What are the advantages and disadvantages of interview method of data collection?

An interview is a conversation between two or more people where questions are asked by the interviewer to elicit facts or statements from the interviewee

Interviews techniques have the following advantages:

• Insights : The researcher is likely to gain valuable insights based on the depth of the information gathered and the wisdom of “key informants”.

• Equipment: Interviews require only simple equipment and build on conversation skills, which researchers already have
• Information Priorities: Interviews are a good method for producing data based on the informant’s priorities, opinions, and ideas. Informants have the opportunity to expand their ideas, explain their views and identify what regard as their crucial factors.

• Flexibility: Interviews are more flexible as a method of data collection. During adjustments to the line of inquiry can be made.
• Validity: Direct contact at the point of the interview means that data can be checked for accuracy and relevance as they are collected.
• High response rate: Interviews are generally pre-arranged and scheduled for a convenient time and location. This ensures a relatively high response rate.

• Therapeutic: Interviews can be a rewarding experience for the informant, compared with questionnaires, observation, and experiments, there is a more personal element to the method and people end to enjoy the rather rare chance to talk about their ideas at length to a person whose purpose is to listen and note the ideas without being critical.

• Depth Information Interviews are particularly good at producing data that deal with topics in depth and in detail. Subjects can be probed, issues pursued, lines of investigation followed over a relatively long period.

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• Advantage of interview
• Disadvantages of interview

Advantage of interview

There is some objectives or advantage of interview which are stated below:

1. Easy correction of speech: Any misunderstanding and mistake can be rectified easily in an interview. Because the interviewer and interviewee physically present before the interview board.
2. Development of relationship: Relation between the interviewer and the interviewee can be developed through an interview. It increases mutual understanding and co-operation between the parties.
3. Selection of suitable candidate: Suitable candidates can be selected through interview because the interview can know a lot about the candidate by this process.
4. Collection of primary information: Interviews can help to collect fresh, new and primary information as needed.
5. Sufficient information: Sufficient information can be collected through the interview process. Because the interviewer can ask any question to the interviewee.
6. Time-saving: Interview can help to save time to select the best suitable candidate. Within a very short time communication can be accomplished with the interview.
7. Less costly: It is less costly than other processes of communication. It is very simple, prompt and low-cost method of communication.
8. Increasing knowledge: Any interview increases the knowledge of both the interviewer and the interviewee. They can interchange their views and ideas.
   
9. Explore cause behind the problem: In business, executives need to solve different types of problems. To explore or to find out the actual reasons behind the problem interview method can be used.
10. In depth analysis: Through planed interviews detailed information can be collected which enables proper analysis of a problem. Abstract factors like attitudes, feelings, opinion etc. Can be successfully evaluated or analyzed through interviews.
11. Solving labor problems: Labor unrest and other disputes are very common in the industries. Sometimes human resource managers use the interview as a means of reveling actual causes behind the labor deputes.
12. Flexible: One of the major advantages of interview is feasible. That depends on the situation it can be framed differently.

Disadvantages of interview

There are some limitations of the interview process. It is not free from defects. The disadvantages of the interview are discussed below:

1. Incomplete process: Suitable candidate can not be selected by interview only. The written test is more important than the interview.
2.  No record: In the case of the interview some confusion may be arisen in the future as, there is no evidence actually that have been discussed at interview.
3. Lack of attention: Much attention is required for a good interview. But sometimes it is observed that both the interviewer and the interviewee are less attentive. That is why real information cannot be collected.
4. Disappointed: Interviewee may be disappointed while she or he faces the interviewer’s questions which are not related to the field. That is why a suitable candidate may be neglected.
5. Time-consuming: Time constrain is one of the major limitations of the interview process. Preparation for the interview, taking interviews and interpretation of the responses required much time, which makes the interview method time-consuming.
6. Biases of interviewer: Always there is a possibility that the interview process can be influenced by the biases of the interviewer.
7. Costly: Generally interview method is expensive.
8. Inefficiency of the interviewer: Interview is a systematic process of data collection. The success of an interview depends on the efficiency of the interviewer. This inefficiency of an interviewer can lead to misleading results.
9. Not suitable for personal matters: Personal matters may not be revealed by interview method.