Asking good questions is at the heart of a good interview. Many questions repeat across similar stories, but the most useful ones are tailored to the person in front of you.
𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀
I’ve written about interviewing before and covered the basics: open questions over closed ones. Not “do you like editing?” but “what do you like about editing?” or “what are the rewards and challenges of this craft?” The open version gives the interviewee room to go somewhere you didn’t expect — which is usually where the good stuff lives.
𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻
I usually open with something like “tell me about X” — X being the focus of the article, whether that’s an interesting career, a pathway through school, or a project they’ve led. It gets them talking and comfortable. As they answer, they’ll often cover other questions on my list without being asked, so I strike those through as we go.
After that first question, I follow up on anything that caught my ear before I forget — I jot these down as I’m listening. Then I move through the other areas I need to cover, saving the heavier questions for the middle of the interview, once we’ve built a bit of rapport. Things like “what do you think is the future of your field?” or “why do you think this affected so many people?” land better once there’s some trust in the room.
𝗠𝘆 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
My favourite question comes last: “Is there anything I haven’t asked that I should know when writing this article?” It usually gets a variation of “no, I think we’ve covered it” — but sometimes it surfaces a gem I never would have thought to ask. Worth it every time.
𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 — 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀
I try to keep interviews within ten minutes of the agreed time unless the person clearly wants to keep going. It feels like the right thing to do. When an interviewee goes off on a tangent, I let it run — sometimes those detours are gold — but I’ll redirect if it stretches past five minutes or so.
𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁
When I think about it, the interviewee and I are after the same thing: they want to come across well, and I want their perspective or expertise, clearly articulated. With a good set of questions and the flexibility that comes from actually listening, you can both get what you need.
I also share these blog posts on LinkedIn – visit https://www.linkedin.com/in/sbowness/ to connect with me there. Or hire me to help you develop your content strategy!
