interview method essay

Using an interview in a research paper

Consultant contributor: Viviane Ugalde

Using an interview can be an effective primary source for some papers and research projects. Finding an expert in the field or some other person who has knowledge of your topic can allow for you to gather unique information not available elsewhere.

There are four steps to using an interview as a source for your research.

• Know where and how to start.
• Know how to write a good question.
• Know how to conduct an interview.
• Know how to incorporate the interview into your document or project.

Step one: Where to start

First, you should determine your goals and ask yourself these questions:

• Who are the local experts on topic?
• How can I contact these people?
• Does anyone know them to help me setup the interviews?
• Are their phone numbers in the phone book or can I find them on the Internet?

Once you answer these questions and pick your interviewee, get their basic information such as their name, title, and other general details. If you reach out and your interview does not participate, don’t be discouraged. Keep looking for other interview contacts.

Step two: How to write a good question

When you have confirmed an interview, it is not time to come up with questions.

• Learning as much as you can about the person before the interview can help you create questions specific to your interview subject.
• Doing research about your interviewee’s past experience in your topic, or any texts that they have written would be great background research.

When you start to think of questions, write down more questions than you think you’ll need, and prioritize them as you go. Any good questions will answer the 5W and H questions. Asking Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How questions that you need answered for your paper, will help you form a question to ask your interviewee.

When writing a good question, try thinking of something that will help your argument.

• Is your interviewee an advocate for you position?
• Are they in any programs that are related to your research?
• How much experience do they have?

From broad questions like these, you can begin to narrow down to more specific and open-ended questions.

Step three: The interview

If at all possible, arrange to conduct the interview at the subject’s workplace. It will make them more comfortable, and you can write about their surroundings.

• Begin the interview with some small talk in order to give both of you the chance to get comfortable with one another
• Develop rapport that will make the interview easier for both of you.
• Ask open-ended questions
• Keep the conversation moving
• Stay on topic
• The more silence in the room, the more honest the answer.
• If an interesting subject comes up that is related to your research, ask a follow-up or an additional question about it.
• Ask if you can stay in contact with your interview subject in case there are any additional questions you have.

Step four: Incorporating the interview

When picking the material out of your interview, remember that people rarely speak perfectly. There will be many slang words and pauses that you can take out, as long as it does not change the meaning of the material you are using.

As you introduce your interview in the paper, start with a transition such as “according to” or other attributions. You should also be specific to the type of interview you are working with. This way, you will build a stronger ethos in your paper .

The body of your essay should clearly set up the quote or paraphrase you use from the interview responses,. Be careful not to stick a quote from the interview into the body of your essay because it sounds good. When deciding what to quote in your paper, think about what dialogue from the interview would add the most color to your interview. Quotes that illustrate what your interviewer sounded like, or what their personality is are always the best quotes to choose from.

Once you have done that, proofread your essay. Make sure the quotes you used don’t make up the majority of your paper. The interview quotes are supposed to support your argument; you are not supposed to support the interview.

For example, let’s say that you are arguing that free education is better than not. For your argument, you interview a local politician who is on your side of the argument. Rather than using a large quote that explains the stance of both sides, and why the politician chose this side, your quote is there to support the information you’ve already given. Whatever the politician says should prove what you argue, and not give new information.

Step five: Examples of citing your interviews 

Smith, Jane. Personal interview. 19 May 2018.

(E. Robbins, personal communication, January 4, 2018).

Smith also claimed that many of her students had difficulties with APA style (personal communication, November 3, 2018).

Reference list

Daly, C. & Leighton W. (2017). Interviewing a Source: Tips. Journalists Resource.

Driscoll, D. (2018 ). Interviewing. Purdue University

Hayden, K. (2012). How to Conduct an Interview to Write a Paper . Bright Hub Education, Bright Hub Inc.

Hose, C. (2017). How to Incorporate Interviews into Essays. Leaf Group Education.

Magnesi, J. (2017). How to Interview Someone for an Article or Research Paper. Career Trend, Leaf group Media.

The Interview Method In Psychology

Saul McLeod, PhD

Editor-in-Chief for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester

Saul McLeod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Learn about our Editorial Process

Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc

Associate Editor for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education

Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.

On This Page:

Interviews involve a conversation with a purpose, but have some distinct features compared to ordinary conversation, such as being scheduled in advance, having an asymmetry in outcome goals between interviewer and interviewee, and often following a question-answer format.

Interviews are different from questionnaires as they involve social interaction. Unlike questionnaire methods, researchers need training in interviewing (which costs money).

How Do Interviews Work?

Researchers can ask different types of questions, generating different types of data . For example, closed questions provide people with a fixed set of responses, whereas open questions allow people to express what they think in their own words.

The researcher will often record interviews, and the data will be written up as a transcript (a written account of interview questions and answers) which can be analyzed later.

It should be noted that interviews may not be the best method for researching sensitive topics (e.g., truancy in schools, discrimination, etc.) as people may feel more comfortable completing a questionnaire in private.

There are different types of interviews, with a key distinction being the extent of structure. Semi-structured is most common in psychology research. Unstructured interviews have a free-flowing style, while structured interviews involve preset questions asked in a particular order.

Structured Interview

A structured interview is a quantitative research method where the interviewer a set of prepared closed-ended questions in the form of an interview schedule, which he/she reads out exactly as worded.

Interviews schedules have a standardized format, meaning the same questions are asked to each interviewee in the same order (see Fig. 1).

   Figure 1. An example of an interview schedule

The interviewer will not deviate from the interview schedule (except to clarify the meaning of the question) or probe beyond the answers received.  Replies are recorded on a questionnaire, and the order and wording of questions, and sometimes the range of alternative answers, is preset by the researcher.

A structured interview is also known as a formal interview (like a job interview).

• Structured interviews are easy to replicate as a fixed set of closed questions are used, which are easy to quantify – this means it is easy to test for reliability .
• Structured interviews are fairly quick to conduct which means that many interviews can take place within a short amount of time. This means a large sample can be obtained, resulting in the findings being representative and having the ability to be generalized to a large population.

Limitations

• Structured interviews are not flexible. This means new questions cannot be asked impromptu (i.e., during the interview), as an interview schedule must be followed.
• The answers from structured interviews lack detail as only closed questions are asked, which generates quantitative data . This means a researcher won’t know why a person behaves a certain way.

Unstructured Interview

Unstructured interviews do not use any set questions, instead, the interviewer asks open-ended questions based on a specific research topic, and will try to let the interview flow like a natural conversation. The interviewer modifies his or her questions to suit the candidate’s specific experiences.

Unstructured interviews are sometimes referred to as ‘discovery interviews’ and are more like a ‘guided conservation’ than a strictly structured interview. They are sometimes called informal interviews.

Unstructured interviews are most useful in qualitative research to analyze attitudes and values. Though they rarely provide a valid basis for generalization, their main advantage is that they enable the researcher to probe social actors’ subjective points of view.

Interviewer Self-Disclosure

Interviewer self-disclosure involves the interviewer revealing personal information or opinions during the research interview. This may increase rapport but risks changing dynamics away from a focus on facilitating the interviewee’s account.

In unstructured interviews, the informal conversational style may deliberately include elements of interviewer self-disclosure, mirroring ordinary conversation dynamics.

Interviewer self-disclosure risks changing the dynamics away from facilitation of interviewee accounts. It should not be ruled out entirely but requires skillful handling informed by reflection.

• An informal interviewing style with some interviewer self-disclosure may increase rapport and participant openness. However, it also increases the chance of the participant converging opinions with the interviewer.
• Complete interviewer neutrality is unlikely. However, excessive informality and self-disclosure risk the interview becoming more of an ordinary conversation and producing consensus accounts.
• Overly personal disclosures could also be seen as irrelevant and intrusive by participants. They may invite increased intimacy on uncomfortable topics.
• The safest approach seems to be to avoid interviewer self-disclosures in most cases. Where an informal style is used, disclosures require careful judgment and substantial interviewing experience.
• If asked for personal opinions during an interview, the interviewer could highlight the defined roles and defer that discussion until after the interview.
• Unstructured interviews are more flexible as questions can be adapted and changed depending on the respondents’ answers. The interview can deviate from the interview schedule.
• Unstructured interviews generate qualitative data through the use of open questions. This allows the respondent to talk in some depth, choosing their own words. This helps the researcher develop a real sense of a person’s understanding of a situation.
• They also have increased validity because it gives the interviewer the opportunity to probe for a deeper understanding, ask for clarification & allow the interviewee to steer the direction of the interview, etc. Interviewers have the chance to clarify any questions of participants during the interview.
• It can be time-consuming to conduct an unstructured interview and analyze the qualitative data (using methods such as thematic analysis).
• Employing and training interviewers is expensive and not as cheap as collecting data via questionnaires . For example, certain skills may be needed by the interviewer. These include the ability to establish rapport and knowing when to probe.
• Interviews inevitably co-construct data through researchers’ agenda-setting and question-framing. Techniques like open questions provide only limited remedies.

Focus Group Interview

Focus group interview is a qualitative approach where a group of respondents are interviewed together, used to gain an in‐depth understanding of social issues.

This type of interview is often referred to as a focus group because the job of the interviewer ( or moderator ) is to bring the group to focus on the issue at hand. Initially, the goal was to reach a consensus among the group, but with the development of techniques for analyzing group qualitative data, there is less emphasis on consensus building.

The method aims to obtain data from a purposely selected group of individuals rather than from a statistically representative sample of a broader population.

The role of the interview moderator is to make sure the group interacts with each other and do not drift off-topic. Ideally, the moderator will be similar to the participants in terms of appearance, have adequate knowledge of the topic being discussed, and exercise mild unobtrusive control over dominant talkers and shy participants.

A researcher must be highly skilled to conduct a focus group interview. For example, the moderator may need certain skills, including the ability to establish rapport and know when to probe.

• Group interviews generate qualitative narrative data through the use of open questions. This allows the respondents to talk in some depth, choosing their own words. This helps the researcher develop a real sense of a person’s understanding of a situation. Qualitative data also includes observational data, such as body language and facial expressions.
• Group responses are helpful when you want to elicit perspectives on a collective experience, encourage diversity of thought, reduce researcher bias, and gather a wider range of contextualized views.
• They also have increased validity because some participants may feel more comfortable being with others as they are used to talking in groups in real life (i.e., it’s more natural).
• When participants have common experiences, focus groups allow them to build on each other’s comments to provide richer contextual data representing a wider range of views than individual interviews.
• Focus groups are a type of group interview method used in market research and consumer psychology that are cost – effective for gathering the views of consumers .
• The researcher must ensure that they keep all the interviewees” details confidential and respect their privacy. This is difficult when using a group interview. For example, the researcher cannot guarantee that the other people in the group will keep information private.
• Group interviews are less reliable as they use open questions and may deviate from the interview schedule, making them difficult to repeat.
• It is important to note that there are some potential pitfalls of focus groups, such as conformity, social desirability, and oppositional behavior, that can reduce the usefulness of the data collected.

For example, group interviews may sometimes lack validity as participants may lie to impress the other group members. They may conform to peer pressure and give false answers.

To avoid these pitfalls, the interviewer needs to have a good understanding of how people function in groups as well as how to lead the group in a productive discussion.

Semi-Structured Interview

Semi-structured interviews lie between structured and unstructured interviews. The interviewer prepares a set of same questions to be answered by all interviewees. Additional questions might be asked during the interview to clarify or expand certain issues.

In semi-structured interviews, the interviewer has more freedom to digress and probe beyond the answers. The interview guide contains a list of questions and topics that need to be covered during the conversation, usually in a particular order.

Semi-structured interviews are most useful to address the ‘what’, ‘how’, and ‘why’ research questions. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses can be performed on data collected during semi-structured interviews.

• Semi-structured interviews allow respondents to answer more on their terms in an informal setting yet provide uniform information making them ideal for qualitative analysis.
• The flexible nature of semi-structured interviews allows ideas to be introduced and explored during the interview based on the respondents’ answers.
• Semi-structured interviews can provide reliable and comparable qualitative data. Allows the interviewer to probe answers, where the interviewee is asked to clarify or expand on the answers provided.
• The data generated remain fundamentally shaped by the interview context itself. Analysis rarely acknowledges this endemic co-construction.
• They are more time-consuming (to conduct, transcribe, and analyze) than structured interviews.
• The quality of findings is more dependent on the individual skills of the interviewer than in structured interviews. Skill is required to probe effectively while avoiding biasing responses.

The Interviewer Effect

Face-to-face interviews raise methodological problems. These stem from the fact that interviewers are themselves role players, and their perceived status may influence the replies of the respondents.

Because an interview is a social interaction, the interviewer’s appearance or behavior may influence the respondent’s answers. This is a problem as it can bias the results of the study and make them invalid.

For example, the gender, ethnicity, body language, age, and social status of the interview can all create an interviewer effect. If there is a perceived status disparity between the interviewer and the interviewee, the results of interviews have to be interpreted with care. This is pertinent for sensitive topics such as health.

For example, if a researcher was investigating sexism amongst males, would a female interview be preferable to a male? It is possible that if a female interviewer was used, male participants might lie (i.e., pretend they are not sexist) to impress the interviewer, thus creating an interviewer effect.

Flooding interviews with researcher’s agenda

The interactional nature of interviews means the researcher fundamentally shapes the discourse, rather than just neutrally collecting it. This shapes what is talked about and how participants can respond.

• The interviewer’s assumptions, interests, and categories don’t just shape the specific interview questions asked. They also shape the framing, task instructions, recruitment, and ongoing responses/prompts.
• This flooding of the interview interaction with the researcher’s agenda makes it very difficult to separate out what comes from the participant vs. what is aligned with the interviewer’s concerns.
• So the participant’s talk ends up being fundamentally shaped by the interviewer rather than being a more natural reflection of the participant’s own orientations or practices.
• This effect is hard to avoid because interviews inherently involve the researcher setting an agenda. But it does mean the talk extracted may say more about the interview process than the reality it is supposed to reflect.

Interview Design

First, you must choose whether to use a structured or non-structured interview.

Characteristics of Interviewers

Next, you must consider who will be the interviewer, and this will depend on what type of person is being interviewed. There are several variables to consider:

• Gender and age : This can greatly affect respondents’ answers, particularly on personal issues.
• Personal characteristics : Some people are easier to get on with than others. Also, the interviewer’s accent and appearance (e.g., clothing) can affect the rapport between the interviewer and interviewee.
• Language : The interviewer’s language should be appropriate to the vocabulary of the group of people being studied. For example, the researcher must change the questions’ language to match the respondents’ social background” age / educational level / social class/ethnicity, etc.
• Ethnicity : People may have difficulty interviewing people from different ethnic groups.
• Interviewer expertise should match research sensitivity – inexperienced students should avoid interviewing highly vulnerable groups.

Interview Location

The location of a research interview can influence the way in which the interviewer and interviewee relate and may exaggerate a power dynamic in one direction or another. It is usual to offer interviewees a choice of location as part of facilitating their comfort and encouraging participation.

However, the safety of the interviewer is an overriding consideration and, as mentioned, a minimal requirement should be that a responsible person knows where the interviewer has gone and when they are due back.

Remote Interviews

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated remote interviewing for research continuity. However online interview platforms provide increased flexibility even under normal conditions.

They enable access to participant groups across geographical distances without travel costs or arrangements. Online interviews can be efficiently scheduled to align with researcher and interviewee availability.

There are practical considerations in setting up remote interviews. Interviewees require access to internet and an online platform such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Skype through which to connect.

Certain modifications help build initial rapport in the remote format. Allowing time at the start of the interview for casual conversation while testing audio/video quality helps participants settle in. Minor delays can disrupt turn-taking flow, so alerting participants to speak slightly slower than usual minimizes accidental interruptions.

Keeping remote interviews under an hour avoids fatigue for stare at a screen. Seeking advanced ethical clearance for verbal consent at the interview start saves participant time. Adapting to the remote context shows care for interviewees and aids rich discussion.

However, it remains important to critically reflect on how removing in-person dynamics may shape the co-created data. Perhaps some nuances of trust and disclosure differ over video.

Vulnerable Groups

The interviewer must ensure that they take special care when interviewing vulnerable groups, such as children. For example, children have a limited attention span, so lengthy interviews should be avoided.

Developing an Interview Schedule

An interview schedule is a list of pre-planned, structured questions that have been prepared, to serve as a guide for interviewers, researchers and investigators in collecting information or data about a specific topic or issue.

• List the key themes or topics that must be covered to address your research questions. This will form the basic content.
• Organize the content logically, such as chronologically following the interviewee’s experiences. Place more sensitive topics later in the interview.
• Develop the list of content into actual questions and prompts. Carefully word each question – keep them open-ended, non-leading, and focused on examples.
• Add prompts to remind you to cover areas of interest.
• Pilot test the interview schedule to check it generates useful data and revise as needed.
• Be prepared to refine the schedule throughout data collection as you learn which questions work better.
• Practice skills like asking follow-up questions to get depth and detail. Stay flexible to depart from the schedule when needed.
• Keep questions brief and clear. Avoid multi-part questions that risk confusing interviewees.
• Listen actively during interviews to determine which pre-planned questions can be skipped based on information the participant has already provided.

The key is balancing preparation with the flexibility to adapt questions based on each interview interaction. With practice, you’ll gain skills to conduct productive interviews that obtain rich qualitative data.

The Power of Silence

Strategic use of silence is a key technique to generate interviewee-led data, but it requires judgment about appropriate timing and duration to maintain mutual understanding.

• Unlike ordinary conversation, the interviewer aims to facilitate the interviewee’s contribution without interrupting. This often means resisting the urge to speak at the end of the interviewee’s turn construction units (TCUs).
• Leaving a silence after a TCU encourages the interviewee to provide more material without being led by the interviewer. However, this simple technique requires confidence, as silence can feel socially awkward.
• Allowing longer silences (e.g. 24 seconds) later in interviews can work well, but early on even short silences may disrupt rapport if they cause misalignment between speakers.
• Silence also allows interviewees time to think before answering. Rushing to re-ask or amend questions can limit responses.
• Blunt backchannels like “mm hm” also avoid interrupting flow. Interruptions, especially to finish an interviewee’s turn, are problematic as they make the ownership of perspectives unclear.
• If interviewers incorrectly complete turns, an upside is it can produce extended interviewee narratives correcting the record. However, silence would have been better to let interviewees shape their own accounts.

Recording & Transcription

Design choices.

Design choices around recording and engaging closely with transcripts influence analytic insights, as well as practical feasibility. Weighing up relevant tradeoffs is key.

• Audio recording is standard, but video better captures contextual details, which is useful for some topics/analysis approaches. Participants may find video invasive for sensitive research.
• Digital formats enable the sharing of anonymized clips. Additional microphones reduce audio issues.
• Doing all transcription is time-consuming. Outsourcing can save researcher effort but needs confidentiality assurances. Always carefully check outsourced transcripts.
• Online platform auto-captioning can facilitate rapid analysis, but accuracy limitations mean full transcripts remain ideal. Software cleans up caption file formatting.
• Verbatim transcripts best capture nuanced meaning, but the level of detail needed depends on the analysis approach. Referring back to recordings is still advisable during analysis.
• Transcripts versus recordings highlight different interaction elements. Transcripts make overt disagreements clearer through the wording itself. Recordings better convey tone affiliativeness.

Transcribing Interviews & Focus Groups

Here are the steps for transcribing interviews:

• Play back audio/video files to develop an overall understanding of the interview
• Format the transcription document:
• Add line numbers
• Separate interviewer questions and interviewee responses
• Use formatting like bold, italics, etc. to highlight key passages
• Provide sentence-level clarity in the interviewee’s responses while preserving their authentic voice and word choices
• Break longer passages into smaller paragraphs to help with coding
• If translating the interview to another language, use qualified translators and back-translate where possible
• Select a notation system to indicate pauses, emphasis, laughter, interruptions, etc., and adapt it as needed for your data
• Insert screenshots, photos, or documents discussed in the interview at the relevant point in the transcript
• Read through multiple times, revising formatting and notations
• Double-check the accuracy of transcription against audio/videos
• De-identify transcript by removing identifying participant details

The goal is to produce a formatted written record of the verbal interview exchange that captures the meaning and highlights important passages ready for the coding process. Careful transcription is the vital first step in analysis.

Coding Transcripts

The goal of transcription and coding is to systematically transform interview responses into a set of codes and themes that capture key concepts, experiences and beliefs expressed by participants. Taking care with transcription and coding procedures enhances the validity of qualitative analysis .

• Read through the transcript multiple times to become immersed in the details
• Identify manifest/obvious codes and latent/underlying meaning codes
• Highlight insightful participant quotes that capture key concepts (in vivo codes)
• Create a codebook to organize and define codes with examples
• Use an iterative cycle of inductive (data-driven) coding and deductive (theory-driven) coding
• Refine codebook with clear definitions and examples as you code more transcripts
• Collaborate with other coders to establish the reliability of codes

Ethical Issues

Informed consent.

The participant information sheet must give potential interviewees a good idea of what is involved if taking part in the research.

This will include the general topics covered in the interview, where the interview might take place, how long it is expected to last, how it will be recorded, the ways in which participants’ anonymity will be managed, and incentives offered.

It might be considered good practice to consider true informed consent in interview research to require two distinguishable stages:

• Consent to undertake and record the interview and
• Consent to use the material in research after the interview has been conducted and the content known, or even after the interviewee has seen a copy of the transcript and has had a chance to remove sections, if desired.

Power and Vulnerability

• Early feminist views that sensitivity could equalize power differences are likely naive. The interviewer and interviewee inhabit different knowledge spheres and social categories, indicating structural disparities.
• Power fluctuates within interviews. Researchers rely on participation, yet interviewees control openness and can undermine data collection. Assumptions should be avoided.
• Interviews on sensitive topics may feel like quasi-counseling. Interviewers must refrain from dual roles, instead supplying support service details to all participants.
• Interviewees recruited for trauma experiences may reveal more than anticipated. While generating analytic insights, this risks leaving them feeling exposed.
• Ultimately, power balances resist reconciliation. But reflexively analyzing operations of power serves to qualify rather than nullify situtated qualitative accounts.

Some groups, like those with mental health issues, extreme views, or criminal backgrounds, risk being discredited – treated skeptically by researchers.

This creates tensions with qualitative approaches, often having an empathetic ethos seeking to center subjective perspectives. Analysis should balance openness to offered accounts with critically examining stakes and motivations behind them.

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Madill, A. (2011). Interaction in the semi-structured interview: A comparative analysis of the use of and response to indirect complaints. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 8 (4), 333–353.

Maryudi, A., & Fisher, M. (2020). The power in the interview: A practical guide for identifying the critical role of actor interests in environment research. Forest and Society, 4 (1), 142–150

O’Key, V., Hugh-Jones, S., & Madill, A. (2009). Recruiting and engaging with people in deprived locales: Interviewing families about their eating patterns. Social Psychological Review, 11 (20), 30–35.

Puchta, C., & Potter, J. (2004). Focus group practice . Sage.

Schaeffer, N. C. (1991). Conversation with a purpose— Or conversation? Interaction in the standardized interview. In P. P. Biemer, R. M. Groves, L. E. Lyberg, & N. A. Mathiowetz (Eds.), Measurement errors in surveys (pp. 367–391). Wiley.

Silverman, D. (1973). Interview talk: Bringing off a research instrument. Sociology, 7 (1), 31–48.

