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How to write an engaging and informative interview essay that captivates readers.

Are you ready to embark on a journey of words and emotions? Do you yearn to bring real-life stories to life on paper? If so, then the art of conducting an interview essay might just be the path for you. Through a delicate amalgamation of acute observation, introspection, and empathetic listening, you can unravel the intricacies of a person’s life and translate their experiences into a captivating piece of writing. Discover the key steps and techniques that will help you become a master of the interview essay genre.

Imagine yourself as a literary detective, armed with a notepad and pen, delving into the depths of someone’s thoughts and experiences. Your duty is to uncover the hidden layers of a person’s soul and translate them into a narrative that captivates the reader from the very first word. The interview essay offers a unique opportunity to break through the boundaries of traditional storytelling and delve into the realm of intimate conversations. Using skillful questioning and active listening, you can extract stories that will resonate with readers and give them a deeper understanding of the human condition.

Crafting a successful interview essay requires the delicate balance of objective reporting and subjective interpretation. It is a dance between the facts and the emotions, the words spoken and the unspoken truths. As an interviewer, your role extends beyond mere transcription; you are an interpreter, a curator of stories, and a storyteller. By carefully selecting the most powerful quotes, weaving them into a coherent narrative, and providing insightful context, you can create a compelling tapestry of human experiences that will inspire and enlighten your readers.

Overview of Interview Essays

In this section, we will explore the fundamental aspects of conducting and presenting an interview essay. By delving into the art of conversation and storytelling, interview essays provide a unique opportunity to capture the essence of an individual’s experiences and perspectives. These essays allow readers to gain insight into a person’s life journey, accomplishments, and insights on various topics, offering a glimpse into their world.

Interview essays go beyond the realm of traditional journalistic interviews, offering a more personal and in-depth exploration of the interviewee’s thoughts and emotions. Unlike a standard news article or report, interview essays focus on the individual and their unique perspective, providing a platform for their voice to be heard.

Throughout the essay, the interviewer must skillfully navigate the conversation, asking thoughtful and probing questions to elicit meaningful responses. It is crucially important to establish a comfortable and trusting environment, allowing the interviewee to open up and express themselves authentically. The interview process requires active listening and keen observation, ensuring that the essence of the interviewee is accurately portrayed.

The structure of the interview essay typically begins with an engaging introduction that introduces the interviewee and sets the tone for the rest of the piece. Following the introduction, a series of questions and answers, presented in a logical and coherent manner, form the body of the essay. This section should highlight the most compelling and enlightening aspects of the interview, showcasing the interviewee’s unique insights and experiences.

As the interview draws to a close, a well-crafted conclusion synthesizes the main points discussed during the interview, providing a final reflection on the interviewee’s thoughts and perspectives. This section should leave the reader with a lasting impression of the interviewee and their story.

In summary, interview essays offer a captivating and rich exploration of an individual’s life and experiences. Through thoughtful questioning and careful listening, these essays provide a platform for the interviewee’s voice to be heard, shedding light on their unique perspective and contributions to the world.

Choosing an Interviewee

When embarking on the task of conducting an interview essay, one of the most crucial decisions to make is choosing the right interviewee. This individual will be the subject of your essay and plays a significant role in shaping the overall narrative and content. Therefore, it is important to carefully consider several factors when selecting an interviewee.

First and foremost, it is essential to choose an interviewee who possesses expertise or experience in the subject matter you wish to explore. The interviewee should have valuable insights and a deep understanding of the topic, ensuring that the interview will provide meaningful and informative content. Consider professionals, experts, or individuals who have unique perspectives that align with your essay’s theme.

In addition to expertise, it is crucial to select an interviewee who is willing and enthusiastic about participating in the interview. Look for individuals who are open to sharing their thoughts and experiences, and who express genuine interest in engaging in a conversation about the chosen topic. This will ensure that the interview is engaging and that the interviewee is willing to provide detailed and insightful responses.

Another factor to consider when choosing an interviewee is their accessibility. It is important to select someone who is readily available and willing to commit the necessary time for the interview. Consider individuals who have a flexible schedule or who are willing to accommodate your interview request. This will help ensure that you can conduct the interview within your desired timeframe.

Lastly, consider the diversity and representation that the interviewee can bring to your essay. Aim for inclusivity and diversity by selecting individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, or perspectives. This will enrich your essay and provide a broader range of insights and experiences to draw from.

In conclusion, choosing the right interviewee is a critical step in writing a successful interview essay. It requires careful consideration of factors such as expertise, willingness to participate, accessibility, and diversity. By selecting the most suitable interviewee, you can ensure that your essay will be engaging, informative, and provide a unique perspective on the chosen topic.

Tips for selecting the right individual to interview for your article

Choosing the right person to interview for your essay is a crucial step in ensuring that your piece is insightful and engaging. The individual you select should have firsthand knowledge or experience related to your topic, offering unique insights and perspectives. Taking the time to carefully select the right person will not only enhance the quality of your interview essay but also lend credibility to your work.

Firstly, consider the expertise and background of the person you are considering interviewing. Look for individuals who have extensive knowledge and experience in the field you are focusing on. This could be a subject matter expert, a professional in the industry, or someone who has had personal experiences relevant to your topic. These individuals can provide valuable insights and opinions, allowing your essay to delve deeper into the subject matter.

In addition to expertise, it is essential to choose someone who is articulate and can effectively convey their thoughts and experiences. Good communication skills are a vital aspect of a successful interview. Look for individuals who can express themselves clearly and concisely, ensuring that the information they provide is easy to understand and engaging for your readers.

Another important factor to consider when selecting an interviewee is their availability and willingness to participate. Ensure that the person you choose is willing and able to commit the necessary time and effort to the interview process. This could include conducting in-person interviews, phone interviews, or even email correspondence. Being flexible and accommodating to the individual’s schedule is key to obtaining the information you need for a compelling interview essay.

Finally, aim for diversity when selecting an interviewee. Consider individuals from different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences. This will not only provide a well-rounded view of your topic but also make your essay more relatable and interesting to a wider audience. Including diverse voices and opinions will enrich your work and make it more impactful.

By following these tips and selecting the right person to interview, you can ensure that your essay is informative, engaging, and offers a unique perspective on your chosen topic.

Preparing for the Interview

Getting ready for an interview is a crucial step towards a successful conversation that will leave a lasting impression on the interviewer. Adequate preparation is important as it helps you feel confident and ready to showcase your skills and qualifications. In this section, we will discuss the key steps to take before an interview to ensure you are well-prepared and can present yourself in the best possible light.

• Research the company: Before attending an interview, it is essential to research the company you are interviewing with. This includes understanding their mission, values, products or services they offer, and any recent news or projects. This knowledge will not only demonstrate your interest in the company but also allow you to ask relevant questions during the interview.
• Analyze the job description: Take the time to thoroughly analyze the job description for the position you are applying for. Identify the key skills, qualifications, and responsibilities mentioned in the description. This will help you tailor your answers during the interview and showcase how your experience aligns with the requirements of the role.
• Prepare your answers: It is a good idea to anticipate some of the questions that may be asked during the interview. Practice your answers to common interview questions, such as “Tell me about yourself” or “What are your strengths and weaknesses?” This preparation will help you showcase your skills and qualifications confidently and concisely.
• Prepare questions to ask: In addition to answering questions, you should also prepare some questions to ask the interviewer. This shows your enthusiasm and interest in the role and allows you to gather more information about the company and the position. Consider asking about company culture, team dynamics, or opportunities for growth.
• Dress appropriately: First impressions matter, so it is important to dress professionally for the interview. Research the company’s dress code and aim to dress slightly more formal than what is expected. Ensure that your attire is clean, ironed, and appropriate for the industry.
• Practice good body language: During the interview, your body language can speak volumes. Practice good posture, maintain eye contact, and use confident and friendly gestures. This will help you appear engaged and interested in the conversation.
• Gather necessary documents: Before the interview, gather all necessary documents, such as copies of your resume, cover letter, and any relevant certifications or references. Organize these documents neatly in a folder or portfolio, so they are easily accessible during the interview.
• Plan your route and arrive early: Before the day of the interview, plan your route and ensure you know how to get to the location. Consider traffic or public transport delays, and aim to arrive at least 10-15 minutes early. This will give you time to relax, collect your thoughts, and make a good first impression.

By following these preparation steps, you will increase your chances of success during the interview. Remember to stay calm, be yourself, and let your qualifications and enthusiasm shine!

Steps to take before conducting the interview to ensure its success

Prior to conducting an interview, there are several key steps one should take to ensure its success. By carefully preparing and organizing beforehand, you can maximize the outcome of the interview and gather the most valuable insights and information from your subject.

