Page 71 - DENG401_Advance Communication Skills

Advanced Communication Skills

Notes There are certain difficulties that come in his way of such interviews.
1. When an employee appears before his boss, he may not be able to express himself fully
and clearly due to the exalted status of the later.

2. The other difficulty comes when the interview becomes a test of strength between the two
parties. In such an interview, both the employer and the employee should try to establish
a climate of open ways. Only then can the interview provide an opportunity for counseling
and resolving the grievance.
The approach of the employer should be clinical or curative rather than ‘legalistic’ and punitive.

Stress Interview

Stress interviews are still in common use. One type of stress interview is where the employer
uses a succession of interviewers (one at a time or en masse) whose mission is to intimidate the
candidate and keep him/her off-balance. The ostensible purpose of this interview is to find out
how the candidate handles stress. Stress interviews might involve testing an applicant’s behaviour
in a busy environment. Questions about handling work overload, dealing with multiple projects,
and handling conflict are typical.
Another type of stress interview may involve only a single interviewer who behaves in an
uninterested or hostile manner.
Example stress interview questions
1. Sticky situation: “If you caught a colleague cheating on his expenses, what would you
do?”
2. Putting you on the spot: “How do you feel this interview is going?”
3. Popping the balloon: “(deep sigh) Well, if that’s the best answer you can give ... (shakes
head) Okay, what about this one ...?”
4. Oddball question: “What would you change about the design of the hockey stick?”
5. Doubting your veracity: “I don’t feel like we’re getting to the heart of the matter here.
Start again—tell me what really makes you tick.”
Exit Interview

An exit interview is an interview conducted by an employer of a departing employee. They are
generally conducted by a relatively neutral party, such as a human resources staff member, so
that the employee will be more inclined to be candid, as opposed to worrying about burning
bridges. For this reason, some companies opt to employ a third party to conduct the interviews
and provide feedback. The purpose of an exit interview is usually to gather data for improving
working conditions and retaining employees. Several things can be accomplished in an exit
interview.
When the exit interview is handled carefully and tactfully, it can be an asset to the organization.

Correctional Interview

A correctional interview is conducted to take corrective action or disciplinary measures against
an employee who has violated standards of conduct or disrupted organizational cooperation or
who has seriously failed to meet job performance requirements. It is very difficult to conduct
such an interview because the employee and the employer both are likely to be on the defensive.

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