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Interviewing: Principles and Practices, 10/e
Charles J. Stewart, Purdue University--West Lafayette
William B. Cash, National Louis University--Evanston


Glossary

Accidental bias  when an interviewer unintentionally leads respondents to give answers they feel the interviewer wants them to give rather than their true feelings, attitudes, or beliefs.
Ambiguity  words to which interview parties may assign very different meanings.
Applicant profile  the required knowledge, experiences, skills, and personal traits necessary to perform a job satisfactorily.
Assumptions  assuming that something is true or false, intended or unintended, exists or does not exist, desired or undesired, will or will not happen.
Attitude  relatively enduring combinations of beliefs that predispose people to respond in particular ways to persons, organizations, places, ideas, and issues.
Balanced scorecard approach  compensation, measurement, and performance are tied to coaching and improved performance.
Balance or consistency theory  a theory based on the belief that human beings strive for a harmonious existence with self and others and experience psychological discomfort (dissonance) when they do not.
Bandwagon tactic  a tactic that urges a person to follow the crowd, to do what everyone else is doing.
Basic skills tests  tests that measure mathematics, measurement, reading, and spelling skills.
Behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) model  a performance review model that identifies essential skills for a specific job and sets standards through a job analysis.
Behavior-based selection  selection based upon the behaviors desired in a position and behaviors exhibited by applicants.
Behavior-based selection technique  a selection technique that begins with a needs and position analysis to determine which behaviors are essential for performing a particular job and proceeds to match applicants with this analysis.
Belief  the trust or confidence placed in social, political, historic, economic, and religious claims.
Bifurcation tactic  the polarizing of situations, issues, or persons.
Bipolar question  a question that limits the respondent to two polar choices such as yes or no, agree or disagree.
Bipolar trap  a bipolar question phrased to elicit a yes or no response when the questioner wants a detailed answer or specific information.
Birds of a feather syndrome  the selection of employees most similar to interviewers.
Blocking tactics  efforts of interviewers to avoid counseling or getting involved with interviewees, particularly in the health care setting.
Bogardus Social Distance scales  questions that determine how respondents feel about social relationships and distances from them.
Bona fide occupational qualifications (BFOQ)  requirements essential for performing a particular job.
Broadcast interview  an interview that takes place live over radio or television or will be played all or in part at a later time.
Built-in bias  interviewer bias that is intentionally or unintentionally built into a schedule of questions.
Case approach  when an applicant is placed into a carefully crafted situation that takes hours to study and resolve.
Cause-to-effect sequence  an outline that addresses causes and effects separately but relationally.
Central tendency  when interviewers refrain from assigning extreme ratings to facets of performance.
Chain or contingency strategy  a strategy that allows for preplanned secondary questions in survey interviews.
Chronological format resume  a resume that lists education, training, and experiences in chronological order.
Clearinghouse probe  a question designed to discover whether previous questions have uncovered everything of importance on a topic or issue.
Client-centered approach  a counseling approach that focuses on the client rather than content or situation.
Closed-minded or authoritarian interviewees  parties with unchangeable central beliefs who rely on trusted authorities when making decisions.
Closed question  a question that is narrow in focus and restricts the respondent's freedom to determine the amount and kind of information to offer.
Closing  the portion of an interview that brings it to an end.
Coaching  helping to improve performance rather than judging or criticizing performance.
Cognitive phase  the thinking and assessing phase of a counseling interview.
Collectivist culture  a culture that places high value on group image, group esteem, group reliance, group awareness, and achievement of the group.
Comparison tactic  a person points out a few similarities between two places, people, or things and then draws conclusions from this superficial comparison.
Competitive rater  an interviewer who believes that no one can perform higher than his or her level of performance.
Compliance  when an interviewee follows assessments and courses of action agreed to during a counseling interview.
Connotations  positive and negative meanings of words.
Conscious transparency  sharing information with applicants, explaining the purpose of questions, providing a supportive climate, and promoting unrestricted dialogue between interview parties.