• Research your subject: Take the time to thoroughly research your subject before the interview. Familiarize yourself with their background, achievements, and any relevant work they may have done. This will not only help you ask informed and insightful questions but also demonstrate your interest and preparedness during the interview.
• Define your goals: Determine what specific information or insights you hope to gain from the interview. Clarify your objectives and the overall purpose of conducting the interview. This will help you structure your questions and guide the conversation in a focused and meaningful direction.
• Prepare a list of questions: Create a list of questions that will prompt your subject to share their experiences, opinions, and expertise. Mix open-ended questions with more specific ones to encourage thoughtful and detailed responses. Consider the flow and order of your questions to ensure a smooth and logical conversation.
• Consider the logistics: Plan and organize the logistics of the interview in advance. Determine the best format for the interview, whether it is in person, over the phone, or through video conferencing. Confirm the date, time, and location if applicable. Additionally, make sure you have all the necessary equipment ready, such as recording devices or notepads.
• Establish rapport: Building a rapport with your subject is crucial for a successful interview. Prior to the interview, introduce yourself and explain the purpose of the interview. Create a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere during the actual interview to allow your subject to feel at ease and open up more naturally.
• Anticipate challenges: Anticipate potential challenges or obstacles that may arise during the interview. Prepare alternative strategies or questions to handle any unexpected circumstances. By being flexible and adaptable, you can ensure the smooth progression of the interview.
• Respect confidentiality: If your interview involves sensitive or confidential information, assure your subject of confidentiality and obtain their consent to share certain details. This will help establish trust and encourage them to share more freely and openly.

By following these steps before conducting an interview, you can set the stage for a successful and valuable exchange of information. Proper preparation and organization will ensure that you extract the most meaningful insights and present a well-rounded and informative interview.

Conducting the Interview

During this phase, you will have the opportunity to engage in a face-to-face conversation with your interviewee. This is a crucial step in gathering valuable information for your interview essay. The interview allows you to unravel the unique perspectives, experiences, and insights of your subject, bringing depth and authenticity to your writing.

Before the interview, it’s important to research your interviewee and become familiar with their background and work. This preparation will enable you to ask informed questions and show respect for their expertise. Showing genuine interest in their work will make them more willing to open up and share their insights during the interview.

When conducting the interview, create a comfortable and relaxed environment for your interviewee. Establishing a friendly rapport will help them feel at ease and encourage thoughtful responses. Begin by asking a few general questions to ease into the conversation and then gradually move into more specific topics of interest. Active listening is key during the interview; pay attention to not only the words spoken but also the tone, body language, and emotions conveyed.

As you progress through the interview, probe deeper into the interviewee’s thoughts and experiences. Ask open-ended questions that invite detailed and reflective responses. Be prepared to adapt your questions based on their responses to keep the conversation flowing naturally. It’s important to strike a balance between guiding the conversation and allowing your interviewee to express themselves freely.

Remember to be respectful and considerate throughout the interview process. Avoid interrupting and allow your interviewee to fully express their thoughts. Take notes during the interview to capture important details and to ensure accuracy in your essay. Don’t hesitate to ask for clarification or additional information if needed.

By conducting a successful interview, you will gather rich material to create a compelling and engaging interview essay. The insights and personal anecdotes shared by your interviewee will add depth and authenticity to your writing, making it a truly captivating piece.

Techniques and strategies for effectively interviewing your subject

When conducting an interview, it is important to have a set of techniques and strategies to ensure a successful and insightful conversation with your subject. By employing these techniques, you can gather valuable information, establish rapport, and make the most out of your interview.

• Prepare: Before the interview, do thorough research on your subject to familiarize yourself with their background, expertise, and accomplishments. This will enable you to ask informed and relevant questions during the interview.
• Establish rapport: Building a connection with your subject is crucial to create a comfortable and open atmosphere during the interview. Begin by introducing yourself, showing genuine interest, and actively listening to their responses.
• Ask open-ended questions: Instead of asking questions that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no,” focus on open-ended questions that encourage your subject to provide detailed and insightful responses. These questions often start with “how,” “why,” or “tell me about.”
• Active listening: During the interview, give your full attention to your subject and demonstrate active listening. This involves maintaining eye contact, nodding, and providing verbal cues to show that you are fully engaged in the conversation. Avoid interrupting and allow your subject to complete their thoughts.
• Probing and follow-up questions: To dig deeper into a topic or clarify any ambiguous answers, ask probing questions. These questions can help you extract more specific details and provide a more comprehensive understanding of your subject’s perspective.
• Keep it conversational: While it’s important to maintain a professional approach, aim to make the interview feel like a conversation rather than an interrogation. Use a friendly tone, ask follow-up questions, and be empathetic to create an environment where your subject feels comfortable sharing their thoughts and experiences.
• Record or take notes: To fully capture the interview, consider recording the conversation with your subject’s permission. Alternatively, take detailed notes during the interview to ensure accuracy when transcribing and referring back to the interview later.
• Thank your subject: Once the interview is complete, remember to express gratitude to your subject for their time and insights. Sending a follow-up message or a handwritten note as a token of appreciation can leave a positive impression and may result in future interview opportunities.

By utilizing these techniques and strategies during your interview, you can obtain valuable information, establish meaningful connections, and create a successful and insightful interview essay.

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How to Write an Interview Narrative Essay [Template and Example]

Andrew Eliot

Suppose that you have an assignment to research a topic, conduct an expert interview, and write an essay on your findings. One of the most difficult steps in this process is taking the interview transcript and turning it into a story. Whether you conduct an online or in-person interview, it’s likely that your notebook will be full of bullet points and scattered data. The question is: How can I weave this data together to tell the story of my interview?

Here’s the deal:

Many interview narrative essays can follow a simple template. This template helps fit the puzzle pieces together to tell a story in an interesting way. I will share an example of an interview narrative essay that I wrote in high school. And as always, show don’t tell.

Interview Narrative Essay

Paragraph one:.

Hook the reader using an interesting quote

“Someone was trying to die on me in the other room, which is not entirely good,” Dr. Stuart Harris remarks as he settles into a gray, padded chair behind his office desk and resumes our pending Skype call; the collar of his madras shirt slightly askew, and a stethoscope dangling from the front chest pocket of his white physician’s coat. “I had to keep that from happening, sorry for the quick break,” he apologizes in a baritone voice, “What can I help you with?”

Paragraph Two:

Introduction. Introduce the character and environment using details. Present why the interview is important (don’t explicitly say this though).

From looking at the wooden framed pictures of Himalayan mountains and the Nepalese wilderness on Harris’ desk, one might think him out of place. In the midst of the Emergency Department of Massachusetts General Hospital, an often hectic atmosphere replete with sophisticated technology, Dr. Harris directs the department’s Division of Wilderness Medicine and the Wilderness Medicine Fellowship Program. Practicing “limited medicine in austere conditions,” the division teaches doctors how to provide medical aid in remote environments, far from the “bells and whistles” of a common hospital. In conjunction, it conducts research on how to best provide critical care for patients in severe environments, such as high altitude. When questioned, “has wilderness tripping and being immersed in the backcountry had an influence on your life?” he chuckles, “Well I mean I’m the chief of a division of wilderness medicine at MGH, and that’s something that sure as hell didn’t exist when I came here. I’d say I am a walking billboard for how wilderness tripping can have a marked influence on an individual.”

Paragraph Three:

First evidence paragraph. Disrupt the story flow for a brief second. Let the reader take a breath. Describe your own surroundings. Then, explain the background and expertise of the person.

As tracks from Bob Dylan’s album, Desire, emerge from the kitchen of my house, where my father is preparing dinner, I lean closer to my MacBook. The connection falters and fixes on the image of his office, a small six by eight-foot room with off white colored walls. A bookshelf in the left corner houses wilderness medicine textbooks. When the video unfreezes, Harris’ face, his thick brown beard, touched with gray, focuses and his wire-framed glasses propped on the frame of his nose. A Virginia native, he has grown up with the outdoors as a centerpiece of his identity. In addition to going backcountry camping and mountaineering, Harris was an avid whitewater boater in college and led numerous whitewater trips. While an undergraduate, he spent ninety-five days enrolled in the National Outdoor Leadership School, and eventually became an instructor for the program. He has spent time at Mount Everest, Kilimanjaro, and Denali, and has led trips for the Leadership School in both Wyoming and Alaska. At this period in his life, he spends his summers in the Maine wilderness, near the Allagash River and Mount Katahdin. Doctor Harris concludes, “Over the years I think I’ve gotten a pretty good, wide experience,” his beard and mustache twitching with each word. While embarking on and leading such an array of wilderness trips, the natural environment has seated itself as a mainstay of both his professional and personal life. In his soft southern drawl Harris confesses, the wilderness “is where ultimately I frankly feel most comfortable.”

Paragraph Four:

Second evidence paragraph. The next two paragraphs form the apex of the story arc. If the interview produces two main insights, then have two paragraphs. If there is only one main insight, it is fine to only have one paragraph here. Regardless, it is important to use the best, most insightful quotes in order to advance the essay’s So What?. Hint: Use powerful adjectives and verbs to describe the interviewee as they become more passionate about the conversation.

