of interview. It books mentioned that there are five steps when we interview someone.

• Scheduling interview
• Appropriate questions
• Be prepared for interview
• Be informed question to interviewee
• Understanding of issue

Each step has some keys to interview effectively. Most important step of scheduling interview is selecting a right interviewee. An effective interview requires three people who stand in different positions such as senior manager, midlevel manager, and employee because they are totally different opinions for an issue. The process of interviewee who stand in different positions is “Starting with senior managers, moving to midlevel managers, then staff members, back to midlevel managers and so on,” Book says.

There are three types of questions such as Close-ended, Open-ended, probing question for interview. Close-ended can be answered in only one word or very short phrase. Open-ended question should be answered longer and deeper than close-ended question. So Open-ended question requires more specific response than close-ended question. Probing question is another way to obtain more detailed response from interviewee. Its kind of question helps an interviewer for better understanding of an issue. Moreover, using 5W is one of an effective way of probing question.

I think that there are two important things about a preparedness of an interview. Taking everything on a note during interview is one of two. And another one is thinking how we ask a question. It means which question is first and last. The book says there are two ways to ask questions which are top-down and bottom-up. Top-down strategy is starting with general and broad question about an issue, Then questions would narrow and be specific. Bottom-up strategy is opposite strategy of Top-down, is starting with specific question, then to general question.

Question should be informed every interviewee because some interviewee need time to consider response for an issue. As I mentioned above, we should interview more than three people who stand in different positions. Knowing an order of question and process of interview are one of ways of effective interview.

Understanding issue is most important for interview. Book says that “The only thing worse that appearing dump is to be dump by not understanding something.” we should definitely avoid misunderstanding about an issue. So, if we do not understand something during interview, we should ask question to understand.

There are other important steps to interview, but I think that those kinds of steps are most important things on this section. We cannot avoid interviewing someone to create something. So, remembering those steps definitely helps us to do effective interview.