Running head: REFLECTIVE REPORT: BEHAVIOUR FOCUSED INTERVIEWING 1
Reflective Report: Behaviour Focused Interviewing
Mandy Roosendaal, 2663488
Psychological Interview Skills 2: Professional Skills
Paula Francisca Cortés Montenegro, Group 33
Word count: 1503
17-01-2021
, REFLECTIVE REPORT: BEHAVIOUR FOCUSED INTERVIEWING 2
My Goals
After the course Psychological Communication Skills 1: Basic Skills, I was left with two
learning goals. One of these learning goals was to use the skill “thinking aloud” more. The other
learning goal was to use the skill “summarising” at more appropriate times. The latter is the
learning goal I would like to focus on for the behaviour focused interview because it will give
more structure to the interview, which was lacking in my interviews last year. To me,
paraphrasing comes more naturally than summarising, which is why I often use this skill even
when summarising is more appropriate. My goal last year was, therefore, to use more summaries
in my interviews. However, I started using summaries simply because it was my learning goal,
and I did not use them at appropriate times. Instead, I would give a summary whenever I thought
about my learning goal. For the upcoming interview, I aim to give a summary at the end of the
interview and possibly at other times during the interview when it is appropriate to give a
summary. Appropriate times could be before switching subjects or after a very long answer from
the interviewee. To evaluate whether I have achieved this goal, I will explain this goal to my
observer before the interview starts. Afterwards, I will discuss with my observer whether I used
summaries at appropriate times and whether it created more structure in the interview.
Summary
I opened the interview by explaining the goals of the interview. I explained that we would
get to know each other a little bit and that at the end of the interview, I wanted to be able to judge
whether the interviewee was a good fit for the organisation. I then continued by explaining what
the clinic does and what the interviewee would be doing as an intern. The interviewee then told
me a little bit about herself as well. She explained she wanted to work in the clinical field, and I
asked her what attracts her to this field specifically. She explained that her family has dealt with
mental illness and that this motivated her to help other people out who experience the same
issues. I then asked about her studies and she explained what she had learned so far and how she
thinks she could use that knowledge as an intern. We then moved on to her past work experience.
She explained that her experience will mainly help her as an intern in the sense that it has given
her more self-confidence. I then asked her if she could think of an example in any of her past
work experience in which she came across a difficult situation, how she handled it, and what the
result was. She gave an example of a colleague she worked with in Japan who abused alcohol.
She explained that she talked to her and their boss and that the colleague eventually went back to
Reflective Report: Behaviour Focused Interviewing
Mandy Roosendaal, 2663488
Psychological Interview Skills 2: Professional Skills
Paula Francisca Cortés Montenegro, Group 33
Word count: 1503
17-01-2021
, REFLECTIVE REPORT: BEHAVIOUR FOCUSED INTERVIEWING 2
My Goals
After the course Psychological Communication Skills 1: Basic Skills, I was left with two
learning goals. One of these learning goals was to use the skill “thinking aloud” more. The other
learning goal was to use the skill “summarising” at more appropriate times. The latter is the
learning goal I would like to focus on for the behaviour focused interview because it will give
more structure to the interview, which was lacking in my interviews last year. To me,
paraphrasing comes more naturally than summarising, which is why I often use this skill even
when summarising is more appropriate. My goal last year was, therefore, to use more summaries
in my interviews. However, I started using summaries simply because it was my learning goal,
and I did not use them at appropriate times. Instead, I would give a summary whenever I thought
about my learning goal. For the upcoming interview, I aim to give a summary at the end of the
interview and possibly at other times during the interview when it is appropriate to give a
summary. Appropriate times could be before switching subjects or after a very long answer from
the interviewee. To evaluate whether I have achieved this goal, I will explain this goal to my
observer before the interview starts. Afterwards, I will discuss with my observer whether I used
summaries at appropriate times and whether it created more structure in the interview.
Summary
I opened the interview by explaining the goals of the interview. I explained that we would
get to know each other a little bit and that at the end of the interview, I wanted to be able to judge
whether the interviewee was a good fit for the organisation. I then continued by explaining what
the clinic does and what the interviewee would be doing as an intern. The interviewee then told
me a little bit about herself as well. She explained she wanted to work in the clinical field, and I
asked her what attracts her to this field specifically. She explained that her family has dealt with
mental illness and that this motivated her to help other people out who experience the same
issues. I then asked about her studies and she explained what she had learned so far and how she
thinks she could use that knowledge as an intern. We then moved on to her past work experience.
She explained that her experience will mainly help her as an intern in the sense that it has given
her more self-confidence. I then asked her if she could think of an example in any of her past
work experience in which she came across a difficult situation, how she handled it, and what the
result was. She gave an example of a colleague she worked with in Japan who abused alcohol.
She explained that she talked to her and their boss and that the colleague eventually went back to