While Dr. Harris leans forward in his chair, taking up a greater portion of the eight by eleven screen of my computer, he discusses the tremendous benefits wilderness tripping can have on people, especially teenagers. He explains, “from the individual to the social dynamic between groups, it’s fascinating to see how people, especially when they’re pushed a little bit beyond their comfort levels, can be groomed for tremendous growth.” Through an individual lens, Harris notes maturation, learning, strengthening of self-confidence, and physical growth as some beneficial influences of being immersed in nature. Additionally, he attests that for teenagers especially, “getting outside is a counterbalance to everything else going on one’s life, in the world. It allows room for independent intellectual exercise, it allows space for one to be separate from social pressures, and it can be tremendously affirming.” With the enunciation of each word, Harris’ engagement and introspection heighten. It becomes evident that he is not simply relaying information from the wilderness textbooks from his bookshelf. Rather, each benefit has been genuinely derived from his personal experience as a wilderness tripper. Zooming out from an individual lens, Doctor Harris expresses an irony he has observed from social settings. Although two students may attend a class every day together for numerous years, there is a definite possibility that they may know practically nothing about one another. However, when immersed in the wilderness with some perceived or real danger for even a brief period of time, those same two students may come to understand one another far better than they had before. In response to the manifested paradox, Harris reflects, “You just learn to trust people in a way that there are not many occasions in our daily lives where there’s any clear correlate to that.” Furthermore, in a Mark Twain-esque manner, Doctor Harris expresses that when removed from the silliness we indulge on a daily basis in “quote-unquote civilized circumstances, one can break through some of the silly artificiality that we allow during our daily lives.” Because many trivial social constructs are rendered useless, being in the intimacy of the backcountry allows one to disregard many social labels, such as who is “popular” or not or who is “stylish” or not. As a result, wilderness tripping can allow individuals to foster relationships among members of different social groups or cliques.

Paragraph Five:

Third evidence paragraph. Use another hard-hitting piece of evidence and give it contextual descriptions, such as how the interviewee looks or sounds. Advance the main message, and prepare for the essay to close.

As Dylan’s renowned 1976 hit, Hurricane, begins to play from the other room, Doctor Harris inhales slowly and leans back in his chair. His weathered face conjures up images in my mind of other bearded philosophers of the natural world, such as John Muir or Henry David Thoreau. In addition to facial hair, my interviewee’s thoughts bear a striking resemblance to those of the sentiments of such thinkers. Inspired by the connection, I bring up a quote from Thoreau’s memoir Walden : “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” After being questioned, “What do you believe the wilderness has to teach us?” Doctor Harris succinctly responds, “It’s who we are.” Rephrased, this elegantly simple yet profound notion presents the relationship that nature and humans are not two separate entities, but, rather humans are nature. While many other sub lessons can be learned from the wilderness, Harris affirms that the overarching teaching of nature, while maybe obvious, is simply that humans and nature are not separate, but are one. He elucidates:

There is the idea that we go to the wilderness to see something different. The more I’ve thought about it, it’s just kind of ridiculous. The wilderness is who we are, and that’s where we evolved, and we are as much animal as a bobcat or any other animal, and how we maintain our homeostasis, our heart rate, our blood pressure, and everything. We’re all part of the same natural systems and we’re dependent on the same processes as all the other creatures are. We don’t think about that. So I think when we go outside into wilderness areas, I think we’re returning, and not in some tree-hugging way, to our roots.

In expressing this idea, Doctor Harris’ energy and intensity peak. His eyes open wider than before. His southern drawl becomes more pronounced, emphasizing vowels in words like “are” or “ridiculous.” Such a level of engagement has been reached in order to convey a quite simple principle. As he raises his eyebrows and gestures with his hands, Harris continues, “frankly all of the rest of the stuff that we’re doing in the front country, as we say, as opposed to the backcountry, is the artificial things.” Again, he introduces a simple notion, which lends itself to a profound understanding. Maintaining a parallel to the ideologies of Thoreau, here, Doctor Harris affirms that nature truly holds “the essential facts of life,” while human civilizations, or the front country, are arbitrarily convoluted with contrived constructs, systems, and orders. He concludes, “So in that regard, yes it's very true that getting outside gives us a way, a chance to front some of the questions that Thoreau posed, Muir posed, and a bunch of other people have postulated, that there’s something just central to our identities and our beings to experience by being outside.”

Paragraph Six:

The concluding paragraph. Like a triangle, begin at the top of the paragraph with a narrow-focused summary of the interviewee’s main message. Then, continuing the triangle analogy, expand outwards and downwards from that point. Deliver the broader context for why the interview matters. To end the essay, quote how the interviewee said goodbye. Close on a friendly note. Hint: If you can, try to reference something that you said in the introduction to produce a ‘full-circle’ effect in your essay.

A common theme, Harris notes, is identity. Whether one identifies as a wilderness tripper or not, as a whole, the human race is unequivocally bound to its fundamental connection with nature. No matter how far we stray from our roots and try to conceal its presence in our psyche, the wilderness will always remain in contact with us. Furthermore, Harris notes the ties between the American identity and the great outdoors through the historical doctrine “manifest destiny” and our nation’s movement West through the territories. While centuries of innovation and infrastructural change have altered our country, the historical significance of the wilderness has not been forgotten. It’s clear, that wilderness is not only vital to our identity as humans but is essential to our identity as Americans. On that conclusive thought, the sounds of my parents serving dishes emanate from the adjoining dining room, and our Skype call nears an end. Tranquil and amiable, Doctor Harris says, “take care my friend.” With that, I put my computer to sleep, the image of a stethoscope dangling from the pocket of his white doctor’s coat fades to black.

Thank you to Dr. Stuart Harris for taking the time to speak with me. To learn more about Harris and his work in wilderness medicine, check out a piece written in Harvard Magazine.

Written by Andrew Eliot

Interested in Earth Systems Sciences and Creative Writing at Dartmouth College. Science Editor, Meetinghouse Literary Mag & GoPeer. [email protected]

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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 462,988 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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What is Telephonic Interviews: Questions, Answers, Examples and Tips for Phone Interviews

 · Interview Tips

1. What is a Telephonic Interview? What Does a Telephonic Interview Mean?

2. how to introduce yourself in a telephonic interview: , 3. sample telephonic interview questions for freshers:, q: "what is your greatest strength" , 5. telephonic interview tips:, 6. telephonic interview for freshers: , 7. advantages of telephonic interviews:, 8. telephonic interview vs. video call: , 9. telephonic round interview questions for experienced candidates: , 10. how to prepare for a telephonic interview:, 11. telephonic interview definition: , 12. how to attend a telephonic interview:, 13. telephonic interview conversation for freshers:, 14. how to introduce yourself in a telephonic interview:, 15. is a telephonic interview a video call , 16. telephonic interview questions for experienced candidates: , 17. telephonic interview etiquette:, 18. handling technical difficulties:, 19. overcoming phone anxiety:, 20. telephonic interview follow-up:, 21. telephonic interview mistakes to avoid:, 22. how to impress during a telephonic interview:, 23. the role of non-verbal communication:, 24. telephonic interview techniques for success:, 25. telephonic interview and cultural sensitivity:, 26. building rapport during a telephonic interview:, 27. handling behavioral questions:, 28. telephonic interview for remote jobs:, 29. the importance of a clear phone line:, 30. telephonic interview challenges for introverts:, 31. telephonic interview and assessments:, 32. telephonic interview with multiple interviewers:, 33. telephonic interview for remote internships:, 34. post-telephonic interview self-evaluation:, 35. telephonic interview and industry-specific questions:.

Telephonic interviews have become increasingly common in today's job market, serving as a preliminary screening process before in-person meetings. This guide will provide insights, telephonic interview questions and answers, and valuable tips to help you excel in telephonic interviews for both experienced candidates and freshers.

A telephonic interview is a remote interview conducted over the phone, typically used for initial screenings or discussions with job candidates. It assesses your qualifications, personality, and communication skills.

Sample for Experienced Candidates: "Hello, my name is [Your Name]. I have [X years] of experience in [Your Industry], specializing in [Your Expertise]. I'm excited to discuss how my skills align with the opportunities at your esteemed organization."

"Tell me about yourself."

"Why are you interested in this role?"

"What do you know about our company?"

"Describe a challenging situation you've faced and how you handled it."

"Where do you see yourself in five years?"

4. Sample Telephonic Interview Questions and Answers: 

A: "My greatest strength is my ability to adapt to new situations quickly. In my previous role at [Previous Company], I was often required to learn new technologies and processes rapidly, which I believe makes me an asset to any team."

Find a quiet space with good reception to avoid interruptions.

Prepare your answers in advance for common questions.

Speak clearly, with a moderate pace.

Listen attentively and ask for clarification if needed.

Have your resume and job description in front of you for reference.

Be concise in your responses.

Freshers should focus on showcasing their eagerness to learn, their educational background, and any relevant coursework or internships.

Convenience: No need to travel; you can participate from anywhere.

Focus: Eliminates visual distractions, allowing both parties to concentrate on the conversation.

Efficiency: Initial screenings can be done swiftly, saving time for both candidates and employers.

A telephonic interview is conducted over the phone, while a video call interview involves both audio and visual communication through platforms like Zoom or Skype. Telephonic interviews focus solely on verbal communication.

Experienced candidates may encounter questions related to their previous roles, leadership experiences, challenges faced, and their contributions to their previous employers.

Research the company and role.

Review common interview questions and prepare answers.

Practice with a friend or mentor through mock telephonic interviews.

Ensure a charged phone and good network signal.

Dress professionally to create a positive mindset.

A telephonic interview is a remote job interview conducted over the phone, focusing on assessing a candidate's qualifications and suitability for a position.

To attend a telephonic interview, schedule a convenient time, ensure a quiet space, have your resume and relevant documents ready, and focus on clear communication.

Freshers should engage in a polite, professional conversation, highlighting their educational background, enthusiasm, and willingness to contribute to the organization.

Example for Freshers: "Hello, my name is [Your Name]. I recently completed my degree in [Your Field] from [Your University]. I am excited about the opportunity to work with your organization and bring my fresh perspective and eagerness to learn to the team."