Write an A+ Interview Paper Using Our Tips and Examples

06 September, 2021

13 minutes read

Author:  Josh Carlyle

You will quickly find yourself with your back to the wall once your teacher assigns you an interview paper. Studying is often a headache by itself, and now you have to conduct interviews. Worse yet, you probably have no idea how you can do this. Luckily, we will tell you how to write an interview paper step by step in this comprehensive guide. So prepare your favorite drink and learn how to write a top-notch interview paper.

What is an Interview Paper?

An interview paper provides an expert opinion on a specific issue. In essence, it is an interview transcript inserted somewhere between the introduction and conclusion of an academic piece.

How long should it be? It depends on the topic and the length of your interview, but most papers are within the length of 2,000 – 5,000 words. What things should you consider before writing an interview paper in the first place? Let’s check them out below.

General Aspects of Writing an Interview Paper

Academic papers require you to provide arguments based on studies, research pieces, statistics, etc. But an interview paper is different – for this type of essay, you will develop assumptions around an expert’s opinion.

Let’s imagine your essay question reads the following: “Should we ban abortions?” If you write an interview paper, you should ask someone high-powered for their consideration. Let them be an executive director of the American Gynecological & Obstetrical Society.

You would reach them via email or phone or whatever communication channel you prefer and conduct an interview. Afterward, you would put all your findings on paper.

But in practice, writing an interview paper involves many more complexities and challenges, like planning, topic research , drafting, etc.

Let’s speak straight facts: nobody will reschedule their week to meet you because you need to do some homework. You’re one of the millions of students, and the local governor or a famous scientist won’t give you an interview nine times out of ten.

So you would want to target someone less busy, like professors from other faculties of your college or some researchers within your academic environment. Hunting a bigger fish is pointless unless you’re a well-established journalist working for a popular media channel. If you struggle to find someone within your college/university, you can contact people from your circle.

Writing Outline and Structure of an Interview Paper

 As you know, a typical paper consists of three parts:

• Introduction. This part includes background information, the hook, the thesis statement, and the transition.
• Body. It is the longest part of the paper consisting of several paragraphs. It should contain the actual interview.
• Conclusion. The final part summarizes the considerations and insights of your essay.

The question is: ‘where should you put an interview transcript and how do you do this?’

To answer this question, you need to come up with the interview papers format in the first place. There are several of them:

The narrative format implies that you can use either direct or indirect speech when referring to your interviewee. If you choose this path, you can stick to a 5-paragraph essay structure, retell the considerations of your interviewee, and cite their words here and there at your discretion.

You can also choose this format if you contact several people. Check what a narrative interview paper structure looks like when you reach out to several people:

• Introduction.
• Paragraph #1 – the first interviewee’s perspective.
• Paragraph #2 – the second interviewee’s opinion.
• Paragraph #3 – the third interviewee’s thoughts.
• Conclusion.

Alternatively, you can dedicate each paragraph to a particular idea of one person.

“Question and answer” will suit your needs perfectly if you interview one person. It is the simplest format used in online magazines, news reports, and other media. Your interview paper outline will look like this:

• Introduction
• Question #1 – Answer #1
• Question #2 – Answer #2
• Question #3 – Answer #3
• Question #4/5/6/etc. – Answer #4/5/6/etc.
• Interview analysis. You may include your thoughts on the subject matter.

Conversational

Conversational style is informal, and you can use either first-person or second-person narrative and follow a typical 5-paragraph paper structure. But writing interview papers in this lousy style might be perplexing, especially if you deal with this task for the first time.

We advise you to try the Q&A format because it’s the simplest one and takes the least time. Just imagine how much time your paper writing will take if you decide to interview three or five people.

How to Start an Interview Paper?

If you have no idea how to start an interview paper, choose the topic first. Selecting a topic for your interview paper is not a big deal, but you should keep in mind that you may not find appropriate interviewees for it.

Let’s imagine you want to explore whether the government should force people to get vaccines. This topic implies that you need to contact authorities. It might be a local lawyer, governor, or executive director of a local hospital. Well, the chances are these people will politely refuse to give an interview for your homework.

But if you choose to investigate how lockdown impacts intellectual workers, you can contact your friends or family members who work at home. In other words, it’s better to choose topics that reflect the experiences of ordinary people rather than the opinions of untouchable experts.

Asking people for their opinion about well-known facts like the Earth’s shape is a bad idea. You would want to choose high-profile debatable topics you can actually discuss.

Establish the Goal of Your Interview Essay

You have to establish the goal of your essay before researching the topic. For this, ask yourself: “What message should your interview essay deliver?” Sometimes, a topic of your choice might already explain the purpose of your essay.

Conduct Research

Interviewing someone implies that you should ask questions. But you will fail to do so if you know little to nothing about your topic. So read some case studies, news, articles, etc. Once you get the picture of your subject matter, you will come up with dozens of interview questions.

Get to Know Your Interviewee

A good interviewer always refers to the life and experience of their interviewee. If you’re lucky to work with someone you can read about on the Internet, find out as much information about them as possible. If your interviewee publishes any books, articles, or studies, you will better know them as well.

The more you know about the person, the more interview questions you can come up with. You can ask them whether the Internet tells their true story: “Is it true that you, Mr. Interviewee, support flat earthers?”

Draft Your Interview Questions

If you want a person to share their in-depth vision of the topic, you need to ask both open-ended and close-ended (“yes/no”) questions. However, you may struggle to prepare interview questions. Many students get stuck during this stage. To overcome this block, you need to learn some types of interview questions:

• Opinion – What do you think of this topic?
• Behavioral – What would you do in this situation?
• Experience and knowledge – What do you know about the subject?
• Background – How are you connected to the subject? What is your age, occupation, etc?
• Emotional – How do you feel about the subject?
• Sensory – What does the subject taste and feel like?

You can also think of the questions following the interviewee’s “yes” and “no” answers.

Tips for Conducting a Successful Interview

These four tips will help you conduct a productive interview on the first try:

1. Plan Your Meeting

Note that you want to interview a person in a quiet place so that nobody will distract you. This might be some cozy book store or a café. Or, you can arrange an online meeting. Make sure you have at least one hour for the interview.

2. Rehearse a bit

If you will conduct your first-ever interview, you want to practice with your friends/significant other/ family in the first place. This approach will help you identify what stage of your upcoming interview may challenge you the most.

3. Record Your Interview

You will forget about 50% of the information within an hour once you finish the interview. So don’t rely on your memory − bring a recorder instead. Why not take notes? You wouldn’t want to go red while asking your interviewee to repeat what they have just said or wait until you write down their answers.

4. Talk to Your Interviewee for a While Before You Begin

Speaking to someone you don’t know might be uncomfortable. You don’t have to attack them with your interview questions straightaway. Instead, you can exchange some casual phrases or discuss the weather. This will help you relieve stress and get comfortable with each other.

5. Explain Your Interview Protocol

It’s better to explain to your interviewee how you will conduct your interview. Tell them that you will use a recorder and introduce the discussion topic.

Interview Papers Format

In academic writing, you have to explain the purpose of your interview and introduce your interviewee in a specific “scholarly” format. The APA format interview paper has the following requirements:

• Use 12-point Times New Roman.
• Write a title page.
• Use double spacing.
• Introduce your interviewee and provide the background information – explain why this person is suitable for the interview. Mention their name and qualifications.
• Use direct quotes if you cite some facts provided by the interviewee.
• Use block quotes for citations longer than 40 words.

How to Write a Title Page?

The title of your paper must include your name, your institution, department, the course name and number, the teacher’s name, and the assignment date. The rules of writing the title page are the following:

• The title page must be numbered.
• Capitalize all major words in your title and make it bold.
• Place the title of the essay three or four lines down the top of the page.
• There must be one empty line before the student’s name.

Interview Papers Examples

If you’re searching for an interview essay example – check several samples below:

• A narrative interview essay .
• A Q&A interview format paper.
• An interview with a scientist.

Interview Papers Writing Tips

The following writing tips will help you deliver the first-class interview paper:

• Write the introduction at the end. Once you finish your essay, you will likely reconsider some ideas you had before you began. They will help you frame your interview essay with a captivating introduction and conclusion.
• Give yourself a break after finishing your final draft. This will help you look at your paper with a fresh pair of eyes once you start editing.
• Edit one type of error at a time. For example, you can reduce logical errors first and switch to grammatical mistakes afterward.
• Use an active voice. If active voice makes your sentence shorter, use it without hesitation.
• Check for any sample interview paper to decide on the interview questions. Perhaps, some pieces will spark your interest.

Writing Help by Handmadewriting

An interview paper doesn’t seem that intimidating once you learn how to write it step by step. First, you have to choose the subject that allows you to interview ordinary people rather than hard-to-reach ones. Then, you need to research your topic, conduct an interview, and write a paper.

You can get an A+ for this assignment with enough effort and dedication. But a doable task doesn’t necessarily mean that you must do it by yourself. If you have plenty of other assignments to do, you can ask our essay writers to craft an exemplary interview paper for you. For this, you can place an order on our website, and we will do all the dirty work.

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Home ➔ How to Write an Essay ➔ Interview Essay

Interview Essay Guide

An interview essay is a written composition that presents the insights, experiences, and viewpoints of an individual obtained through a structured conversation or interview. This type of essay goes beyond merely summarizing the interviewee’s responses; it integrates narrative storytelling with analytical components to provide a comprehensive perspective on the subject matter.

An interview essay offers a unique platform to capture insights, personal experiences, and expert knowledge directly from the source. Here’s what makes it special:

• Personal Connection: Establishes a personal link between the interviewee and the reader.
• Diverse Perspectives: Showcases varied viewpoints on a subject or issue.
• Depth of Insight: Provides in-depth understanding often missing in third-party accounts.
• Authentic Voice: Captures the authentic voice and experiences of the interviewee.

Overview of the Process

Creating an engaging and informative interview essay involves several key steps:

• Identify Interviewee: Selecting a person who has relevant knowledge or experience.
• Research: Gathering background information to formulate meaningful questions.
• Question Design: Crafting questions that elicit detailed and thoughtful responses.
• Setting: Choosing a comfortable environment conducive to conversation.
• Technique: Employing active listening and strategic questioning.
• Recording: Ensuring accurate capture of the interviewee’s words.
• Transcription: Converting the spoken word into written form.
• Analysis: Identifying key themes and notable quotes.
• Organization: Structuring the essay for maximum impact.
• Introduction : Presenting the interviewee and framing the topic.
• Body: Weaving together narrative and analysis, enriched with direct quotes.
• Conclusion : Reflecting on the insights gained and their broader implications.
• Proofreading: Correcting grammatical and spelling errors.
• Refining: Enhancing clarity, flow, and coherence of the essay.

This process results in an essay that not only conveys valuable information but also provides a window into the personal experiences and perspectives of the interviewee, making it a powerful tool in both journalistic and academic contexts.

Preparation Stage for an Interview Essay

The preparation stage is crucial for laying the groundwork for a successful interview essay. This phase involves thoughtful planning and consideration in several key areas:

Choosing the Interviewee

When selecting an interviewee for your essay, it’s essential to consider several factors to ensure that your interview is informative and engaging. Here’s a more detailed look at the key aspects to consider:

• Expertise or Experience: Look for individuals who have direct experience or specialized knowledge in the topic you’re exploring. This ensures that their insights are grounded in personal experience or professional expertise.
• Contribution to Topic: Consider how the potential interviewee’s background or experiences can contribute unique perspectives or deepen the understanding of your topic.
• Current Relevance: Preferably choose someone whose experience or expertise is currently relevant or topical, as this can add immediacy and interest to your essay.

Accessibility

• Availability: Confirm that the potential interviewee can participate within your timeframe. Scheduling conflicts or unavailability can delay or change your essay plans.
• Willingness to Participate: Ensure that the interviewee is available and willing to share their experiences and thoughts openly. An enthusiastic participant often provides more in-depth and engaging responses.
• Communication Ease: Consider the ease of communication with the interviewee, especially if dealing with different time zones, languages, or cultural backgrounds.
• Varied Perspectives: Seek out interviewees who can offer different perspectives from your own or from what is commonly represented in discussions about your topic. This diversity can add depth and breadth to your essay.
• Underrepresented Voices: Actively look for voices often underrepresented in your topic’s discourse. Including these perspectives can provide a more comprehensive and inclusive understanding of the subject matter.
• Cultural and Background Diversity: Consider choosing interviewees from different cultural backgrounds, professions, or life experiences. This diversity can bring a richer and more varied range of insights to your essay.

By carefully considering these factors when choosing your interviewee, you can ensure that your interview essay is informative and relevant and rich in perspective and depth, offering readers a well-rounded and insightful exploration of your chosen topic.

Researching the Interview Subject

Conducting thorough research before the interview is crucial for crafting meaningful questions and understanding the context of the interviewee’s responses. Here’s a more detailed approach to researching your interview subject:

Background Information

• Professional Background: Investigate the interviewee’s career path, including their current position, past roles, and any notable achievements in their field. This information can provide context to their responses and highlight their expertise.
• Educational History: Look into their educational background, including any relevant degrees, certifications, or training pertinent to the interview topic.
• Publications or Contributions: If applicable, review any publications, articles, or projects the interviewee has worked on. This can give you insights into their areas of interest and expertise.
• Personal Story: Where relevant, learn about the interviewee’s personal journey, including life experiences that may have shaped their perspectives. This can add a more human dimension to your essay.

Subject Matter

• Current Trends and Debates: Understand the current trends, debates, and recent developments related to the interview topic. This helps in formulating timely and relevant questions.
• Historical Context: Explore the historical background of the topic to provide a more comprehensive understanding during the interview.
• Relevant News and Events: Stay informed about any recent news or events related to the interview subject or the interviewee’s field of expertise.

Purpose Alignment

• Align with Essay Objectives: Ensure that your research aligns with the overall objectives and angle of your essay. Focus on gathering information that supports or enriches your essay’s intended narrative or argument.
• Identify Gaps in Existing Literature: Look for areas within the topic that haven’t been extensively covered in existing literature. This can guide you to explore new angles or under-discussed issues during the interview.
• Relevance to Audience: Consider what aspects of the interviewee’s background and the subject matter will be most relevant and engaging to your target audience. Tailoring your research to your audience’s interests can make the essay more impactful.

By thoroughly researching both the interviewee’s background and the broader context of the subject matter, you ensure that your interview essay is well-informed, relevant, and engaging, providing your readers with a comprehensive and insightful look into the topic.

Formulating Interview Questions

The right set of questions is pivotal for eliciting insightful and meaningful responses during the interview. Here’s a more detailed approach to formulating effective interview questions:

Open-Ended Questions

• Encourage Exploration: Design questions that encourage the interviewee to elaborate on their thoughts and experiences. For example, “Can you describe a significant challenge you faced in your career and how you overcame it?”
• Avoid Yes/No Responses: Frame questions to avoid simple yes or no answers. Instead, aim for questions that require a narrative or explanation.
• Personal Insights: Ask questions that allow the interviewee to reflect on their personal journey or opinions, such as, “What motivated you to pursue this field?”

Focused Questions

• Direct Relevance: Ensure each question is directly tied to the main subject of your essay. If the topic is specific, your questions should align closely with it.
• Specificity: Avoid overly broad questions. Instead, ask about specific events, decisions, or opinions for more detailed insights.
• Objective Clarity: Each question should have a clear objective and contribute to the overall narrative or goal of the interview.

Follow-Up Questions

• Depth and Detail: Prepare to ask follow-up questions that delve deeper into topics uncovered during the interview. For instance, “You mentioned a turning point in your career. Could you tell me more about that?”
• Responsive Inquiries: Base your follow-up questions on the interviewee’s responses to encourage a more natural and engaging conversation.
• Clarification: Use follow-up questions to clarify or expand upon interesting points, ensuring you fully understand the interviewee’s perspective.

Ethical Sensitivity

• Respect Boundaries: Be mindful of personal or sensitive topics. If the conversation veers into potentially uncomfortable territory, be prepared to steer it back respectfully.
• Informed Consent: Ensure the interviewee knows they can decline to answer any question.
• Cultural Sensitivity: Be aware of cultural differences that might affect how questions are perceived and adjust your approach accordingly.

By thoughtfully formulating your interview questions, you can create a conducive environment for a rich and informative dialogue. This preparation helps in capturing the depth and nuances of the interviewee’s experiences and perspectives, making your interview essay more engaging and insightful.

Preparing for Different Interview Formats

Ethical Considerations

Ethical considerations are fundamental in conducting interviews, especially when the information is intended for publication in an essay. Respecting the interviewee’s rights and maintaining integrity throughout the process is essential.

• Informed Consent: Clearly inform the interviewee about the purpose of the interview, how the information will be used, and where it will be published.
• Written Agreement: Ideally, obtain written consent, especially if the interview will be recorded or sensitive topics will be discussed. This helps to avoid any misunderstandings about the use of the interviewee’s information.
• Recording Consent: Explicitly ask for written permission to record the interview, whether audio or video. Explain how the recording will be used and stored.
• Withdrawal Option: Ensure the interviewee knows they have the right to withdraw consent at any point, even after the completed interview.
• Confidential Information: Agree in advance on what information is off the record or confidential. Respect these boundaries in your essay.
• Anonymity Option: Offer the option of anonymity, mainly if sensitive topics are discussed or if requested by the interviewee.
• Data Protection: Follow data protection laws and regulations, especially when handling personal information or using the interview publicly.
• Faithful Representation: Commit to accurately representing the interviewee’s words and sentiments in your essay. Avoid taking statements out of context or altering their meaning.
• Review by Interviewee: Consider allowing the interviewee to review the sections where their quotes or information are used. This can ensure accuracy and build trust.
• Transparency in Editing: Be transparent about any edits made to the interviewee’s responses for clarity or brevity. Ensure that these edits do not distort the meaning.

Adhering to these ethical considerations not only ensures the integrity of the interview process but also builds trust and respect between the interviewer and the interviewee. This approach leads to more honest and open conversations, ultimately enriching the quality of the interview essay.

Conducting the Interview

The success of an interview essay largely hinges on how effectively the interview itself is conducted. This stage requires a blend of interpersonal skills, strategic questioning, and attentive listening.

Strategies for Asking Questions

• Start Broad, Then Narrow Down: Before moving to more specific topics, begin with general questions.
• Encourage Storytelling: Ask questions inviting interviewees to share experiences or anecdotes.
• Avoid Leading Questions: Frame questions neutrally to elicit unbiased responses.
• Be Adaptive: Be prepared to deviate from your prepared questions based on the conversation flow.

Techniques for Active Listening and Follow-Up Questions

• Show Engagement: Nodding and affirmative responses indicate active listening.
• Clarify and Confirm: Ask follow-up questions for clarification or to delve deeper into a topic.
• Paraphrase Responses: Occasionally restate critical points to ensure understanding.
• Avoid Interruptions: Let the interviewee complete their thoughts before asking new questions.

Note-Taking and Recording Methods

• Choose Your Method: Decide between taking handwritten interview notes, typing, or audio recording.
• Be Discreet: Ensure your note-taking doesn’t disrupt the interview flow.
• Audio Recording: If recording, check equipment beforehand and obtain consent.
• Key Points: Focus on capturing the essence of responses rather than verbatim notes.

Conducting the interview with these considerations in mind ensures a productive and respectful dialogue. This approach not only garners detailed and thoughtful responses but also builds a rapport that can add depth and authenticity to your interview essay.

Organizing Interview Information

After conducting the interview, the next critical step is to organize the gathered information effectively. This process involves transcribing the conversation, identifying key themes, and selecting impactful quotes and anecdotes.

Transcribing the Interview

• Accuracy: Transcribe the interview as accurately as possible, preserving the interviewee’s words and expressions.
• Format: Decide whether to transcribe verbatim or to paraphrase for clarity and brevity.
• Tools: If available, utilize transcription software or services to expedite the process.
• Review: Go through the transcription multiple times to ensure completeness and accuracy.

Identifying Key Themes and Insights

• Read Thoroughly: Read the transcription several times to fully understand the content.
• Highlight Key Points: Mark significant statements, insights, and recurring themes.
• Categorize Information: Group similar ideas together to form coherent sections or themes.
• Relevance to Essay Goals: Align themes and insights with the purpose and objectives of your essay.

Selecting Quotes and Anecdotes for Inclusion

• Impactful Quotes: Choose quotes that effectively convey the interviewee’s perspective or personality.
• Narrative Value: Select anecdotes that add depth or provide illustrative examples relevant to the topic.
• Balance: Ensure a good mix of quotes and anecdotes throughout the essay for variety and interest.
• Context: Provide sufficient background information for each quote or anecdote to make sense to the reader.

When you begin writing the essay, organizing the interview information methodically allows for a clearer and more structured approach. This process ensures that the interview’s most significant and relevant parts are highlighted, providing a solid foundation for the essay’s narrative.

How to Write an Interview Essay

Writing the interview essay involves several key steps, from choosing the right format to blending narrative and analysis. Your preparation and organization come together in this stage to create a compelling and informative piece.

Choose Your Essay Format

The format of your interview essay is pivotal in determining how your content is structured and conveyed to the reader. Here’s an expanded look at the three primary formats:

Narrative Format

• Storytelling Approach: This format weaves the interviewee’s experiences and perspectives into a narrative, engaging the reader emotionally and intellectually.
• Chronological Flow: Often, the narrative follows a chronological order, but it can also be structured around a central event or a pivotal moment in the interviewee’s life.
• Descriptive and Engaging: Rich in descriptive details, this format allows the writer to explore the interviewee’s emotions, settings, and background, offering a deep dive into their personal journey.
• Ideal Use: Best suited for essays that aim to provide an in-depth look at an individual’s life, experiences, or viewpoints, such as personal profiles or biographical pieces.

Question-and-Answer Format

• Direct Dialogue: This format closely mimics the actual conversation, presenting the questions and answers as they occurred. It maintains the interview’s original tone and flow.
• Clarity and Authenticity: The question-and-answer structure is straightforward, allowing readers to clearly see the interviewer’s inquiries and the interviewee’s responses.
• Minimal Narration: The writer’s voice is typically less prominent, with the focus being on the interviewee’s responses.
• Ideal Use: This format works well for interviews with technical or highly specialized content or when the interviewee’s words carry significant weight and authority.

Thematic Format

• Theme-Centered: Rather than following the chronological order of the interview or a strict Q&A format, this approach organizes the essay around key themes or topics that emerge from the interview.
• Depth of Analysis: It allows for an in-depth exploration of each theme, providing a comprehensive view of the subject matter.
• Non-Linear Structure: The writer can rearrange the content to focus on the most relevant or compelling themes, regardless of their order in the original interview.
• Ideal Use: Particularly effective for complex topics that benefit from a nuanced exploration, such as academic research, exploratory journalism, or issues with multiple viewpoints.

