The Role of the Interviewer
As
an interviewer it is imperative to adhere to ethical conduct and display
competency. While training assistant
interviewers, these responsibilities should be revered initially, throughout,
and beyond the instructional process. As
the mentor, the assistants’ actions are a direct reflection upon the agency or
program. Therefore the mentor will
ultimately be held accountable for any discrepancies, issues, or violations of
the ethics code or lack of proficiency(Russ-Eft & Preskill, 2009).
In effort to ensure that everyone performs ethically, the following
tactics should be upheld:
- Maintain honesty & integrity.
- Act and inquire in a manner which refrains from promoting discrimination.
- Accurately represent the interviewee’s position, thoughts, and opinions, utilizing valid information.
- Act with sincerity.
- Protect human and legal rights and value the dignity and interactions of interviewees.
- Encompass the public interest and good.
- Protect the interviewee’s confidentiality where applicable.
- Honor the guidelines set forth and agreed upon by the agency or study program (Russ-Eft & Preskill, 2009).
In effort to ensure that assistants
are competent, the following should be employed:
- Orientation and essential materials.
- First-hand observation.
- Supervised practice sessions.
- Guideline handbook.
- Individual and focus group instruments.
- In general, adequate training, education, and follow-up (Russ-Eft & Preskill, 2009).
In addition, while conducting an interview, one should regard the aforementioned as well
as the following:
- Effective listening skills.
- Flexibility.
- Neutrality / Objectivity.
- Familiarity with the subject and line of questioning.
- Ability and willingness to follow protocol; compliance.
- Availability (Russ-Eft & Preskill, 2009).
Reference:
Russ-Eft, D., & Preskill, H.
(2009). Evaluation in organizations: A systematic approach
to enhancing
learning, performance, and change (2nd ed.). New York:
Basic Books.