No, a telephonic interview is conducted exclusively through voice communication over the phone, while a video call interview involves both audio and video interaction.

Experienced candidates may face questions related to their accomplishments, leadership style, conflict resolution, and industry-specific knowledge.

Maintaining proper etiquette during a telephonic interview is essential. Avoid interrupting the interviewer, speak politely, and use professional language. Thank the interviewer for their time at the end of the call.

Be prepared for technical glitches during a telephonic interview. If the call drops or there are connectivity issues, remain calm and contact the interviewer to resolve the problem promptly.

Some individuals experience phone anxiety, which can affect their performance during a telephonic interview. Practice speaking on the phone with friends or family to build confidence and overcome this anxiety.

Just like in face-to-face interviews, sending a follow-up email after a telephonic interview is a good practice. Express your appreciation for the opportunity, reiterate your interest, and briefly summarize your qualifications.

Common mistakes to avoid during telephonic interviews include speaking too quickly, interrupting the interviewer, providing overly long responses, and not actively listening to questions.

Impress the interviewer by demonstrating your enthusiasm for the role, showing knowledge of the company, and asking insightful questions about the position and organization.

While telephonic interviews focus on verbal communication, your tone of voice and pace can convey enthusiasm and interest. Smile when speaking; it can positively impact your voice.

Techniques like active listening, mirroring the interviewer's tone, and using positive language can enhance your chances of success during a telephonic interview.

In international job markets, telephonic interviews may involve interacting with interviewers from different cultures. Be aware of cultural differences in communication styles and etiquette to ensure respectful interactions.

Building rapport with the interviewer can create a positive impression. Ask open-ended questions, show genuine interest in the role, and express your eagerness to contribute to the team.

Behavioral questions often aim to assess how you've handled specific situations in the past. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses clearly.

Telephonic interviews are common in the hiring process for remote positions. Emphasize your ability to work independently, manage time effectively, and communicate proactively when interviewing for remote roles.

Ensure that your phone line is clear and free from background noise. If you're in a noisy environment, consider using a headset with a microphone to improve audio quality.

Introverts may find telephonic interviews challenging, as they rely solely on verbal communication. Practice answering questions and expressing enthusiasm to overcome this hurdle.

Some telephonic interviews may include assessments or tests relevant to the position. Prepare in advance if you're informed about such assessments.

In some cases, you may face a panel of interviewers during a telephonic interview. Address each interviewer individually and maintain a professional demeanor throughout.

Remote internships often involve telephonic interviews. Highlight your ability to work independently, learn quickly, and adapt to remote work environments.

After a telephonic interview, take time to evaluate your performance. Identify areas where you excelled and areas for improvement to enhance your future interview strategies.

Different industries may have unique interview questions. Research common questions in your specific field and prepare accordingly.

Telephonic interviews are an integral part of the job application process. By mastering the art of telephonic interviews, you can effectively convey your qualifications, enthusiasm, and professionalism to potential employers. Whether you are an experienced candidate or a fresher, these tips and strategies can help you navigate telephonic interviews with confidence and success. Remember that preparation, clear communication, and a positive attitude are key to acing telephonic interviews in today's competitive job market.

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How to Write an Interview Essay: Questions, Topics, Examples & Tips

In the realm of writing, interviews bring a unique touch, a personal narrative that adds depth to your words. Picture this: someone's story unfolding through your pen, their experiences laid out for the world to read. But how do you capture that essence, ask the questions that matter, and turn it into a compelling read? 

Fear not! Our guide breaks the interview essay examples down for you, step by step, making essay writing for interview as simple as sharing a cup of coffee with a friend. So, let's get started on turning conversations into captivating tales that will help you get your first remote job !

What Is an Interview Essay?

The process of interview essay writing is essentially a conversation transformed into written form. It involves engaging with someone, posing thoughtful questions, and then translating their responses into a narrative for others to read. Think of it as capturing the essence of a personal exchange, where the interviewee shares their experiences, insights, or expertise. 

The goal is to convey the individual's unique perspective and story in a way that resonates with readers. It's like being a storyteller with a purpose – to amplify someone else's voice and share their narrative with a broader audience. Interview essays provide a platform for individuals to express their thoughts, share their journeys, and contribute their perspectives to a wider conversation.

How to Write an Interview Essay?

Step 1: Define the Essay's Purpose

Start your journey into crafting a job interview essay by figuring out exactly what you want to achieve. Ask yourself: Why am I conducting this interview, and what story or message do I want to share? It could be about someone's experiences in the professional world, valuable insights into a particular industry, or shedding light on the intricacies of a specific job role. Having a clear purpose will help you stay on track and make sure your essay has a point.

Step 2: Explore the Subject through Research

Before you dive into the interview, take some time to get to know the person you'll be talking to. Look into their background, experiences, and anything else that might be important. This research not only helps you come up with good questions but also shows the person you're interviewing that you care about their story. Knowing more about your subject makes your questions more thoughtful, turning the phone interview into a richer and more interesting conversation.

Interview Essay Topics

Need a dose of inspiration? Our experts have compiled compelling essay topics for interview. Explore and choose one that sparks your curiosity and invites in-depth analysis:

• How do people feel about remote work after experiencing it?
• What's the most memorable volunteer experience for community members?
• How do small business owners handle daily challenges?
• What makes a family game night special for different families?
• How do individuals manage stress in their everyday lives?
• What are the favorite childhood memories of people in your community?
• How do pet owners bond with their furry friends?
• What are some creative ways people stay active without going to the gym?
• How do grandparents share wisdom with younger generations?
• What role do hobbies play in people's lives for relaxation?
• How do individuals practice self-care on a busy schedule?
• What's the favorite local food joint for residents in your area?
• How do students manage their time during exam periods?
• What's the secret behind successful long-term relationships?
• How do individuals find joy in simple, everyday moments?
• How do people discover and choose their favorite books to read?
• What's the go-to comfort food for individuals on a rainy day?
• How do commuters make the most of their time during daily travels?
• What's the most cherished holiday tradition for families in your community?
• How do individuals celebrate personal achievements and milestones?

Step 3: Formulate Your Questions

Now that you've got a grip on your essay's purpose and know your subject, it's time to craft thoughtful questions. Think about what will bring out the most interesting and meaningful responses. Ask open-ended questions that encourage the interviewee to share their experiences, insights, or opinions. This step is like laying the groundwork for a conversation that will unveil the essence of your subject's story.

Interview Essay Questions

• How has the integration of technology impacted your communication within your family?
• Can you share a transformative experience from participating in a unique sports or recreational activity?
• What strategies have you employed to foster a positive work-life balance in your professional journey?
• In your opinion, what elements contribute to creating a successful and harmonious blended family dynamic?
• How do you navigate and manage personal finances to ensure financial stability and security?
• Can you recall a specific instance where a mentor or role model profoundly influenced your life choices?
• What innovative methods have you discovered for staying connected with distant relatives or friends?
• How do you incorporate mindfulness and mental wellness practices into your daily routine?
• In your experience, how do cultural traditions shape and influence family dynamics and relationships?
• Can you share a travel experience that left a lasting impact, broadening your perspective on life?
• What are your strategies for maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle despite a busy schedule?
• How do you approach and overcome creative blocks or challenges in your artistic endeavors?
• Can you recount a significant moment of personal growth or self-discovery that shaped your identity?
• What lessons have you learned from navigating a cross-cultural or interfaith relationship?
• How do you approach building a sense of community and fostering connections within your neighborhood?
• How do you incorporate eco-friendly practices and sustainability into your daily life?
• How much of an impact does social media have on personal relationships and societal dynamics?
• Did you ever face a major decision and the thought process that guided your choice?
• How do you stay informed about current events, and how does this impact your worldview?
• How much are you involved in a hobby or passion that brings you joy and fulfillment? 

Step 4: Reach Out to the Interviewee and Ready Yourself for the Interview

Take the plunge and connect with the person you're interviewing. Reach out in a friendly manner, explaining your purpose and why you value their perspective. Once you've secured the interview, prepare yourself. Familiarize yourself with the questions, make sure your equipment (if any) is ready, and create a comfortable setting for the conversation. Being organized and ready ensures a smooth and effective interview process, allowing the person you're speaking with to open up and share their story effortlessly.

Step 5: Conduct the Interview

Now that you've set the stage, it's time for the main event! As you step into the interview, approach it with a genuine sense of curiosity, as if you're unwrapping a present of stories and insights. Take a moment to breathe and let the conversation unfold naturally. Pose your questions with patience, allowing the interviewee the space to share their thoughts. 

Active listening is key – not just to their words but to the nuances in their tone and the emotions beneath the surface. It's in these unscripted moments that the most captivating and unexpected stories often emerge. Embrace flexibility, as sometimes the richest narratives come when you least anticipate them. Remember, your ultimate aim for successful interview essays is to authentically capture the essence of the person's experiences or insights, so let the first job interview be a genuine and unfiltered exploration.

Step 6: Select an Interview Essay Format

As you wrap up the interview, consider how you want to present its essence. The right format sets the tone and it is your tool to engage the readers effectively in your interview essays. 