Outline the Essay

Creating a well-structured outline is a crucial step in writing your interview essay. It helps to organize your thoughts and ensure a logical flow of information. Here’s a more detailed approach to outlining the three main parts of the essay:

Introduction

• Introducing the Interviewee: Begin by presenting your interviewee. Include their name, relevant professional titles or roles, and why they are a significant figure for your essay topic .
• Background Information: Provide essential background information about the interviewee. This might include their professional achievements, personal history, or unique experiences relevant to the interview topic.
• Purpose of the Interview: Clarify the purpose of the interview. Explain what prompted the interview and what you aim to explore or uncover through it.
• Thesis Statement : End the introduction with a thesis statement or a primary question the interview will address. This gives the reader a clear idea of what to expect from the essay.
• Organizing by Themes or Topics: Divide the body into sections, each focusing on different aspects or themes that emerged from the interview. In a thematic or narrative format, these sections might cover various topics or stories. In a Q&A format, they might be organized around specific questions and answers.
• Supporting Details: For each section, include supporting details from the interview, such as direct quotes, anecdotes, or specific insights provided by the interviewee.
• Analysis and Interpretation: Add your analysis or interpretation of the interviewee’s responses. Discuss how their insights contribute to the overall topic or your understanding of the subject matter.
• Transitions: Ensure each section flows smoothly into the next. Use transitional phrases to maintain a coherent narrative or argument throughout the essay.
• Summarizing Key Points: Recap the main themes or insights discussed in the essay. This summary should reflect back on the thesis statement or primary question posed in the introduction.
• Reflecting on Insights Gained: Reflect on what you learned from the interview. Discuss how the interviewee’s perspectives have contributed to a deeper understanding of the topic.
• Broader Implications: If applicable, comment on the broader implications of the interview. This might include how the insights gained relate to larger societal, cultural, or professional issues.
• Closing Thoughts: Conclude with final thoughts or a closing statement that leaves the reader with something to ponder or consider further.

A well-crafted outline not only helps in organizing the essay effectively but also ensures that all key elements from the interview are highlighted and woven into a cohesive narrative or argument.

Blend Narrative and Analysis

Blending narrative and analysis in an interview essay is an art. It involves weaving the interviewee’s personal stories with your own interpretative insights, creating an informative and engaging piece. Here’s a deeper look into how to achieve this balance:

Personal Voice

• Storytelling: Integrate the interviewee’s personal stories and experiences as a fundamental part of the essay. Use direct quotes and vivid descriptions to bring these stories to life.
• First-Person Perspective: Consider using the first person, especially in a narrative format, to create a more intimate and personal tone. Share your own reflections or reactions to the interviewee’s stories where appropriate.
• Character Depth: Portray the interviewee as a full-fledged character. Include details about their personality, emotions, and background to make them relatable and real to the reader.
• Relatability: Aim to connect the interviewee’s experiences to universal themes or broader human experiences. This approach helps the reader to empathize with and understand the interviewee on a deeper level.

Analytical Insights

• Interpretative Lens: Provide your own analysis or interpretation of what the interviewee says. This could involve drawing connections to broader themes, offering critique, or providing context that the interviewee might not have explicitly stated.
• Balanced Viewpoint: While offering your perspectives, ensure they complement and do not overshadow the interviewee’s voice. The analysis should enrich the reader’s understanding rather than detract from the original narrative.
• Supporting Research: Use additional research or references to support your analysis. This can lend credibility to your interpretations and provide a more rounded view of the topic.
• Critical Thinking: Apply critical thinking to analyze the interviewee’s responses. Question underlying assumptions, identify biases, and explore the implications of their viewpoints.
• Seamless Transitions: Craft transitions that seamlessly blend narrative and analysis. Use transitional phrases or questions that naturally lead from a story to an analytical point or vice versa.
• Pacing: Balance the pacing between narrative and analysis. Avoid long sections of uninterrupted analysis that might detach the reader from the personal aspect of the essay.
• Coherence: Ensure that the analysis is always relevant to the preceding narrative. Each analytical point should clearly relate to the story or quote that it follows.
• Reflective Conclusion: In the conclusion of each section or the essay as a whole, reflect back on the analysis and narrative, summarizing how they interconnect and what they collectively reveal about the interviewee or the topic.

Blending narrative and analysis effectively requires a thoughtful approach where both elements complement each other, creating a rich, multi-dimensional view of the interview subject. This approach not only makes the essay more engaging but also deepens the reader’s understanding of the topic.

Incorporate Direct Quotes and Paraphrase

In an interview essay, effectively using direct quotes and paraphrasing is key to maintaining the authenticity of the interviewee’s voice while ensuring the essay’s clarity and conciseness. Here’s a more detailed look at how to approach this:

Direct Quotes

• Impactful Statements: Utilize direct quotes for particularly powerful, insightful, or unique statements. These quotes should capture the essence of the interviewee’s perspective or personality.
• Preserving Voice: When using direct quotes, it’s crucial to preserve the interviewee’s original speech patterns and expressions. This helps in maintaining the authenticity of their voice.
• Contextualization: Provide context for each quote to ensure the reader understands its relevance. Briefly introduce the scenario or question that led to the quoted response.
• Emphasis on Key Points: Use direct quotes to emphasize points critical to your essay’s thesis or main argument. These quotes can serve as evidence or examples to support your narrative.

Paraphrasing

• Simplifying Complex Responses: When the interviewee provides complex or lengthy answers, paraphrasing can make these ideas more accessible to the reader. It allows you to condense and clarify the original response.
• Maintaining Original Meaning: While paraphrasing, be careful to accurately convey the interviewee’s intended message. The goal is to simplify the language, not to alter the meaning.
• Integration with Your Analysis: Paraphrased content can be smoothly integrated with your own analysis or commentary, creating a cohesive narrative flow.
• Avoiding Misrepresentation: Regularly compare your paraphrased sentences with the original statements to ensure that you’re not misrepresenting the interviewee’s views.

Attribution

• Crediting the Interviewee: Always attribute both quotes and paraphrased ideas to the interviewee. This can be done in the narrative (e.g., “As Jane Doe noted…”) or through citations, depending on the format of your essay.
• Clear Distinction: Make it clear to the reader what is a direct quote and what is paraphrased material. This distinction is crucial for transparency and credibility.
• Consistency in Attribution: Apply a consistent style for attributing quotes and ideas throughout your essay. This consistency aids in readability and helps maintain the flow of the essay.

Incorporating direct quotes and paraphrasing effectively enhances the authenticity of your interview essay and makes it more engaging and accessible to the reader. This balance between the interviewee’s voice and your narrative is key to creating a compelling and credible essay.

Provide Context and Background Information

In an interview essay, contextualizing the content is crucial for readers to fully grasp the significance of the interviewee’s responses. Detailed background information enriches the narrative, making it more informative and engaging. Here’s an expanded look at how to integrate this context:

Set the Scene

• Introduction of Setting: Begin by describing the setting of the interview, if it’s relevant to the content or mood of the conversation. For example, if the interview was conducted in a significant location, mention it.
• Timeframe: Mention the period during which the interview took place, especially if it’s relevant to the discussion or if the conversation references current events.
• Initial Interaction: Briefly describe the initial interaction with the interviewee to give the reader a sense of the interview’s tone and the relationship between you and the interviewee.

Relevant Details

• Interviewee’s Background: Provide an overview of the interviewee’s professional and personal background, focusing on aspects relevant to the essay’s topic. This might include their career trajectory, significant achievements, or personal experiences that shape their perspective.
• Context for Responses: When the interviewee references specific projects, events, or experiences, offer additional information to help the reader understand the relevance and significance of these references.
• Visual Aids: If applicable, use visual aids like photographs or diagrams to provide a richer background and enhance the reader’s understanding, particularly in digital formats.

Linking to Broader Themes

• Connecting to Larger Issues: Draw connections between the interviewee’s experiences or viewpoints and broader societal, historical, or cultural themes. This helps to situate the interview in a larger context.
• Reflecting Current Events: If the interview touches on current events or trends, provide a brief overview to give readers a clearer understanding of the interviewee’s responses in the current landscape.
• Universal Themes: Highlight any universal themes or experiences discussed in the interview. This can make the essay more relatable and compelling to a broader audience.

By providing rich context and background information, you set the stage for the interviewee’s responses and enrich the reader’s understanding of the overall narrative. This additional information layer helps create a more immersive and informative reading experience.

Writing the essay is a process of weaving together the voices of the interviewer and interviewee to create an engaging and insightful narrative. In this phase, you bring to life the interviewee’s experiences and perspectives contextualized within a well-structured and coherent essay.

Styling and Formatting

In the styling and formatting phase of an interview essay, attention to detail is crucial. This step ensures that the essay reads well and meets the necessary academic or publication standards.

Adhering to Academic or Publication Style Guides

• Choose Appropriate Style Guide: Determine which style guide is relevant for your context (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).
• Consistency: Apply the chosen style guide consistently throughout the essay.
• Formatting Rules: Pay attention to specific formatting rules such as margins, font size, and headings.

Balancing Narrative Flow with Factual Accuracy

• Narrative Structure: Maintain a compelling narrative flow that engages the reader.
• Factual Integrity: Ensure all factual statements are accurate and verifiable.
• Tone and Voice: Balance the essay’s tone between academic rigor and storytelling.

Citing Sources and Interview Material

• Citations for Interview Material: Follow the specific format for citing interviews as per the chosen style guide.
• Secondary Sources: Properly cite all secondary sources and supplemental materials used for background information or analysis.
• In-Text Citations: Include in-text citations where necessary, particularly when quoting or paraphrasing the interviewee.
• Reference List or Bibliography: Compile a complete list of references or bibliography at the end of the essay.

Proper styling and formatting enhance the essay’s readability and demonstrate professionalism and respect for academic standards. This phase is essential for lending credibility to your work and ensuring it is taken seriously by your intended audience.

Bottom Line

Final thoughts on the value and impact of interview essays.

• Unique Insight: Interview essays provide a unique window into personal experiences and expert perspectives.
• Storytelling Power: They combine the art of storytelling with factual reporting, making them compelling and informative.
• Cultural Relevance: These essays can contribute to cultural and social discourse by highlighting diverse voices.

Encouragement for Continuous Learning and Improvement

• Skill Development: Embrace each interview as an opportunity to refine your interviewing and writing skills.
• Feedback and Reflection: Seek feedback and reflect on your process for continuous improvement.
• Lifelong Learning: View each interview essay as a step in the journey of lifelong learning and professional growth.

By adhering to these guidelines and embracing the process, you can create interview essays that are informative and engaging but also respectful and ethical, contributing valuable insights to your chosen field or audience.

Read for more insights

• “Interviewing as Qualitative Research: A Guide for Researchers in Education and the Social Sciences” by Irving Seidman. This book provides an in-depth exploration of the interviewing process in qualitative research, offering valuable insights for anyone looking to understand or conduct interviews for essays or academic research.
• “The SAGE Handbook of Interview Research: The Complexity of the Craft,” edited by Jaber F. Gubrium, James A. Holstein, Amir B. Marvasti, and Karyn D. McKinney. This handbook is a comprehensive resource that delves into various aspects of interview research, including techniques, challenges, and ethical considerations.
• “Doing Interviews” by Steinar Kvale and Svend Brinkmann. Part of the ‘Qualitative Research Kit,’ this book offers a practical guide to conducting interviews, presenting the theoretical background and practical aspects of interviewing.
• “Qualitative Interviewing: The Art of Hearing Data” by Herbert J. Rubin and Irene S. Rubin. This book emphasizes the art of listening in interviews. It offers practical advice for conducting qualitative interviews, making it a useful resource for anyone interested in using interviews as a data source.
• “Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes” by Robert M. Emerson, Rachel I. Fretz, and Linda L. Shaw. While primarily focused on ethnographic research, this book provides valuable insights into effectively documenting and writing about interviews and observations, which can be highly relevant for crafting interview essays.

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Learning Materials

How to write an interview essay: complete guide.

Updated: Apr 19, 2024

Ever wondered how to transform a simple conversation into a compelling narrative? Writing an interview essay can seem daunting, especially when you're unsure where to start or how to make it engaging. An interview essay should effectively present the interviewee's thoughts on selected topics, using a structured format that combines direct quotes, paraphrasing, and your own analysis to enrich the content. This guide will walk you through the entire process of creating an interview essay, from structuring and formatting to selecting the right questions and crafting a narrative that resonates with readers.

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The process of writing an interview essay: an overview.

Writing an interview essay involves more than just transcribing conversations. It requires a thoughtful approach to select, organize, and present the interview content in a way that tells a compelling story. Starting with a clear understanding of the essay's purpose, writers need to decide on the format—narrative, Q&A, or a thematic exploration. This choice will significantly influence the structure and presentation of the interview content, guiding the entire writing process from the questions you ask to the way you interpret the answers.

Preparation is key in crafting an effective interview essay. Before even beginning the interview, it's crucial to research the interviewee and the topic thoroughly to ask insightful questions that elicit meaningful responses. Organizing these findings into a structured outline will help streamline the writing process, ensuring that the essay remains focused and coherent. The outline should include an introduction that sets the stage, a body that delves into the interviewee's perspectives, and a conclusion that ties everything together and reflects on the insights gained.

Outlining Your Interview Essay: A Structured Approach

Creating a structured outline for your interview essay is essential as it acts as your writing roadmap. Start with an introduction that presents your thesis statement and gives a brief overview of the interviewee. The body should be divided into several paragraphs, each focusing on a different theme or topic discussed during the interview. Finally, conclude with a summary that reiterates the main points and reflects on the overall insights. This structured approach ensures that your essay is organized and maintains a logical flow from start to finish.

Formatting Guidelines for an Interview Essay

Adhering to specific formatting guidelines is crucial in crafting a well-organized interview essay. Typically, your essay should start with an introduction that hooks the reader and introduces the interviewee. The body of the essay should follow the outline, using clear headings for each section if necessary, and include direct quotes and paraphrases from the interviewee. In terms of presentation, use a readable font, double-spacing, and include page numbers. Always cite your sources correctly to avoid plagiarism and enhance the credibility of your essay.

Dos and Don'ts in Writing an Interview Essay

When writing an interview essay, there are several best practices to follow and pitfalls to avoid. Do ensure clarity by using simple language and avoiding jargon that might confuse readers. Do maintain the authenticity of the interview by accurately representing the interviewee's responses. Don't manipulate quotes to fit your narrative, as this can mislead readers and take away from the interviewee's intended message.

Additionally, do focus on creating a narrative that engages readers, weaving quotes and insights into a compelling story. Don't overlook the need for thorough editing to polish your essay and enhance readability. Avoid overly long paragraphs that can deter readers, and ensure your paragraphs transition smoothly to keep the reader engaged from start to finish. Following these guidelines will help you craft an insightful and respectful interview essay that is both informative and enjoyable to read.

Crafting an Engaging Introduction for Your Interview Essay

Crafting an engaging introduction is crucial for capturing the reader's interest right from the start of your interview essay. Start with a hook that grabs attention; this could be a startling statistic, a poignant quote from the interviewee, or an intriguing question that sets the stage for the narrative. The goal is to pique the reader's curiosity and draw them into the story you're about to unfold, making them eager to learn more about the interviewee and the insights they have to offer.

Once you've captured the reader's attention, it's important to provide a brief overview of the interviewee and the main themes of the essay. This not only introduces the subject but also sets the tone for the rest of the essay. Include a compelling thesis statement that outlines the central idea or the primary insight the interview will explore. This approach ensures that your introduction serves as a concise roadmap for the readers, guiding them through the insights and narratives that will be developed in the body of the essay.

Concluding Your Interview Essay Effectively

Concluding your interview essay effectively is key to leaving a lasting impression on your reader. Summarize the main points and insights shared by the interviewee, reflecting on how they contribute to the broader topic or issue at hand. It's crucial to restate your thesis in a way that reflects the discussions and revelations from the interview, providing closure and reinforcing the significance of the interviewee's perspectives. Consider ending with a thought-provoking question or statement that encourages readers to think deeply about the subject, thereby extending the impact of the essay beyond its final words.

Enhancing Your Interview Essay with Narrative Style

To elevate your interview essay from a mere transcript to a vivid narrative, it's essential to embrace a narrative style. This approach involves weaving the interviewee's responses into a storyline that resonates with readers. By focusing on the flow of events and the emotional journey of the interviewee, you can create a more immersive experience. This style not only keeps the readers engaged but also allows them to connect deeply with the subject matter, seeing the interviewee not just as a source of information, but as a character in a compelling story.

Utilizing narrative techniques such as dialogues, descriptive details , and personal anecdotes can significantly enhance the readability and impact of your interview essay. These elements help to paint a vivid picture of the interviewee and their experiences, making the story come alive. Moreover, integrating direct quotes strategically throughout the essay adds authenticity and gives a voice to the narrative, allowing readers to experience the interviewee's personality and emotions firsthand.

Choosing the Right Questions for Your Interview

Selecting the right questions for your interview is crucial in crafting a narrative that captures the essence of the interviewee's experiences and perspectives. Focus on open-ended questions that encourage detailed responses, and consider how each question will contribute to the unfolding story. Here are a few tips:

• Ask about specific life events that shaped the interviewee's viewpoint.
• Inquire about challenges and successes to reveal depth and personal growth.
• Tailor questions to evoke emotions and personal reflections, which enrich the narrative.

By carefully choosing questions that align with the narrative style of your essay, you can gather compelling content that engages and resonates with your audience.

Elevate Your Interview Essay with Samwell.ai's Writing Tools

Elevating your interview essay becomes seamless with Samwell 's advanced AI-powered writing tools. Whether you're a student or a professional, Samwell ensures that your essay adheres to the highest standards of academic integrity. The AI assistant helps you integrate direct quotes and paraphrases accurately, ensuring that each citation is formatted correctly according to your specified style, be it APA, MLA, or Chicago. This meticulous attention to detail not only enhances the credibility of your essay but also saves you valuable time.

Moreover, Samwell 's advanced plagiarism checks are integral to maintaining the originality of your work. Here’s how it benefits you:

• Scans your essay against a vast database to detect any potential plagiarism.
• Highlights sections that require rephrasing to ensure uniqueness.
• Provides suggestions for citations to fortify your claims and avoid academic misconduct. This feature of Samwell not only protects your academic reputation but also instills confidence in your writing, allowing you to submit your interview essay with peace of mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you start an interview essay.

Starting an interview essay effectively involves crafting an engaging introduction. Begin with a hook that grabs the reader's attention, such as a startling statistic, a poignant quote, or an intriguing question. Follow this with a brief overview of the interviewee and the main themes of the essay, and include a compelling thesis statement that outlines the central idea or primary insight the interview will explore.

How to start writing an interview?

To start writing an interview, first ensure you have a clear understanding of the essay's purpose and decide on the format—narrative, Q&A, or thematic exploration. Prepare by researching the interviewee and the topic thoroughly to formulate insightful questions. Organize your findings into a structured outline with an introduction, body sections based on themes, and a conclusion. This preparation sets the foundation for writing an engaging and coherent interview essay.

How do you summarize an interview in an essay?

To summarize an interview in an essay, focus on condensing the main points and insights shared by the interviewee. Reflect on how these contribute to the broader topic or issue at hand. Restate your thesis in a way that reflects the discussions and revelations from the interview, providing closure and emphasizing the significance of the interviewee's perspectives. Consider ending with a thought-provoking question or statement to extend the impact of the essay.

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10 essential tips for crafting an effective interview essay.

Unlock the magic of storytelling by capturing the essence of human experiences through the power of interviews. Going beyond just words on a page, an interview essay transforms a simple conversation into a captivating narrative that engages readers on a deep and emotional level. By delving into the intricacies of someone’s thoughts, experiences, and insights, an interview essay brings a unique perspective to the table, allowing readers to immerse themselves in a world of diverse voices and compelling narratives.

With the interview essay, you have the opportunity to weave a rich tapestry of perspectives, uncovering hidden gems of wisdom that often go unnoticed in everyday life. As you engage in thoughtful conversations with individuals from different walks of life, you unravel unique stories that have the power to educate, inspire, and enlighten readers. Through the artful use of quotes, anecdotes, and vivid descriptions, an interview essay breathes life into the pages, creating an intimate connection between the reader and the interview subject.

Mastering the art of the interview essay requires not only strong interviewing skills but also empathy, curiosity, and the ability to connect with people on a deeper level. By listening intently and asking thought-provoking questions, you can encourage interviewees to open up, share their experiences, and provide insights that transcend the surface level. With each interview, you embark on a journey of discovery, peeling back the layers of someone’s life and inviting readers to join you on this transformative expedition.

Choosing the Right Interviewee

When embarking on the journey of conducting an interview, the first and crucial step is selecting the right interviewee. This step requires careful consideration and evaluation to ensure a successful and meaningful interview. The interviewee plays a pivotal role in shaping the tone and direction of the interview, bringing unique perspectives, experiences, and insights to the conversation.

One important aspect to consider when choosing an interviewee is their expertise and knowledge in the subject matter. Look for individuals who possess deep understanding and experience in the area of interest. This will contribute to the richness and authenticity of the interview, allowing for in-depth discussions and a deeper exploration of the topic.

Another factor to consider is the interviewee’s articulation and communication skills. A great interviewee should be able to express their thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively. Look for individuals who have the ability to convey their thoughts in a coherent and concise manner, as it will enhance the overall quality of the interview.

Furthermore, it is valuable to select an interviewee who is open-minded and willing to share their perspectives openly. This fosters an environment of trust and encourages candid discussions during the interview. Seek interviewees who are comfortable expressing their opinions and are receptive to exploring different viewpoints.

Additionally, it is essential to consider the interviewee’s availability and willingness to participate in the interview. Ensure that the individual is committed and available for the agreed-upon interview date and time. This will ensure a smooth and hassle-free process, allowing for ample preparations and scheduling.

Overall, selecting the right interviewee is a vital step in the interview process. By considering factors such as expertise, communication skills, openness, and availability, you can ensure that your interview is engaging, informative, and insightful.

Preparing a List of Questions

When it comes to conducting an interview, one of the most important steps is preparing a thoughtful and engaging list of questions. A well-crafted set of questions can not only help you gather the necessary information for your interview essay, but it can also create a dynamic and engaging conversation with your interviewee.

To begin, it’s important to consider the purpose of your interview and what you hope to learn from your interviewee. Whether you are writing a profile on a notable individual or exploring a specific topic, your questions should be targeted and focused. Think about the key information you want to gather and structure your questions accordingly.

When crafting your questions, it’s also important to strike a balance between open-ended and specific inquiries. Open-ended questions allow your interviewee to share their thoughts and experiences in more depth, while specific questions can help guide the conversation and ensure you obtain the information you need.

Additionally, it’s helpful to consider the interviewee’s background and expertise when formulating your questions. Tailoring your questions to their unique perspective and experiences can help elicit more thoughtful and insightful responses. Doing some preliminary research on your interviewee can provide valuable context and inform the types of questions you ask.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to be flexible and adapt your questions in the moment. Interviewing is a dynamic process, and sometimes the best insights and stories come from unexpected avenues of conversation. Allow the interview to unfold naturally and be prepared to adjust your questions based on the flow of the dialogue.

Remember, the goal of preparation is not to rigidly stick to a script, but rather to have a well-thought-out framework that can guide the conversation and help you achieve your objectives as an interviewer.

Conducting the Interview

When it comes to the process of gathering information for your interview essay, the stage of conducting the interview is crucial. This is the moment when you will have the opportunity to engage with your interviewee and extract valuable insights to create a compelling narrative. The effectiveness of your interview will greatly depend on your preparation, approach, and ability to establish trust and rapport with the person you are interviewing.

Preparation: Before conducting the interview, it is essential to thoroughly research and familiarize yourself with the topic and the person you will be interviewing. This will not only help you ask informed and relevant questions but also show your interviewee that you are genuinely interested and invested in the conversation. Take the time to identify key areas you want to explore, as well as any specific questions you may have.

