🗣️Basic tips for interviewing
BEFORE THE INTERVIEW
Reserve a quiet space for the interview
In order to get the best quality audio, your interview should happen in as silent a space as possible. Public spaces like cafes are generally bad, unless you are purposefully trying to capture the effect of a conversation in a noisy cafe (a rare scenario). The best option is a recording studio, and the second best would be a private room.
When using a space that’s not a recording studio, it’s a good idea to go early and make sure there aren’t sounds like: people talking, music, buzzing or humming from air vents, refrigerators, etc.
Some good spaces on campus include:
Grad Center Studio (run by the MML; sign up for a training to get card access and/or reserve the studio here)
Professors’ offices (make sure you shut all doors and windows before starting)
If you’re just recording yourself or interviewing a friend, your own bedroom should also work. For extra good sound, build a blanket fort to record in! (soft materials absorb sound)
Make sure your phone has enough charge
Using a voice recording app takes very little battery, but you should still make sure that your phone is going to stay alive for the whole interview.
In a pinch, you can plug your phone in and it will still record audio while you’re charging. However, the recorder might pick up extra noise if the charging cable scrapes the table, so try to avoid this entirely by charging your phone beforehand.
Prepare a thorough list of questions
Try to brainstorm everything you might want to know, and put it all on a list. This can include specific questions or just broad themes/topics you want to cover.
Then bring the list with you, but try not to read from it during the interview. If you let the conversation flow more naturally, you’ll often get more engaging material.
Pull out your questions again at the end to make sure you didn’t miss anything.
Put your phone on Do Not Disturb
Put your phone on DO NOT DISTURB, and ask your interviewee to do the same. To do this, swipe up on your screen until the Control Center appears. Tap the small moon button, which will block your phone from receiving notifications while Do Not Disturb is in use.
*NOTE: simply putting your phone on silent is not as good as using Do Not Disturb. Sometimes incoming calls will automatically pause your recorder, and even if you reject the call, the recorder will still be paused. This can cause you to miss critical parts of your interview if you forget to restart your recorder.
DURING THE INTERVIEW
Try not to make any sounds while the interviewee is talking
This means don’t talk over them, but also try not to laugh or say little things like “uhuh,” and “okay.” Instead, show you’re listening by nodding or reacting with your face.
Try not to fidget
Recording apps can capture even the smallest noises, like the clicking of a pen or the tapping of a foot. It’s best to sit in a non-swivel chair and remove all distractions from near you. This includes pens, jackets, and anything else that could create noise.
AFTER THE INTERVIEW
At the end of the interview ALWAYS record 30 seconds of silence in your interview space before you leave
This audio, which is called “room tone,” will be incredibly helpful during the editing process. Sometimes, you’ll need to add pauses in your piece, but leaving fully blank space sounds weird. So does adding in silence recorded at a different space and time — subtle changes in background sound are noticeable.
I like to use this 30 seconds to ask my interviewee to reflect on whether there’s anything else they’d like to say, and I do the same.
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