You have a variety of styles to choose from: opt for the classic Q&A, where questions and answers flow seamlessly; weave a narrative, transforming responses into a compelling story; or adopt a thematic structure for a logical organization. Each style brings its own flavor to the table. The format you choose becomes the lens through which your readers experience the interview, so select one that not only enhances the narrative but also resonates with your audience. Ultimately, your choice of format shapes how your audience engages with the richness of the conversation.

Step 7: Develop an Interview Essay Outline

Now that you've gathered all the insightful details, it's time to structure your essay. Create an interview essay outline that organizes the key points, highlights significant moments, and establishes a logical flow. Consider the introduction, body, and conclusion, and map out how the interviewee's story will unfold. This roadmap will guide you on how to write an interview essay, ensuring a cohesive and engaging narrative that does justice to the richness of the conversation.

Introduction:

The introduction to an interview essay is where you say hello to your reader and give them a sneak peek into what's coming. Briefly introduce who you interviewed and share a little about why their story is worth hearing. You can start with something interesting to grab attention, like a question or a surprising fact. The main job here is to make your reader curious about what comes next.

The body is where the real action happens. Think of it like the main part of a story. Each paragraph tackles a different aspect of what you learned in the interview. Start with the most important points and follow a logical order. Share the juicy details and interesting moments. Keep things organized, so your reader can easily follow along. It's all about presenting the interviewee's story in a way that's interesting and makes sense.

Conclusion:

The conclusion is your chance to wrap things up. Summarize the key points from the interview and remind your reader why it's important. You can add a personal reflection or suggest what readers might take away from the interviewee's experiences. End on a strong note, leaving a lasting impression. It's like saying goodbye but making sure it's memorable.

Step 8: Proofread Your Work

Before sharing your interview essay writing with the world, take a moment to proofread. Check for grammar and spelling errors, ensure the sentences flow smoothly, and verify that your chosen format enhances the overall readability. This step is your chance to polish the final product and present a well-crafted piece. A carefully proofread essay not only reflects professionalism but also ensures that your audience can fully focus on the captivating story you've worked so diligently to convey.

Step 9: Include Proper Citations

As the finishing touch to your interview essay, don't forget to give credit where it's due. Include proper citations to acknowledge any external sources or references used during your research. Whether it's direct quotes, paraphrased information, or data from other works, citing your sources adds credibility to your essay and shows respect for the original contributors. Follow the citation style specified by your assignment or publication guidelines, ensuring transparency and integrity in your writing. This step ensures that your readers can trace back and explore the sources that contributed to the depth of your interview essay.

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Interview Essay Example

To illustrate the art of turning a conversation into a compelling essay, let's delve into an interview essay sample with Sarah Rodriguez, an avid urban gardener with a green thumb and a passion for sustainable living. Through this example, we'll explore how to capture the essence of someone's experiences and insights, transforming a casual chat into a narrative that resonates:

Sarah Rodriguez's balcony garden in the heart of the city is a testament to the possibilities of urban gardening. As we sat surrounded by thriving plants, she shared her journey into sustainable living and the joys of cultivating a green oasis in a concrete jungle.

Urban gardening might seem like a niche interest, but for Sarah, it's a way of life that has transformed not only her living space but also her perspective on sustainable practices. In this interview, we'll dive into the roots of Sarah's passion, exploring how she turned a small balcony into a flourishing garden and gained insights into sustainable living along the way.

Sarah's journey began with a desire for fresh herbs, a longing that led her to experiment with container gardening. 'It started small, with a few potted herbs like basil and mint,' she recalled. 'But as I learned more about sustainable gardening practices, it evolved into something much more significant.'

Each paragraph in the body delves into a different aspect of Sarah's experience. From the challenges of limited space to the joy of harvesting her own produce, the narrative weaves through her urban gardening adventure. Key moments, such as discovering the benefits of composting or experimenting with rainwater harvesting, add depth to the story.

As we wrap up the interview, Sarah reflects on the impact of urban gardening on her life. 'It's not just about the plants; it's about connecting with nature in the midst of a bustling city,' she shares. Through Sarah's journey, we glimpse the potential of turning a small balcony into a sustainable haven. This interview essay not only captures the practical aspects of urban gardening but also highlights the personal growth and connection to the environment that can stem from such a simple yet impactful endeavor.

Bringing It All Together

We hope you picked up some handy tips in this guide to shine in your journalism class. But hey, if you crave more guidance on how to prepare for a job interview essay, our expert writers are all ears and ready to share more insights! Feel free to reach out for extra help and nail that assignment with confidence.

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22 Phone Interview Tips to Help You Nail the Call (and Move to the Next Round)

There’s truly nothing more rewarding than getting a response from an application you sent in to your dream job asking you to hop on the phone for an interview. Not only did all your hard work—editing your resume, writing a cover letter, putting together writing samples, and filling out endless forms—pay off, but you’re finally going to meet the person (or people) hiring for your role. Or, uh, well, hear their voice at least.

Before you go from ecstatic to panicked wondering how in the hell you’re going to knock the interviewer’s socks off, we’ve compiled all the phone interview tips you could ever need to get yourself prepared—and guarantee you’ll get to meet the hiring manager in person in the next round.

• Get Clear on the Details
• Do Your Research
• Practice Your Answers (and Talking on the Phone)
• Prepare Your Salary Number
• Create a Cheat Sheet
• Print Out Other Relevant Documents
• Gather Your Tools
• Dress the Part
• Find a Quiet, Comfortable, and Convenient Place
• Cut the Distractions
• Factor in the Worst-Case Scenarios
• Set a Friendly (and Professional) Voicemail Message
• Charge Your Phone and Do a Test Run
• Start Off Strong
• Have Impeccable Manners (and Know How to Small Talk)
• Lean Into the Pauses
• Make Sure There’s Excitement in Your Voice
• Talk Slowly
• Listen (and Sound Like You Are)
• Jot Down Important Points
• Send a Thank You Note
• Follow Up if You Don’t Hear Back

Preparing for a video interview?: 20 Video Interview Tips to Help You Dazzle the Hiring Manager and Get the Job

Tips 1-13 Before Your Phone Interview

1. get clear on the details.

This means knowing:

• The time of your phone interview (and in what time zone!)
• Who exactly you’ll be speaking with and their role (if there’s more than one person, figure out what order you’ll be speaking to them in)
• What number they’ll be calling from
• What number they’ll be calling you at (if you have two or more phone lines)
• Any other contact information (like their email or the company’s main line) you may need if the call drops

If this wasn’t spelled out to you, just ask! There’s nothing wrong with getting some clarity on something that affects both of your schedules (and you’ll be grateful you didn’t have to deal with a missed call or meeting that started late).

You can send the following email:

I’m excited to speak with you on [date]! I just wanted to double check what time we’re chatting at (I have [time] [time zone] on my calendar) and what number you’ll be calling from. Please let me know if there’s anything else you need from me before our call.

Thanks so much! [Your Name]

Or you can follow up on your previous conversations with:

Just confirming we’re chatting on [date] at [time] [time zone] and you’ll be calling me at [phone number]/I’ll be calling you at [phone number]? Let me know if I have that schedule wrong.

Thanks, [Your Name]

Oh, and if you need to reschedule for whatever emergency reason, use this email template and be proactive—in other words, don’t wait until the last second to cancel if you can help it.

2. Do Your Research

Treat it like any other interview—and prepare, prepare, prepare. Too many people make the mistake of winging a phone interview thinking it’s not as important or they can handle it no problem, when in reality they find themselves stumbling over their answers and messing up their chances.

First, give the job description a gander to understand exactly what role you’re interviewing for and what the interviewer may ask you about over the phone.

Then, do some digging into the company . Browse their website, Google them to gather some recent news updates, read their employee testimonials on other sites (like The Muse !), and scroll through their social media. Get a sense of not just what your specific role would entail and what the team does, but the company’s history, mission, and overall vibe. This will help you in crafting tailored interview answers and asking thoughtful questions.

As Muse writer and former recruiter Rich Moy notes in an article about what recruiters look for in a phone interview , you don’t want to just regurgitate the organization’s “About” page. Rather, find ways to tie the company’s values to your own and use that to showcase how great a fit you are.

3. Practice Your Answers (and Talking on the Phone)

Next on the list is prepping answers to any and all phone interview questions you might be asked. Once you nail those down, practice answering these other common interview questions and compile two to three questions to ask the interviewer at the very end.

But preparing for a phone interview isn’t just about crafting answers to predictable questions you may be asked. It’s also about knowing how to convey those answers over the phone . So if you want to ensure you’re making the right kind of impression, phone a friend and have them listen to your responses and give feedback (more advice on running a successful mock interview here ).

4. Prepare Your Salary Number

Yes, this is might come up, especially if the phone interview is an initial screening call with HR. So you’ll want to have a smart answer ready. (But if they don’t ask, you’ll probably want to wait for a later round to bring it up yourself.)

Figure out what you’re worth by using a salary calculator and reading this article and this one . Then practice how you’ll convey that request by reading this article on discussing salary requirements .

And check out this article if you find yourself being asked the (illegal in many places!) question, “What’s your current salary?”

5. Create a Cheat Sheet

All this information shouldn’t just sit inside your head. One, because it doesn’t have to—the beauty of phone interviews is that you can have notes right in front of you without the interviewer having any clue. And two, because we often freeze up when we’re nervous, so why put yourself in the position of forgetting everything?

