Qualities And Qualifications Of A Good Field Investigator (Interviewer)

Qualities And Qualifications Of A Good Field Investigator (Interviewer):

(1) Sound general education: An interviewer needs sound educational background. He should possess « better than average education. He also needs working knowledge of some important language spoken in the area in which research work is to be conducted. Education makes him impressive in his work, approach and outlook.

(2) Pleasing appearance and manners: An interviewer needs impressive personality, pleasing manners and decent behaviour. He should be well dressed and also needs impressive appearance. Respondents are strangers. Their co-operation is possible only if an interviewer creates good impression on them.

(3) Social outlook: An interviewer should be social by nature i.e., adjustable and accommodative in his approach and outlook.He should be at ease with all types of respondents. An investigator should not be hot tempered and indecent in his manners and behaviour as respondents will not be co-operative to such interviewers. He is supposed to show interest in the attitudes, problems and opinions of respondents. An investigator should be an extrovert.

(4) Sound health and stamina: The job of an interviewer is hard. He has to move from place to place and speak with different types of respondents. Naturally, he needs sound health and stamina. He should be able to work hard for many hours and also should be able to do extensive travelling for survey work In addition, he needs capacity to accept uncertainties of interviewing life

(5) Inquiring mind: An interviewer needs inquiring mind He needs desire to collect whatever information required for the survey He should not be satisfied with mere facts or minimum information He has to probe behind the facts and try to collect maximum possible information from his respondents For this, he needs inquiring mind

(6) Sharp memory: An interviewer needs sharp memory for recording the information and facts accurately and completely He has to prepare various statements and reports and for this he needs sharp memory This brings speed and accuracy in his work

(7) Integrity: An interviewer should be absolutely honest and reliable He should complete his work regularly as per the schedule decided His integrity plays an important role in the data collection work He is supposed to collect information by meeting respondents and not on the basis of guess work He should record the responses correctly and also immediately He should not do cheating in his field work as this affects the quality of research work

(8) Minute observation: An interviewer should observe even minor points, events and remarks of his respondents He has to collect data even by accurate observation and for this he needs the faculty of accurate observation and a conscientious regard for details

(9) Ability to record: An interviewer has to record the information supplied by respondents precisely, correctly, fully, promptly and without colour or bias Thus, he needs ability to record information supplied with precision

(10) Ability to communicate: An interviewer should be a good communicator He needs oral communication skills so that the respondent can easily understand what he (interviewer) wants Ability to communicate properly brings positive response from the respondent This suggests that an interviewer needs the ability to communicate the right information in the right manner He also needs knowledge of local/regional language for easy communication with the respondents

(11) Knowledge of business world: An interviewer needs atleast working knowledge of business, sales, advertising, market competition and so on He should be clear in his mind as regards the nature and purpose of his survey Marketing research relates to marketing and allied problems and an interviewer certainly needs adequate knowledge of such problems.

Female interviewers are preferred as compared to male when required information is to be collected from housewives and female consumers. As a general rule also, women are preferred to men as interviewers particularly when the research work relates to consumer items. The possible reasons are:

(1) Women are easily available for interviewing work as the timing is convenient to them.

(2) They are generally honest and sincere in their work. Naturally, errors and cheating in the fieldwork are limited.

(3) Women interviewers are systematic and decent in their work. This improves the quality of research work.

(4) The response from the respondents is always encouraging in the case of women interviewers as compared to male interviewers.

(5) Women interviewers are willing to accept part time job of interviewing. This gives convenience to them and also to the appointing agency.