Here are some more tips for conducting successful and ethical interviews. As a student of the “Art” who continually wants to improve, practice the following. If you currently are employing one or more of these techniques, look at this as validation of your own process.
- Each experience should teach you something about human nature and allow you to further develop your abilities. Certainly, the biggest determinant is having an interest in knowing and learning what the interviewee knows and who he/she is. Part of that interest is your own mindset. Do you approach each interview with an open mind, an interest in getting to the truth and also some more in-depth knowledge of who you are dealing with?
- Sometimes, telephone interviews are a fact of a busy life, but know going into the event that this form of communication eliminates the visual, one of your critical senses. No opportunity to observe eliminates the possibility of seeing and recognizing body cues that are unbalanced in relation to speech and emotion. There is a potential disadvantage without the visual, but it can be overcome if you are practiced at recognizing verbal cues.
- The ultimate goal of a pre-employment interview, an interview of a claimant or the questioning of a witness is not only to get the facts out but to allow you, the interviewer, an opportunity to formulate an opinion about truthfulness. It is important to remain objective, but it is similarly important to understand motivation even when his/her statements can be independently confirmed. If there is an area in conversation where the individual becomes uneasy, continue to inquire about the subject. Behaviors including yawning, giggling, evasiveness, audible stomach noises, etc. may be coincidental, or they may relate to untruthful responses.
There are many other effective, ethical interviewing considerations, and more will be presented in future RNI Newsletters. Please watch for them, and “play” with these suggestions in the meantime!
Research North, Inc. (RNI), is a professional private detective service providing support to the business community, the insurance industry and individuals in Michigan and Wisconsin since 1981. The company also offers pre-employment background checks to small and medium sized businesses through a subsidiary called Backgroundcheckswork.com that is fully staffed by professional investigators who are retired from law enforcement.
Delivering Information That Works For You
INSURED • QUALIFIED • THOROUGH • RELIABLE • CONFIDENTIAL • FAST