Consubstantiality  the effort to establish a substantial sameness or similarity between interviewer and interviewee.
Conversation  an unstructured interaction between two or more people with no predetermined purpose other than enjoyment of the process.
Cover letter  a letter an applicant sends to a prospective employer that expresses interest in and qualifications for a position.
Critical incident question  a question that asks applicants how they might resolve a current problem the recruiter's organization is facing.
Cross-sectional study  a study that determines what is known, thought, or felt during a narrow time span.
Curious probe  a question that is irrelevant to the interviewer's stated purpose.
Defensive climate  a climate that appears threatening to one or both parties in an interview.
Determinate interviews  an interview designed to determine whether or not to make a job offer to an applicant.
Dialogic listening  a means of focusing on ours rather than mine or yours to resolve a problem or task.
Directive approach  an interview in which the interviewer controls subject matter, length of answers, climate, and formality.
Directive reactions  when an interviewer reacts to a client with specific evaluations and advice.
Disclosure  the willingness and ability to reveal feelings, beliefs, attitudes, and information to another party.
Don't ask, don't tell  a question that delves into information or an emotional area that a respondent may be incapable of addressing because of social, psychological, or situational constraints.
Double-barreled inquisition  a question that contains two or more questions.
Downward communication  an interview in which a superior in the organizational hierarchy is attempting to interact as an interviewer with a subordinate in the hierarchy.
Dyadic  an interaction that involves two distinct parties.
EEO violation question pitfall  when an interviewer asks an unlawful question during a recruiting interview.
Electronically scanned resume  a resume designed in format and wording to be scanned electronically by recruiters.
Electronic interviews  interviews conducted over the telephone, through conference calls, by video talk-back, or over the Internet.
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) laws  laws that pertain to employment and performance review interviews.
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission  the agency assigned the task of overseeing and carrying out EEO laws.
Ethical issues  issues that focus on value judgments concerning degrees of right and wrong, goodness and badness, in human conduct.
Euphemism  the substitution of a better sounding word for a common one.
Evaluative interval scales  questions that ask respondents to make judgments about persons, places, things, or ideas.
Evaluative response question pitfall  when an interviewer expresses judgmental feelings about an answer that may bias or skew the next answer.
Evasive interviewee  an interviewee who evades questions and gives indirect answers.
Feedback  verbal and nonverbal reactions of an interview party.
Feelings  emotions such as pride, fear, love, anger, and sympathy.
Fee-paid positions  when an organization retains a placement agency to locate qualified applicants and pays fees the agency would normally charge applicants.
Filter strategy  a question strategy that enables the interviewer to determine an interviewee's knowledge of a topic.
Force choice distribution model  a performance review model that ranks employees into three or four groups for reward, improvement, or termination.
Frequency interval scales  questions that ask respondents to select a number that most accurately reflects how often they do or use something.
Functional resume format  a resume in which an applicant places experiences under headings that highlight qualifications for a position.
Funnel sequence  a question sequence that begins with a broad, open-ended question and proceeds with ever-more restricted questions.
Generic message  a persuasive message designed for a variety of audiences rather than a specific targeted audience.
Global relationships  relationships between parties from different countries and cultures.
Goal oriented  an interaction in which the interviewer is goal or task oriented rather than people oriented.
Guessing game  when a questioner attempts to guess information instead of asking for it.
Halo effect  when an interviewer gives favorable ratings to all job duties when an interviewee excels in only one.
Hasty generalization tactic  a person generalizes to a whole group of people, places, or things from only one or a few examples.
Highly scheduled interview  a schedule in which the interviewer prepares all questions and their exact wording prior to an interview.
Highly scheduled standardized interview  a schedule in which the interviewer prepares all questions and their exact wording as well as answer options prior to an interview.
Historical critical incident question  a question that asks applicants how they would have resolved a problem the recruiter's organization faced in the past.
Honesty tests  tests designed to assess the ethics, honesty, and integrity of job applicants.
