Top 4 Rules of Departmental Interview must follow before interview.

Departmental Interview

Internal interviews cannot be, by their nature, very drastic. When a subordinate is summoned for an interview, usually one of three to four possibilities may be imagined. He may either be there to be questioned about certain shortcomings in work or in conduct; or he may be asked to get out of his usual rut to find out something which, perhaps, no one else can be trusted to do; or there are times when he is told verbally of termination of his services and is given this chance of making personal representation in his favour.

Four Rules

Whatever the nature of these occasions, the interviewer can always be sure that he is acting correctly if he observes these four rules:

(a) He must be courteous and sympathetic.

(b) He must be very definite about what he is saying and leave no margin of doubt as to the purpose of the interview.

(c) He must be prepared not to find fault beyond what is absolutely necessary, nor to use over-much persuasion, if there is need for any.

(d) He should be hearty in approbation, generous in suggesting an ideal to live up to, helpful in advising correctives for conduct and on occasions when severe admonition is necessary, ready to supply loopholes for the subordinates to save his face.

Manner of Interviewing

In whichever ways such interviews are conducted, direct orders are not so useful as the mode of suggestion, proposal, inquiry and the asking of question to attain the desired objective.

Non-Official Interview

There is another type of official interview which is growing more infrequent and that is the one granted by Secretaries and even higher officials and important non-officials. These interviews, when they do take place, are not exactly like the social and political interviews, already discussed. Their object is to elicit information by individual talk, which is more convenient than by way of written correspondence. At such interviews only the business in hand is formally discussed. Both parties exchange ideas and, in the end, it cannot be said, who the real interviewer is. However, it may safely be concluded that the official at whose office the interview takes place is, on that occasion, the interviewer.

Three Rules

Three things should be foremost in such interviews :

(1) A discriminatory exactitude in arriving at facts.

(2) An anticipation of the objections of the other party and, hence, a reserve of reasons to counter his probable arguments.

(3) A readiness to reach a compromise, where possible, through cooperation.