The Interview
Interviewing an expert or knowledgeable person for your research is an excellent way to learn more about real-world problems in your career pathway. This person can help you understand the industry and help you design and evaluate solutions. The results from your interview should be mentioned in your capstone presentation and is a part of your research, annotated bibliography, and works cited.
SETTING UP THE INTERVIEW
Students should contact the person they wish to interview in advance by phone, email, or in person to ask if they are willing to participate in your Capstone project. (texting is too casual for this type of request). Give the person plenty of
notice, (no last minute requests). People need up to two weeks advance notice to plan their schedules or reply to your request. Be considerate of their time. If you need help identifying someone to interview consider speakers you have heard, ask your teachers for a reference, or check with your internship coordinator.
A student should use the following protocol when scheduling an interview by phone or by email:
CONDUCTING THE IN-PERSON INTERVIEW
AFTER THE INTERVIEW
SETTING UP THE INTERVIEW
Students should contact the person they wish to interview in advance by phone, email, or in person to ask if they are willing to participate in your Capstone project. (texting is too casual for this type of request). Give the person plenty of
notice, (no last minute requests). People need up to two weeks advance notice to plan their schedules or reply to your request. Be considerate of their time. If you need help identifying someone to interview consider speakers you have heard, ask your teachers for a reference, or check with your internship coordinator.
A student should use the following protocol when scheduling an interview by phone or by email:
- Identify yourself by name and school.
- Explain that you are doing a Senior Capstone project at Social Justice High School
- Explain to the person what your Fire project is about and why you chose to interview this person.
- Briefly explain to the person what you have decided to do for the project portion of the Capstone, and then explain that you are writing a research paper dealing with problems and solutions in the expert's field of study.
- Politely ask if the person has time to meet you or to exchange emails with you for the interview process. Explain that the interview is a requirement for The Action and that you must use the information and quotes from the interview in the body of the paper.
- Be flexible. You must be willing to fit into his or her schedule. Let the person to be interviewed give you a timeline for meeting or exchanging email correspondence.
- Be sure and write down the date, time, and place for the interview if it is to be a personal interview. Repeat this information back to the person being interviewed to make certain you have the correct information.
- Thank the person for being willing to give up some of his or her time and assure the person that you will be there for the interview or will send them your questions in a timely manner.
- If the interview is by email, send the person an email stating who you are and reminding them of your topic. List your questions and thank them for being willing to consider your questions. Expect to wait a few days for a reply. Once the answers are received, send a return email acknowledging receipt of the answers and thanking them for participating.
CONDUCTING THE IN-PERSON INTERVIEW
- It is a good idea to call the day before the interview to remind the person that you will be meeting the next day. Repeat your name, the purpose of the interview and the time that the interview is to take place. Ask the person if that time is still convenient for him or her. Express that you are looking forward to talking with the person.
- Show up for the interview on time! Plan your travel time so that you are not late. It is better to arrive early than late.
- Dress appropriately for the interview. Do not wear t-shirts, caps, or sloppy clothes. Leave the chewing gum at home. Do not slouch during the interview. Look interested!
- Before going to the interview, plan and write down 10-12 relevant questions to ask. Keep the questions focused on what the paper and your action is going to be about.
- Unless it is vital to your paper, avoid asking questions about salary, job satisfaction, etc. If you must ask about salary, limit the question to what salary range a person might expect if taking an entry level position in that career. Do not ask the person being interviewed what his/her salary is!
- Remember to take paper and pen so that you can take notes! If you plan to tape the interview, put in new batteries and a blank tape before you arrive and test it the day before your scheduled meeting. You must always obtain permission to tape record the interview ahead of time. Many people feel uneasy about being taped.
- Do not get so absorbed in taking notes that you are not really listening to the information that the person is giving to you. Be ready to ask follow-up questions that relate to what the person is saying.
- When you have finished the interview, thank the person for his or her time. Try to get a business card so that you will have correct spelling of their name and mailing address for the “Thank You” letter / card that you mail within one week after your appointment.
AFTER THE INTERVIEW
- Read over the notes and fill in any details that you can remember that you failed to have time to write down during the actual interview.
- If the interview was taped, the student should listen to the tape and take some more notes.
- Pull pertinent quotes and facts from the notes to use in the research paper.
- If there are questions in your mind about something you wrote down or did not understand, it is a good idea to call the person you interviewed and ask for clarification. This will help avoid providing false information or incorrect quotes in the paper.
- Write a thank you letter and mail it within 5-7 days after the interview. In the letter, mention the Capstone Project, Carl Wunsche Sr. High School, the topic of your paper, the date of the interview and your appreciation for them in granting you the interview. In a second paragraph, point out some useful information the person gave you that you intend to use in your paper. This is also applicable to email correspondence.
- Limit the thank you letter to one page or less. Business correspondence should be concise and to the point.