15 Tips for Conducting Interviews Effectively
There are many reasons why freelancers have to be capable of conducting interviews effectively. Aside from being part of the job, they are also a great way to learn insights from mentors or veterans of the industry. Connie Luayon of Write Life Guide has just shared 15 interview tips she learned from her former professor. Here they are, along with some thoughts of my own in italics:
- Shut up. The less you say, the better.
- Shut up some more. Unless you want to limit your interviewee’s opportunity to share information.
- Work from a list of questions and never veer off. An unfocused interview won’t get you anywhere.
- Shut up again. ‘Nuff said
- Get there early. Stay late. Take note of the surroundings. You don’t waste your interviewee’s time, while increasing your opportunities to learn new things
- Interview a person on their turf. Comfort equals looser tongues
- Ask for other sources e.g. articles on the topic, photos, etc. Creates new opportunities to find out more.
- Write down things you see and not just the answers to the question. Sometimes words can’t convey the entire message.
- Use your notebook to show that you are conducting an interview. This shows the interviewee that you’re interested in what they have to say.
- Put your notebook away in the end, but keep on talking. Ask follow-up questions. A surplus of information is better. What she said.
- Hang around and watch the person interact with others. Gives a more complete of the interviewee.
- Ask the most important questions more than once and in different forms. To cover all the bases.
- Ask the slam-the-door (controversial and sensitive) questions last. So that if you’re asked to leave, you already have something to work with.
- Shut up. Listen to the interviewee. Can’t add anything to that.
- Fill out or copy your notes as quickly as possible. Or, for the sake of avoiding mistakes and misquotes, invest in a small recorder. You can still use the notebook for writing down what you see.
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3 opinions for 15 Tips for Conducting Interviews Effectively
links for 2008-01-19
Jan 19, 2008 at 3:24 am
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Giselle Conyette
Jan 19, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Your points are excellent. However, I find that if I try to put too much “technique” in my interviews i.e., do this, dont do that, I find that I get more anxious and stilted. My mentor, Murray, told me to treat the interview like a conversation. Don’t let it be a question answer interaction where they are asking all the questions. So now, I go to an interview and see it as just another conversation. I find that so much easier and it sure takes the pressure off.
Rico
Jan 19, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Good point Giselle. Maybe that’s another reason why a recorder is important: engaging in conversation makes it harder to write down everything said.
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