Hypothetical question  a hypothetical but realistic question that asks respondents how they would handle a situation or problem.
Identification theory  a theory that persons persuade others by identifying with them in a variety of ways.
Implicative approach  an approach that withholds an explicit statement of purpose or intent until the interviewee sees the implications and suggests a course of action.
Individualist culture  a culture that places high value on self-image, self-esteem, self-reliance, self-awareness, and individual achievement.
Induced compliance theory  a theory designed to change thinking, feeling, or acting by inducing others to engage in activities counter to their values, beliefs, or attitudes.
Informational probe  a question designed to obtain additional information when an answer appears to be superficial, vague, or ambiguous or to suggest a feeling or attitude.
Information gathering interviews  interviews designed to obtain facts, opinions, data, feelings, attitudes, beliefs, reactions, advice, or feedback.
Information giving interview  interviews designed to exchange data, knowledge, direction, instructions, orientation, clarification, or warnings.
Information overload  when interviewees are provided with more information than they can process or recall.
Initiating the interview  the process by which an interview is arranged and started.
Inoculation theory  a theory based on the belief that it is often more effective to prevent undesired persuasion from occurring than trying damage control afterward.
Integrity interviews  interviews designed to assess the honesty and integrity of prospective employees.
Interactional  the exchanging or sharing of roles, responsibilities, feelings, beliefs, motives, and information.
Interpersonal communication process  a complex and often puzzling communication interaction with another party.
Interval scales  survey question scales that provide distances between measures.
Interview  an interactional communication process between two parties, at least one of whom has a predetermined and serious purpose, and involves the asking and answering of questions.
Interviewer bias  when respondents give answers they feel questioners want them to give rather than express their true feelings, attitudes, or beliefs.
Interview evaluation  the formal or informal process of evaluating applicants following recruiting interviews.
Interview guide  a carefully structured outline of topics and subtopics to be covered during an interview.
Interview schedule  a list of questions an interviewer prepares prior to an interview.
Inverted funnel sequence  a sequence that begins with closed questions and proceeds toward open questions.
Jargon  words that organizations or groups alter or create for specialized use.
Job fairs  gatherings of recruiters from a variety of organizations on college campuses or malls in which applicants can obtain information, make contacts, and take part in interviews.
Journalist's interview guide  a guide that focuses on who, what, when, where, how, and why.
Just cause  the fair and equitable treatment of each employee in a job class.
Key informant  a person who can supply information on situations, assist in selecting interviewees, and aid in securing interviewee cooperation.
Lay counselor  a person with little or no formal training in counseling.
Lay theories  commonsense theories patients hold about health care that often resist scientific notions and research findings.
Leading push  a question that suggests how a person should respond.
Leading question  a question that suggests implicitly or explicitly the expected or desired answer.
Leaning question strategy  a question strategy that enables interviewers to reduce the number of undecided and don't know responses in surveys.
Leave-taking  the effort to bring an interview to a close.
Length of service error  when an interviewer assumes that present performance is high because past performance was high.
Level 1 interactions  interactions that are relatively safe and nonthreatening.
Level 2 interactions  interactions that require a moderate degree of trust and may be moderately threatening because of exchange of beliefs, attitudes, values, and positions on issues.
Level 3 interactions  interactions that require a great deal of trust because parties disclose fully their feelings, beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions on intimate and controversial topics.
Level of confidence  the mathematical probability that the survey is within an accepted margin of error.
Level of information  the amount and sophistication of information an interviewee has to offer.
Likert scale  interval scale questions that ask respondents to make judgments about persons, places, things, or ideas.
Listening  the deliberate process of receiving, understanding, evaluating, and retaining what is seen and heard.
Listening for comprehension  receiving, understanding, and remembering messages as accurately as possible.
Listening for empathy  a method of communicating an attitude of genuine concern, understanding, and involvement.
Listening for evaluation  a means of judging what is heard and observed.
Listening for resolution  a means of mutually resolving a problem or task.
