Page 73 - DENG401_Advance Communication Skills

Advanced Communication Skills

Notes how the applicant approaches problems. During case interviews, interviewers are generally
looking for the following skills:
1. Numerical and verbal reasoning skills,

2. Communication and presentation skills,
3. Business skills and commercial awareness.
Candidates are often asked to estimate a specific number, often a commercial figure (such as
market size or profitability). Candidates are expected to demonstrate reasoning rather produce
the exact answer.
A case interview can also be conducted as a group exercise. Here several candidates are given
some briefing materials on a business problem and asked to discuss and agree upon a solution.
The interviewers normally sit around the exterior of the room as silent observers. They assess
candidates’ communication and interaction as well as analytical thinking and commercial
awareness.

Structured, Semi-structured and Unstructured Interviews

Structured interviews are a means of collecting data for a statistical survey. In this case, the data
is collected by an interviewer rather than through a self-administered questionnaire. Interviewers
read the questions exactly as they appear on the survey questionnaire. The choice of answers to
the questions is often fixed (close-ended) in advance, though open-ended questions can also be
included within a structured interview.
A structured interview also standardizes the order in which questions are asked of survey
respondents, so the questions are always answered within the same context.

A semi-structured interview is a method of research used in the social sciences. While a structured
interview has formalized, limited set questions, a semi-structured interview is flexible, allowing
new questions to be brought up during the interview as a result of what the interviewee says.
The interviewer in a semi-structured interview generally has a framework of themes to be
explored.
However, the specific topic or topics that the interviewer wants to explore during the interview
should usually be thought about well in advance (especially during interviews for research
projects). It is generally beneficial for interviewers to have an interview guide prepared, which
is an informal “grouping of topics and questions that the interviewer can ask in different ways
for different participants”.
Unstructured Interviews are a method of interviews where questions can be changed or adapted
to meet the respondent’s intelligence, understanding or belief. Unlike a structured interview
they do not offer a limited, preset range of answers for a respondent to choose, but instead
advocate listening to how each individual person responds to the question.
The method to gather information using this technique is fairly limited, for example, most
surveys that are carried out via telephone or even in person tend to follow a structured method.
Outside of sociology, the use of such interviews is very limited.

Panel Interview

Interviews are taken by forming a panel of experts or interviewers who are expected to ask
questions depending upon the purpose and plan of the interview. The panel represents experts
from different backgrounds. Sometimes, different panels’ constituted to test specific potentialities
or traits of candidates. You should try to remain calm and establish rapport with each member
of the panel. Make eye contact with each member of the panel as you answer his/her question.

66 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY