| There are various types of questions: | | | | "How do you feel about close detail work?" |
| Open-ended questions - broad in nature, 'opens the | | | | "What is your opinion of tax shelters?" |
| door', generates free thinking, allows freedom in | | | | Mirroring (reflective) or summarizing - reflects or |
| responding /determining the amount and kind of info to | | | | summarizes a series of questions and answers or |
| give | | | | pieces of information to insure accurate understanding. |
| "Tell me about yourself." | | | | Used to acquire more detail, to get the interviewee to |
| "Tell me about your administrative duties." | | | | expand on an answer, to keep the interviewee talking |
| "How would you characterize your managing style?" | | | | "Okay, Bill, let me see if I have this correct. First, you |
| Closed-ended questions - restrictive in nature 'keeps | | | | …?" |
| door fairly closed', asks for narrow, structured | | | | "You have never been a salesperson before?" |
| response-often a single, one-syllable, direct answer. | | | | Primary question - introduces topic of discussion/new |
| Limits answer options, often supplying all possible | | | | areas within a topic [or category such as education, |
| answers in the question | | | | experience, etc.] |
| "How long have you held this position?" | | | | "Tell me about your last accounting position." |
| "Did Ms. Adams hire you?" | | | | "What advice can you give me about breaking into this |
| " How would you rank these in order of your | | | | field? |
| frequency of using them on the job? | | | | Secondary question - follows up / probes response to |
| …speaking writing listening reading" | | | | primary question or another secondary question Useful |
| Direct questions - requests verifiable facts/statistics, | | | | in "digging" for reasons, supporting ideas, justifications |
| info, opinion, or conclusions | | | | [why?], personal feelings |
| Requires specific responses | | | | Primary: "During your academic preparation for this |
| "What company did you last work for?" | | | | career, what courses did you find most helpful?" |
| "What do you think was the major reason for the | | | | Secondary: "Of those , which was most helpful?" |
| restructuring of your company?" | | | | Primary: "Are there any courses that you didn't take |
| Indirect questions -does not require a question mark; | | | | but now wish you had?" |
| yet, it encourages discussion of a particular topic | | | | Secondary: "How would that course have helped?" |
| "I wonder what it's like to travel on the job." | | | | Secondary questions are useful when interviewee's |
| "It must be at least a two-hour drive for you to get to | | | | response isa. superficial |
| your office." | | | | "Tell me more about …" |
| Double questions - asking two questions with the | | | | "What happened after …?" |
| second almost identical to the first or asking two | | | | "How did you react to . . .?" |
| questions with the second dissimilar to the first or | | | | "Explain further the point …." |
| either question incomplete "Are you going to retire? | | | | "Could you give me an example of that?" |
| Are you going to leave this position?" | | | | "Would you mind telling me more about your interest in |
| "Where is corporate headquarters? Is it far from | | | | …?"b. vague |
| here?" | | | | "I'm not sure I understand your point." |
| Leading questions - leads the interviewee to a | | | | "What did you have in mind when you saidc. |
| response; the interviewer suggests implicitly or explicitly | | | | suggestible (suggests a feeling / attitude) |
| the answer he/she expects/desires | | | | "Please define 'middle management' for me." |
| "You like close detail work, don't you?" | | | | "Just how large is your department?" |
| "You don't really feel that tax shelters are justified, do | | | | "How do you feel about that [react to that]?" |
| you?" | | | | "Why do you think that happened?" |
| Neutral questions - gives the interviewee freedom to | | | | "What do you mean by 'seems'? |
| respond as he/she desires | | | | |