Case Study of Interview and Personal Reflection

The interview is a crucial activity since it enhances personal acceptance within a given health professional sector. To illustrate, this action enables the people to understand each other rather than just reading about someone’s history (MacLean et al., 2017). In consideration of the above statement, communication makes it easy to gain the intended information from the interviewee (Silverman et al., 2016). In this case, I have interviewed a podiatrist, where I used effectual communication skills in order to interact effectively with this interviewee.

One of my best communication tactics was the aspect of being attentive. According to Trenhom (2014), it is essential for the interviewer to pay excellent devotion to information given by the other party to avoid misunderstanding. At this point, I asked the interviewee detailed and specific questions, hence, reducing instances of confusion (Trenholm, 2017). Still, I did not move to the next question before completely understanding the response given by the client regarding the previous query. More importantly, I privileged the interviewee’s perception by allowing her the opportunity of airing the burning issues or offering idea and suggestion relating to the topic at hand (Silverman et al., 2016). In this case, I was able to apprehend the Interviewee’s position and attitude toward the discussion, hence, managing to control the entire conversation in an effective manner.

Likewise, I was also strategic in my approach, thereby, being able to interact with the interviewee in an orderly manner. In order to achieve the above objective, I first took the time to prepare for the questions to be asked as well as carrying out a thorough research about the intended topic (Silverman et al., 2016). Conversely, the aspect of familiarizing myself with the topic before instigating the discussion has enabled me to make a clear and unbiased judgment concerning the Interviewee’s responses (Silverman et al., 2016). In connection with the above element, I able to think quickly, hence, managing to identify the erroneous answers given by the interviewee. Indeed the aspect of making a decision instantly enable people to make relevant correction where necessary (Trenholm, 2017). Besides, the capability of the mall over information faster has helped me to save time during the interview.

Additionally, I was also respectful to the interviewee during the interaction, hence, making the discussion environment more conducive. In this case, I used simple techniques such as addressing the interviewee by her name and actively being attentive to her both the wrong and right arguments (MacLean et al., 2017). Similarly, I also avoided any form of distractions such dialing phone while talking or leaving the communication room as well as indulging in other activities that were not related to the topic (Silverman et al., 2016). As a matter of fact, the above skill has enhanced my closeness with the interviewee.

On the other hand, I was very shy, hence being unable to maintain eye contact while interacting with the interviewee. In order to ensure that the interviewee does not realize I was nervous, I tried to be busy writing down core points spoken by the interviewee as a way of evading continuous eye contact (Hess et al., 2016). Still, I also tried to attract my Interviewee and shown her that I was interested in the talk by looking at her, though not in a scaring way. At this point, I sometimes looked directly at the interviewee, listening to her explanations, smiling during necessary instances and raising my eyebrows at varied instances to convince her that I was keen on the provided responses (Arnold et al., 2016). More importantly, the notion of smiling while listening has also assured my Interviewee.

Besides, the Johari Window has also created a suitable platform for assessing my self-awareness. In the first place, I was confident enough to interview the podiatric since I had previously prepared the questions I was intending to ask. To illustrate, I was sure that the discussion will not revolve in technical issues for I just selected non-technical queries that needed general and simple answers (Bramhall, 2014). In contrary, I was still worried about the instances where the interviewee could have replied to the asked questions using medical jargons since at the moment I did not have sufficient understanding about podiatrist. According to Hess et al. (2016), it is always good to ask questions that require direct and short answers to minimize chances where the interviewer could go to an extent of offering complex information about the topic.

However, the interviewee was also not aware of the notion that I was shy since I used all the possible methods to convince her that I had enough courage to interrogate about the topic at hand. For instance, I continually avoided facing the interviewee directly by keeping myself busy on jotting some point, hence, proving to examinee that I was very concerned with her points (Hess et al., 2016). Indeed, the above tactic also made the interviewee be cautious about her responses because she knew that I will revisit them after the interview. Moreover, the aspect of using body language such as nodding head, smiling, and using gestures also made me complete the entire interview without the examinee noticing that I was being shy. As it is stated by MacLean et al. (2017), it is essential for both interviewer and interviewee to be aware of each other’s attitude toward the topic to minimize cases of asking questions or giving answers that are out of the discussed topic.

Additionally, I had core values that enabled me to interact with the interviewee in an effective manner. To illustrate, the aspect of being respectful, persistence, appreciative, and also possessing the capability of making an ethical judgment regarding the responses given by the interviewee. As indicated by Hess et al. (2016), the above factors are significant since they enhance the relationship between the interviewer and interviewee. However, after carrying out the conversation, I noted that I need to have values such as thinking creatively, time conscious and being jovial in order to break boredom during the discussion. Indeed, my interviewee was capable of answering all the questions in the right way and she gave me the information that I was expecting. According to Bramhall (2014), it is easy for an interviewer to get the intended information particularly when someone asks direct and simple questions.

To conclude, the interview is a significant practice since it used in a healthcare setting to gather details regarding individual health issues as well as required interventions for a given medical problem. However, during the interview, I used various communication skills including keeping being respectful, taking time, attentiveness, and applying strategic approach during the conversation. However, my weakness was nervousness since I was unable to maintain eye contact but I performed my interview in a technical way to ensure that the examinee does not realize this faintness. Indeed, the above tactics had helped to relate with the interviewee in an effective way.