Workforce Effectiveness (Interview Technique) Essay

Workforce Effectiveness (Interview Technique) - Essay Example Patton (1987) has recommended that such questions should be neutral and clear to the employee, they must be open ended and demonstrate sensitivity to the subject of the interview. The cognitive interview techniques aims to improve communication during an interview, through enhancing recall of past events and the context in which they occurred. This method also allows an interviewer to assess when confabulation is used, i.e, stating something that is not strictly true. Memon et al (1997) have examined the application of the cognitive technique in the context of police work where interviewing witnesses was concerned and found it efficacious in enhancing accurate recall of past events. Lindberg et al (2003) have compared three different investigative techniques used with young children. The first of these was a step wise interview process, in which questions became progressively more difficult. The second method employed a play situation and interviewed the children by asking them questions as they played. The last method was a modified structured interview in which the interviewers were provided an information packet that highlighted the importance of the resea rch and included instructions on how to build rapport with the children together with guidelines on specific kinds of questions that could be asked. The last method was found to be the best. In view of the above, it appears that the method of semi structured interview may be the best in gaining a picture of the candidates for the Executive assistant position and their abilities. While a set of prior questions can be prepared before hand, some questions can be open ended, allowing the candidate to expand on any aspect that the interview wishes to know more about. The interview will include questions about the candidate’s academic qualifications and the grades that were earned. A set of questions on job history can