Types of Questions

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 inMirroring (reflective) or summarizing - reflects or
responding /determining the amount and kind of info tosummarizes a series of questions and answers or
givepieces 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 possibleareas within a topic [or category such as education,
answers in the questionexperience, 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 yourfield?
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 responsesPrimary: "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 theSecondary: "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 topicSecondary: "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 toresponse 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 explicitlysuggestible (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