Approach: When you actually sit down with your interviewee, it is important to approach the interview with a professional yet friendly demeanor. Introduce yourself and explain the purpose of the interview, highlighting the value it will bring. Make sure to actively listen, allowing the conversation to flow naturally. Use open-ended questions to encourage your interviewee to share their thoughts and experiences in depth. Additionally, keep in mind that body language and non-verbal cues play a significant role in building rapport, so strive to maintain eye contact and exhibit attentive body language.

Establishing Trust and Rapport: To create a comfortable and trusting environment, it is crucial to show genuine interest, empathy, and respect for your interviewee’s perspectives and experiences. Actively listening and responding empathetically will help build rapport and allow your interviewee to open up and share their insights more freely. It is also essential to be mindful of any sensitive topics or boundaries that your interviewee may have and to approach them with sensitivity and tact.

By carefully preparing for the interview, approaching it with professionalism and empathy, and focusing on building trust and rapport, you will set the stage for a successful and insightful conversation that will serve as a foundation for your interview essay.

Transcribing and Organizing the Material

One of the essential steps in creating a well-rounded interview essay is the transcription and organization of the material gathered during the interview process. After conducting the interview, the next crucial task is to transcribe the recorded audio or written notes into a readable format.

Transcribing the interview material involves carefully listening to the audio recording or reviewing the written notes and converting them into a written document. This process requires keen attention to detail and accuracy to ensure that the interviewee’s words are accurately represented in the final essay.

Once the material is transcribed, it is essential to organize it in a logical and coherent manner. This involves identifying the main ideas and key points discussed during the interview and arranging them in a structured outline. By organizing the material, it becomes easier to identify the flow of thoughts, highlight important quotes, and create a cohesive narrative for the essay.

In addition to structuring the material, it is also crucial to categorize the information based on relevant themes or topics. This helps in creating a comprehensive and well-structured essay that covers all aspects of the interview. By organizing the material into distinct sections, it becomes easier to focus on specific areas and present the information in a clear and concise manner.

Overall, transcribing and organizing the material is a crucial step in the process of writing an interview essay. It ensures that the information gathered during the interview is accurately represented and presented in a well-structured manner. By giving careful attention to detail and organizing the material effectively, the essay can effectively convey the interviewee’s thoughts and experiences to the reader.

Crafting the Essay

Creating a well-crafted essay is the essential next step after conducting a successful interview. This part of the process involves carefully structuring your thoughts and findings, and presenting them in a clear and engaging manner.

One effective way to approach the crafting of your essay is to make use of a table. This table can act as a visual tool to help you organize and outline the key points and themes that emerged from your interview. By visually mapping out these elements, you can ensure that your essay has a logical flow and a coherent structure.

In addition to using a table, it is important to consider the tone and style of your essay. While it should be professional and objective, it is also important to infuse it with your own unique voice and perspective. This will help to make your essay more engaging and personal, allowing the reader to connect with the subject and the insights you gained from the interview.

When crafting your essay, it is also important to consider the target audience. Who will be reading your essay and what do they hope to gain from it? Tailoring your language and content to suit the needs and expectations of your audience will help to ensure that your essay is effective in conveying the key messages and ideas you want to communicate.

Finally, don’t forget to proofread and edit your essay before submitting it. Pay attention to grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors, as well as the overall clarity and organization of your writing. Taking the time to refine and polish your essay will greatly enhance its impact and make it more enjoyable for the reader.

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• Types of Interviews in Research | Guide & Examples

Types of Interviews in Research | Guide & Examples

Published on 4 May 2022 by Tegan George . Revised on 10 October 2022.

An interview is a qualitative research method that relies on asking questions in order to collect data . Interviews involve two or more people, one of whom is the interviewer asking the questions.

There are several types of interviews, often differentiated by their level of structure. Structured interviews have predetermined questions asked in a predetermined order. Unstructured interviews are more free-flowing, and semi-structured interviews fall in between.

Interviews are commonly used in market research, social science, and ethnographic research.

Table of contents

What is a structured interview, what is a semi-structured interview, what is an unstructured interview, what is a focus group, examples of interview questions, advantages and disadvantages of interviews, frequently asked questions about types of interviews.

Structured interviews have predetermined questions in a set order. They are often closed-ended, featuring dichotomous (yes/no) or multiple-choice questions. While open-ended structured interviews exist, they are much less common. The types of questions asked make structured interviews a predominantly quantitative tool.

Asking set questions in a set order can help you see patterns among responses, and it allows you to easily compare responses between participants while keeping other factors constant. This can mitigate biases and lead to higher reliability and validity. However, structured interviews can be overly formal, as well as limited in scope and flexibility.

• You feel very comfortable with your topic. This will help you formulate your questions most effectively.
• You have limited time or resources. Structured interviews are a bit more straightforward to analyse because of their closed-ended nature, and can be a doable undertaking for an individual.
• Your research question depends on holding environmental conditions between participants constant

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Semi-structured interviews are a blend of structured and unstructured interviews. While the interviewer has a general plan for what they want to ask, the questions do not have to follow a particular phrasing or order.

Semi-structured interviews are often open-ended, allowing for flexibility, but follow a predetermined thematic framework, giving a sense of order. For this reason, they are often considered ‘the best of both worlds’.

However, if the questions differ substantially between participants, it can be challenging to look for patterns, lessening the generalisability and validity of your results.

• You have prior interview experience. It’s easier than you think to accidentally ask a leading question when coming up with questions on the fly. Overall, spontaneous questions are much more difficult than they may seem.
• Your research question is exploratory in nature. The answers you receive can help guide your future research.

An unstructured interview is the most flexible type of interview. The questions and the order in which they are asked are not set. Instead, the interview can proceed more spontaneously, based on the participant’s previous answers.

Unstructured interviews are by definition open-ended. This flexibility can help you gather detailed information on your topic, while still allowing you to observe patterns between participants.

However, so much flexibility means that they can be very challenging to conduct properly. You must be very careful not to ask leading questions, as biased responses can lead to lower reliability or even invalidate your research.

• You have a solid background in your research topic and have conducted interviews before
• Your research question is exploratory in nature, and you are seeking descriptive data that will deepen and contextualise your initial hypotheses
• Your research necessitates forming a deeper connection with your participants, encouraging them to feel comfortable revealing their true opinions and emotions

A focus group brings together a group of participants to answer questions on a topic of interest in a moderated setting. Focus groups are qualitative in nature and often study the group’s dynamic and body language in addition to their answers. Responses can guide future research on consumer products and services, human behaviour, or controversial topics.

Focus groups can provide more nuanced and unfiltered feedback than individual interviews and are easier to organise than experiments or large surveys. However, their small size leads to low external validity and the temptation as a researcher to ‘cherry-pick’ responses that fit your hypotheses.

• Your research focuses on the dynamics of group discussion or real-time responses to your topic
• Your questions are complex and rooted in feelings, opinions, and perceptions that cannot be answered with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’
• Your topic is exploratory in nature, and you are seeking information that will help you uncover new questions or future research ideas

Depending on the type of interview you are conducting, your questions will differ in style, phrasing, and intention. Structured interview questions are set and precise, while the other types of interviews allow for more open-endedness and flexibility.

Here are some examples.

• Semi-structured
• Unstructured
• Focus group
• Do you like dogs? Yes/No
• Do you associate dogs with feeling: happy; somewhat happy; neutral; somewhat unhappy; unhappy
• If yes, name one attribute of dogs that you like.
• If no, name one attribute of dogs that you don’t like.
• What feelings do dogs bring out in you?
• When you think more deeply about this, what experiences would you say your feelings are rooted in?

Interviews are a great research tool. They allow you to gather rich information and draw more detailed conclusions than other research methods, taking into consideration nonverbal cues, off-the-cuff reactions, and emotional responses.

However, they can also be time-consuming and deceptively challenging to conduct properly. Smaller sample sizes can cause their validity and reliability to suffer, and there is an inherent risk of interviewer effect arising from accidentally leading questions.

Here are some advantages and disadvantages of each type of interview that can help you decide if you’d like to utilise this research method.

The four most common types of interviews are:

• Structured interviews : The questions are predetermined in both topic and order.
• Semi-structured interviews : A few questions are predetermined, but other questions aren’t planned.
• Unstructured interviews : None of the questions are predetermined.
• Focus group interviews : The questions are presented to a group instead of one individual.

A structured interview is a data collection method that relies on asking questions in a set order to collect data on a topic. They are often quantitative in nature. Structured interviews are best used when:

• You already have a very clear understanding of your topic. Perhaps significant research has already been conducted, or you have done some prior research yourself, but you already possess a baseline for designing strong structured questions.
• You are constrained in terms of time or resources and need to analyse your data quickly and efficiently
• Your research question depends on strong parity between participants, with environmental conditions held constant

More flexible interview options include semi-structured interviews , unstructured interviews , and focus groups .

A semi-structured interview is a blend of structured and unstructured types of interviews. Semi-structured interviews are best used when:

• You have prior interview experience. Spontaneous questions are deceptively challenging, and it’s easy to accidentally ask a leading question or make a participant uncomfortable.
• Your research question is exploratory in nature. Participant answers can guide future research questions and help you develop a more robust knowledge base for future research.

An unstructured interview is the most flexible type of interview, but it is not always the best fit for your research topic.

Unstructured interviews are best used when:

• You are an experienced interviewer and have a very strong background in your research topic, since it is challenging to ask spontaneous, colloquial questions
• Your research question is exploratory in nature. While you may have developed hypotheses, you are open to discovering new or shifting viewpoints through the interview process.
• You are seeking descriptive data, and are ready to ask questions that will deepen and contextualise your initial thoughts and hypotheses
• Your research depends on forming connections with your participants and making them feel comfortable revealing deeper emotions, lived experiences, or thoughts

The interviewer effect is a type of bias that emerges when a characteristic of an interviewer (race, age, gender identity, etc.) influences the responses given by the interviewee.

There is a risk of an interviewer effect in all types of interviews , but it can be mitigated by writing really high-quality interview questions.

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How to Ace Interviews with the STAR Method [9+ Examples]

Behavioral job interview questions are hard.

Everything is going seemingly well, until the interviewer drops the “Can you tell me about a time when you…”  question.

Shoot, what now?

You try to think of a coherent answer, but you just can’t think of anything on the spot.

So, you blurt out something awkward (which you instantly regret) and pray that the interviewer will just let this one slide.

...But it didn’t have to go this way. There IS a way to give a good answer to every single behavioral job interview question:

The STAR Method.

In this guide, we’re going to teach you what, exactly, that is, and how to use it to ace your upcoming job interview!

• What the STAR method is and when to use it
• 4 tips to keep in mind when answering with the STAR method
• 9 sample job interview answers that follow the STAR method

Sounds good?

Let’s begin!

What is the STAR Method and When You Should Use?

So, first things first - what is the STAR method, exactly ?

In short, the STAR method is a structured answer that can be used to answer most behavioral interview questions.

Here’s what it stands for:

• (S) Situation - What’s the context? Describe the situation or the background first.
• (T) Task - Talk about your responsibilities or the tasks you had to complete (i.e. what was the challenge for the specific task?)
• (A) Action - How did you fix the situation? Describe your process and the steps you took.
• (R) Results - Describe the results of your actions. If possible, use numbers or hard data (e.g. by what % did you increase the overall sales? What changed?).

While you can use the STAR method for ANY interview question, it’s most useful for answering behavioral interview questions .

So, what ARE behavioral interview questions, exactly ?

In short, they’re just like any interview question, but their main focus is on real-life work situations.

• What’s your #1 strength?
• Give us an example of how you used your #1 strength at work, and what kind of results did it drive?

Makes sense, right?

Now, here are a few examples of what those questions might look like:

• Can you give me an example of when you had to take charge in your previous position? What happened and how did you react?
• Tell me about a time when you were faced with a tight deadline. Did you still manage to complete your tasks? How?
• Have you ever set specific goals for yourself at work? How did you make sure you would meet your objectives? 

Now that you know what behavioral interview questions are, let’s take a look at a sample answer that follows the STAR method:

Behavioral Interview Question:

“Give me an example of when you had to be very strategic in your tasks to meet all of your responsibilities under a specific deadline.”

Sample Answer:

Situation - “I typically like to plan out my work weeks in advance if possible. But in my previous sales manager role at Company X, I had to suddenly move the team to a new customer relationship management (CRM) software. The software we were using before unexpectedly changed their pricing model, which made it too expensive for us.”

Task - ”I had to find new software that met our requirement, by the end of Q3 (when the price increase hit), while making sure my own sales numbers did not decrease. The new tool also had to be intuitive and easy for our employees to adapt to.”

Action - “In order to do that, I had to be very careful with how I managed my time. The first thing I did was ask our sales associates what the number one problem was with our current CRM, so I knew what to look for in a new one aside from the price factor. After that, I dedicated 1-2 hours each day to research, and once I found the new software, migrating our data. I made sure to delete any old contacts, update the missing information on our current leads, and caught the team up on how to use the new software. All the while, I was still handling my daily responsibilities as usual, without any decrease in performance.”

Results - “Finally, we managed to complete the transfer 1 week behind the deadline. I finished the quarter 12% ahead of my sales goals, and the team was satisfied with the new CRM. By planning ahead and with proper time allocation, everything worked out well.” 

This is pretty much a perfect answer that follows the STAR method .

It gives the right amount of background , clearly shows the challenge without getting too detailed, presents the process when approaching the problem, and ends on a high note using data and numbers to show their results.

By using the above formula, it’s much easier to structure your answer so that the HR manager doesn’t get lost following your story. 

Now, if you really want to nail your answer, here’s what you need to keep in mind when following the STAR structure:

4 Tips on Getting the Most Out of the STAR Method

Knowing what the acronym stands for is only the first step.

Here’s how to really get the most out of the method:

1) Keep It Relevant

Sounds obvious, right?

But here’s the thing:

Even if you’re following the STAR formula down to the T, it won’t amount to much if your answer is not relevant .

Think about this: what are you trying to communicate with your answer?

Ideally, it should be related to your position and show that you come equipped with skills that will be helpful in the job you’re seeking.

For example: if you’re applying for a job in graphic design , you wouldn’t start talking about your greatest accomplishment in accounting , right?

If your answer is not relevant for the job, it basically doesn’t even count.

2) Have a Few Examples Ready

There’s no way for you to know in advance what type of behavioral interview question the interviewer will ask.

But it’s still a good idea to have a few examples ready that follow the STAR method.

This way, you can tweak and adapt your answer on the go depending on the question.

Keep in mind, though, that your answers shouldn’t be a word-for-word memorized script.

You’ll want to sound natural when answering.

And if you’re having a hard time coming up with an answer during the interview, don’t be afraid to ask for a minute to come up with an example.

It’s ok to take a few seconds and structure your answer in your head first. If anything, the HR manager might appreciate that you’re not rushing in your answers.

• While you’ll never know what questions they’ll ask during the interview, you can still prepare for the most common ones. Check out our complete list of most common interview questions and answers here !

3) Give Proper Context

Imagine you’re telling a story about how you saved a client’s project at the last minute.

You swooped in, took charge, and made sure everyone knew what to do.

That’s awesome! That’s what the interviewer wants to know about.

However, you don’t have to :

• Go in-depth about how you found the client in the first place.
• Describe your whole working relationship with them from the beginning till the end.
• Give their whole backstory and explain why you’re such good friends with the client.

As we mentioned before, your answer should be relevant and straight to the point .

So, when talking about the situation , try to only summarize the buildup to your story in only 1-2 sentences.

4) Show Your Work

Finally, it’s your time to brag a bit.

Don’t be afraid to go all out and show how you made a difference. Make sure to mention the following:

• What kind of impact did your actions have on your department/company?
• What were the EXACT results? use numbers and data to back it up.
• What did you learn from the experience?

No interviewer will be satisfied with a lackluster ending like “Yeah so, and then, we finished the project in time, and everyone lived happily ever after”

See how boring that sounds?

Even if the ending of your story isn’t all that amazing, you can at least say what you learned .

Star Interview Questions and Answers (+9 Examples)

Your answer following the STAR method will depend on the specific behavioral interview question being asked.

So, to help you prepare, we’re going to give you 9 more common behavioral interview questions (with their corresponding sample answers)!

The questions we’re going to cover include:

• What’s your greatest achievement?
• How do you set and accomplish personal goals when under pressure?
• Have you ever faced conflict or disagreement with a coworker? What Happened and how did you resolve it?
• How do you handle unexpected challenges? Give me an example
• Have you ever been in a situation when the client was wrong, and you had to correct them? Give me an example.
• Tell me about a time you failed. What happened and what did you learn?
• How do you handle irate customers? Give me an example.
• Can you tell me about a time when you went above and beyond to deliver excellent customer experience?
• Can you give me an example of a goal you set, but couldn’t meet? How did you handle it?

Now, let’s dig right in!

1) What is your greatest achievement?

S - “When I was a manager at Cafe X, we would always get a lot more customers than usual during the summer. It would almost always be packed, and sometimes, there were not enough servers to handle the work. And if someone got sick or unexpectedly could not show up - things were only worse.”

T - “So, I had to come up with a system so that we would not get overwhelmed during those 3+ months.”

A - “To make sure we were prepared, I realized we needed a better schedule. For the next summer, I had a very strict shift schedule ready, and a reward system in case someone couldn’t show up for their shift. If someone called in sick, whoever filled in for them would be rewarded with extra pay. And if there was absolutely no one else available, I would personally fill in for them instead.”

R - “Overall, the summer went pretty smoothly with minimal accidents. We didn’t get ANY negative reviews on TripAdvisor for the summer (whereas for the summer before that, we had several for slow service).”

2) How do you set and accomplish personal goals when under pressure? Give me an example.

S - “Sure! To give you some context, during university, I had very limited financial aid, and my parents couldn’t help co-pay the rest of the tuition. So, while studying, I also had to work to pay for the university. At the same time, I also took up a lot of extracurricular activities (and internships when possible) to get as much professional work experience as possible before graduating.”

T - “To keep up with the workload, I realized I had to manage my time very efficiently. So, I set up Google Calendar and got a personal notepad for my daily tasks and responsibilities.”

A - “Through hard work and dedication, I managed to balance studying, a part-time job, and all extracurricular activities. Sure, it was pretty tiring at times, but by the end of each day I would always go over and edit my calendar for the rest of the week. This way, I knew pretty much everything I had to get done daily, and never missed an assignment or a deadline either!”

R - “In the end, I graduated with a 3.7 GPA, no student loans, and a personal design portfolio which landed me my first real job at Company X within a month of graduating.

3) Have you ever faced conflict or disagreement with a coworker? What happened and how did you resolve it?

S - “Yep! During my internship at Company X, my team and I were supposed to work together and brainstorm new talent sourcing ideas for a client. The client was a large supermarket chain located in a very rural area, so they were struggling to source new talent. ”

T - “Basically our task was to meet on a daily basis, brainstorm and finally settle on 3 great ideas. After a couple of meetings, we did have SOME ideas, but none of them were too exceptional. The management wanted something that they could confidently present to the client (that would, for sure, drive results for them).

Some of my teammates wanted to just give up, say “well, here’s our ideas, we don’t have anything else!” and be done with it. Me and another teammate, however, wanted to work on it a bit more and come up with something that WOULD work.

There was a LOT of back and forth from there, the tensions were high, and the team kept shutting down all the ideas we were proposing. The deadline was super close, and had to figure out a way to move forward.”

A - “So, I gave it some thought, and realized that we’d forever be in a deadlock if we continued like this. They wouldn’t agree with our approach, and we wouldn’t agree with theirs. So, we decided to bring in an unbiased third party who didn't have any emotional investment here.

We then conducted a longer meeting without any time restraints (so we’d get everything done ASAP in a single meeting), where we went through each idea one by one, and the third party acted as a sort of mediator. When someone pitched something, they also had to back it up with as many facts as possible, otherwise it wouldn’t count.”

R - “This really helped bring in something new to the table. The “mediator” helped sort through all the bad ideas, as well as infusing the team with some new energy.

We eventually DID end up coming up with completely original ideas, which were also something we all agree upon. We finished the meeting in approx. 2 hours, and the management had 3 awesome ideas they could pitch to the client. The client DID implement one of the ideas, which eventually resulted in 3 new hires.”

4) How do you handle unexpected challenges? Give me an example

S - “One time, while preparing for a presentation at a conference for Company X, one of our guest speakers had to unexpectedly cancel due to an emergency. We found out only a few hours before the event, and there was now a 1-hour gap in our schedule we had to fix.”

T - “So, we didn’t have a lot of time, and had to somehow fill up the time slot to keep the event going.”

A - “As one of the main event organizers and community managers at the company, I decided to take initiative. Instead of the guest speaker, I wanted to present our CEO as the speaker instead - which was definitely a possibility because he was working behind the scenes as well. I personally spent an hour working with him one-on-one, trying to get him to transform his decade’s worth of experience into a presentation. With 30 minutes to spare, everything was ready to go and all that was left was to present.”

R - “From the one 1 hour gap, the speech lasted about 45 minutes, and for the rest of the 15 minutes we took some questions from the audience. After that, everything continued on track, and most of the audience members loved the presentation.”

5) Have you ever been in a situation when the client was wrong, and you had to correct them? Give me an example.

S - “Yes, that happens every so often. 

I can think of one example which happened during my first job as a recruiter. I had sent out a candidate over to a client and the hiring manager had rejected him based on CV alone. They said that the candidate was too junior of a profile for the position, no experience with X, Y and Z.” 

T - “I went through the resume and my notes several times, and I was 100% sure that this had to have been a mistake on the client’s part - the candidate was an exact match for the job ad they gave me.

So I had to somehow let them know about it without seeming to be telling them how to do their job.”

A - “I contacted my candidate, I got exact and thorough information on his experience with X, Y and Z, wrote it all out in an email and obviously with a very calm and professional tone explained to our client’s hiring manager that my candidate did in fact have experience in all areas pointed out, proven by this and that project, etc. And I kindly asked him to review his application.”

R - “He responded, agreed that the candidate did in fact have the required experience and admitted that it was an error on their end. So, they DID invite the candidate for an interview. Given, he wasn’t chosen for the role, but oh well, at least we gave him a chance.”

6) Tell me about a time you failed. What happened and what did you learn?

S - “During my last job, I was managing the web dev team in charge of setting up an online e-commerce store for one of our clients. In hindsight, I was too ambitious with the project, and over-promised the turnaround rate for the website. I told them we’d be done within 2 months, as it seemed like a very cookie cutter project at the time. However, around 2 weeks into the project, we realized we were off by at least a month, as we would have to hand-code a bunch of stuff that we thought was open source or sold as packaged plugins.”

T - “So, I had to inform them about the issue, give an updated deadline for our team, and fix my mistake.”

A - “After the meeting, they were understanding, but not very happy. I then assembled our web developers and started working hard on the project the very next day. We focused 100% of our time on fixing the issue, outsourced some of the small tasks to save time, and ended up fixing everything before the new deadline.”

R - “In the end, their site was a success and I learned a valuable lesson on managing expectations. I realized that sometimes it’s better to under-promise and over-deliver, and learned how to better set and manage deadlines for my team.”

7) How do you handle angry customers? Give me an example.

S - “I always try to be calm and collected. Recently, when I was serving a customer behind the checkout, I had a customer shout at me for not being eligible for a refund. The customer was getting louder and there was a large line starting to form behind him.”

T - “I had to remain calm, move the conflict somewhere else, and make sure the other customers could go about their purchases.”

A - “I realized the best thing to do was to move the situation away from the cash register. I asked my colleague to take over for me so that I could talk to the customer one-on-one and better explain the situation. I explained that I could understand his frustration, but I made it clear that sales items were non-refundable, even though he had a receipt.”

