I got the privilege of interviewing a professional via phone for a project a few months ago. These ten tips definitively helped me succeed without stress:
1. Dress the part
Although the interview was by phone, I did not dress casually (not pajamas!). If I had interviewed her in person, I would have dressed in business casual. So, to be professional, I dressed in business casual. It made a difference, whether or not she knew what I was wearing!
2. Plan out questions and research ahead of time
A professional is probably professionally busy; do not take up more time than necessary by carefully preparing well-researched questions. I found several articles with excellent tips and suggestions for interviews.
3. Plan notetaking
Expecting to write every word a person says is impossible for me. Instead, I planned and took “skeleton notes” (what I call brief outlines of important topics or paraphrases of great quotations with room for adding more notes later).
4. Record with permission
Because notetaking is not a perfect method of interviewing, I asked in advance and during the call for permission to record the audio.
5. Make it a conversation you facilitate
I thought of the interview as a getting-to-know-someone conversation but with a twist— I could control the conversation’s topics and pace. Thankfully, the person I interviewed was concise; facilitating a interview with a wordy, redundant, talkative person is far more difficult.
6. Find Resources online
As mentioned in Tip 2, I found many articles that helped prepare me to interview. From writing open-ended questions to keeping the interview on-track and on-time, I found many suggestions through a few Internet searches.
7. Do not rush beforehand or afterward
Beforehand, I set up early, reviewed my question list, drank some water, and mentally prepared to think and speak professionally. Afterwards, I reviewed and expanded my notes, recalled what I could remember, and ensured that the audio recordings saved. Additionally, I wrote a thank you email immediately afterwards.
8. Enjoy it
Throughout the interview, I thoroughly enjoyed it because of the experience I gained, the knowledge I learned, and the sense of accomplishment I had from interviewing someone else.
9. Be professional but human
Do not stress about using contractions, but avoid slang and unnecessary words (cool, chill, really, very, like; see previous post “How to Be a Better Speaker in Conversations”). Obviously, do not ask personal questions.
10. Learn
In life, I have learned that many remarks I remember seemed impromptu at the time; but, in the long run, I have taken those statements to heart. By paying attention and listening, I was able to learn more in a half hour interview than I could in a day of Internet or book research. A professional knows and lives her field by working in a unique job.