Take the research you did, the answers you prepared, and the questions you have and jot them down into a notebook, on a Post-it, or in a one-page document (we even made a cheat sheet for you !). And stick to bullet points—you certainly don’t want to be reading your answers off like a script. That’ll just make you sound inauthentic and frankly make the interview more stressful.

6. Print Out Other Relevant Documents

In addition to your cheat sheet, it might help to also print out a copy of your resume and cover letter, as well as any other information you think you might need to reference (like your salary research). As Muse writer Aja Frost points out , the interviewer may bring up points you made in these documents, and you’ll want to know what they’re talking about.

7. Gather Your Tools

This can consist of:

• A notepad and pen/pencil (or a laptop, if that’s how you prefer to take notes—just don’t spend the whole conversation tapping away because that can be distracting)
• A water bottle
• A toy to play with (if it helps you focus—I’m a big fan of the fidget cube )

8. Dress the Part

Sure, taking a phone interview in your pajamas sounds appealing—in fact, it’s why we love them so much—but dressing the part can only add to your confidence. So resist the urge to wear sweatpants and opt for an outfit that makes you feel like the kind of person who could rock it in this job. Or at least an outfit that’s comfortable enough and still makes you feel like a professional. (If you’re taking the call in the office, you’ll check this box off no problem!)

9. Find a Quiet, Comfortable, and Convenient Place

At home, this may mean locking yourself in a room that’s away from family, roommates, or pets. At work , this may mean booking yourself a conference room or Breather , finding a coffee shop nearby, or settling for your car or a quiet side street. Wherever you decide to go, scope it out a day or two early for all the necessities—a comfy seat (if available); minimal distractions, interruptions, or foot traffic; good phone service; and an outlet if possible.

10. Cut the Distractions

This goes hand in hand with finding your ideal phone interview location. Book time on your calendar so people know they can’t bother you during that time (and make the event private or give it a fake name so your boss doesn’t find out what you’re up to), lock your bedroom door so your roommates or kids don’t come waltzing in, and silence any notifications on your phone or laptop. If you’re in a public place, try facing away from a window or toward a wall so you aren’t distracted by people walking by or things happening around you.

And—this is key—use headphones! They’ll minimize surrounding noise and help you to further focus on the conversation—and only the conversation.

By the way, please do not eat or chew gum during your interview. If you prefer, set a glass of water next to you for when your mouth starts to get dry.

11. Factor in the Worst-Case Scenarios

Your phone dies. Your interview runs over and someone’s trying to get into your conference room. You get distracted and lose your train of thought. You forget everything you’ve practiced and have zero things to say.

These are unlikely to happen, but knowing what to expect can help you overcome your worst fears and respond proactively should you need to.

Having the essentials in place—like a phone charger and cheat sheet—can do wonders for your confidence. And if you’re worried you’ll run over, make sure your space is available and booked an extra 15-30 minutes before and after the scheduled time.

Being afraid of talking on the phone is normal, so if that’s your biggest worry the best thing you can do is practice—over and over again until nothing surprises you. And try reading this article on overcoming phone interview phobia , this one on becoming a “phone person” , and this one on refocusing after you get distracted .

12. Set a Friendly (and Professional) Voicemail Message

Ideally you’ll actually pick up the phone when the interviewer calls. But in case you can’t for whatever reason, you’ll want to make the best impression you can offline—and this means setting up a professional voicemail message.

Try something like: “Hi, you’ve reached [Your Name]. I’m sorry I missed your call. Please leave me a detailed message and I’ll return your message as soon as possible. Thanks!”

13. Charge Your Phone and Do a Test Run

You definitely should make sure your phone is at full battery going in—because no one wants a dropped call. An hour or so before your interview is scheduled to start, also make sure it’s working properly and the signal is OK by calling up a friend or family member and asking if they can hear you all right.

Tips 14-19 During Your Phone Interview

14. start off strong.

First, the essentials: Be on time and pick up on the second or third ring.

Then, nail your introduction. You can start off with something like, “Hello, this is [Your Name]” or “Hi [Name], this is [Your Name]. Thanks for calling, it’s great to speak with you.” Basically, you’ll want to say something that’ll set the right tone off the bat. Saying “’Sup” or not making it clear it’s you speaking will immediately make the interviewer question your professionalism and communication skills.

15. Have Impeccable Manners (and Know How to Small Talk)

You don’t have to jump straight into business! At least not if they aren’t. Feel free to ask them how their day’s going, talk about the weather or your weekend, or try a conversation starter if it seems natural. Participating in small talk is a polite and easy way to keep the good vibes rolling and connect with your interviewer—just keep it brief and business appropriate.

Also, if some kind of interruption or background sound occurs, apologize and address it—better to pause than to continue on obliviously while the interviewer is straining on the other end trying to understand what you’re saying. If background noise is unavoidable, mute yourself when you’re not speaking.

16. Lean Into the Pauses

With technology and not seeing someone face-to-face come all sorts of awkward social moments—delayed or overlapping responses being one of them. So don’t be afraid of moments of silence—it’s OK to let the conversation breathe a little.

When your interviewer asks a question, wait a beat or two before answering them to ensure they’re finished speaking. If you can’t hear them, politely say, “I’m sorry, could you repeat the question?” or “Just to make sure I understood you, you asked [question]?”

And if they interrupt you, stop talking to let them finish before speaking again. If they’re doing this, either they’re dealing with technical difficulties or they want to refocus the conversation. You’ll want to transition with them so everything you say is clearly heard and understood.

17. Make Sure There’s Excitement in Your Voice

One of the biggest mistakes people make in phone interviews is not sounding energetic and excited enough. Because the person can’t see you, you have to work extra hard to show that you’re enthusiastic about the role and meeting with them.

To help convey this, use gestures and smile while you talk. Both will automatically inject emotion into your voice. Hey, get up and walk around if that keeps you lively. And if something’s funny, laugh! That’s allowed!

Of course, you’ll want to balance this out by not sounding fake. Keep an eye on how loud you’re speaking and try to lower the volume when you find yourself getting too animated. Practice and getting feedback from peers can help with nailing this down.

18. But Talk Slowly

I once interviewed with someone who naturally spoke super fast. I loved her energy, but because her words came out so rapid-fire a lot of our conversation consisted of me asking, “Could you repeat that?”

Self-awareness is crucial when you’re talking on the phone. With only your voice to carry you through, you want to make sure everything you’re saying is clear and concise—so catch yourself when you start to ramble or chatter a mile a minute.

19. Listen (and Sound Like You Are)

Don’t be that person who makes the interviewer repeat their questions again and again—that’s annoying for everyone involved. Pay attention, practice active listening, and don’t multitask (a.k.a., don’t be working on something else, or even reading over your own notes, while the other person is talking). This means repeating relevant points (write them down if you really want to remember them) and using fillers like “hm,” “OK,” “yes,” and “right” to express that you’re taking it in.

Tips 20-22 After Your Phone Interview

20. jot down important points.

Take a minute or two after you hang up to jot down any last notes you want to remember. Maybe they mentioned a new product they launched that you want to check out, or something about the culture you want to follow up on via email, or a person to reach out to. You won’t regret having those in writing when you go to write your thank you note or walk into the next round of interviews.

21. Send a Thank You Note

Do this, and do it soon after your call! The same day is ideal, but a day after at the latest. There are several boxes you’ll want to check:

• Thank them for speaking with you
• Highlight conversation topics that stuck out to you
• Reemphasize your passion for the role and company
• Keep it short and sweet

Here’s an example:

It was great speaking with you over the phone today. I really enjoyed learning more about The Muse’s mission to help people find companies and careers they love, and especially enjoyed discussing your vision for expanding the consumer product. I’d absolutely love the opportunity to join your team.

I look forward to hearing from you about next steps, but please let me know if there’s any other information I can provide in the meantime.

All the best, Alyse

For an easy-to-use template and more examples, read this article on writing a thank you email after an interview .

22. Follow Up if You Don’t Hear Back

If you don’t hear from the hiring manager in a week or so, don’t hesitate to follow up to see where they are in the process. They may still be conducting interviews and thus have no updates for you, but checking in keeps you top of mind when they go to narrow down candidates.

It could look something like this:

I hope all is well! It was really nice speaking with you last week.

I just wanted to follow up and see where you were in the hiring process for the sales development representative role. I’m still very interested in and excited about this opportunity, so please let me know if there’s anything else you need from me to help in making your decision.

Best, Alyse

For more help on writing this follow-up email, check out this article and this one .

Talking to a Recruiter? Here’s What You Should Know About That Phone Call

If your phone interview is actually with a recruiter who found you via LinkedIn or another source, that’s awesome! You’ll want to keep several things in mind.

First off, this is still an interview. It shouldn’t be a formal conversation (nor should most interviews be super formal), but you should still do your research, practice some responses, and prepare your own questions. And you’ll want to express enthusiasm for the opportunity and speaking with them—even if you’re not actually all that interested in the role (you can always turn it down later on).

As Muse writer and career coach Jenny Foss points out , you have the upper hand because the recruiter is rooting for you to succeed. So use that to ask for their help and suggestions in moving on to the next round and express clearly your intentions for the role, like your salary demands and ideal set of responsibilities.

Every other Tuesday, you’ll get actionable tips to land your dream job.  Subscribe

• Job Interview Tips

16 Common Phone Interview Questions & How to Answer

“Phone interviews are awesome because the interviewer can’t see me frantically walking around my room.”