R - “In the end, he began to calm down and accepted my explanation. While he still wasn’t happy about it, I managed to dissolve the situation before he made any more of a scene. I believe that by being calm and empathetic, it’s possible to dissolve most (if not all) such situations.”

8) Can you tell me about a time when you went above and beyond to deliver excellent customer experience?

S - “When I was working at Company X, we were preparing for a video presentation for a client when I learned that someone on their team was deaf. The presentation was due the next day in the morning and I was the only one left in the office after 5PM.”

T - “I realized there was only one solution and that was for me to stay behind in the evening and add the captions myself.”

A - “It took a few hours, and around 8PM, I was done. Then, I let our team know about the update.”

R - “In the end, the client enjoyed the presentation. They were very impressed (and surprised) by our attention to detail, and we ended up closing them soon after.”

9) Can you give me an example of a goal you set, but couldn’t meet? How did you handle it?

S - “In my previous job, one month, we decided to focus most of our marketing efforts on growing our blog. I was charged by the CMO to take over the blog and create content. The issue was, I had ZERO experience with content, but we didn’t have anyone else to own the channel.”

T - “I had to write 5 total articles in that month, create the social media posts for them, and work on promoting them.”

A - “Halfway through the month, I realized I couldn’t write. At all. It just wasn’t my thing, and I had NOTHING to show for the month’s work. So, here’s what I did: I explained the situation to the CMO, and we came up with an alternative solution. We’d find outsourced content writers on UpWork, and I’d manage them as a content strategist.”

R - “Overall, we ended up hiring a content writer, who managed to pump out the 4 articles before the deadline. I worked hand-in-hand with them to ensure that their writing was on-brand, and I also created the social posts for them and promoted them. Overall, the articles performed pretty well, even landing us a handful of new leads.”

Key Takeaways

Yes, interviews can be quite scary. 

With the STAR method, though, you’ll stand a much better chance at acing them!

Now, let’s recap everything we’ve learned:

• To answer behavioral job interview questions, you need to give real-life examples and stories. To answer it right, you need to follow the STAR method.
• As a reminder, the acronym stands for: S - Situation, T - Task, A - Action, R - Results.
• The format is quite straightforward to follow. Just make sure your answers are relevant, give proper context , describe your thought process , and finally, include real facts and figures .
• And for sample answers, you can always consult with the examples above for some inspiration.

Are you looking for more ways to prepare for and to ace the job interview? Then you should look no further than the Novorésumé career blog for the latest career advice and other actionable guides!

Recommended reading:

• Thank You Email After Interview - 2024 Guide & Examples
• 26+ Biggest Interview Mistakes (To Avoid in 2024)
• Why Should We Hire You - 10+ Best Answers
• Best Resume Formats for 2024 [3+ Professional Templates]
• 19+ STAR Interview Questions - Complete List

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Chapter 11. Interviewing

Introduction.

Interviewing people is at the heart of qualitative research. It is not merely a way to collect data but an intrinsically rewarding activity—an interaction between two people that holds the potential for greater understanding and interpersonal development. Unlike many of our daily interactions with others that are fairly shallow and mundane, sitting down with a person for an hour or two and really listening to what they have to say is a profound and deep enterprise, one that can provide not only “data” for you, the interviewer, but also self-understanding and a feeling of being heard for the interviewee. I always approach interviewing with a deep appreciation for the opportunity it gives me to understand how other people experience the world. That said, there is not one kind of interview but many, and some of these are shallower than others. This chapter will provide you with an overview of interview techniques but with a special focus on the in-depth semistructured interview guide approach, which is the approach most widely used in social science research.

An interview can be variously defined as “a conversation with a purpose” ( Lune and Berg 2018 ) and an attempt to understand the world from the point of view of the person being interviewed: “to unfold the meaning of peoples’ experiences, to uncover their lived world prior to scientific explanations” ( Kvale 2007 ). It is a form of active listening in which the interviewer steers the conversation to subjects and topics of interest to their research but also manages to leave enough space for those interviewed to say surprising things. Achieving that balance is a tricky thing, which is why most practitioners believe interviewing is both an art and a science. In my experience as a teacher, there are some students who are “natural” interviewers (often they are introverts), but anyone can learn to conduct interviews, and everyone, even those of us who have been doing this for years, can improve their interviewing skills. This might be a good time to highlight the fact that the interview is a product between interviewer and interviewee and that this product is only as good as the rapport established between the two participants. Active listening is the key to establishing this necessary rapport.

Patton ( 2002 ) makes the argument that we use interviews because there are certain things that are not observable. In particular, “we cannot observe feelings, thoughts, and intentions. We cannot observe behaviors that took place at some previous point in time. We cannot observe situations that preclude the presence of an observer. We cannot observe how people have organized the world and the meanings they attach to what goes on in the world. We have to ask people questions about those things” ( 341 ).

Types of Interviews

There are several distinct types of interviews. Imagine a continuum (figure 11.1). On one side are unstructured conversations—the kind you have with your friends. No one is in control of those conversations, and what you talk about is often random—whatever pops into your head. There is no secret, underlying purpose to your talking—if anything, the purpose is to talk to and engage with each other, and the words you use and the things you talk about are a little beside the point. An unstructured interview is a little like this informal conversation, except that one of the parties to the conversation (you, the researcher) does have an underlying purpose, and that is to understand the other person. You are not friends speaking for no purpose, but it might feel just as unstructured to the “interviewee” in this scenario. That is one side of the continuum. On the other side are fully structured and standardized survey-type questions asked face-to-face. Here it is very clear who is asking the questions and who is answering them. This doesn’t feel like a conversation at all! A lot of people new to interviewing have this ( erroneously !) in mind when they think about interviews as data collection. Somewhere in the middle of these two extreme cases is the “ semistructured” interview , in which the researcher uses an “interview guide” to gently move the conversation to certain topics and issues. This is the primary form of interviewing for qualitative social scientists and will be what I refer to as interviewing for the rest of this chapter, unless otherwise specified.

Informal (unstructured conversations). This is the most “open-ended” approach to interviewing. It is particularly useful in conjunction with observational methods (see chapters 13 and 14). There are no predetermined questions. Each interview will be different. Imagine you are researching the Oregon Country Fair, an annual event in Veneta, Oregon, that includes live music, artisan craft booths, face painting, and a lot of people walking through forest paths. It’s unlikely that you will be able to get a person to sit down with you and talk intensely about a set of questions for an hour and a half. But you might be able to sidle up to several people and engage with them about their experiences at the fair. You might have a general interest in what attracts people to these events, so you could start a conversation by asking strangers why they are here or why they come back every year. That’s it. Then you have a conversation that may lead you anywhere. Maybe one person tells a long story about how their parents brought them here when they were a kid. A second person talks about how this is better than Burning Man. A third person shares their favorite traveling band. And yet another enthuses about the public library in the woods. During your conversations, you also talk about a lot of other things—the weather, the utilikilts for sale, the fact that a favorite food booth has disappeared. It’s all good. You may not be able to record these conversations. Instead, you might jot down notes on the spot and then, when you have the time, write down as much as you can remember about the conversations in long fieldnotes. Later, you will have to sit down with these fieldnotes and try to make sense of all the information (see chapters 18 and 19).

Interview guide ( semistructured interview ). This is the primary type employed by social science qualitative researchers. The researcher creates an “interview guide” in advance, which she uses in every interview. In theory, every person interviewed is asked the same questions. In practice, every person interviewed is asked mostly the same topics but not always the same questions, as the whole point of a “guide” is that it guides the direction of the conversation but does not command it. The guide is typically between five and ten questions or question areas, sometimes with suggested follow-ups or prompts . For example, one question might be “What was it like growing up in Eastern Oregon?” with prompts such as “Did you live in a rural area? What kind of high school did you attend?” to help the conversation develop. These interviews generally take place in a quiet place (not a busy walkway during a festival) and are recorded. The recordings are transcribed, and those transcriptions then become the “data” that is analyzed (see chapters 18 and 19). The conventional length of one of these types of interviews is between one hour and two hours, optimally ninety minutes. Less than one hour doesn’t allow for much development of questions and thoughts, and two hours (or more) is a lot of time to ask someone to sit still and answer questions. If you have a lot of ground to cover, and the person is willing, I highly recommend two separate interview sessions, with the second session being slightly shorter than the first (e.g., ninety minutes the first day, sixty minutes the second). There are lots of good reasons for this, but the most compelling one is that this allows you to listen to the first day’s recording and catch anything interesting you might have missed in the moment and so develop follow-up questions that can probe further. This also allows the person being interviewed to have some time to think about the issues raised in the interview and go a little deeper with their answers.

Standardized questionnaire with open responses ( structured interview ). This is the type of interview a lot of people have in mind when they hear “interview”: a researcher comes to your door with a clipboard and proceeds to ask you a series of questions. These questions are all the same whoever answers the door; they are “standardized.” Both the wording and the exact order are important, as people’s responses may vary depending on how and when a question is asked. These are qualitative only in that the questions allow for “open-ended responses”: people can say whatever they want rather than select from a predetermined menu of responses. For example, a survey I collaborated on included this open-ended response question: “How does class affect one’s career success in sociology?” Some of the answers were simply one word long (e.g., “debt”), and others were long statements with stories and personal anecdotes. It is possible to be surprised by the responses. Although it’s a stretch to call this kind of questioning a conversation, it does allow the person answering the question some degree of freedom in how they answer.

Survey questionnaire with closed responses (not an interview!). Standardized survey questions with specific answer options (e.g., closed responses) are not really interviews at all, and they do not generate qualitative data. For example, if we included five options for the question “How does class affect one’s career success in sociology?”—(1) debt, (2) social networks, (3) alienation, (4) family doesn’t understand, (5) type of grad program—we leave no room for surprises at all. Instead, we would most likely look at patterns around these responses, thinking quantitatively rather than qualitatively (e.g., using regression analysis techniques, we might find that working-class sociologists were twice as likely to bring up alienation). It can sometimes be confusing for new students because the very same survey can include both closed-ended and open-ended questions. The key is to think about how these will be analyzed and to what level surprises are possible. If your plan is to turn all responses into a number and make predictions about correlations and relationships, you are no longer conducting qualitative research. This is true even if you are conducting this survey face-to-face with a real live human. Closed-response questions are not conversations of any kind, purposeful or not.

In summary, the semistructured interview guide approach is the predominant form of interviewing for social science qualitative researchers because it allows a high degree of freedom of responses from those interviewed (thus allowing for novel discoveries) while still maintaining some connection to a research question area or topic of interest. The rest of the chapter assumes the employment of this form.

Creating an Interview Guide

Your interview guide is the instrument used to bridge your research question(s) and what the people you are interviewing want to tell you. Unlike a standardized questionnaire, the questions actually asked do not need to be exactly what you have written down in your guide. The guide is meant to create space for those you are interviewing to talk about the phenomenon of interest, but sometimes you are not even sure what that phenomenon is until you start asking questions. A priority in creating an interview guide is to ensure it offers space. One of the worst mistakes is to create questions that are so specific that the person answering them will not stray. Relatedly, questions that sound “academic” will shut down a lot of respondents. A good interview guide invites respondents to talk about what is important to them, not feel like they are performing or being evaluated by you.

Good interview questions should not sound like your “research question” at all. For example, let’s say your research question is “How do patriarchal assumptions influence men’s understanding of climate change and responses to climate change?” It would be worse than unhelpful to ask a respondent, “How do your assumptions about the role of men affect your understanding of climate change?” You need to unpack this into manageable nuggets that pull your respondent into the area of interest without leading him anywhere. You could start by asking him what he thinks about climate change in general. Or, even better, whether he has any concerns about heatwaves or increased tornadoes or polar icecaps melting. Once he starts talking about that, you can ask follow-up questions that bring in issues around gendered roles, perhaps asking if he is married (to a woman) and whether his wife shares his thoughts and, if not, how they negotiate that difference. The fact is, you won’t really know the right questions to ask until he starts talking.

There are several distinct types of questions that can be used in your interview guide, either as main questions or as follow-up probes. If you remember that the point is to leave space for the respondent, you will craft a much more effective interview guide! You will also want to think about the place of time in both the questions themselves (past, present, future orientations) and the sequencing of the questions.

Researcher Note

Suggestion : As you read the next three sections (types of questions, temporality, question sequence), have in mind a particular research question, and try to draft questions and sequence them in a way that opens space for a discussion that helps you answer your research question.

Type of Questions

Experience and behavior questions ask about what a respondent does regularly (their behavior) or has done (their experience). These are relatively easy questions for people to answer because they appear more “factual” and less subjective. This makes them good opening questions. For the study on climate change above, you might ask, “Have you ever experienced an unusual weather event? What happened?” Or “You said you work outside? What is a typical summer workday like for you? How do you protect yourself from the heat?”

Opinion and values questions , in contrast, ask questions that get inside the minds of those you are interviewing. “Do you think climate change is real? Who or what is responsible for it?” are two such questions. Note that you don’t have to literally ask, “What is your opinion of X?” but you can find a way to ask the specific question relevant to the conversation you are having. These questions are a bit trickier to ask because the answers you get may depend in part on how your respondent perceives you and whether they want to please you or not. We’ve talked a fair amount about being reflective. Here is another place where this comes into play. You need to be aware of the effect your presence might have on the answers you are receiving and adjust accordingly. If you are a woman who is perceived as liberal asking a man who identifies as conservative about climate change, there is a lot of subtext that can be going on in the interview. There is no one right way to resolve this, but you must at least be aware of it.

Feeling questions are questions that ask respondents to draw on their emotional responses. It’s pretty common for academic researchers to forget that we have bodies and emotions, but people’s understandings of the world often operate at this affective level, sometimes unconsciously or barely consciously. It is a good idea to include questions that leave space for respondents to remember, imagine, or relive emotional responses to particular phenomena. “What was it like when you heard your cousin’s house burned down in that wildfire?” doesn’t explicitly use any emotion words, but it allows your respondent to remember what was probably a pretty emotional day. And if they respond emotionally neutral, that is pretty interesting data too. Note that asking someone “How do you feel about X” is not always going to evoke an emotional response, as they might simply turn around and respond with “I think that…” It is better to craft a question that actually pushes the respondent into the affective category. This might be a specific follow-up to an experience and behavior question —for example, “You just told me about your daily routine during the summer heat. Do you worry it is going to get worse?” or “Have you ever been afraid it will be too hot to get your work accomplished?”

Knowledge questions ask respondents what they actually know about something factual. We have to be careful when we ask these types of questions so that respondents do not feel like we are evaluating them (which would shut them down), but, for example, it is helpful to know when you are having a conversation about climate change that your respondent does in fact know that unusual weather events have increased and that these have been attributed to climate change! Asking these questions can set the stage for deeper questions and can ensure that the conversation makes the same kind of sense to both participants. For example, a conversation about political polarization can be put back on track once you realize that the respondent doesn’t really have a clear understanding that there are two parties in the US. Instead of asking a series of questions about Republicans and Democrats, you might shift your questions to talk more generally about political disagreements (e.g., “people against abortion”). And sometimes what you do want to know is the level of knowledge about a particular program or event (e.g., “Are you aware you can discharge your student loans through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program?”).

Sensory questions call on all senses of the respondent to capture deeper responses. These are particularly helpful in sparking memory. “Think back to your childhood in Eastern Oregon. Describe the smells, the sounds…” Or you could use these questions to help a person access the full experience of a setting they customarily inhabit: “When you walk through the doors to your office building, what do you see? Hear? Smell?” As with feeling questions , these questions often supplement experience and behavior questions . They are another way of allowing your respondent to report fully and deeply rather than remain on the surface.

Creative questions employ illustrative examples, suggested scenarios, or simulations to get respondents to think more deeply about an issue, topic, or experience. There are many options here. In The Trouble with Passion , Erin Cech ( 2021 ) provides a scenario in which “Joe” is trying to decide whether to stay at his decent but boring computer job or follow his passion by opening a restaurant. She asks respondents, “What should Joe do?” Their answers illuminate the attraction of “passion” in job selection. In my own work, I have used a news story about an upwardly mobile young man who no longer has time to see his mother and sisters to probe respondents’ feelings about the costs of social mobility. Jessi Streib and Betsy Leondar-Wright have used single-page cartoon “scenes” to elicit evaluations of potential racial discrimination, sexual harassment, and classism. Barbara Sutton ( 2010 ) has employed lists of words (“strong,” “mother,” “victim”) on notecards she fans out and asks her female respondents to select and discuss.

Background/Demographic Questions

You most definitely will want to know more about the person you are interviewing in terms of conventional demographic information, such as age, race, gender identity, occupation, and educational attainment. These are not questions that normally open up inquiry. [1] For this reason, my practice has been to include a separate “demographic questionnaire” sheet that I ask each respondent to fill out at the conclusion of the interview. Only include those aspects that are relevant to your study. For example, if you are not exploring religion or religious affiliation, do not include questions about a person’s religion on the demographic sheet. See the example provided at the end of this chapter.

Temporality

Any type of question can have a past, present, or future orientation. For example, if you are asking a behavior question about workplace routine, you might ask the respondent to talk about past work, present work, and ideal (future) work. Similarly, if you want to understand how people cope with natural disasters, you might ask your respondent how they felt then during the wildfire and now in retrospect and whether and to what extent they have concerns for future wildfire disasters. It’s a relatively simple suggestion—don’t forget to ask about past, present, and future—but it can have a big impact on the quality of the responses you receive.

Question Sequence

Having a list of good questions or good question areas is not enough to make a good interview guide. You will want to pay attention to the order in which you ask your questions. Even though any one respondent can derail this order (perhaps by jumping to answer a question you haven’t yet asked), a good advance plan is always helpful. When thinking about sequence, remember that your goal is to get your respondent to open up to you and to say things that might surprise you. To establish rapport, it is best to start with nonthreatening questions. Asking about the present is often the safest place to begin, followed by the past (they have to know you a little bit to get there), and lastly, the future (talking about hopes and fears requires the most rapport). To allow for surprises, it is best to move from very general questions to more particular questions only later in the interview. This ensures that respondents have the freedom to bring up the topics that are relevant to them rather than feel like they are constrained to answer you narrowly. For example, refrain from asking about particular emotions until these have come up previously—don’t lead with them. Often, your more particular questions will emerge only during the course of the interview, tailored to what is emerging in conversation.

Once you have a set of questions, read through them aloud and imagine you are being asked the same questions. Does the set of questions have a natural flow? Would you be willing to answer the very first question to a total stranger? Does your sequence establish facts and experiences before moving on to opinions and values? Did you include prefatory statements, where necessary; transitions; and other announcements? These can be as simple as “Hey, we talked a lot about your experiences as a barista while in college.… Now I am turning to something completely different: how you managed friendships in college.” That is an abrupt transition, but it has been softened by your acknowledgment of that.

Probes and Flexibility

Once you have the interview guide, you will also want to leave room for probes and follow-up questions. As in the sample probe included here, you can write out the obvious probes and follow-up questions in advance. You might not need them, as your respondent might anticipate them and include full responses to the original question. Or you might need to tailor them to how your respondent answered the question. Some common probes and follow-up questions include asking for more details (When did that happen? Who else was there?), asking for elaboration (Could you say more about that?), asking for clarification (Does that mean what I think it means or something else? I understand what you mean, but someone else reading the transcript might not), and asking for contrast or comparison (How did this experience compare with last year’s event?). “Probing is a skill that comes from knowing what to look for in the interview, listening carefully to what is being said and what is not said, and being sensitive to the feedback needs of the person being interviewed” ( Patton 2002:374 ). It takes work! And energy. I and many other interviewers I know report feeling emotionally and even physically drained after conducting an interview. You are tasked with active listening and rearranging your interview guide as needed on the fly. If you only ask the questions written down in your interview guide with no deviations, you are doing it wrong. [2]

The Final Question

Every interview guide should include a very open-ended final question that allows for the respondent to say whatever it is they have been dying to tell you but you’ve forgotten to ask. About half the time they are tired too and will tell you they have nothing else to say. But incredibly, some of the most honest and complete responses take place here, at the end of a long interview. You have to realize that the person being interviewed is often discovering things about themselves as they talk to you and that this process of discovery can lead to new insights for them. Making space at the end is therefore crucial. Be sure you convey that you actually do want them to tell you more, that the offer of “anything else?” is not read as an empty convention where the polite response is no. Here is where you can pull from that active listening and tailor the final question to the particular person. For example, “I’ve asked you a lot of questions about what it was like to live through that wildfire. I’m wondering if there is anything I’ve forgotten to ask, especially because I haven’t had that experience myself” is a much more inviting final question than “Great. Anything you want to add?” It’s also helpful to convey to the person that you have the time to listen to their full answer, even if the allotted time is at the end. After all, there are no more questions to ask, so the respondent knows exactly how much time is left. Do them the courtesy of listening to them!

Conducting the Interview

Once you have your interview guide, you are on your way to conducting your first interview. I always practice my interview guide with a friend or family member. I do this even when the questions don’t make perfect sense for them, as it still helps me realize which questions make no sense, are poorly worded (too academic), or don’t follow sequentially. I also practice the routine I will use for interviewing, which goes something like this:

• Introduce myself and reintroduce the study
• Provide consent form and ask them to sign and retain/return copy
• Ask if they have any questions about the study before we begin
• Ask if I can begin recording
• Ask questions (from interview guide)
• Turn off the recording device
• Ask if they are willing to fill out my demographic questionnaire
• Collect questionnaire and, without looking at the answers, place in same folder as signed consent form
• Thank them and depart

A note on remote interviewing: Interviews have traditionally been conducted face-to-face in a private or quiet public setting. You don’t want a lot of background noise, as this will make transcriptions difficult. During the recent global pandemic, many interviewers, myself included, learned the benefits of interviewing remotely. Although face-to-face is still preferable for many reasons, Zoom interviewing is not a bad alternative, and it does allow more interviews across great distances. Zoom also includes automatic transcription, which significantly cuts down on the time it normally takes to convert our conversations into “data” to be analyzed. These automatic transcriptions are not perfect, however, and you will still need to listen to the recording and clarify and clean up the transcription. Nor do automatic transcriptions include notations of body language or change of tone, which you may want to include. When interviewing remotely, you will want to collect the consent form before you meet: ask them to read, sign, and return it as an email attachment. I think it is better to ask for the demographic questionnaire after the interview, but because some respondents may never return it then, it is probably best to ask for this at the same time as the consent form, in advance of the interview.

What should you bring to the interview? I would recommend bringing two copies of the consent form (one for you and one for the respondent), a demographic questionnaire, a manila folder in which to place the signed consent form and filled-out demographic questionnaire, a printed copy of your interview guide (I print with three-inch right margins so I can jot down notes on the page next to relevant questions), a pen, a recording device, and water.

After the interview, you will want to secure the signed consent form in a locked filing cabinet (if in print) or a password-protected folder on your computer. Using Excel or a similar program that allows tables/spreadsheets, create an identifying number for your interview that links to the consent form without using the name of your respondent. For example, let’s say that I conduct interviews with US politicians, and the first person I meet with is George W. Bush. I will assign the transcription the number “INT#001” and add it to the signed consent form. [3] The signed consent form goes into a locked filing cabinet, and I never use the name “George W. Bush” again. I take the information from the demographic sheet, open my Excel spreadsheet, and add the relevant information in separate columns for the row INT#001: White, male, Republican. When I interview Bill Clinton as my second interview, I include a second row: INT#002: White, male, Democrat. And so on. The only link to the actual name of the respondent and this information is the fact that the consent form (unavailable to anyone but me) has stamped on it the interview number.