Loaded question  a question with strong direction or dictation of the answer desired through the use of name calling or emotionally charged words.
Longitudinal study  a study to determine trends in what is known, thought, or felt over a period of time.
Loose rater  an interviewer who is reluctant to point out weak areas and dwells on the average or better areas of performance.
Management by objectives (MBO) model  a performance review model that involves a manager and a subordinate in a mutual (50-50) setting of results-oriented goals rather than activities to be performed.
Margin of error  the degree of similarity between sample results and the results from a 100 percent count obtained in an identical manner.
Matching process  the process of matching an applicant with a specific position and organization.
Mirror probe  a question that summarizes a series of answers to ensure accurate understanding and retention.
Moderately scheduled interview  a schedule in which the interviewer prepares all major questions with possible probing questions under each prior to an interview.
Motives  values such as security, belonging, freedom, ambition, and preservation of health.
Multisource feedback  feedback from a number of sources.
Naming  the labeling of people, places, or things to make them appear different, to alter perceptions of reality.
Negative face  the desire to be free of imposition or intrusion.
Negative politeness  an effort to protect another person when negative face needs are threatened.
Negative selling  the attempt to persuade by attacking another or another's proposal rather than supporting yourself or your proposal.
Networking  creating a list of contacts for possible employment positions.
Neutral question  a question that allows a respondent to determine an answer with no overt direction or pressure from the questioner.
Nominal scales  questions that provide mutually exclusive variables and ask respondents to pick or name the most appropriate.
Nondirective approach  an interview in which the interviewee controls subject matter, length of answers, climate, and formality.
Nondirective reaction  when an interviewer reacts to a client without giving advice or specific direction.
Nonscheduled interview  an interview guide of topic and subtopics with no prepared questions prior to an interview.
Nonverbal interactions  nonverbal signals such as physical appearance, dress, eye contact, voice, touches, head nods, hand shakes, and posture.
Nudging probe  a word or brief phrase that urges a respondent to continue answering.
Numerical interview scales  questions that ask respondents to select a range or level that accurately reflects an age, income level, educational level, and so on.
Off the record  information that cannot be reported following an interview.
Opening  the first minutes of an interview in which the interviewer attempts to establish rapport and orient the interviewee.
Open question  a question that allows the respondent considerable freedom in determining the amount and kind of information to offer.
Open-to-closed switch  when a questioner asks an open question but changes it to a closed question before a respondent can reply.
Ordinal scales  questions that ask respondents to rate or rank options in their implied relationship to one another.
Orientation  the portion of the opening in which the interviewer explains the purpose, length, and nature of the interview.
Outside forces  influential others such as family, friends, employers, and agencies who are not part of the interview but may affect one or both parties before, during, or after an interview.
Overt identification  an attempt to establish a "we are one and the same" perception.
Party  the interviewer or interviewee side in an interview.
Patient-centered care (PCC)  when a patient's needs, preferences, and beliefs are respected at all times.
Percentage agencies  placement agencies whose fee for finding positions for clients is a specific percentage of the first year's salary.
Personality tests  tests designed to assess the people skills of applicants.
Person-product-service model  a performance review model based on the theory that managerial competencies lead to effective behaviors that lead to effective worker performance.
Persuasive interviews  an interview designed to change an interviewee's way of thinking, feeling, and/or acting.
Pitchfork effect  when an interviewer gives negative ratings to all facets of performance because of a particular trait the interviewer dislikes in others.
Placement interviews  interviews designed to assign employees to positions or to move them from one position or location to another.
Politeness theory  a theory that claims all humans want to be appreciated, approved, liked, honored, and protected.
Population  all persons able and qualified to respond in a particular survey.
Portfolio  a small and varied collection of an applicant's best work.
Positive face  the desire to be appreciated, approved, liked, and honored.
Positive politeness  an effort to show concern by complimenting and using respectful forms of address.
Post hoc or scrambling cause-effect tactic  basing a cause-effect relationship on coincidence, a minor cause, or a single cause.
