Interview Questions April 18, 2011

What Do You Want to Know? Some of you will have the opportunity to conduct your interview in person. A successful interview will include detailed answers, but you must begin with detailed questions. Many of you will only be ing or sending your interview to your person of interest. This means you only have ONE CHANCE to get the information you need….

Career Topics “Did you always want to be (X= a doctor, chef, etc.)?” is a closed- end question that will most likely get you a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’. If you would like more details, consider open-ended questions. “At what age did you discover your interest in (X)?” “Was a member of your family or a friend (X)?” “Did you go to college intending to be (X)?” You might also inquire about their education: “What specific classes did you have to take in order to be (X)?” “Did you choose the college you attended based on the programs for (X)?”

Career Topics “What is your job like?” is a very broad question that you could break down into several specific questions. “What is your work schedule during the week?” “What are some aspects of your job that you enjoy? That you do not enjoy?” “Is there anything about your job that you were surprised about? That others might be surprised about?”

Career Topics You want to know how much money they make, but people are often uncomfortable sharing this type of information. You might instead ask, “What is the current starting salary in your field?” “What is the average salary in your field?” “What factors increase the salary for someone in your field?” “Was the salary a consideration when you chose to become (X)?”

Then and Now Some of you are comparing the same location in two different times. What questions could you ask? What were family structures like? What jobs were people doing? What was the government at that time? How important was religion? How were people living? What was housing like? What were people eating? Wearing? Driving?

The Importance of Your Interview Please keep in mind the significance of your interview as a source. The information that you gather first-hand will be very valuable toward your research. Keep in mind the goals you have set for your research as you form your interview questions. What information were you originally seeking? Practice your interview questions with other classmates or family members. Their answers may or may not be what you were hoping for, and this may help you to rephrase your questions.