Interviewing skills and techniques
An interview is a planned two-way conversation with a purpose. It moves through preparation, opening, body, close and follow-up, using good questions and listening.
Types of interviews
| Type | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Selection (employment) | To choose the best candidate for a job | Interviewing applicants for a cashier post |
| Appraisal | To review performance and set targets | Annual review of a sales executive |
| Counselling | To help an employee with a work or personal problem | Talking to a worker whose attendance has dropped |
| Disciplinary | To deal with a breach of rules | Meeting about repeated late arrival |
| Grievance | To hear an employee's complaint | An employee complains of unfair shift allocation |
| Exit | To learn why an employee is leaving | Interview with a resigning supervisor |
| Information | To collect facts or opinions | A market researcher interviewing shop owners |
Stages of an interview
Preparation covers the purpose, the job description, the questions, the venue and the time.
Skills for both sides of the table
Interview formats
- Structured: the same questions in the same order for every candidate; fair and easy to compare.
- Unstructured: a free conversation; flexible but hard to compare.
- Semi-structured: set core questions plus follow-up questions; a common balance.
- Panel: several interviewers together, e.g. the line manager, HR and a senior manager.
- Online or video: increasingly used for first rounds and distant candidates.
Common mistakes by interviewers
- Halo effect: one good point (e.g. a good school) colours the whole judgement.
- First-impression bias: deciding in the first minute.
- Talking too much and not listening.
- Leading questions that suggest the answer.
- Personal questions unrelated to the job, such as religion or family plans.
- No notes, so candidates are confused afterwards.
Example: answering with the STAR method
Kasun Jayasinghe applies for a sales supervisor post at Mihira Spice Exports (Pvt) Ltd (a fictional company). The panel asks: “Tell us about a time you solved a problem for a customer.” Build his answer with STAR.
- Situation: “At my last job in a hardware shop in Kurunegala, a building contractor received 50 bags of the wrong cement type the day before a concrete pour.”
- Task: “I had to get the right cement to his site before 7.00 a.m. the next morning, or he would lose a day's labour.”
- Action: “I called our Colombo depot, arranged an evening lorry, stayed late to check the load, and phoned the contractor to confirm the delivery time.”
- Result: “The cement arrived at 6.30 a.m., the pour went ahead, and the contractor placed two more orders that month.”
A specific, four-part answer: the Situation and Task set the scene briefly; the Action shows his own skills; the Result proves the outcome. STAR keeps answers short, concrete and believable.
Large Sri Lankan employers, such as banks and apparel firms, often use panel interviews with a marking sheet so that every candidate is judged on the same points. Candidates who prepare STAR examples from their own work, even from part-time or family-business jobs, stand out.
Essay: “Explain the stages of an employment interview and the skills needed by the interviewer.” Define, list the types briefly, explain the five stages, then the interviewer's skills and common mistakes, with an example.
Short answer: “What is a panel interview?” An interview in which a group of interviewers, such as the line manager, HR and a senior manager, question the candidate together.
Structured question: “Explain how a candidate should prepare for a job interview.” Research the firm, study the job, prepare STAR examples, plan questions to ask, dress suitably, arrive early, and practise good body language.
Interview stages: P-O-B-C-F: Prepare, Open, Body, Close, Follow up. Candidates answer with STAR: Situation, Task, Action, Result.