There are many types of interviews. Celebrity interviews are the most well known, but other types of interviews such as job interviews, medical interviews, witness interviews, mortgage acquisition/renewal interviews and loan interviews are just a few of all the types that take place daily.
In all of these interviews, the person conducting the interview is trying to learn as much as she/he can about the person being interviewed. Successful interviewing is not simple, but there are basic steps you can take to make sure your interviews are successful and that you come up with interesting, useful information about those you interview. It is always best to try and do an in-person interview. In this way you can see expressions and body language which often tell you as much as or more than the actual answers. However, sometimes, due to circumstances beyond your control you may have to do a remote interview by telephone or email. In any event, here are five basic steps to follow, whether you are doing an in-person interview or a remote interview.
1. Prepare as Much as You Can in Advance. This should be obvious, but often it isn’t. You should go into the interview knowing as much as you can about the person you are interviewing. You use this information as a tool to shape the content and flow of the interview. Depending on the type of interview and the preparation time you have, your advanced preparation may be limited, but do the best you can.
2. Establish Rapport With Your Subject. Try, if possible, to meet with your subject prior to the actual interview and show them you are friendly and that you are genuinely interested in them. Part of this step involves putting your subject at ease about the physical layout and surroundings of the interview, i.e., where you will sit or stand and where they will sit or stand. If you are planning to tape or videotape the interview, try to make your subject familiar, and at ease, with the technology you are using.
3. Control the Flow of the Interview. You are the person doing the interview and you need to move through it using the questions and very brief comments you have prepared ahead of time. Don’t let the subject feel they are going to control the interview with a personal agenda when you have objectives you need to accomplish. At the same time, be alert for unforeseen or unplanned information that may come up during the interview. Don’t miss out on something good because it may be unexpected. Be in control, but be prepared to “go with the flow” if the flow looks good. Your goal is to part from the subject knowing you got what you needed, and to appreciate any bonus that came unexpectedly.
4. Part on the Friendliest Possible Terms. Make an effort to be courteous and express
appreciation for the interview. This will leave the door open for any follow-ups, as well as create good networking opportunities for additional interviews with people your subject might know. Never kill a potential future lead with a bad attitude or ingratitude toward the subject you are currently interviewing. Always try to end the interview on good terms.
5. Get All the Spelling Right. Yes, you read that correctly. It is amazing the number of common words and “obvious” names that can be misspelled when you write up the interview. If your subject is well known, this might not be much of an issue. Well-known people also have lesser known friends and family members. Don’t let spelling those names trip you up. How do you get the names spelled correctly? You ask, of course. Even “famous” people appreciate the professionalism and concern you show by asking to get the spellings correct. Don’t let inattention to spelling details ruin your good work.
Successful interviewing may not be simple, but it can be fun. With a little care and attention to these five basic steps, interviews can be well done and professional. One thing you must remember is that even the best planned interviews can suddenly become very uncomfortable. Don’t panic and you can usually recover.
I will never forget one interview I was involved in. It consisted of an interview board with six interviewers, a chair person and a prospective employee. The chair person was from the Human Resources (HR) Section and the interviewers were representatives of each of the six sections in the organization that had mid-level job openings, in the $40,000 to $50,000 salary range.
In preparation for the interview, we had been provided with a copy of the applicant’s job resume. It was a fantastic resume. The applicant was a 30-year old male with 11 years of experience with his current employer. This resume sounded like the applicant could do just about everything, maybe even walk on water. The rest of the interviewers were salivating and were almost ready to offer the applicant a job without even conducting an interview. I suggested that we wait until the interview was over and make sure that everything was done according to the usual protocol in
case one of the applicants decided to appeal the board’s decision. The others reluctantly agreed.
The chairperson from HR brought the applicant into the Board Room where the interview was to take place and introductions were made. Everyone was offered tea, coffee or a soft drink and we all sat around getting to know the applicant and allowing him to feel more comfortable. We discussed hobbies, family, likes and dislikes and other non threatening topics. After about one-half hour, the HR representative called the board to order, turned on the tape recorders and the interview began.
I was scheduled to be the last interviewer, so I made a note of any answer I wanted further clarification on. The applicant was personable, well groomed and answered questions readily. When my turn came, I picked up the applicant’s resume and said, “Your resume said that you are a project leader, tell me about the new projects you worked on this year.” He looked a little uncomfortable and then said, “I didn’t do any new projects this year.” I asked, “What about last year?” He turned a little pale and said, “I didn’t do any new projects last year either.”
I glanced around the table at my fellow interviewers and it was hard to tell who looked sicker, the interviewers or the applicant. Further questioning revealed that he was in charge of seeing that a group of computer programs was run on their properly scheduled day. The company he worked for called each of these programs “Project A,” “Project B,” etc. The company that he hired to write his resume thought that labeling him a project leader sounded better than saying he submitted daily programs to a main frame computer. I asked further questions that revealed that he was not qualified for any of the positions that we were trying to fill. I then asked him if he had any questions he wished to ask us. When he said no, I asked the HR representative to take him out to the waiting room.
After they left, I asked the other interviewers if anyone still wanted to hire him for their area. They all said no and then sheepishly admitted that they had let a cleverly written resume fool them into nearly abandoning proper interviewing techniques. They all left the room by the rear door and I went and invited the applicant back into the Board Room.
I told the applicant that he was unsuccessful in getting a job offer and thanked him for coming in for the interview. I then spent about half an hour telling him what he needed to do to qualify for a position like the ones we were trying to fill. I also suggested that before he applied for another job that he should get someone to write an accurate resume.
Things may not always be what someone else has described them as. Don’t be swayed from your prepared course of action. If you believe what others have written about your interview subject, your interview could come up with invalid results. In this case the interview could have been swayed by a cleverly written resume. In the case of a celebrity interview if you use previously written reviews as a basis for your interview, you could end up missing the real scoop. When you have the subject to yourself, just ask the questions that you want the answers to. If you want the answers, chances are everyone else does too.
Be confident in your abilities and have fun doing your interviews.
Comments(0)