Hello!! One thing that I have always enjoyed doing is conducting interviews with people. In fact, my very first job when working with the special needs community was leading family interviews. I truly believe that I have been given the gift of gab and I love that my new job as Tim Misny’s social media manager allows me to do interviews a lot. Over time, I have developed some surefire techniques to ensure that my interviews go without a hitch. Let’s check them out so you can use them too!
Research:
When I know that I have an interview scheduled, I immediately begin the research phase. Who am I interviewing? What is the subject of said interview? How am I going to incorporate my findings into the conversation? Prior to meeting Tim Misny for the first time, I researched current cases he’s working on, his merch line, and the Cleveland City Mission which his merch line benefits. I was surprised when he gave me the time to chat with him further and thanks to my prior planning, he said it was one of the best interviews he ever had. That was the kickstart of a beautiful friendship!
Key Points:
One of the most exciting things about interviewing is that you can never know for sure which way the conversation will go. A majority of the interviews I do are just winging it, yes, but I do like to plan for a few key talking points too. Chances are if you are doing an interview, there will be some things you have to talk about. However, it is SO easy for those questions to go right out the window once the interview starts. To prevent this, I always make sure I memorize the must talk about subjects, find good ways to incorporate them into the chat, and knock them out early on in the interview so I don’t forget them lol.
Listen Up:
To be a good interviewer, you have to be an excellent listener. Interviewing is simply responding to what the other person is saying so if you aren’t fully grasping it, you aren’t going to have an effective interview. When the interviewee is speaking, I take it all in. Then, as the answer starts wrapping up, I use what I learned to ask the next question. It’s natural to want to interject when the interviewee is answering you so try to avoid that at all costs! It’s just going to make both of you stumble. And, remember, you are more than likely not conducting live interviews. If you need clarification on something, take a pause, ask your questions, and resume when you are ready.
Just So You Know:
The whole point of an interview is not to make yourself look good. Read that again because it is important! An interview is for the interviewee to look good and it is your job to make that happen. That is why it is crucial to do your research, create talking points, and put your listening ears on. When you are doing everything you can to make your interviewee shine, you are going to look great by default. I also find that when I am not focusing on myself, I tend to interview even better because it eliminates any pressure. Shift your focus and both of you will enjoy the process of interviewing more!
Maybe you aren’t going to conduct interviews. That doesn’t mean these tips aren’t handy for other things too. Could you imagine how awesome a job interview would go if you tried the above beforehand?!
Have you ever interviewed someone before? How did it go? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
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