WHAT IS AN INTERVIEW FOR? THE 6 MAIN USES - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2024

An interview is used to obtain some type of specific information through a process of participation and conversation between two or more people. The interview is an instrument that has become popular and whose use has been widespread in different trades and professional practices due to its genuine and personal nature.

The interview is defined as a conversation that, according to the final intentions for which it is carried out, will provide results that will allow us to advance with what is proposed. Due to its interactive nature and its similarity to day-to-day conversations between people, it has a less restrictive or formal basis, which encourages obtaining the desired results.

Carrying out an interview consists of carrying out a preliminary research work and a series of carefully constructed questions, in such a way that its function is not distorted and it remains a mere exchange of irrelevant information.

Every interview goes through a process of construction and preparation, the nuances of which change depending on the objective. It is used mainly in areas such as journalism, documentary, anthropological, ethnographic and sociological research, psychology, education and medicine, police, political or judicial investigation.

Similarly, social processes such as labor insertion are present. Within each of these areas the interview has been theorized in a different way.

Uses of the interview

Journalism

The journalistic interview is a treatment of journalism, which is used as an instrument for the dissemination of general or specific information. The interview is used as the main means of obtaining information from a source.

It not only serves as a complement to obtain testimonies or data, but also as a center, or presentation format, if it is made to sources of high credibility and magnitude, which, through the interview, can present a valid panorama about a particular situation.

Depending on the purpose, the journalistic interview can be used to obtain sustainable information, as well as free opinions on the part of the interviewee for the presentation of a journalistic product of relevance and pertinence.

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Medicine

A fundamental part of the relationship between a doctor and a patient goes through the application of the interview as an instrument to obtain as much information as possible about the patient's ailments.

In this way, the doctor has a greater background to work for the health of his patients.

Clinical interviews are simple in nature, so that the patient, who is understood not to have the same knowledge and terms as the doctor, can, through his descriptions, provide the best possible notion about the ills that afflict him.

These interviews are archived as part of the medical records of the patients, so that there is always a record of what the treatments have been given and received.

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Ethnography, Anthropology and Sociology

In research areas that address the behaviors and phenomena of the human being individually and in society, the interview is necessary to have a better perspective on the sample or the behaviors that are intended to be studied.

The interviews conducted in these areas are mostly descriptive, for research, academic purposes.

Its construction is much more sophisticated and strict, because researchers cannot afford to lose key subjects, or waste opportunities with trivial questions.

They are prepared based on what has been investigated so far and what is desired to obtain; addresses particular situations and does not delve into the intimacies of the subject, unless the object to be investigated is the relationships and emotional interactions of the characters, in an anthropological or sociological context.

These areas lead to interaction with communities that may not be on the same social page as others, closer to the urban environment.

The approach through the interview must be carried out with delicacy and tact, so as not to generate rejection in the subject approached.

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Job

In the job market, the interview is considered the fundamental step that could determine the selection of a candidate for a position or job opportunity.

This process subjects the candidate to an evaluation of their capacities and aptitudes in the face of new scenarios that seek to maximize their effectiveness.

The job interview is a stage where both participants prepare with a role: the candidate to get the job and the interviewer to find out if the candidate is up to the task.

The specificity or form of the interview varies according to the area chosen and the type of company, since some maintain more traditional processes and others make them more flexible.

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Tax and police investigation

A police interview should not be confused with an interrogation. The interview is also used by prosecutors to obtain the greatest amount of information from those who could be witnesses or who could contribute some kind of knowledge for the investigation or resolution of a case.

These types of interviews are sometimes conducted with experts who could help build a better case when going to court.

In the case of the police investigation, it serves to complement the reports and provide details on angles or possibilities not previously addressed.

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Therapy

Although the medicinal interview could be considered close, the interviews used in some types of therapy are more flexible and even personalized.

They are carried out mainly to strengthen some aspects of the patient, either their memory or sensory capacities. They are leveled according to the patient and their format and application vary between professionals.

These interviews allow a greater degree of inclusion, while helping some patients to feel increasingly comfortable with their condition and the progress it presents, serving, in the same way, for them to keep their own log or record of what has been your therapy.

These interviews can be applied to the psychological and even psychiatric field, when the conditions do not present as many risks or instability in the patient.

Physical rehabilitation therapies also incorporate the interview among some of their processes, for example.

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References

1. Baldwin, J. (1993). POLICE INTERVIEW TECHNIQUES: Establishing Truth or Proof? The British Journal of Criminology, 325-352.
2. Brinkmann, T. (January 27, 2014). Interview Thorsten Brinkmann. (C. Schilling, Interviewer).
3. Cole, SA, & Bird, J. (2013). The Medical Interview E-Book: The Three Function Approach. Elsevier Health Sciences.
4. Marín, C. (2008). Journalism manual. Caracas: Random House Mondadori Editorial Group.
5. Spradley, JP (2016-). The Ethnographic Interview. Long Grove: Waveland Press.