I laughed when I spoke to a friend who recently had a phone interview. It never occurred to me, but it made perfect sense.

“On the other hand,” he said, “it’s hard relying solely on voices in an interview. It’s difficult to express my enthusiasm through my voice. Plus, the interviewer’s voice is the only indicator of how the interview is going.”

Phone interviews can feel nerve-wracking if you don’t know what to expect.

In this article, you’ll learn:

• What makes phone interviews different from video or in-person interviews
• Questions you’ll likely hear during the phone interview (with sample answers)
• Tips for crushing your next phone interview and common mistakes to avoid

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

Understanding the Nature and the Purpose of Phone Interviews

Phone interviews or phone screens are short phone calls (usually 15–30 minutes) used for screening candidates to determine if they’re a good fit for going forward with the process.

As someone on Reddit brilliantly put it, a phone screening interview is a “Vibe check. Think of it as a captcha, but irl.” It’s a preliminary call that narrows down the pool of applicants.

Recruiters use it to:

• Weed out the bad fits
• Identify the most promising candidates
• Check if candidates have all the necessary qualifications
• Gauge candidates’ interest and fit
• Save time and resources

You’ll still have to prepare for this call, though.

Milica Petkovic , HR partner at Webelinx Games says: “Phone interviews are a big thing in corporations, so you’re likely to expect them in your interviewing process if you apply for a job at one. Sometimes, you can expect them in startups and smaller businesses. 

My company occasionally uses phone interviews to narrow down the pool of applicants in cases when we have a lot of candidates who fit the profile on paper, and we want to decrease that number.

Gamers, candidates with meaningful experience, or the ones who are passionate about gaming in any way will have an advantage. 

Make sure to show your passion and what makes you stand out. Even if you don’t have much experience, but have an interest or a related hobby, it can make a difference.”

Phone interviews vs. in-person and video interviews: Key differences

Phone interviews are much shorter than in-person or video interviews — and the questions are usually more general.

You’ll have to rely exclusively on verbal communication during the phone interview — there are no non-verbal cues involved.

That makes it easier on the one hand (no need to worry about how you look or about your body language), but harder on the other (it’s more difficult to convey your enthusiasm and energy). Plus, as my friend noticed, it might be difficult to figure out what the interviewer thinks of you and how the interview is going.

Finally, phone interviews are typically conducted by an external recruiter or a member of the in-house HR team. Unless it’s a small business or a startup, it’s unlikely you’ll speak with your future manager.

I spoke to Gorana Ferizovic , Team Lead at Popcorn Recruiters , a recruiting agency working with names like AT&T, IBM, and Symphony. Gorana and her team are what you’d call “external recruiters,” hired by companies to find relevant candidates.

“We do a basic, 10-minute phone screening when mass hiring for roles like Customer Service. During those calls, we pay attention to only the most basic elements like language proficiency, maybe a test question, salary expectations, and the length of the notice period.

But when hiring for managerial and executive positions, these screening calls can last up to 30 minutes and are much more detailed. Among other things, we as recruiters use these calls to sell the position and the company and make it look attractive to the candidate,” she said.

👀 Fun fact: There are exceptions to every rule. I once had an hour-long, extremely detailed phone interview with someone from an American company who wanted to open an office in my country and was looking for an office manager. It was a big deal and I spoke directly with one of the company’s leaders.

The Most Common Phone Interview Questions You Should Expect

During phone interviews, interviewers will keep it simple. They’ll usually want to know only:

• Your qualifications
• Reason you want to change jobs
• Motivation to apply for this position
• Your availability
• Your salary expectations

Here are the most common phone interview questions:

Questions about your interest and availability

• Why are you interested in this position?
• What about our company appeals to you?
• Can you discuss your availability?
• What’s your notice period?
• When can you start?
• What are your salary expectations?

Questions about your work history and qualifications

• Walk me through your resume.
• Can you elaborate on your experience in X?
• How did your role at Y prepare you for a job like ours?
• How do you apply your learned skills in your work?

Questions about your job transition

• Why did you leave your previous job?
• What are you looking for in a new job?
• Is there a particular reason you applied for our job opening?
• Is there anything else you’d like to know about this opening at this stage?

Behavioral interview questions ( less likely than the other questions but might be asked)

• Can you tell me about a time you had a conflict at work and how you resolved it?
• Describe a situation where you took initiative.
• Give an example of a goal you reached and how you achieved it.

If you’re looking for sample answers to these questions, keep reading. We break down what interviewers are looking for and how you should answer.

To learn more about the questions you’ll get during in-person or video interviews, how to sell yourself in your answers, and how to negotiate the salary of your dreams — sign up for our free course .

Why they ask those questions: To understand what motivated you to apply and to gauge your level of enthusiasm for the role. But they also look at the operational side of things, like your schedule and availability — especially if they’re hiring for a high-priority role.

How to answer: Find a way to emphasize the alignment between your career goals and the company’s mission. For this, you’ll have to take some time to think about your goals and aspirations for the future, as well as research the company.

For questions about your availability, strike a balance between honesty (don’t lie about your notice period) and strategic planning for your transition (it would be nice to have some time to rest, decompress, and energize before starting a new job).

Try to gauge if the potential employer is flexible around your starting date. If so, negotiate a date that would give you some breathing room. In any case, frame your answers in a positive light to prove your enthusiasm for the role and display the fresh energy you’ll bring to the table.

Finally, be flexible: if your notice period doesn’t align with their desired starting date, try to find solutions like working remotely for those few overlapping days.

Sample answer

Interviewer: Why are you interested in this position?

Why they ask those questions: They want to uncover details from your professional experience, like key hard and soft skills, and proudest accomplishments . These questions also hint at your resourcefulness (if you anticipated the questions and prepared answers) and communication (if you know how to pick out the most meaningful details from your past and appealingly present them).

How to answer: Prepare in advance so that you can be specific and provide examples in each answer. Draw connections from past experiences to potential roles at the new company to display that you’re competent and that you can contribute to the company meaningfully.

They might also ask you to tell them a little bit about yourself — check out this video to learn how to create a powerful elevator pitch (a brief introduction explaining who you are, why you’re qualified, and why you’re interested in the position):

Interviewer: How did your role at Email.io prepare you for a job like this?

• Why did you leave your previous job ? / Why do you want to leave your current job?

Why they ask these questions: To figure out why you want to pursue a career with them and to make sure you’re as much of a right fit for them as they are a fit for you. They also want to know what constitutes a good reason for you to leave a company, what kind of work environment suits you, and how you talk about your past employers.

How to answer: Be short, positive, and focus on the future.

Finally, if they ask you if you have any questions for them, saying “Nope, all good on my side” is a criminal offense, as it shows a lack of interest and preparation. This is why you’ll want to prepare at least a few smart questions. Here’s a guide for help: 40+ Smart Questions to Ask at the End of Any Job Interview .

Interviewer: Why did you leave your previous job?

Behavioral interview questions

Getting a behavioral question during a phone interview is not that common. This is because behavioral questions dive deep into your experience and expertise, and phone interviews, as we said, tend to be a general, high-level assessment of the basic fit between you and the company.

In case your phone interview turns out to be more detailed than expected, we’ll cover some of the behavioral questions now.

Common behavioral questions you might hear:

• Can you tell me about a time you had a conflict at work and how you resolved it ?
• Describe a situation where you took initiative .

Why they ask these questions: They want to know how you navigated previous work-related situations, since that might be indicative of how you’ll handle similar challenges in the future.

For a detailed guide on behavioral questions and how to answer them, check out this article: 40+ Behavioral Interview Questions (Tips + Sample Answers) .

For more info on how to prepare for them, read Behavioral Interview: What It Is & How to Prepare (Tips) .

How to answer: Use the STAR method , provide specific examples and quantifiable achievements, highlight what you learned from the experience, and tie it back to the job for which you’re applying.

Here’s a list of individual guides to help you:

• “Tell Me About a Time You Failed”: How to Answer + Examples
• Answering Problem-Solving Interview Questions: Tips and Examples
• Conflict Resolution Interview Questions: Example Answers & Tips
• “What Accomplishments Are You Most Proud Of?” 6 Examples
• “Why Did You Leave Your Last Job?” Top Reasons, Examples, How to Answer
• “Describe Your Current Job Responsibilities:” Sample Answers
• What Is Your Greatest Weakness? (Sample Answers + Tips)
• What Are Your Strengths (and Weaknesses): Example Answers + Bonus Tips
• “Tell Me About Yourself” 20+ Sample Answers + How-to

Finally, here’s a video on how to answer these common interview questions:

Additional Tips for Phone Interview Success: Dos and Don’ts

Now that you know what questions to expect and how to answer them, let’s go through tricks on how to impress interviewers during the phone interview and what to avoid.

✅ Create an interview-friendly environment. For you to be at your best during the interview, you’ll have to be in a quiet room without distractions.

✅ Keep your documents at hand. One positive thing about phone interviews is that the interviewer can’t see you, and you can, if needed, consult your notes. Make sure you have your resume, cover letter, job description, and your notes nearby. This is especially useful if you’re nervous — even if you forget a piece of info, you can quickly check it.

✅ Speak clearly and professionally. Your voice is your only communication tool during the phone interview, so make sure you’re being well-articulated and maintain a steady pace and a balanced tone. Listen to the interviewer’s tone and pace and try to mirror it — it’ll help you create a harmonious convo.

