Tag Archives: how to interview

advice

5 Strategies to Use When the Interview Goes Sour

freelance writing interviewYou’ve got a good assignment on a tight deadline and need a crucial interview to go well. Your article depends on getting a set of quotes from one person and wouldn’t you know it, that one person turns out to be stubborn, un-cooperative, or just plain inarticulate.

What is a freelance writer to do in this situation?

Here’s how I handle it–my own personal secret freelance writing tactics for salvaging the unsalvagable:

1. Ask specific questions. If you can’t get the right answer by asking “Tell me about the history of your company,” ask something more detailed. “How did you launch your company? What were your first-year challenges?”

2. Ask the same question in a different way. Didn’t get enough detail when you asked, “What’s the secret of your success?” Try asking, “What do you think is your most important accomplishment and how did you make it happen?”

3. Paraphrase the clumsy stuff, and keep only the best part of the quote. When you get a quote that’s only half usable, paraphrase the rotten part and use only the strongest material.

4. When an interviewee is using too much jargon, tell them to explain what they just said for a newbie or beginner…tell them you want to be able to explain the details to the uninitiated. Continue reading 5 Strategies to Use When the Interview Goes Sour →

advice

The Art of the Interview–Seven Steps To Better Interviews

interview-tips

Interviewing for your freelance articles isn’t a science, it’s an art. There are plenty of landmines to avoid when you’re new to the interviewing game, but you don’t need a textbook-sized guide to help you get started. Take this advice and you’ll be far ahead of the game:

1. Don’t ask yes or no questions–giving a reluctant interviewee a chance to duck a detailed answer by simply saying “yes” or “no” leaves you hanging. Don’t ask “Are you FILL IN THE BLANK”. Instead,  try asking “WHY are you…”

2. If you slip up and ask a yes or no question, your follow up question should ALWAYS be “Why?”

3. The best answers usually come to questions that begin, “How does it feel to…”

4. When you get a self-serving answer, dig a little deeper. “To someone who doesn’t really understand the issues, can you explain what you mean a little more?”

5. There will always be interviewees who have prepped answers to anticipated questions. When they start reading off their internal cue cards, try following up with a zinger. “Well, I’m sure you know a lot of people expect you to say just that. What ELSE should they know?”

6. Beware prejudicial questions. “When did you stop beating your wife?” This line of questioning, jokes aside, is passive-aggressive and counter-productive, even in an investigative context.

7. Don’t glad-hand your interviewee or throw them easy ones. Ask intelligent questions and if you don’t have any research, don’t pretend you do. Instead, try saying “Explain the issues for those who aren’t up to speed yet.” The interviewee doesn’t have to know you’re talking about YOU.