At some point in time you will be required to conduct interviews, and perhaps you already have. Interviews are good resource for research. But we know you have already read so much about holding interviews. What you probably haven’t read much about, is how to be when you’re the one who’s being interviewed. Want to be a pro interviewee? Here’s how.
The moment you are contacted about an interview, ask questions. The things you have to know prior your interview are: what’s the interview about, what’s the interview for, and where is it going to be published. Interviews are released to the public, so you should be very careful about what you say and knowing the answers to these questions will guide you on how to answer the questions which will be thrown at you.
Depending on the nature of the interview, you can be as chatty or as brief as you want to be but remember that you can always choose to not comment. Veteran interviewers can be so wily that they can twist their questions to get you to comment. Before your interview, remember the things that are supposed to remain undisclosed so that you won’t slip when the interviewers try to trap you into making comments you might regret later on.
Avoid using jargon and language which might be intimidating. Of course you want to come across as intelligent, but on top of everything, you want to be understood. This is also why knowing where your interview will be published or used for will help you determine how you can convey your message in the most effective way.