Powerless speech  words and nonfluencies that express apologies, disclaimers, excuses, and uncertainty.
Power speech  words that express certainty, challenges, verbal aggression, and metaphors.
Precision journalism  journalistic reports based on survey research data.
Predetermined  planned in advance of an interaction.
Press conference  a setting in which multiple interviewers interview one interviewee.
Primary question  a question that introduces a topic or new area within a topic and can stand alone out of context.
Probing question  a question that attempts to discover additional information following a primary or secondary question and cannot stand alone out of context.
Problems of the interviewee's behavior interviews  interviews designed to review, separate, correct, or counsel interviewees for their behavior.
Problems of the interviewer's behavior interviews  interviews designed to receive complaints, grievances, or suggestions concerning the interviewer's behavior.
Problem-solution sequence  an outline divided into problem and solution phases.
Problem solving interviews  interviews designed to discuss mutually shared problems, receive suggestions for solutions, or implement solutions.
Process  a dynamic, continuing, ever changing interaction of variables.
Proximity  the physical distance between interview parties.
Psychological reactance theory  a theory based on the claim that people react negatively when someone threatens to restrict or does restrict a behavior they want to engage in.
Question  any statement or nonverbal act that invites an answer.
Question pitfall  a slight alteration of questions, often unintentional, that changes them from open to closed, primary to secondary, and neutral to leading.
Question sequence  the strategic interconnection of questions.
Quintamensional design sequence  a five-step sequence designed to assess the intensity of a respondent's opinions and attitudes.
Quiz show pitfall  a question above or beneath the respondent's level of knowledge.
Random sampling  selecting respondents randomly from a container.
Ranking ordinal scale  questions that ask respondents to rank options in their implied relationship to one another.
Rapport  a process of establishing and sustaining a relationship by creating feelings of goodwill and trust.
Rating ordinal scale  questions that ask respondents to rate options in their implied relationship to one another.
Real setting  an interview setting with all of its defects and problems.
Reasoning from accepted belief, assumption, or proposition  reasoning based on the assertion that a belief, assumption, or proposition is true and without question.
Reasoning from analogy  reasoning based on points of similarity that two people, places, or things have in common.
Reasoning from cause-effect  reasoning based on a causal relationship.
Reasoning from condition  reasoning based on the assertion that if something does or does not happen something else will or will not happen.
Reasoning from example  reasoning based on a generalization about a whole class of people, places, or things from a sampling of the class.
Reasoning from facts  reasoning that offers a conclusion as the best explanation for available evidence.
Reasoning from two choices  reasoning based on the assertion that there are only two possible choices.
Recency error  when an interviewer relies too heavily on the most recent events or performance levels.
Reflective probe  a question that reflects the answer received to verify or clarify what the respondent intended to say.
Relational  an interpersonal connection between two parties or persons.
Relational dimensions  critical dimensions such as similarity, inclusion, affection, and trust that determine the nature of relationships.
Relational distance  the closeness of the relationship between interview parties.
Relational history  the past, present, and future connections between two parties or persons.
Relational uncertainty  when either party is unaware of the degree of warmth, sharing of control, or level of trust that will exist during an interview.
Reliability  the assurance that the same information can be collected in repeated interviews.
Repeat question strategy  a question strategy that enables the interviewer to determine interviewee consistency in responses on a topic.
Replicability  the ability to duplicate interviews regardless of interviewers, interviewees, and situations.
Reproducibility  the ability to duplicate interviews regardless of interviewer, interviewee, and situation.
Restatement probe  a question that restates all or part of the original question that remains unanswered.
Resume  a brief accounting of an applicant's career goal, education, training, and experiences.
Resume or application form question pitfall  asking a question that is already answered on the resume or application form.
Reticent interviewee  an interviewee who seems unwilling or unable to talk and respond freely.
Sample point or block sampling  preassigned numbers and types of respondents are chosen from assigned geographical areas.
Sanitized setting  an interview setting without time constraints, interviewee problems, or situational problems such as noise, interruptions, inappropriate seating, or uncomfortable temperatures.
