ABSTRACT
One of the most troublesome characteristics of the interviewing process is that it involves divergent tasks. As tends to be the case whenever a number of interdependent tasks have to be performed, some form of co-ordination is usually needed in the interview situation. Coordination of a number of different tasks generally requires a degree of leadership, of which two different components are commonly distinguished: task-oriented direction and social/emotional support. In essence, the art of interviewing consists in knowing how to successfully combine the seven interviewer tasks, each of which has requirements that the interviewer has to meet. Occasionally these requirements may come into conflict with each other, however. Task-oriented leadership and social/emotional leadership are concepts developed in classical group dynamics. Group dynamic theory applies to the interview situation because the partnership of interviewer-interviewee constitutes a full-blown task group, albeit a small one.
