Hey I'm trying to do some research on this topic,

Am not getting very far though!

Any help you could give on:


"How does an interview differ from a conversation?"


Would be great!


Cheers.

This from "The Free Dictionary" -

"in·ter·view(ntr-vy) noun.

1. A formal meeting in person, especially one arranged for the assessment of the qualifications of an applicant.

2a. A conversation, such as one conducted by a reporter, in which facts or statements are elicited from another.
2b. An account or a reproduction of such a conversation.

3. Informal An interviewee: "I had been warned that [he] was a tough interviewthat he doled out flip answers... to questions he was tired of being asked" David Roberts.

Verb. In·ter·viewed, in·ter·view·ing, in·ter·views
v.tr.
To obtain an interview from.
v.intr.
To have an interview: interviewed with a publishing company.

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[French entrevue, from Old French, from feminine past participle of entrevoir, to see : entre-, between (from Latin inter-; see inter-) + voir, to see (from Latin vidre; see weid- in Indo-European roots).]

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Inter·viewa·ble adj.
Inter·view·ee n.
Inter·viewer n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.


ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms Noun 1. interview - the questioning of a person (or a conversation in which information is elicited); often conducted by journalists; "my interviews with teen-agers revealed a weakening of religious bonds"
Interrogatory, examination, interrogation - formal systematic questioning
Employment interview, job interview - an interview to determine whether an applicant is suitable for a position of employment
Telephone interview - an interview conducted over the telephone
2. interview - a conference (usually with someone important); "he had a consultation with the judge"; "he requested an audience with the king"
Consultation, audience
Group discussion, conference - a discussion among participants who have an agreed (serious) topic
Verb 1. interview - conduct an interview in television, newspaper, and radio reporting
Question
Converse, discourse - carry on a conversation
2. interview - discuss formally with (somebody) for the purpose of an evaluation; "We interviewed the job candidates"
Converse, discourse - carry on a conversation
3. interview - go for an interview in the hope of being hired; "The job candidate interviewed everywhere"
Converse, discourse - carry on a conversation"

So you see, an interview is a conversation, but with the intent of
hiring, questioning, getting factual statements, etc. Now a conversation is not necessrily an interview. You have converstions with people everyday but you are not interviewing them. For example, your friends. You get together, discuss the day, etc.

To define conversation, this from the American Heritage Dictionary -
"con·ver·sa·tion (kŏn'vər-sā'shən)
n.

The spoken exchange of thoughts, opinions, and feelings; talk.
An instance of this: held a long conversation on the subject.
An informal discussion of a matter by representatives of governments, institutions, or organizations.
Conversational con'ver·sa'tion·al adj.
Conversationally con'ver·sa'tion·al·ly"

The rest of that article on conversation is here: conversation: Definition, Synonyms and Much More from Answers.com

The purpose of a conversation is usually just to exchange information or talk about certain subects. The purpose of an interview is for one person to gain specific information from the other person (usually about the other person's qualifications for something). A conversation seems more two-sided than an interview, even though an interview does involve both people talking. One person is usually "in control" of an interview