by Catherine L. Tully
Interviewing can be stressful–especially if you haven’t done it a lot. I found a good resource that I thought I would share with Freelance-Zone readers…a primer on how to ask good questions.
There are some tricks to getting the information you need from a source. My favorite is to start with an intro…theirs. I just ask them to “tell me a little bit about…” the company, their job, or whatever else I’m talking with them about. It gives them time to ramble a bit and loosen up.
As I was transcribing an interview yesterday, the thought occurred to me that recording yourself is a very effective way of sharpening your interviewing skills.
I record pretty much everyone I interview, and the act of having to listen to myself (and yes, I hate the sound of my voice) forces me to think about what I’m asking and how I ask. If I find myself asking a long, confusing, or multipart question, it’s a reminder…for goodness’ sake, don’t do that!
I’ve plugged it before on my blog, but I feel obligated to mention that my favorite digital recorder is the Olympus DS-2. No, I do not receive any money from them, but I’ve recommended it enough times that I should ask!
(By the way, Catherine, that Youthlearn link is now dead. It was there the other day, not sure why they’d delete it.)
Thanks Jake! I’ll see if I can track something else down that is useful in this regard.
BTW…interesting observation on the recording–thanks for sharing!