Many students get very nervous before their first interview. Actually, many of us are always nervous before the interview! But do not worry—this is normal, and it does pass. Chances are, you will be pleasantly surprised at how comfortable it begins to feel. These “purposeful conversations” are often a delight for both participants. This is not to say that sometimes things go wrong. I often have my students practice several “bad scenarios” (e.g., a respondent that you cannot get to open up; a respondent who is too talkative and dominates the conversation, steering it away from the topics you are interested in; emotions that completely take over; or shocking disclosures you are ill-prepared to handle), but most of the time, things go quite well. Be prepared for the unexpected, but know that the reason interviews are so popular as a technique of data collection is that they are usually richly rewarding for both participants.

One thing that I stress to my methods students and remind myself about is that interviews are still conversations between people. If there’s something you might feel uncomfortable asking someone about in a “normal” conversation, you will likely also feel a bit of discomfort asking it in an interview. Maybe more importantly, your respondent may feel uncomfortable. Social research—especially about inequality—can be uncomfortable. And it’s easy to slip into an abstract, intellectualized, or removed perspective as an interviewer. This is one reason trying out interview questions is important. Another is that sometimes the question sounds good in your head but doesn’t work as well out loud in practice. I learned this the hard way when a respondent asked me how I would answer the question I had just posed, and I realized that not only did I not really know how I would answer it, but I also wasn’t quite as sure I knew what I was asking as I had thought.

—Elizabeth M. Lee, Associate Professor of Sociology at Saint Joseph’s University, author of Class and Campus Life , and co-author of Geographies of Campus Inequality

How Many Interviews?

Your research design has included a targeted number of interviews and a recruitment plan (see chapter 5). Follow your plan, but remember that “ saturation ” is your goal. You interview as many people as you can until you reach a point at which you are no longer surprised by what they tell you. This means not that no one after your first twenty interviews will have surprising, interesting stories to tell you but rather that the picture you are forming about the phenomenon of interest to you from a research perspective has come into focus, and none of the interviews are substantially refocusing that picture. That is when you should stop collecting interviews. Note that to know when you have reached this, you will need to read your transcripts as you go. More about this in chapters 18 and 19.

Your Final Product: The Ideal Interview Transcript

A good interview transcript will demonstrate a subtly controlled conversation by the skillful interviewer. In general, you want to see replies that are about one paragraph long, not short sentences and not running on for several pages. Although it is sometimes necessary to follow respondents down tangents, it is also often necessary to pull them back to the questions that form the basis of your research study. This is not really a free conversation, although it may feel like that to the person you are interviewing.

Final Tips from an Interview Master

Annette Lareau is arguably one of the masters of the trade. In Listening to People , she provides several guidelines for good interviews and then offers a detailed example of an interview gone wrong and how it could be addressed (please see the “Further Readings” at the end of this chapter). Here is an abbreviated version of her set of guidelines: (1) interview respondents who are experts on the subjects of most interest to you (as a corollary, don’t ask people about things they don’t know); (2) listen carefully and talk as little as possible; (3) keep in mind what you want to know and why you want to know it; (4) be a proactive interviewer (subtly guide the conversation); (5) assure respondents that there aren’t any right or wrong answers; (6) use the respondent’s own words to probe further (this both allows you to accurately identify what you heard and pushes the respondent to explain further); (7) reuse effective probes (don’t reinvent the wheel as you go—if repeating the words back works, do it again and again); (8) focus on learning the subjective meanings that events or experiences have for a respondent; (9) don’t be afraid to ask a question that draws on your own knowledge (unlike trial lawyers who are trained never to ask a question for which they don’t already know the answer, sometimes it’s worth it to ask risky questions based on your hypotheses or just plain hunches); (10) keep thinking while you are listening (so difficult…and important); (11) return to a theme raised by a respondent if you want further information; (12) be mindful of power inequalities (and never ever coerce a respondent to continue the interview if they want out); (13) take control with overly talkative respondents; (14) expect overly succinct responses, and develop strategies for probing further; (15) balance digging deep and moving on; (16) develop a plan to deflect questions (e.g., let them know you are happy to answer any questions at the end of the interview, but you don’t want to take time away from them now); and at the end, (17) check to see whether you have asked all your questions. You don’t always have to ask everyone the same set of questions, but if there is a big area you have forgotten to cover, now is the time to recover ( Lareau 2021:93–103 ).

Sample: Demographic Questionnaire

ASA Taskforce on First-Generation and Working-Class Persons in Sociology – Class Effects on Career Success

Supplementary Demographic Questionnaire

Thank you for your participation in this interview project. We would like to collect a few pieces of key demographic information from you to supplement our analyses. Your answers to these questions will be kept confidential and stored by ID number. All of your responses here are entirely voluntary!

What best captures your race/ethnicity? (please check any/all that apply)

• White (Non Hispanic/Latina/o/x)
• Black or African American
• Hispanic, Latino/a/x of Spanish
• Asian or Asian American
• American Indian or Alaska Native
• Middle Eastern or North African
• Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• Other : (Please write in: ________________)

What is your current position?

• Grad Student
• Full Professor

Please check any and all of the following that apply to you:

• I identify as a working-class academic
• I was the first in my family to graduate from college
• I grew up poor

What best reflects your gender?

• Transgender female/Transgender woman
• Transgender male/Transgender man
• Gender queer/ Gender nonconforming

Anything else you would like us to know about you?

Example: Interview Guide

In this example, follow-up prompts are italicized.  Note the sequence of questions.  That second question often elicits an entire life history , answering several later questions in advance.

Introduction Script/Question

Thank you for participating in our survey of ASA members who identify as first-generation or working-class.  As you may have heard, ASA has sponsored a taskforce on first-generation and working-class persons in sociology and we are interested in hearing from those who so identify.  Your participation in this interview will help advance our knowledge in this area.

• The first thing we would like to as you is why you have volunteered to be part of this study? What does it mean to you be first-gen or working class?  Why were you willing to be interviewed?
• How did you decide to become a sociologist?
• Can you tell me a little bit about where you grew up? ( prompts: what did your parent(s) do for a living?  What kind of high school did you attend?)
• Has this identity been salient to your experience? (how? How much?)
• How welcoming was your grad program? Your first academic employer?
• Why did you decide to pursue sociology at the graduate level?
• Did you experience culture shock in college? In graduate school?
• Has your FGWC status shaped how you’ve thought about where you went to school? debt? etc?
• Were you mentored? How did this work (not work)?  How might it?
• What did you consider when deciding where to go to grad school? Where to apply for your first position?
• What, to you, is a mark of career success? Have you achieved that success?  What has helped or hindered your pursuit of success?
• Do you think sociology, as a field, cares about prestige?
• Let’s talk a little bit about intersectionality. How does being first-gen/working class work alongside other identities that are important to you?
• What do your friends and family think about your career? Have you had any difficulty relating to family members or past friends since becoming highly educated?
• Do you have any debt from college/grad school? Are you concerned about this?  Could you explain more about how you paid for college/grad school?  (here, include assistance from family, fellowships, scholarships, etc.)
• (You’ve mentioned issues or obstacles you had because of your background.) What could have helped?  Or, who or what did? Can you think of fortuitous moments in your career?
• Do you have any regrets about the path you took?
• Is there anything else you would like to add? Anything that the Taskforce should take note of, that we did not ask you about here?

Further Readings

Britten, Nicky. 1995. “Qualitative Interviews in Medical Research.” BMJ: British Medical Journal 31(6999):251–253. A good basic overview of interviewing particularly useful for students of public health and medical research generally.

Corbin, Juliet, and Janice M. Morse. 2003. “The Unstructured Interactive Interview: Issues of Reciprocity and Risks When Dealing with Sensitive Topics.” Qualitative Inquiry 9(3):335–354. Weighs the potential benefits and harms of conducting interviews on topics that may cause emotional distress. Argues that the researcher’s skills and code of ethics should ensure that the interviewing process provides more of a benefit to both participant and researcher than a harm to the former.

Gerson, Kathleen, and Sarah Damaske. 2020. The Science and Art of Interviewing . New York: Oxford University Press. A useful guidebook/textbook for both undergraduates and graduate students, written by sociologists.

Kvale, Steiner. 2007. Doing Interviews . London: SAGE. An easy-to-follow guide to conducting and analyzing interviews by psychologists.

Lamont, Michèle, and Ann Swidler. 2014. “Methodological Pluralism and the Possibilities and Limits of Interviewing.” Qualitative Sociology 37(2):153–171. Written as a response to various debates surrounding the relative value of interview-based studies and ethnographic studies defending the particular strengths of interviewing. This is a must-read article for anyone seriously engaging in qualitative research!

Pugh, Allison J. 2013. “What Good Are Interviews for Thinking about Culture? Demystifying Interpretive Analysis.” American Journal of Cultural Sociology 1(1):42–68. Another defense of interviewing written against those who champion ethnographic methods as superior, particularly in the area of studying culture. A classic.

Rapley, Timothy John. 2001. “The ‘Artfulness’ of Open-Ended Interviewing: Some considerations in analyzing interviews.” Qualitative Research 1(3):303–323. Argues for the importance of “local context” of data production (the relationship built between interviewer and interviewee, for example) in properly analyzing interview data.

Weiss, Robert S. 1995. Learning from Strangers: The Art and Method of Qualitative Interview Studies . New York: Simon and Schuster. A classic and well-regarded textbook on interviewing. Because Weiss has extensive experience conducting surveys, he contrasts the qualitative interview with the survey questionnaire well; particularly useful for those trained in the latter.

• I say “normally” because how people understand their various identities can itself be an expansive topic of inquiry. Here, I am merely talking about collecting otherwise unexamined demographic data, similar to how we ask people to check boxes on surveys. ↵
• Again, this applies to “semistructured in-depth interviewing.” When conducting standardized questionnaires, you will want to ask each question exactly as written, without deviations! ↵
• I always include “INT” in the number because I sometimes have other kinds of data with their own numbering: FG#001 would mean the first focus group, for example. I also always include three-digit spaces, as this allows for up to 999 interviews (or, more realistically, allows for me to interview up to one hundred persons without having to reset my numbering system). ↵

A method of data collection in which the researcher asks the participant questions; the answers to these questions are often recorded and transcribed verbatim. There are many different kinds of interviews - see also semistructured interview , structured interview , and unstructured interview .

A document listing key questions and question areas for use during an interview.  It is used most often for semi-structured interviews.  A good interview guide may have no more than ten primary questions for two hours of interviewing, but these ten questions will be supplemented by probes and relevant follow-ups throughout the interview.  Most IRBs require the inclusion of the interview guide in applications for review.  See also interview and  semi-structured interview .

A data-collection method that relies on casual, conversational, and informal interviewing.  Despite its apparent conversational nature, the researcher usually has a set of particular questions or question areas in mind but allows the interview to unfold spontaneously.  This is a common data-collection technique among ethnographers.  Compare to the semi-structured or in-depth interview .

A form of interview that follows a standard guide of questions asked, although the order of the questions may change to match the particular needs of each individual interview subject, and probing “follow-up” questions are often added during the course of the interview.  The semi-structured interview is the primary form of interviewing used by qualitative researchers in the social sciences.  It is sometimes referred to as an “in-depth” interview.  See also interview and  interview guide .

The cluster of data-collection tools and techniques that involve observing interactions between people, the behaviors, and practices of individuals (sometimes in contrast to what they say about how they act and behave), and cultures in context.  Observational methods are the key tools employed by ethnographers and Grounded Theory .

Follow-up questions used in a semi-structured interview  to elicit further elaboration.  Suggested prompts can be included in the interview guide  to be used/deployed depending on how the initial question was answered or if the topic of the prompt does not emerge spontaneously.

A form of interview that follows a strict set of questions, asked in a particular order, for all interview subjects.  The questions are also the kind that elicits short answers, and the data is more “informative” than probing.  This is often used in mixed-methods studies, accompanying a survey instrument.  Because there is no room for nuance or the exploration of meaning in structured interviews, qualitative researchers tend to employ semi-structured interviews instead.  See also interview.

The point at which you can conclude data collection because every person you are interviewing, the interaction you are observing, or content you are analyzing merely confirms what you have already noted.  Achieving saturation is often used as the justification for the final sample size.

An interview variant in which a person’s life story is elicited in a narrative form.  Turning points and key themes are established by the researcher and used as data points for further analysis.

Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods Copyright © 2023 by Allison Hurst is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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How to Write an Interview Essay

Last Updated: March 11, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Diane Stubbs . Diane Stubbs is a Secondary English Teacher with over 22 years of experience teaching all high school grade levels and AP courses. She specializes in secondary education, classroom management, and educational technology. Diane earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Delaware and a Master of Education from Wesley College. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 465,160 times.

An interview essay is designed to give the reader a general impression of the interview subject and to present their thoughts on a select group of topics. It also offers the opportunity to develop deeper insights by analyzing the interviewee's responses within a larger context. Interview essays are a common school assignment, and provide useful skills for those interested in journalism, or just being good writers in general. There are several formats that fit into the category, but a good interview essay of whatever type can make the reader feel as though they were asking the questions.

Interviewing for an Essay

• If your essay is to be a factual piece, you'll want to interview someone who has expertise in the subject matter you'll be addressing. If your paper is about a science topic, you'll want to interview a scientist in that field. If your paper is about a period of history, you'll want to interview either a historian or someone who's lived through that period of history.
• If you plan to make your essay an opinion piece, you'll likely want to interview someone who has a strong opinion about the topic covered in your essay. Ideally, you want someone who can express opinions articulately, and who also has credentials in the area you plan to write about.
• If your piece will have a narrow perspective, you'll need to interview only one or two people. If your piece will present a general consensus, you'll need to interview more people, probably with varying expertise and credentials.

• When available, read works about and works written by your subject, both in print and online. At the same time, research the topic associated with your subject. The more you know about both, the more intelligent questions you can ask.
• Look for previous interviews your subject has given, as well. These will give you an idea of what questions the person has been asked before, so you can decide on appropriate subjects for your own questions, including questions that no one else has asked.
• Questions that require "yes" or "no" answers are good for gathering specific factual information; open-ended "how," "why," and "tell me about" questions are great for gathering additional background material not found in your research.
• Draw up a list of the questions you are prepared to ask. Have more questions ready than you will likely use, so that you can make adjustments as the interview takes place. (For instance, your subject may begin focusing on what you thought was a side topic, but turns out to be the key part of your interview.) Rank your questions in order of importance to make sure you ask your best ones, or list them all in the order you'd ask them and color-code the most important ones.

• Choose a quiet place with few distractions for your interview site. A library, restaurant, or campus location if you're doing this for a college writing class would be suitable.
• You may want to get the interviewee's consent to use their comments in your essay in writing, as well as permission to record those comments during the interview. By law, if you are recording an interview conducted over the phone, you must obtain written permission. [4] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source
• It's helpful to have a backup interviewee in case the person you plan to interview can't make it.
• Be on time at the place you've agreed to meet for the interview.

• Using a recording device (with permission) is almost always advisable, as it permits you to save your note-taking for jotting down your insights on contexts, themes, how your subject approaches the questions, his/her comfort level, and so on.
• Be patient and respectful as you ask your questions and wait for responses. Give the interviewee time to reflect, and you will likely be rewarded with more insightful answers. A few deeper responses are usually better than many superficial ones.
• Immediately after the interview, write down your thoughts and impressions about the interview and interviewee. They may help you shape the essay.
• Always end the interview by thanking the person.

Writing the Essay

• Narrative format. This form allows paraphrasing of some information the interviewee says, along with direct quotes for the material you most want to emphasize. This is the most likely format for a class assignment, and offers the most opportunity to add context and analysis.
• Conversational format. This is a looser format than the formal writing style required for most essays. You can address the reader directly and use both first and second person. This format can be suitable for anything from class assignments to magazine articles.
• Question-and-answer format. This form presents your questions to the interviewee, followed by the interviewee's responses. (That is, the text looks something like this: (Your Name): How long have you been in the circus? (Interviewee's Name): About 35 years.) These are always direct quotes, although you may insert explanatory material in parentheses and substitutions, such as a person's name in place of a personal pronoun, in brackets. This format is best suited for essays with only a single interviewee or a closely related group, such as spouses or the core cast of a TV show.
• Informative format. This format usually interweaves the interview with research you've done on the subject, incorporating some of that research in the text to provide background and give it a little more color.

• Read over your interview notes and listen to any audio / video recordings you have. Utilizing both whenever available will allow you to thoroughly consider both the highlights of the interview and the most significant themes to emerge from it. These, in turn, will inform your outline of what information your essay will cover and how it will appear. [9] X Research source
• One possible outline could be an introduction that starts with an anecdote about the interviewee and then presents your thesis statement, several key points that support the main focus, and a conclusion that summarizes the information presented. Traditional school essays often utilize a five paragraph format (introduction, three supporting paragraphs, conclusion), and this can often work with interview essays as well.

• If, however, the purpose of your essay is to use your interviewee's comments to support a position or examine a larger theme, your thesis will probably be a statement of that position or theme, with the interview / interviewee placed within that context. For instance: "John Doe's mixed feelings of pride and betrayal reflect those shared by many Vietnam veterans still with us."
• Regardless of essay format, make your thesis clear and concise, and be sure that the remainder of your essay refers back to it. See How to Write a Thesis Statement for more advice.

• Interviews can sometimes produce a good deal of repetitive answers (even with high-quality questions), so you may need to trim repetitions and unnecessary elements from the body of your essay. Make sure that whatever material you do keep remains true to both the spirit of the interview and the overarching focus of your essay. [10] X Research source
• A handout from the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina (available at http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/oral-history/ ) provides a wealth of valuable materials on interview essays. It includes, for instance, examples of how to utilize the same interview materials in a transcription (question-and-answer format), a presentation of individual experiences (quotations and paraphrases), and the placing of the interview / interviewee in a larger context (paraphrasing and quotations with ample explanation).

• Reading over the essay yourself is a good start, but it is always wise to have another set of eyes look it over as well. Another reader is likely to catch errors, repetitions, and unclear sections that you have glossed over. [12] X Research source
• Go back to your original interview notes, recordings, and transcripts, and make sure that your essay continues to reflect the actual interview. Layers of editing and revising can sometimes cause the essay to drift away from the original source and intent. You may even want to let the interviewee read it over to ensure that it captures their voice. [13] X Research source

• Any materials you used for research, information about the interviewee, or context for the essay itself should be referenced in the approved citation format for your essay.
• Make sure one more time that any direct quotations from your source are placed in quotation marks, and any paraphrasing is done without quotation marks. Don't put words in your subject's mouth, and respect the words that do emerge from it.

What Are The Dos And Don’ts Of a Journalistic Interview?

Expert Q&A

• After the interview, send the interviewee a written thank-you note expressing your appreciation for their time. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If the person you're interviewing is busy or elderly, you may want to plan for more than one interview session. Observe the interviewee for signs of impatience or fatigue. Conduct multiple, shorter sessions if necessary. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• If you plan to interview someone over the telephone, permission to record the conversation is required by law. Thanks Helpful 15 Not Helpful 3

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• ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/oral-history/
• ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/interview-paper
• ↑ http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/2007/maine_students/tip_sheets/FIRST-PERSON%20ESSAYS%20TIP%20SHEET.pdf
• ↑ http://www.brighthubeducation.com/help-with-writing/97515-how-to-write-an-interview-essay/
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/proofreading/proofreading_suggestions.html

About This Article

To write an essay from an interview, you’ll first have to decide on the format the essay will take, as this will determine the structure and what you write. The most common form is the narrative format, in which you use direct quotes and paraphrase your subject to add context and detail, or you can write in a more conversational tone, or even in a directly transcribed question-and-answer form. Once you decide on format, plan an outline by forming a central thesis, which will be the central statement your essay is making. Add onto the outline by drafting supporting evidence directly from the interview and from other sources, like books, newspaper articles, other essays, anything else to support your point. Write and finish the essay by combining information from the interview and other sources with your own explanations and words. To learn about how to conduct the interview to get enough information to write about and how to finish the writing process, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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How to Write an Interview Essay: Complete Guide

College and high school teachers often assign interview papers to test their learners’ planning, paraphrasing, and critical thinking skills. So, besides drafting a well-substantiated and information-packed piece, students must also organize and conduct an interviewing process.

Hence, this assignment is far from straightforward. Quite the contrary, it requires substantial pre-work before the actual meeting. Moreover, the task further complicates if you include several subjects or elaborate on a compelling theme.

What if you can’t meet an ideal candidate to elaborate on your topic? How to pose questions that reveal valuable information and present your findings on paper? How to write an interview essay introduction with attention-grabbing ideas that bring up current dilemmas or resolve an issue? There are so many trilemmas spinning around your head.

Fortunately, there’s no need to feel intimated or discouraged. This article will help you grasp the basics of an interview paper and how to write an outstanding piece. It will also discuss the steps involved in the writing process and give a few helpful tips that ensure your final product passes with flying colors.

What Is an Interview Essay?

An interview paper is an academic written piece that presents the insight the interviewer gained while interviewing one or several people. It aims to expose different perspectives on a particular topic once the writer gathers relevant data through research. Typically, the essence of the paper will rest upon your findings from the interviews.

The presented viewpoints will depend on the respondent. So, for example, if your paper interview focuses on social media, you might consider talking to an influencer. Conversely, if you’re elaborating on a burning social issue, you may want to speak to a local authority. Or set up a meeting with a scientist if you’re exploring natural sciences.

The interview paper must help the reader understand a concept backed by relevant statements. Unlike definition essay writing , where you paraphrase and cite trusted sources like scholarly books, the interview paper will stem from authoritative individuals in the respective field.

Finally, you can reap a lot of benefits from drafting interview essays. More specifically, those interested in becoming broadcast journalists, newspaper reporters, or editors will learn to pose thought-provoking questions. Similarly, HR managers will polish their screening ability and hire excellent candidates. Even prospective detectives and inspectors can gain from writing an interview essay. They will formulate a variety of engaging questions to get honest and accurate answers.

Outline and Typical Structure of an Interview Paper

Most essays follow the template of a basic 5-paragraph paper. Yet, the length can vary according to your subject and data availability. A standard interview essay from a custom writing service can range from 2,000 to 5,000 words or up to ten pages. Individual works are usually shorter.

The interview essay format will have an introduction, body segments (perspectives grouped under different subheadings), and a summary. Here’s an overview of what to put in each part.

Introduction . The writer needs to create an atmosphere of uncertainty and urgency to stimulate the audience to keep reading. It should also provide background information about the theme and the interviewee. Furthermore, the initial part can list statistics or what society thinks about the respective topic. Finally, your intro must contain a thesis that transitions into the main section.

Body . This part will present the pillars on which you conceptualized your research. If you get stuck while drafting the body, you might hire an online service to write an essay for you and incorporate the gathered data. They will isolate the main points and help you frame the perfect timeline of events.

Moreover, the body should reflect important facts, life periods, and considerations of your interviewees. For instance, you might split your paper into infancy, adolescence, university, marriage, and golden years. Or you might divide your segments according to different discussion questions.

Conclusion . Use the ending part to summarize the interviewee’s thoughts and your insights into the matter. You might also compare the available data to the facts collected during the meeting and verify their validity. The bottom line must leave a lasting impression on your audience.

