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What Is A Semi-Structured Interview?

When an individual starts a practical life, then, first of all, he has to select a suitable job. And for a proper job, he has to go through several interviews. A semi-structured interview is one of the common types of interviews.

So a question is what the semi-structured interview is? Semi structure interview is a type of interview where an instructor does not adopt a scenario as followed by a proper interview.

In such an interview, interviewers adopt a friendly behaviour and allow the candidate for discussion by asking them unbiased questions instead of on the level interview questions.

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In a semi-structured interview, the interviewer makes a list of general knowledge-based questions. General knowledge-based questions are also related to the fields.

The instructor may be preparing a question list as prepared in the proper formal interview but does not follow it at all in a semi-structural interview.

benefits of semi structured interview

When To Use A Semi-Structured Interview

A semi-structured interview is held for a survey. Such a study may be structured or unstructured.

Such circumstances may be proving to be best for organizing the semi-structured interview.

  • You want to check the thinking points of an individual.

  • In case of any research, they may organize a survey and hold a semi-structured interview.

  • To understand the purpose and point of a survey, you may organize a semi-structure interview.

  • You want to know more about your topic in another direction so you can organize a semi-structured interview.

Semi- structure interview is held for research purposes like if you want to collect more information and know more about a specific topic, then organize a semi-structure interview.

How To Conduct A Semi-Structured Interview

To organize a semi-structured interview, it took a lot of time, skills, and proper planning. The following are some tips that would help you to know how to organize a semi-structure interview.

To conduct a semi-structured interview, follow these given below steps:

1- Prepare For The Interview

First of all, note down what information you have to get. You have to clearly understand the topic and then decide what type of information you want to collect. 

And which topic needs further research. For this, you have to identify the gaps and review the past observation. You have to consider what to elaborate on.

2- Write A Guide

After considering what you need to answer in an interview, write down a guide that consists of all the questions. Keep in mind that it is not any formal interview. So you should not just stick to this guide strictly.

3- Build A Rapport And Introduce Yourself

When you join the interviewer, first of all, you have to introduce yourself, be comfortable and relaxed with one another. After this, I briefly explain the interview purpose. It also includes presenting themes and topics that you cover in the interview.

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4- Before Asking Complex Question, Start With The Simple

One of the best methods to start an interview is to start it with more straightforward questions and then, after this, move towards the complicated questions.

5- Be Mindful Of Your Questions

During an interview, it is necessary to ask questions in the right way. Always make sure the question that you ask in an interview is not dead-end and should prevent leading questions. Besides this, you have to be sensitive in case you are ready to ask any probing question.

6- Know when to end the interview

The maximum time for an interview is 50 minutes to 1 hour. So always be ready and sort out your interview in this average time. But it does not mean that it is even compulsory to end your interview at this time. But in case if you think the asked question requires a detailed answer, then you have to feel free to meet the time requirement.

7- Note Down Your Insights

After finishing your interview, you should have to note down your insights and impressions.

8- Record The Interview

As no one remembers each and everything of an interview, so for this purpose, always make sure that you have done the recording.

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how to conduct semi structured interview

Benefits of Semi Structure Interview

  • Interviewers can prepare questions to keep the conversation on track and respond.

  • It encourages communication from both sides

  • It allows the participants to respond open-ended.

  • It provides the interviewer with an opportunity to learn the answer from the questions

  • Able the interviewer to know the cause behind the response.

Disadvantages of Semi-Structured Interviews

  • Time-consuming

  • Wide resources needed.

  • Difficult to find out the interviewer, who can conduct adequately.

  • Require several candidates for final results and comparisons.

To Analyze The Findings

1- Organize your responses.

2- Identify recurring themes.

3- Enter responses.

4- Analyze patterns

5- Present your findings.

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