Welcome back fellow writers!
Thanks for tuning in again. Hope life is treating you well and you haven’t been struck by the awful plague of writer’s block. That was me for a short bit, until a few experiences prompted me to write this post.
So here we are.
Today, I’d like to touch on something I didn’t think I’d need to write about: the do’s and don’ts of interviewing.
I’m not referring to job interviews, while some of these pointers may apply to that circumstance as well. I’m referring to journalistic interviews, where you request for someone to serve as a source for your story.
In the past few weeks, I’ve seen one too many cringey interviews take place between a wide-eyed student and a subject. Better yet, they were in public, making the secondhand embarrassment from unapologetic eavesdroppers like me quite unbearable. Furthermore, I’ve heard an inordinate influx of interview horror stories from peers in recent weeks — some serving as the interviewer and others as the interviewee.
“They showed up twenty minutes late!”
“Can you believe they asked me that?!”
“They got mad when I wouldn’t email them the questions ahead of time!”
All of these ^ are not good. So why not write a post about it? After all, there is no textbook or survival guide to instruct you on what to do when you are suffering through painfully awkward interviews, either as the interviewer or the interviewee.
I’m no expert. I’m just a journalism and PR student. But I’d like to help in any way I can. Because, in many of these circumstances, I can’t help but sit back and think, “seriously? That could have easily been avoided.”
For the most part, I’ve luckily succeeded in avoiding awkward interviews **knock on wood**. My worst interview experience must be the time a subject asked me if I’d interview them for a story — which, from the get-go, is against protocol. They did not show up TWICE for our scheduled interview and became upset when I removed them from the story as a result. What do I have to work with if I did not even interview the person?
When I got the first draft of my story back to implement revisions, the flaky subject still wanted part in it. When I arranged a third and final interview, they deliberately showed up at a different location other than the location we agreed upon and insisted I come to their new desired location. On a time crunch and at my wits end, I assured them I would not be going on a wild goose chase to their location and reaffirmed they would not be in the story.
But what can I say? We are writers. We are on tight deadlines that only get pushed up further and not backwards. We don’t have time to wait on a source who requests to be in a story rather than being asked to decide they want to show up. And vice versa. And sadly, many inexperienced interviewees *cough* fellow peers *cough* simply don’t have the experience of being interviewed to know what is appropriate behavior and what is not.
With that said, here’s some pointers I’ve garnered over the years that have helped me tremendously with the art of interviewing.
DO’s….
1. Research.
There is nothing worse than showing up to an interview only to find that the interviewer possesses absolutely no prior information about you. , (ei: hometown, job title, even name spelling…) . If you do not have basic background on an individual, how do you know if they are the best source for your story? Furthermore, it wastes precious interview time that could be spent on meaningful questions of substance on questions you could answer from someone’s About page.
2. Mind your manners.
I. Cannot. Stress. This. Enough. Do not, under any circumstances, show up late to an interview. You have asked this individual to volunteer their time for your story. Your story relies on their agreeance to show up and participate. I understand emergencies happen, but unless you’ve been in a terrible accident, a family member has been in an accident, there is no excuse for you to show up late for your interview. It’s disrespectful. It’s rude. If you’re meeting up at a coffee shop or restaurant, insist on paying for their meal. If the person is without a vehicle, offer to give them a lift. They are doing you a service, so go the extra mile when needed to show appreciation.
DO NOT’s…
1. Interview your friends.
Interviewing your friends is a no-no. In fact, I had an instructor who required students to turn in story proposals and get them approved before they were allowed to go forward with interviewing sources. If they suspected that someone listed as a source was a friend or colleague, they’d call the source and find out. If their suspicions were true, you were penalized. Friends do not necessarily serve as the best source for your stories, and if your audience is aware of your relationship with the subject, you will lose credibility because the writing will appear biased.
2. Bribe or accept bribes.
As a student, it is unlikely you will be bribed to write a story. But in the professional world, you might have mysterious packages and flowers showing up at your doorstep for people not-so-subtly asking for press coverage. Inherently, this goes against the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics, which you should familiarize yourself with if you are thinking of entering the journalism sphere in any capacity. Don’t bribe. Don’t accept bribes. ‘Nuff said.
3. Send the subject questions ahead of time.
If you would like to lose authenticity from your subject, send them questions ahead of time. Sending a source interview questions in advance allows them to craft their answers ahead of time and pinpoint exactly what they want to say. While this might seem like a good thing, it’s better to send them sample questions and withhold the questions you plan to ask in the interview to ensure their answers are authentic rather than crafted. If they’re a good source, they’ll understand why you can’t send over the questions ahead of time.
ONE MORE THING…
Of course, I must touch on the infamous phrase, “off the record.” If you haven’t heard this phrase already, take notes. If something is “off the record,” it essentially means that it was not recorded or transcribed, and therefore, is not part of the interview. If an interviewee says before they answer a question that something is off the record, it is off the record. However, if a subject says their words are off the record after they’ve already divulged to the interviewer, it is still on the record and is legal to publish. It’s up to your discretion to decide if you will include it or not. If you choose to include it in your story, be prepared for an angry phone call, or, on a larger scale, a lawsuit.
Phew.
If you’ve made it this far, congratulations! I sincerely hope I’ve help answer any questions or concerns you have about interviewing as a college student. Whether or not you’re studying journalism or a similar field, interviews are something you will participate in at some point in your studies or future career. One time my former roommate contacted me because she had to interview people in her industry for a school project and had no idea where to start! So, if you have specific questions or comments for me, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
-M
