An effective interview is one where the interviewer is able to gather accurate and relevant information from the interviewee. This can be achieved by having a clear and structured interview plan, asking open-ended questions, and actively listening to the responses. Additionally, an effective interviewer should establish a rapport with the interviewee, which can help to create a comfortable and safe environment for the interviewee to share their thoughts and experiences.
On the other hand, an ineffective interview can occur when the interviewer fails to prepare adequately, uses closed-ended questions, or interrupts the interviewee. Furthermore, other examples of questions that could cause issues are ones with yes/no answers, obvious answers, not job related questions, and questions that lead to fake answers. In these cases, the interviewee may feel uncomfortable or may not provide honest answers, which can impact the reliability and validity of the information gathered.
Personally, I have not had very many interviews, so I cannot speak from much experience on whether or not the interviews I participated in were ineffective. Based on the interview I can recall the most, establishing a comfortable environment effectively makes it easier to get honest and clear answers from interviewees. The interview also included a good mix of questions that were standardized and individualized based on my resume and application.
When considering the reliability, validity, and utility of an interview, it is important to ensure that the interview is standardized and conducted in a consistent manner. This can help to ensure that all interviewees are asked the same questions and that the information gathered is comparable across different interviewees. Furthermore, adding questions that are individualized can give deeper insight on the interviewee and assist in gathering information unique information about each candidate. Additionally, the interview questions should be designed to elicit information that is relevant and useful to the intended purpose of the interview. Finally, it is important to consider the biases that may be present in the interview process, and to take steps to mitigate these biases in order to improve the overall reliability and validity of the interview.