Steps for Writing a Successful Interview

Below is a detailed description of the paper composition journey. Consider each step carefully and be consistent in your approach.

Define the Paper’s Objective

Writing an interview paper urges you to establish the overall purpose. You will have to specify the message you plan to deliver. For example, if you want to verify a public opinion, you’ll have to question several subjects. Alternatively, proving a natural phenomenon will require a conversation with an expert in the field.

Explore the Subject

Find and prepare printed and virtual materials related to your research. Previous interviews and works by the interviewee are also vital. Unlike rebuttal essays , your primary goal is to gather details supporting your claims. Therefore, brainstorm any note you found based on your predefined criteria.

Pick an Interview Format

Your sample form will depend on the specific theme. Most students decide to buy a literature essay online due to their lack of formatting skills. Here are the various formats you can choose when presenting your findings.

This format implies using direct or indirect speech to analyze the storyline. Consider retelling the considerations of the interviewee and citing the original wording. The narrative format is also advisable if you talk to a few interviewees. The structure should contain an intro, a body (each paragraph can describe a particular idea of a single person), and a summary.

Question-and-answer essays are ideal when interviewing one person. Most magazines and news reports prefer this type because it is the simplest. Your interview paper will have an intro, different parts for each question and answer, an analysis with your perspective, and a summary.

Informative

Also known as conversational or personal, these papers are informal and take first or second-person narration flow. However, writing in a dialogue form might be confusing and perplexing for an untrained eye.

Formulate the Questions

Make a thorough list of all the aspects you want to discuss and cover in the interview paper. Ask close-ended (yes/no) and open-ended questions that require in-depth responses. If you struggle with your questionnaire, consider the following suggestions:

• Share your core values
• What would you change in the world if you had a superpower for a day?
• How did your childhood impact your personality?
• What is the recipe for success?
• What is the best aspect of your job?
• How do you overcome your deepest fears?
• Define happiness with examples
• What object do you hold most dear and why?
• What is the most significant challenge in our society?
• How do you imagine the world’s future?

Get in Touch with the Respondent

Make an effort to contact your interviewee/s and be professional when arranging the meeting. You might need to use several communication channels to reach your target person. Focus on scheduling a time that works for everyone involved in the project.

Facilitate the Interview

Choose a peaceful and quiet place without any distractions. Always arrive on time for the meeting. Alternatively, consider setting it up in an online format, if finding a physical location isn’t viable. Most importantly, allow the speakers enough time to share their thoughts and maintain an impartial attitude to avoid miscommunication.

Interview Essay Writing Tips

Here’s some additional advice for writers taking the first steps toward interview writing.

Stick to Your Teacher’s Instructions

Your professor will probably mention the paper structure. For instance, if you receive a classification essay writing guidelines , don’t experiment with other formats. Moreover, rehearse the face-to-face meeting with a family member to avoid possible deadens. Here, you might come up with a follow-up question that clarifies some vague points.

Quote and Paraphrase Your Sources

Organize all the details on the background, education, and achievements before interviewing itself. When referring to the topics discussed, cite them properly and give credit. Also, explain the protocol to the respondent and the purpose of the research.

Consider Recording the Interview

The longer the meeting, the more details you’ll forget once you finish it. Avoid over-relying on your memory, and bring a recorder. Taking notes is also essential. However, don’t record unless the respondent gives prior approval.

Mind These Formatting Rules

Use a font size of 12 in Times New Roman with double spacing. Don’t forget to write a title page, too. When including citations longer than 40 words, use block quotes.

Edit and Proofread

Don’t expect the first draft to be the best. Reduce grammar mistakes and typos by polishing your initial wording. The final version must be logical, easy to read, and plagiarism-free.

Bottom Line

As intimidating as the interview paper might seem at the onset, these guidelines will help you stay focused and organized. Above all, pick an important topic with questions that affect ordinary people. This way, you can set up and develop the interviews more quickly. Undoubtedly, an A+ grade takes dedication and perseverance to research and write your paper.

Related posts:

• How To Write A Good Compare And Contrast Essay: Topics, Examples And Step-by-step Guide

How to Write a Scholarship Essay

• How to Write the Methods Section for a Research Paper: Effective Writing Guide
• Explaining Appeal to Ignorance Fallacy with Demonstrative Examples

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• Behavioral Interviews

The STAR Interview Method: How to Answer + Examples

STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result, and this method will help you create structured, concise, and engaging responses to behavioral interview questions. Whenever you need to tell a story to demonstrate your skills, STAR is your go-to.

If “telling a story” sounds intimidating, don’t worry. We wrote this guide with the help of career coach Pamela Skillings, recognized as “A guru in the world of interviewing” by the Wall Street Journal. Her insights and tips will help you learn the STAR method and quickly create engaging answers to increase your chances of landing a job.

After reading this article, you’ll know:

• What is the STAR method and how to use it for the greatest impact
• How to make your STAR answers shine bright (samples included)
• How to easily prepare your answers before the interview

Don’t waste days compiling overused interview techniques. Get original answers to every single question you could expect.

What Is the STAR Method?

The STAR (Situation-Task-Action-Result) method, a.k.a. the STAR format, is a way to answer behavioral interview questions and other common questions that require storytelling. It proves you’ve got the skills needed to excel in the position you applied for — based on a story about how you used those skills in the past.

Usually, you’ll need to use the STAR technique when answering behavioral interview questions , that is, questions that begin with:

• Tell me about a time when…
• Can you recall a situation in which…
• Give me an example of a time when you…

The STAR method can be useful in answering any question, whenever you’d like to use a story or illustrate something with an example. For instance, questions about:

• Your proudest accomplishments
• Times you failed
• Your strengths
• Your weaknesses
• Situational questions – questions about a hypothetical situation

“I recommend that when it’s possible, candidates add a short STAR example to the hypothetical. Like: ‘Here’s a description of how I would generally respond. For example, I recently had a situation…’ Not always possible but definitely helpful. A real example is much more memorable and convincing than theorizing.” — says Skillings.

For more information on behavioral interviewing and how to answer these questions using the STAR method, check out the video:

If you want to learn more about how to answer the most common interview questions, how to sell yourself in an interview, or negotiate your salary, sign up for our free course .

How to Create Answers Using the STAR Method

Let’s break down each component of the STAR method and learn the best way to craft compelling stories.

We’ll use an example of a retail sales associate being asked the following question: “Tell me about a time when you initiated a successful project or an idea.”

Describe the situation so that your interviewer understands the context. There’s no need to be too detailed. Providing a general context with the most important facts should be enough. This should take around 15% of the total answer time.

For example:

Briefly describe your specific task or responsibility in that situation. No need to go into detail here either, just make sure to highlight what your role was.

This is usually the shortest part and should account for 10% of the whole answer.

The main part of your STAR answer. You need to be as detailed as possible when describing what actions you took to achieve something. The Action part should take up around 60% of your answer (it might seem a lot, but remember, you have to describe what you did — step by step).

Here, interviewers will look for clues about your experience and skills. Depending on the skill the question is supposed to assess, this bit will show them:

• How you think.
• How you organize work.
• How well you work with others.
• If you have an analytical mind.

✅ Pro tip: The question hints about what skills you’ll need to highlight in the Action part. For example, in our case, the question “Tell me about a time when you initiated a successful project or an idea,” will look to assess:

• Your ability to take initiative (because you initiated a project)
• Your analytical skills (because you spotted potential areas of improvement)
• Your problem-solving skills (how you completed that project or idea)
• Your communication skills (because you had to successfully present an idea and get approval for its realization)

Here, you should mention the tangible results of your actions. Ideally, these will be quantifiable data (%, $), but you can also include qualitative things (bonuses, positive feedback, promotions, awards).

✅ Pro tip: You can also touch upon lessons learned from your experiences. This is especially important for questions about less flattering experiences you had, like the ones about your failures or weaknesses.

Here’s what the entire answer would sound like.

Sample answer using the STAR method

Interviewer: “Tell me about a time when you initiated a successful project or an idea.”

STAR Method in Action: Sample Questions and Answers

Sample star answer to a question about teamwork, industry: it consulting.

Interviewer: “Share an example of when you had to adapt to a team member’s working style.”

Situation: A few months ago, I was assigned to work on a project with a coworker from another department.

Task: Our task was to develop processes for several new services our agency introduced to our clients. After the initial meeting, I noticed big differences in how he and I approach work. I’m flexible and tend to focus on the big picture. He’s detail-oriented and prefers a structured approach.

Action: We decided to split the work accordingly. I focused on the goals of these new services and how to best follow them through procedures. I also worked on identifying key milestones and major project components. He, in turn, worked on granular steps, created structured plans for each project phase, and developed in-depth documentation and manuals explaining the processes.

Result: We ended up completing the project a week before the deadline and with minimal reiterations from the management team. The experience taught me that such a big difference in working styles is not a disadvantage: on the contrary, it’s a complementary strength that helps us contribute to the team and the company in the best possible way.

Why we like it: The candidate saw a way to turn a potentially difficult clash into a productive experience, displaying positivity and great interpersonal skills. They also proved their problem-solving skills by devising a plan where both people could contribute to the project through their unique strengths.

For a detailed guide on all behavioral questions related to teamwork, check out How to Answer Teamwork Interview Questions (Tips and Examples) .

Sample STAR answer to a question about problem-solving

Industry: hr.

Interviewer: “How did you approach a situation where you had multiple problems to solve at the same time?”

Situation: In my last position where I worked as a recruiter, we got into a high-demand hiring season where we had to fill in several key positions across several departments simultaneously.

Task: At first, I didn’t know what to focus on, as I was in charge of managing open positions and moving candidates through the hiring process effectively.

Action: I decided to structure my approach and began by researching each position thoroughly to gauge the urgency and criticality of the role. It helped me prioritize and allocate resources accordingly. I made strategic use of our applicant tracking system to streamline the sourcing and screening processes to filter out only the best, relevant candidates. I also used industry-specific platforms and forums to track people.

Result: This helped me meet the hiring goals and decrease the time needed for hiring. 2 years later, all the people I hired then are still in the company, which proves they were a good fit.

Why we like it: The candidate explained in detail their process for solving the problem, which gives the interviewer insight into their approach, problem-solving skills, prioritization, and analytical thinking.

If you want to learn all about how to answer problem-solving skills, we’ve got a super detailed guide for you: Answering Problem-Solving Interview Questions: Tips and Examples .

Sample STAR answer to a question about leadership

Industry: email marketing.

Interviewer: “Tell me about a time when you had to lead under pressure or a tight deadline.”

Situation: Last year, my team got a big ad-hoc project from one of our main clients.

Task: The deadline was tight, and we had to conceptualize and create 30+ BFCM promo emails.

Action: As soon as we got the brief, I scheduled a meeting to organize and divide the workload and set clear timelines. I prioritized tasks based on the email’s scheduling date and offer importance. I established the order of operations, and we had a clear process on who was doing what and when. Still, there were times when we had to improvise but transparent communication made it easy. Each person was like a piece of a puzzle and we worked tirelessly.

Result: It was like watching a well-organized sports team — their efficiency was admirable. We finished all emails on time and generated $850K in revenue from them. The client was thrilled.

Why we like it : The candidate kept their cool in a high-pressure situation and relied on their leadership and organizational skills to set an efficient process and inspire their team to give their best.

If you want to learn more about how to answer leadership questions, check out Behavioral Interview Questions: Leadership [How to Answer + Examples] .

If you’re applying for your first leadership position, head here: 20+ First-Time Manager Interview Questions and Answers + Tips

Sample STAR answer to a question about communication

Industry: education.

Interviewer: “Tell me about a situation when you persuaded someone to see things your way at work.”

Situation: Two years ago, I wanted to integrate some practical, real-world examples into classes and courses.

Task : I especially wanted to do this in my lessons and I wanted my students to get some hands-on experience in marketing.

Action: For this, I thought about involving a local retail business. So I had to convince my coworkers, teachers, and school administration to apply this unconventional approach. To make it convincing and enjoyable, I created a mini-game where teachers would play the role of students engaging in a simulated marketing project. Before the game, during the presentation, I put a lot of emphasis on how students could benefit from this and apply their theoretical knowledge to real-world situations.

Result: They appreciated my efforts and ideas and agreed to explore the possibility of collaborating with one of our local businesses. Eventually, we did manage to make it happen, and I learned how important it is to be relatable, creative, and fun when pitching new ideas.

Why we like it: The candidate found a new angle for persuading someone to see things their way — they were relatable and used humor and entertainment as their main weaponry.

If you want to learn more about how to answer questions about communication and working in diverse teams, check out Answering Behavioral Interview Questions: Intercultural Fluency .

Sample STAR answer to a question about initiative and ownership

Industry: marketing.

Interviewer: “Tell me about a time when you worked with little to no supervision.”

Situation: I worked in an internal marketing department in a marketing agency. We used to launch quarterly reports about industry trends and events that shaped the previous quarter.

Task: During a particularly busy season, the entire company was focused on client work. My coworker and Iwere left to write, design, publish, and promote the report without any help.

Action: We decided to split the tasks: I wrote the report, she edited it and added insights from industry experts we got in touch with. She designed the report, and I wrote the copy for the landing page and other promotional materials. Finally, we found a simple drag-and-drop page builder and created the landing page, connected it to our website and email service provider, and tested everything. Everything went pretty smoothly, and we managed to publish the report on time, as if nothing had happened.

Result: We got a lot of positive feedback from the readers. I realized I wouldn’t have been able to do it all by myself, and this experience taught me how important it is to work with someone you trust.

Why we like it: The candidate displayed resourcefulness and the ability to do the work independently. They also showed they can get along with others in high-pressure situations, and that they’re a reliable person who can deliver the work even if the circumstances are not ideal.

How to Prepare STAR Answers Before the Interview

Research the job.

You can’t properly prepare unless you know what exactly you’re preparing for. So you’ll need to research the job to understand what skills and competencies the position requires, and what kind of experience an ideal candidate would have.

Your best bet is the job ad itself. Read it carefully, and pay special attention to sections like “What you’ll be responsible for” or “Your duties.”

You can also check the company website — perhaps you can find the company structure there, and details about the team your potential position is in, as well as how it’s connected to other teams internally.

Check out the company’s social media and website for clues about company culture, as that can help you gauge what soft skills might be a nice addition to your experience and existing skills.

Reflect on your past

Think about your achievements that might be similar (or identical) to what’s expected of you in the job you’re interviewing for.

Think about:

• Things you achieved on your own
• Things you achieved with your coworkers
• Your failures and weaknesses
• Your strengths and interests
• Lessons you learned from certain experiences

Then, think about typical skills that behavioral questions tend to explore. These are usually:

• Communication
• Problem-solving
• Decision-making
• Initiative and ownership

Then, connect the dots. What is your proudest accomplishment, and what’s the skill that helped you achieve it? What’s your biggest failure? What caused it?

Write down these ideas and details and include them in the final version of your answer.

Finally, connect your past achievements or duties to potential interview questions. Draw parallels between the skills and experiences you have and the ones they need. Find a way to illustrate how you can contribute to their company.

More tips below:

Practicing for interviews is key, but especially so when it comes to delivering STAR-based answers.

If you don’t practice, here’s what will happen:

• You won’t have relevant stories to illustrate your skills.
• Even if you manage to think of something on the spot, you won’t provide all the relevant details.
• You won’t figure out the key skill they’re looking to assess.
• You’ll be nervous and scramble to find the right words.
• Your delivery will be a mess.

Practicing will prevent all of these problems and make sure both your answer and your delivery are perfect — it takes some time, yes, but it also makes all the difference between “we’ll call you” and “you’re hired!”

You can use an Interview Simulator to practice for just about any behavioral question. The tool will assess the quality of your answer and suggest how to make it better by adding more power words, improving your pace of speech or vocabulary, reducing filler words, and much more.

You can have as many takes as you like, until you feel confident and excited about that interview.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Being too general.

Get specific in all the components of your STAR answer! Sure, you already know that the Action part needs to be the longest and most detailed, but don’t skip over important info in other components.

If a piece of information is relevant to the story, contributes to the context, and illustrates your experience or skills, include it.

Missing the point

If a piece of info doesn’t contribute to your point in any way — drop it. There’s no need to use irrelevant details. Although there’s no fixed limit to the length of a STAR answer, it should be long enough to provide only key details that illustrate your point.

If you’re having doubts about whether or not to include a detail, ask yourself “So what?” If you can’t find a direct connection to the story, skip it.

Focusing on the wrong story

A story that doesn’t connect to the job you’re applying for or that doesn’t illustrate the right skill is useless, no matter how fun.

Anticipate common behavioral interview questions, research them, and think about what skill(s) they’re trying to assess.

The situation from the question will reveal what skill they’re trying to assess (usually what goes after “Tell me about a time when”). Once you discover what it is, you can think of additional, complementary skills that would be nice to have.

Below is a list of common behavioral questions and skills they’re seeking to uncover. The bolded elements are the main skill the question is targeting, the rest are complementary, desirable skills to display.

• Describe a time when you had to handle a conflict between two team members ( Conflict resolution , teamwork, interpersonal relations, communication, leadership)
• Can you share an instance where you went over and above to help a team member? ( Teamwork , taking initiative)
• Can you give an example of a time when your team disagreed with your decision, and how did you manage it? ( Conflict resolution , leadership, persuasion, communication)
• Describe a situation where you had to make a tough decision with limited information ( Decision-making , resourcefulness, analytical thinking, calculating risk)
• Discuss a situation where you implemented a creative solution to a problem ( Problem-solving , analytical thinking, creativity)
• Share an experience of leading a team through a major organizational change ( Leadership , problem-solving, interpersonal relationships, communication)
• How have you handled a non-performing team member? ( Interpersonal relationships , handling feedback, leadership, problem-solving)
• How have you persuaded someone to see things your way at work? ( Persuasion , communication, interpersonal relationships, teamwork)
• How have you handled communicating with a diverse group of individuals? ( Communication , teamwork, creativity)
• Talk about a project or task you started on your initiative ( Taking initiative , task ownership, problem-solving, analytical thinking)

Not preparing ahead of time

As we already said, preparation is key. Not preparing your stories and STAR answers in advance will seriously mess up your chances of landing that job for all the reasons discussed in the headings above: your answer will be messy, you’ll miss the point and tell the wrong story, you’ll sound unconvincing, you won’t be able to provide relevant detail, and you’ll probably get confused and start stuttering.

For this reason, anticipating the most common behavioral questions and preparing a few stories in advance is key.

Plus, a single story can serve you multiple times for multiple different questions.

Not to mention, you’ll be ready for job interviews that will come in the future. All it will take is just a bit of refreshing your memory.

The STAR Interview Method: Popular Opinion vs. Expert Advice

Assignmenthuge102 posted on Reddit :

Does anybody else feel demoralized after a STAR method interview? I can’t stand STAR method interviews (situation, task, action, result). It seems so fake and it doesn’t seem to get the most out of the candidate because of how manufactured their responses are. What are your thoughts on this method? Has anyone had success with it? What are your experience? 

Career expert comments:

Like any other framework, the STAR is the template to be adjusted and changed according to a candidate’s unique experience. If used lazily, it will produce inauthentic answers.

But if used properly, it’s just a way to create meaningful answers quicker and easier – not a tool for mass-producing manufactured answers. So it’s likely that the STAR answers this person heard from others and used themselves were not correctly made.

If a candidate has strong achievements, their STAR answers won’t be boring or predictable because it’s not likely that someone else managed to earn that amount of money, or reduced churn by that percent, and similar. So I’d say to focus on results and quantify them in the STAR answer.

From there, candidates are allowed to play around. I would say that reordering the STAR elements can be a fun way to stand out. For example, starting your answer with:

“I once saved $23K for my company simply by introducing a detailed QA checklist.” is a great way to hook the listener and make them want to hear more. From there, you can work your way back and explain how you did it and why it needed to be done in the first place.

In the same thread, Confident-Mushroom80 said:

The best way to get through them is to literally sit down with a Google Sheet and copy/paste STAR questions onto it and then methodically formulate the best possible answer for them. Format it nicely so it’s effective for your eyes. Refresh the answers in any way you see fit according to the new job you are interviewing for. If you’re on Zoom or whatever you can literally have it open on a second screen and scroll through to find things in real time in case your brain flies out your ass in mid-interview.

… and BootyMcSqueak answered:

I did this too. Until they asked questions I wasn’t prepared for and tried doing STAR on the fly. I felt flustered trying to word everything in that specific format. I did not get the job.

Career expert comments: 

Don’t do this unless you want to get flustered and ruin your chances of landing a job. Interviewers can easily spot a canned answer, doesn’t matter if you’ll read it from a Google Sheet or learn it by heart. They might not comment on it, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get away with it.

A better approach here would be to focus on the stories and how you can adjust them to answer several different questions – not on individual questions and a canned answer for each.

So prepare several strong stories that showcase your skills and then adjust them to answer the question you get in an interview. If you prepare them for the key skills relevant to pretty much any position (teamwork, problem-solving, communication, analytical skills…), you’ll be covered.

You’ll have an answer to the question, you’ll know exactly what you need to say, but you’ll do a bit of improvisation to adjust it, which will prove it’s authentic and not scripted.

Summary of the Main Points

• The STAR method stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result.
• STAR is used to answer all behavioral interview questions, but it can be useful whenever you want to tell a story, regardless of the type of question you get.
• When using this framework, you should provide enough relevant information to set the context, describe the problem and your part in it, your action (how you solved it), and the results.
• The Action part of your answer needs to be the longest and most detailed: it needs to take up around 60% of your STAR answer.
• Always include quantifiable results. If this is not possible, mention qualitative results like bonuses, promotions, positive feedback, and similar.
• It’s best to mention the lessons learned in the Results part, especially when answering questions about your less flattering side: your failures and weaknesses.

_____________________

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• Getting invited to interview but not landing the job? Discover actionable lessons and interview practice here (Rated with 4.9/5 by 1,000,000 users).
• Want to charm your interviewer? Learn how to sell yourself and leave a positive impression.
• Discover how to write a post-interview follow-up email and prove your interviewing etiquette.
• Not getting as many interviews as you’d like? Polish up your resume with our brand new Resume AI tool .

What is the START method? Is it different from the STAR method?

START stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result, Takeaway. Essentially, it’s the same as STAR, with another component, Takeaway, in which you talk about lessons learned from the experience. That said, you should list lessons learned in the Result section whenever possible, so essentially, START and STAR are the same.

Can I use the STAR method when answering questions other than the behavioral ones?

Yes, you can use the STAR method whenever you want to tell a story to illustrate your point — at pretty much any time during the interview, not only when asked a behavioral question. You can also use it when answering situational questions, to add a realistic picture in addition to your hypothetical reaction.

Why do I find the “tell me about a time” questions so hard?

You might find the behavioral questions hard or challenging in case you don’t prepare in advance. In such cases, it’s hard to think of relevant stories on the spot, it’s difficult to properly describe relevant skills and experience, and your delivery will be poor because you’re nervous. This is why preparing and practicing answers for these questions is crucial for informative, engaging answers and confident delivery.

How to use the STAR method if I can’t think of an example of a specific situation?

If you haven’t experienced the exact situation that a question refers to, think of a similar one, or analyze the question, figure out which skill it seeks to assess, and provide a story where you displayed a similar skill. If this doesn’t work, think of situations that share similarities or certain aspects with the question asked. If that doesn’t work either, create a hypothetical scenario that demonstrates the skills from the question. However, you’ll need to be transparent and communicate that this is a hypothetical situation. In the Situation and Task parts of your answer, briefly describe the scenario you’re using as a basis for your response. In the Action part, describe what actions you would take in a situation, explaining why you made that particular choice. In the Result part, discuss the potential outcomes or the expected results.

