The Interview

The Interview

Type Of Interview

For my assignment I chose to examine an interview I was a party to at my place of employment with the local Association For Community Living. It was an orientation meeting for a new client moving into a group home where I currently work as a Direct Care Worker. Under the classification of interviews, my analysis focuses on an Information Giving type of interview.

As outlined in class, information giving interviews are used to obtain facts, opinions, feelings, attitudes, reasons for actions, trends or beliefs.

My specific interview was to inform, organize and assist the staff team, of which I am a member, in supporting a new individual moving into the house.

Purpose Of The Interview

The purpose of this interview was to instruct the staff team on current programs and supports surrounding this individual, as well as to train and coach staff on handling techniques used through stressful periods. Lastly, this interview was to clarify all procedures to be used with this individual.

Setting

The setting for our meeting, which is of importance, was a meeting room at our local Head Office. The meeting took place at 1900 on January 9, 1996.

The meeting included the supervisor and three staff team members.

A physical description of the environment is as follows: a large wooden rectangular table sits in the centre of the room with 12 chairs around it, there are 2 cluttered bookcases along one wall and a large white board along another wall. There are no pictures on the walls and no telephone. The meeting took place after business hours so the building was quiet, empty and very dark.

Opening

The opening of this interview began with cordial greetings and small talk, as we are all well-acquainted with each other. The purpose of the interview was established and we moved quickly into the body of the interview.

Body

The supervisor, as the interviewer, was in the information giving position. The staff team were informed of relevant background information and a brief history of the individual. We began to develop new perspectives as a team by reviewing current procedures, handling techniques, supports and activities all the while...

... middle of paper ...

...nbsp; I feel bias in surveying the strengths and weaknesses of my supervisor.

Under strengths, I would say that my supervisor ensured that there would be no distractions, allowed each individual opportunity to share feelings or ideas and arrived on time and well organized with a detailed agenda. I would say that my supervisor was ineffective in responding to questions, closed minded to suggested alternatives and unsupportive of the staff team.

How Might The Interview Have Been Improved?

I feel more knowledgeable due to my class studies to be able to suggest viable alternatives to improve on the outcome of this interview. I believe that each party should be more open to others' ideas and be aware of mental arguing with others. Each party must try to keep personal feelings out of professional settings by being aware of biases and putting them aside if possible. I also believe that honesty amongst all parties (complete and accurate information, sharing of true feelings) is vital to developing a successful helping relationship. Each party must concentrate and listen to what the other is saying to be able to gain a true understanding of one another.