Screening interviews  interviews designed to select applicants for additional interviews.
Secondary question  a question that attempts to discover additional information following a primary or secondary (probing) question and cannot stand alone out of context.
Self-analysis  a careful, thorough, and insightful analysis of self an applicant conducts prior to taking part in interviews.
Self-concept  how a person perceives self physically, socially, and psychologically.
Self-disclosure  the willingness and ability to disclose information pertaining to oneself.
Self-esteem  positive and negative feelings a person has of self.
Self-fulfilling prophecy  a prediction that comes true because a person expects or predicts it will be so.
Self-persuasion  a situation in which a persuader encourages a person to persuade self rather than being persuaded by another.
Self-selection  respondents alone determine if they will be included in a survey sample.
Seminar format  an interview format in which one or more recruiters interview several applicants at the same time.
Sequential phase model  a counseling model that centers on four phases based on affective (emotional) and cognitive (thinking) functions.
Shock-absorber phrases  phrases that reduce the sting of critical questions.
Shuffle strategy  a question strategy that enables interviewers to avoid responses based on the order rather than the content of answer options.
Silent probe  an interviewer remains silent after an answer and may use nonverbal signals to encourage the respondent to continue answering.
Situation  a total interview context that includes events prior to and after, time, place, and surroundings.
Situational schema  a schema that includes all of the different types of interviews.
Skip interval or random digit sample  a sampling method in which every predetermined number on a list is selected, such as every 10th name in a directory.
Slang  unofficial jargon that groups use.
Sound-alikes  words that sound alike but have different meanings.
Space sequence  an outline that arranges topics and subtopics according to spatial divisions such as left to right, north to south.
Status difference  the difference in social or organizational hierarchy between interviewer and interviewee.
Strategic answers  when interviewees answer questions to their advantage.
Stratified random sampling  a sampling method that selects the number of respondents according to their percentages in the target population.
Supportive climate  a climate in which there is trust and respect between parties.
Table of random numbers  a sample of respondents selected by assigning each respondent a number and using a table of random numbers for picking a sample.
Talkative interviewee  an interviewee who gives overly long answers and talks too freely.
Task oriented  an interviewer who is more concerned with performing a task efficiently and effectively than in communicating effectively with an interviewee.
Territoriality  the physical and psychological space in which an interview takes place.
The 360-degree approach  a performance review model that obtains as many views of a person's performance as possible from observers who interact with the person on a regular basis.
Thin entering wedge (domino effect or slippery slope) tactic  an argument that one decision, action, or law after another is leading toward some sort of danger.
Tight rater  an interviewer who believes that no one can perform at the necessary standards.
Time sequence  an outline that treats topics and subtopics in chronological order.
Topical sequence  an outline sequence that follows the natural divisions of a topic or subtopic.
Transfer interviews  interviews designed to promote employees, to assign them to positions, or to move them from one position or location to another.
Trial closing  the attempt to determine if an interviewee is ready to close an interview with an agreement of some sort.
Tunnel sequence  a series of similar questions that are either open or closed.
Unipolar question  a question that has only one obvious or desired answer.
Universal performance interviewing model  a performance review that focuses on coaching by starting with positive behavior a manager wants the employee to maintain and then moving to behaviors that need to be corrected.
Unsanitized setting  a real world interview setting with all of its problems, crises, interruptions, and unexpected happenings.
Upward communication  an interview in which a subordinate in an organizational hierarchy is attempting to interact as interviewer with a superior in the hierarchy.
Values  fundamental beliefs about ideal states of existence and modes of behavior.
Verbal interactions  words (arbitrary connections of letters) that serve as symbols for people, places, things, events, beliefs, and feelings.
Yes (no) response  a question that has only one obvious answer.
Yes-but approach  an approach that begins with areas of agreement and approaches points of disagreements after goodwill and a supportive climate are established.
Yes-yes approach  the attempt to get another party in the habit of saying yes so agreements may continue.