Can I use the STAR interviewing technique effectively if I have no experience?

Yes, because your answers don’t need to be based solely on your work experience. You can draw upon other aspects of your life, like education, volunteering experience, internships, extracurricular activities, personal projects, hobbies, or any other situations where you demonstrated relevant skills or qualities.

Which interview questions, in particular, should I answer using the STAR format?

Primarily behavioral interview questions (the ones that begin with “Tell me about a time when” or “Can you recall a situation when”). But you can use the STAR method regardless of the type of question, whenever you want to showcase your experience and skills through storytelling.

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10 Common Job Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

• Vicky Oliver

Use this guide to stand out from the crowd and land the role you want.

Interviews can be high stress, anxiety-driving situations, especially if it’s your first interview. A little practice and preparation always pays off. While we can’t know exactly what an employer will ask, here are 10 common interview questions along with advice on how to answer them. The questions include:

• Could you tell me something about yourself and describe your background in brief? : Interviewers like to hear stories about candidates. Make sure your story has a great beginning, a riveting middle, and an end that makes the interviewer root for you to win the job.
• How do you deal with pressure or stressful situations? : Share an instance when you remained calm despite the turmoil. If it’s a skill you’re developing, acknowledge it and include the steps you’re taking to respond better to pressure in the future.
• What are your salary expectations? : Before you walk in for your first interview, you should already know what the salary is for the position you’re applying to. Check out websites such as Glassdoor, Fishbowl, or Vault.com for salary information. You could also ask people in the field by reaching out to your community on LinkedIn.

Resignation numbers have remained abnormally high in the U.S. between July 2021 and October 2021, with millions of Americans quitting their jobs  — which also means there are millions of new openings up for grabs. If you’re entering the market for the first time, or just looking to make a change, use this guide to prepare for your next interview.

• Vicky Oliver is a leading career development expert and the multi-best-selling author of five books, including  301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions , named in the top 10 list of “Best Books for HR Interview Prep.” She’s a sought-after speaker and seminar presenter and a popular media source, having made over 900 appearances in broadcast, print, and online outlets.    

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Critical Review of the Use of Interviews as a Research Method Essay (Critical Writing)

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
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Interviewing as a Method of Data Collection

Interview as a data collection method is used by researchers for several purposes. Factually, an interview is a primary data collection method from individuals or groups on beliefs, practices, and opinions among others. Besides, this technique can be used to gather present or past information. Depending on quality and purpose of the information to be collected, different types of interviews are incorporated in the methodology segment of a research assessment.

Often, researchers obtain erroneous results due to poor structuring of questions, ambiguity, complexity, and intimidation. Therefore, to avoid these scenarios, it is vital for a researcher to adopt properly structured and well researched questions and adopt a participatory approach in the process of information collection. Thus, this reflective treatise attempts to applaud the essence of interviews as a method of data collection on the facets of types, forms, purposes, and significance.

Interviews can be used in collecting and presenting information on storytelling, ethnography, narratology, and act-network methodology. Typically, qualitative research uses different types of interviews such as structured, unstructured, and semi-structured models.

In either type method is vital since it involves focus group where both parties have to assimilate moderating techniques to differentiate sample space and research agency. Interviewing can be defined as a systematic two-way conversation involving an informant and an investigator with the interaction expected to generate information for general knowledge or research (Mason, 1996, p. 54).

This process can be achieved by telephone or one-on-one contact and requires proper interviewing skills. In research methodology, interviewing may either be a supplementary or the main method of studying sample space. As a matter of fact, interviewing is the best alternative for collecting information from a sample group consisting of less educated or illiterate respondents.

Moreover, this method is applicable to a wide scope of information such as highly intimate and personal information, data of factual demographic orientation, attitudes, values, opinion, future intentions, and past practices. In addition, this method is feasible especially the personal interview type, when the survey demography is compact and sufficiently skilled interviewers are within reach (Holliday, 2007, p. 32).

Compared to other methods of data collection, interview is more efficient and superior as people naturally would opt for talking rather than writing when given an option. After establishing a stable rapport, the interviewer is likely to obtain confidential and very sensitive information form first person. Interviewing method authorizes informal probing in order to place the respondent reasoning and context within the understanding of the research purpose.

As a matter of fact, interviews can provide provision information into the research topic since the interviewer might get answers to other aspects which were not initially planned. In the process, the research agency can grasp a brief context of displayed behavior on the furnished data provided by the respondent.

In addition, wherever there is misunderstanding, the interviewer is permitted to seek clarification and offer explanation on the expected response structure and optional answer questions (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000, p.20). However, this method may be expensive if the sample space is large and live in a difficult to access geographical location.

In general classification, interviews can be grouped into five categories as: clinical interview, depth interview, focused interview, non-directive/non-structured interview, and directive or structured interviews. Structured interviews have properly formulated and well arranged question with one answer leading to another.

The arrangement of this question best suits a scientific fact-finding mission where analysis may be dependant on the response from a group of preceding questions. Unstructured interviews are void of the systematic response arrangement though the questions of the study remain the same (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000, p.24).

Unstructured interview are essential in obtaining information form informal setting without having to appear too technical to the respondent. Information flow in the personal interview scenario is multidimensional as the interaction adopts a casual and ease approach. Besides the five categories of interviewing method are telephone interviewing and group interviewing.

As a non-personal type of interviewing method, telephone interviewing relies on the response from the third party without benefiting from probing technique to confirm authenticity. Subsequently, it may not be reliable especially when information required is very sensitive or involved symbolic explanation of body expression.

In group interviews, a number of individuals with common affiliate interest interacting systematically to present a multidimensional data (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000, p.22). This type of interviewing method is essential when the sample space is larger than the budget allocated. Besides, it would function properly in an environment where a group of respondent share similar ideology, beliefs, and are connected by same purpose such as in the church, learning institutions, and the military.

Success of interview method lies on proper preparation by drafting the research questions followed by a comprehensive introduction in order to gain confidence and win trust of the respondent. However, the whole process depends on the rapport existing between the interviewer and the respondent. After developing a good rapport, the recording process should be done systematically and the respondent appreciated when the process is closed (Denzin & Lincoln, 2000, p.24).

Conclusively, interview as a method of research methodology is essential in qualitative research where first hand information is of essence. However, the method relies on clarity, nature, structure, and sensitivity of the questions asked. Factually, this method is flexible to additional information obtained through probing and confirming the context of response given. Interview method is very effective and reliable in analysis behavior orientation, beliefs, and intra personal issues in the contemporary society.

Reference List

Denzin, K., & Lincoln, Y. S., 2000 Handbook of qualitative research (2nd Ed.) ,.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications

Holliday, R., 2007 Doing and Writing Qualitative Research, 2nd Edition . London: Sage Publications

Mason, J., 1996 Qualitative Researching , London: Sage Publications

• Deakin University’s Market Research
• Critical Review of the Use of Sampling as a Research Method
• Types of Interviews
• Unstructured Data and Analysis in Decision Making
• Review of the Multidimensional Theory
• SunSmart iPhone App's Marketing Research
• Action Research Paradigm Protocol
• Methods of Conducting Exploratory Marketing Research
• Organizational Research: Internal and External Consultants
• Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Method Design in Research of Equity
• Chicago (A-D)
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IvyPanda. (2019, April 27). Critical Review of the Use of Interviews as a Research Method. https://ivypanda.com/essays/critical-review-of-the-use-of-interviews-as-a-research-method-critical-writing/

"Critical Review of the Use of Interviews as a Research Method." IvyPanda , 27 Apr. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/critical-review-of-the-use-of-interviews-as-a-research-method-critical-writing/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Critical Review of the Use of Interviews as a Research Method'. 27 April.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Critical Review of the Use of Interviews as a Research Method." April 27, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/critical-review-of-the-use-of-interviews-as-a-research-method-critical-writing/.

1. IvyPanda . "Critical Review of the Use of Interviews as a Research Method." April 27, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/critical-review-of-the-use-of-interviews-as-a-research-method-critical-writing/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Critical Review of the Use of Interviews as a Research Method." April 27, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/critical-review-of-the-use-of-interviews-as-a-research-method-critical-writing/.

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‘next gen’ filler craze uses your own blood — but docs warn it is ‘unreliable’.

Perhaps the popularity of the vampire facial isn’t immortal after all.

Rather than just slathering their faces with their own blood, beauty chasers are injecting it into their faces with a syringe to reap the supposed benefits of rejuvenation and a youthful-looking complexion.

The injections of PRF, or platelet-rich fibrin, are lauded as being more natural than other aesthetics procedures, as patients seek our “alternatives to filler,” board-certified dermatologist Dr. Ava Shamban told Allure .

While both PRF and its cousin PRP — or platelet-rich plasma used in the so-called “vampire facial” — employ the patient’s own blood to create the rejuvenating concoction, which is then placed in a centrifuge for separation.

To make create the PRF injections, the blood is spun at a lower speed than PRP so that “some white blood cells, stem cells and fibrin also stay in the platelet layer,” explained Dr. Doris Day, a board-certified dermatologist.

In theory, the injections have the potential to expedite skin healing, minimize under-eye circles and wrinkles or even treat hair loss,

“They’re considered the next generation of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) treatments, which are usually used to aid sports injuries,” Dr. Michael Somenek, a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon who practices in New York City, told Byrdie .

“The absence of an anticoagulant in the tube allows the formation of a spongy, gel-like product rich in platelets, stem cells, growth factors, and fibrin that can be injected into the skin to address signs of aging, hair loss or skin healing.”

While the injections — which cost anywhere from $500 to $2,000 for a single session and typically require multiple treatments to achieve results, per Byrdie — are most commonly used as facial fillers, particularly in the under-eye region, other doctors aren’t convinced of its efficacy.

“PRF is being sold as filler, but I don’t think it works like filler,” Day told Allure, nothing that she hasn’t “seen great published data” on PRF injections in the face.

In fact, she doesn’t even offer the treatment in her clinics, arguing that she hasn’t “seen much benefit” from literature. However, one small study published last year found promising results in treating acne scarring and boosting the texture and elasticity of the skin.

@alexandkellz PRF (Platelet rich fibrin) injections have been super popular lately so I had to try them out. Would you try this or stick to filler? @dr.hamadiya #prfinjections #plateletrichfibrin #brickellmiami #undereyefiller ♬ Sunshine – WIRA

“I’ve seen people unhappy with the results, and even people who have scarring from it,” she continued. “I really talk people out of it.”

Board-certified facial plastic surgeon Dr. Amir Karam, who founded the Carmel Valley Facial Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Center, told Byrdie that PRF is unlikely to create or change the volume underneath the eyes, calling the injections “unreliable.”

“As you can imagine, going in five times to get your under-eyes injected, the amount of bruising and trauma to that area is pretty substantial,” Karam explained. “And even in those cases, you rarely see a significant enough change. So for healing purposes and potentially giving the skin a little bit of a boost following microneedling, it probably has some value, but not as a filler substitute.”

According to Shamban, the Food and Drug Administration has expressed concerns over potential blood contamination and subsequent health risks, and the agency has previously issued statements cautioning against medical treatments involving stem cells, although it is unclear whether PRF would fall in such category.

Despite dubious docs’ cautions against the innovative therapy, Shamban says more people are drawn to the injections as a result of “filler fatigue,” although she also warned it is not an equal substitute for traditional hyaluronic acid fillers.

Those who “experience sagging, heaviness, or stretched-out tissues from overfilling and improper techniques [like poor] product placement,” she continued, are enamored with the shiny new prospect of “a more ‘natural’ product for skin revitalization and rejuvenation.”

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Is covid endemic yet yep, says the cdc. here's what that means.

Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles is the latest famous American to get COVID in this summer's surge. Lyles won a bronze medal in the 200-meter race despite an active COVID infection. Masks continue to be a good idea in risky situations. Hannah Peters/Getty Images hide caption

Four years after SARS-CoV2 sparked a devastating global pandemic, U.S. health officials now consider COVID-19 an endemic disease.

"At this point, COVID-19 can be described as endemic throughout the world," Aron Hall , the deputy director for science at the CDC's coronavirus and other respiratory viruses division, told NPR in an interview.

That means, essentially, that COVID is here to stay in predictable ways.

The classification doesn't change any official recommendations or guidelines for how people should respond to the virus. But the categorization does acknowledge that the SARS-CoV2 virus that causes COVID will continue to circulate and cause illness indefinitely, underscoring the importance of people getting vaccinated and taking other steps to reduce their risk for the foreseeable future.

"It is still a very significant problem, but one that can now be managed against the backdrop of many public health threats and not as sort of a singular pandemic threat,” Hall says. “And so how we approach COVID-19 is very similar to how we approach other endemic diseases."

A fuzzy definition

Ever since the coronavirus exploded around the globe, officials have been referring to COVID as a “pandemic,” which occurs when a dangerous new disease is spreading widely in different countries.

The definition of “endemic” is fuzzier, but generally refers to a disease that’s become entrenched in places, like malaria is in many parts of Central and South America and sub-Saharan Africa, forcing people to learn how to live with it.

And even though COVID is still spreading widely, daily life has returned to normal for most people, even during this summer's wave of infections. On Wednesday, Noah Lyles competed in his Olympic race despite a symptomatic COVID infection and won a bronze medal. President Biden worked from home during his recent COVID infection.

COVID seems to be becoming a normal part of life. So NPR reached out to the CDC and other experts to find out if they think the time had come to start referring to COVID as endemic.

“Yeah, I think in the way that most people think about the notion of endemic — something that’s just around that we have to manage on an ongoing basis -- yeah, absolutely, COVID is endemic in that way,” says Dr. Ashish Jha. Jha is the dean of the Brown University School of Public Health, who served as the White House COVID-19 response coordinator for President Biden.

As in previous years, COVID infections are surging this summer, and plenty of people are seeing the dreaded two lines on self-tests. The biggest COVID surges happened in early January each year. Ulrich Baumgarten/Getty Images hide caption

But not everyone agrees. Some epidemiologists say COVID may be on the way to becoming endemic, but the virus is still too unpredictable to reach that conclusion yet. This summer’s surge, for example, started surprisingly early and is turning out to be significantly bigger than expected.

The latest data from the CDC shows high or very high levels of the virus in wastewater in almost every state.

“There’s still a lot of unpredictability with this virus,” says Katelyn Jetelina , an epidemiologist who writes the popular newsletter: Your Local Epidemiologist. “And a lot of scientists including myself think it’s going to take at least a decade for SARS-CoV2 to really find this really predictable pattern. I hope that over time that it will fade into the background. But we’re just not there yet.”

Hall and Jha agree that COVID remains somewhat unpredictable, but argue it’s become predictable enough to be considered endemic.

“The best way to describe COVID right now is as endemic but with these periodic epidemics,” Hall says. “And those epidemics can vary in terms of their timing and magnitude. And that’s exactly why ongoing vigilance and surveillance is critical.”

And even if COVID is endemic, that doesn’t mean it’s no longer a problem.

“Endemic doesn’t necessarily mean good,” William Hanage , an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “Tuberculosis is endemic in some parts of the world. And malaria is endemic in some parts of the world. And neither of those are good things.”

50,000 deaths a year

COVID is still killing hundreds of people every week, primarily older people and those with other health problems. According to a new CDC report , COVID’s no longer the third-leading cause of death, but the disease still ranks as the 10th top cause of death. COVID is projected to kill close to 50,000 people every year, according to the new report.

“I think we have to be very careful in just writing this off and saying, ‘Well, it’s just a mild infection.' It’s not,” says Michael Osterholm , who runs the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota. “It is particularly a significant risk for those who are older and those who have underlying conditions. The good news is for most younger, otherwise healthier people this will be like having a flu-like infection.”

But even if someone doesn’t get deathly ill, COVID can still make people pretty miserable, knock them out of work or school. And then there’s long COVID.

“I certainly hope that this is not our new normal for COVID,” says Samuel Scarpino , who studies infectious diseases at Northeastern University in Boston. “I had it a few weeks ago, and just about everybody that I know has had it. It would be a real bummer if we’re in this situation where we’ve got COVID [in summer], and then we get into the fall with RSV, and then we have influenza and then it’s basically year-round respiratory infection risk.”

So whether COVID can officially be considered endemic, people are still going to need to think about protecting themselves by getting vaccinated once or twice a year and considering masking up in risky situations and around high-risk people.

Better treatments and new vaccines that could prevent the spread of the virus would also help, as would better ventilation, many infectious disease experts say.

“We still need to do more I think to get this virus under control,” Jha says. “This is a virus that we have to deal with. We can’t just ignore it. We can do better and we should do better.”

It remains critical to continue monitoring the spread of the virus and its evolution, especially to try to spot the emergence of any new, more dangerous variants, Jha and other experts say.

“We’re going to have to continue to live with COVID,” says Caitlin Rivers , an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. “It’s one more thing people have to deal with. It’s another reason your kids might miss school or you might miss work or another thing to think about when planning gatherings. We’re stuck with it.”

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How Do You Incorporate an Interview into a Dissertation? | Tips

Published on November 5, 2014 by Bas Swaen . Revised on December 19, 2022.

You have performed qualitative research for your dissertation by  conducting interviews that you now want to include: how do you do that? Chances are that this was never explained to you and you don’t know what is expected. That’s why in this article we describe how interviews can be included in, for instance, the  discussion section of your dissertation and how they can be referenced.

Table of contents

Including interviews in your dissertation, referring to interviews, quoting from interviews, mentioning the name of the interviewee.

To present interviews in a dissertation, you first need to transcribe your interviews . You can use transcription software for this. You can then add the written interviews to the appendix. If you have many or long interviews that make the appendix extremely long, the appendix (after consultation with the supervisor) can be submitted as a separate document. What matters is that you can demonstrate that the interviews have actually taken place.

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When you have added the interviews to the appendix, you can then paraphrase  to them in your dissertation. Paraphrasing is done as follows:

It became clear from an interview with Y that … (Appendix 1).

Sometimes you are not allowed to add the transcription of an interview to the appendix. In this case it is not possible to refer to this interview. According to the APA Style it is possible to refer to it like this:

APA interview citation MLA interview citation

If you literally copy the words of the interviewee, then you need to quote . Finding interesting quotes is easier if you know how to get usable information out of the person during the interview. That’s why you should conduct the interviews in a professional manner.

Don’t just blindly note the name of the person you’re interviewing, but ask yourself two questions:

• Are you allowed to mention the name?  This is the first question you should ask yourself before you include the interviewee’s name in a dissertation . Determine, in consultation with the interviewee, whether the name should be anonymized (and get informed consent). Sometimes, in fact, the interviewee doesn’t want that. This may be the case when you have interviewed, for example, an employee and the employee does not want his or her boss to be able to read the answers because this could disturb their working relationship. Another situation where this can occur is, for example, when the interview contains very personal questions.
• Does it add anything to mention the name?  The second factor to consider is whether it is relevant to mention the name. Does it add anything to your research? When the interviewee is an unknown person you have approached on the street, the name of this person is not very important. But if you have interviewed the CEO of a large organization, then it can be very relevant to mention their name. In this second case, add a short introduction so that the reader of the dissertation knows immediately who this person is.

Thus, you may mention the name if you have permission from the interviewee to do so and if it is relevant to the research. If you don’t have permission to use the name or if you don’t want to mention the name, you can then choose to use a description. For example: “Employee 1”.

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Trump Escalates Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric With ‘Poisoning the Blood’ Comment

When asked about immigration in a recent interview, the former president used language with echoes of white supremacy and Hitler.

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By Trip Gabriel

• Oct. 5, 2023

Former President Donald J. Trump said undocumented immigrants were “poisoning the blood of our country” in a recent interview, language with echoes of white supremacy and the racial hatreds of Adolf Hitler.

Mr. Trump made the remark in a 37-minute video interview with The National Pulse, a right-leaning website, that was posted last week. It drew broader scrutiny on Wednesday after the liberal MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan surfaced the quote in a post on X.

Other commentators went on to point out that Mr. Trump’s attack invoked a theme of Hitler’s autobiographical manifesto “Mein Kampf,” in which the Nazi Party leader railed about what he claimed was the impurity of immigrants, Jews and interracial couples.

In the interview , Mr. Trump was asked about immigration and the Southern border.

He replied: “Nobody has any idea where these people are coming from, and we know they come from prisons. We know they come from mental institutions and insane asylums. We know they’re terrorists. Nobody has ever seen anything like we’re witnessing right now. It is a very sad thing for our country. It’s poisoning the blood of our country. It’s so bad, and people are coming in with disease. People are coming in with every possible thing that you could have.”

At campaign rallies, Mr. Trump has repeated that leaders of unspecified South American countries were releasing patients from mental hospitals to send as migrants to the United States, but fact checkers have found no evidence for the claim .

Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, called Mr. Trump’s comments racist and xenophobic. “Insinuating that immigrants are ‘poisoning the blood of our country’ echoes nativist talking points and has the potential to cause real danger and violence,’’ Mr. Greenblatt said in a statement. “We have seen this kind of toxic rhetoric inspire real-world violence before in places like Pittsburgh and El Paso. It should have no place in our politics, period.”

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Tim Walz's military record: What to know about potential VP's National Guard service

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris selected Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday, choosing a progressive yet plain-spoken VP candidate from America’s heartland to help her win over rural, white voters.

“I’m pleased to share that I’ve made my decision: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will join our campaign as my running mate,” Harris said via text to supporters. “Tim is a battle-tested leader who has an incredible track record of getting things done for Minnesota families. I know that he will bring that same principled leadership to our campaign, and to the office of the vice president.”

We look at Walz, a 60-year-old U.S. Army National Guard veteran, and his military career over the years.

More: Tim Walz is Kamala Harris' VP pick: Minnesota governor named running mate: Live updates

How long was Walz in the military?

Walz served in the military for 24 years, enlisting in the Nebraska National Guard at 17 in 1981 and then transferring to the Minnesota National Guard in 1996. He retired in 2005 to begin his successful run for the U.S. House, representing Minnesota as command sergeant major, among the highest ranks for enlisted soldiers. His battalion went on to deploy to Iraq shortly after Walz's retirement.

Walz specialized in heavy artillery and had proficiency ribbons in sharpshooting and hand grenades.

But during the 21 years that Walz spent working with large artillery pieces, he suffered hearing loss and tinnitus in both ears, Minnesota Public Radio reported. He was allowed to continue his service after undergoing surgery, which partially resolved his hearing loss.

Where did Walz serve, and what did he do in the National Guard?

During his service, Walz responded to natural disasters, including floods and tornadoes in Minnesota and Nebraska, and was deployed overseas for months at a time, according to MPR.

In 2003, he was sent to Italy, where he served with the European Security Force to support the war in Afghanistan. He was also stationed in Norway for joint training with other NATO militaries.

Walz told MPR that he reenlisted in the National Guard after the September 11 attacks but never saw active combat in his years in the military.

Stars and Stripes reported in 2020 that Walz credited his Army experience with helping him steer Minnesota through the COVID-19 pandemic as governor.

As governor of Minnesota, Walz is commander in chief of the 13,000-soldier Minnesota National Guard. “I’m certainly proud of my military service, but it’s one piece of me,” he told Minnesota Public Radio in 2018. “It doesn’t define me.”

Reuters and USA TODAY reporter Tom Vanden Brook contributed to this story.