✅ Show enthusiasm. It’s difficult for the interviewer to gauge your level of interest without seeing you. This study proves it’s significantly more difficult to express what you truly mean when the other speaker cannot see your hand gestures, facial expressions, and overall body language. But there are things you can do to prove your enthusiasm: be mindful of your tone, choose positive words, and occasionally smile while speaking because it helps your voice sound more enthusiastic and engaging.

✅ Send a post-interview follow-up email . It’ll keep you on top of the interviewer’s mind, leave a lasting positive impression, and showcase your resourcefulness. In the email, thank the interviewer for their time, personalize by mentioning one or two specific things discussed during the interview, and restate your interest in the position.

“General follow-up emails won’t do much in terms of a candidate’s performance, except show that a person has nice manners. But they can make a difference if they’re written in such a way that they reflect a skill relevant to the role. This is especially important for positions that require superb communication skills and involve client relations, like Sales or Customer Service.” — Milica Petkovic

❌ Don’t take a call in a noisy location. Background noise will distract you and the interviewer. It might also hint at a lack of interest on your side, as you didn’t take the time to find an appropriate environment for the call. Plus, you’ll probably get nervous because of the noise and it will affect both the atmosphere and your interview performance.

❌ Don’t interrupt the interviewer. This one might seem obvious, but it’s easy to lose focus and interrupt them in case you get too excited or nervous. Stay aware of your pace of speech during the interview and listen actively. It will help you stay calm and allow the interviewer to complete their thoughts or questions. This way, you’ll avoid misunderstandings and come across as a calm, confident candidate.

❌ Don’t come unprepared. This is the highway to a major failure. If you don’t prepare in advance, you won’t be able to coherently answer some of the most basic questions about yourself and your motivation to apply for that position. Plus, you’ll have no clue what the company is like, so you won’t be able to adjust and personalize your answers. Take some time to research the company, prepare your answers, practice them, and learn the ins and outs of your resume.

❌ Don’t avoid asking them questions. At the end of each interview, the interviewer will ask you if you have any questions for them. You need to prepare a few tailored questions to show your interest and resourcefulness. Plus, these questions will also help you figure out what the company is like and what they’re looking for — it’ll be much easier for you to see if the role is a good fit for you.

❌ Don’t convey negativity. Never speak negatively about your past company, manager, or coworkers. Similarly, don’t speak negatively about yourself when asked about your weaknesses or failures. Always express gratitude, find positive aspects, and focus on the lessons learned. Don’t dwell on the past, focus on the future.

Phone Interview Questions: Popular Opinion vs. Expert Advice

Now, let’s see what job-seekers have to say about phone interview questions and if their tips match expert advice.

420sadman from Reddit said:

“If it’s a phone screen, it’s not really an interview. It’s more like the HR person will discuss with you about the company and the role. You will have a chance to ask questions about the position. They might ask you your salary requirements. It’s nothing to worry about. The second interview with the manager is what you should be more worried about.”

Career expert comments:

Yes and no. A lot of it depends on the industry, the company, the interviewer, or the type of role in question, as well as your seniority. Sometimes, it will be super short and the only thing you’ll be asked is your salary requirements and when you can start. But sometimes, you might get a test question, or you’ll have to prove your foreign language proficiency, or you’ll have to answer a basic question like “Tell me about yourself” or “Can you quickly walk me through your resume?”

So it’s best to take some time to prepare, revisit your resume, and think about your accomplishments and how you would answer some basic interview questions like the ones I mentioned above. If you feel like it would make you feel safer, have a little post-it note on your desk with a reminder for your elevator pitch, top 3 accomplishments, the date you are available, and perhaps the top 3 reasons you’re applying for the position. Printing out your resume and having it near will be helpful, too.

Pwens on Reddit said:

“Prepare your answers, verbatim, word-for-word, to the most common interview questions in advance. Then, if you are good enough of an actor to read from a piece of paper but make it sound like you’re speaking off the top of your head, do that! Read the piece of paper word for word. Good actors can make it come off as being very well-prepared with well-thought-out responses. Remember, they can’t see you, so bust out the blind acting skills.”

This person doesn’t want you to make it to the next round. Seriously, though, unless you actually are an actor, interviewers will know that you’re either reading from a piece of paper or reciting what you learned by heart — both are awful. You’ll sound robotic and sterile. Plus, blindly following a script will make it extremely hard to adapt your answers to the context or unexpected turns in the conversation.

Instead, prepare a framework for your answers, have a few stories about your skills or accomplishments at hand, and know the general ideas you want to convey. If you practice that a few times, you’ll have the “meat” of your answer. You’ll know what you want to say, but you’ll sound conversational.

The key is to strike a balance between preparedness and spontaneity. Remember that the best actors do a lot of improv. 😉

Summary of the Main Points

• Phone interviews or screening interviews are often the very first step in the hiring process.
• During this call, the interviewer will do a very high-level assessment of your experience and skills to determine if you’d be a good fit.
• Phone interviews are usually considerably shorter than in-person or video interviews: 15–20 minutes.
• Typical phone interview questions revolve around your experience and qualifications, your motivation to change jobs and apply for this position, your availability and notice period, and your salary expectations.
• Rarely, you’ll get a behavioral question or two, but these are usually reserved for in-person and video interviews.
• Before the interview, make sure you’ve prepared and rehearsed your answers, researched the company, and found peaceful, appropriate surroundings for the interview.
• Be mindful of your language, as your voice is your only tool of communication during phone interviews: speak clearly, don’t interrupt, display enthusiasm, and ask questions at the end of the interview.

________________________________________________

Need a hand? There’s 3 ways we can help:

• Getting invited to interviews but not landing the job? Discover actionable lessons and interview practice here (Rated with 4.9/5 by 1,000,000 users).
• Learn how to cancel an interview politely .
• Learn all about illegal interview questions and how to handle them .

How long do phone screen interviews usually last?

The length might vary depending on the company, the type of role, or the depth of the conversation. But in most cases, a phone screen interview lasts 15–30 minutes and focuses on the big picture and general fit, instead of delving deeper into your experiences and skills.

How many questions should I expect to be asked during a phone interview?

This is a brief screening call, so you should expect between 5 and 10 questions. Most of the questions will be straightforward, evaluating your experience, interest, general fit, and salary expectations.

Who will the phone interview be with?

Most often, the phone interview will be conducted either by an external recruiter or a recruiter from the company’s internal HR team — rarely by the hiring manager or someone else from the leadership team.

What to do if the interviewer calls me unexpectedly?

If interviewers call you out of the blue, it’s very important to stay calm. If you find that you’re not ready to have the conversation, or you’re not in the right environment, it’s perfectly acceptable to politely ask to reschedule the call. For example, you can say, “Thank you for calling. I am currently unable to have this conversation. Could we possibly reschedule this for a later time when I can fully focus on our discussion?”

That said, in a time when you send out numerous job applications, it’s best to be prepared for the unexpected. If possible, brush up on common interview questions and practice your answers before you have any actual interviews lined up. Do some basic research on any company you apply to. And if you can, store this information in a note or spreadsheet that you could pull up on the fly. When they call you, even if that happens at a random time, you certainly don’t want to show them you’re not familiar with what they do.

What questions should I ask at the end of the phone interview?

Questions that will give you more insight into the role, the company, and the company culture: Why is this position open? Where do you see this role in the company’s growth? What are the main challenges for someone in this role? What do new employees often find surprising after they start? How has the company changed over the last few years? What’s the performance review process like here? Can you tell me about the team I’d be working with? How do you typically onboard employees? For more questions, scroll up, we provided a detailed guide in the “Most common interview questions you should expect” section.

Are there questions I should avoid asking during my phone interview?

Don’t ask for basic information you can find on their website — it will prove that you didn’t do your research. So, forget about questions like “So what does your company do?” or “Who is your ideal client?” Of course, don’t ask sensitive or personal questions about the interviewer’s personal life or why the previous person quit. Avoid self-centered questions about salary, benefits, days off, and similar. It’s okay to discuss this during the phone interview, but it shouldn’t be your main focus. For now, providing your salary range will be enough. There will be plenty of space to talk about benefits and everything else during the negotiation part.

Do I send a thank-you email after a phone interview?

Yes, you need to send a thank-you email after each interview, no matter if it’s a phone interview, in-person interview, video interview, first, second, or third interview. After each interaction, send a short follow-up email to thank the interviewer for their time, bring up a unique talking point you spoke about, and restate your interest in the position. It shows consideration, good manners, and a knowledge of interviewing etiquette.

Maja Stojanovic

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Industry Expert Contributions:

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11 Phone Interview Tips by Experts: Impress Recruiters with Ease

By Sheila Kravitz

11 min read

In the unpredictable business world, where every second counts, phone interviews are one of the most common ways of assessing candidates for job positions. They offer multiple benefits over face-to-face meetings but also come with specific challenges that you should be aware of before you jump into a call with the recruiter.

In this article, we’ll explore the intricacies of phone interviews. You’ll learn how to prepare yourself and the environment for the call , and we’ll also give you a couple of expert tips on how to ensure a smooth experience. Finally, we’ll go through the most common questions recruiters ask during phone interviews. Let’s get started!

Key Takeaways

To prepare for the phone interview, you should research the company , practice answering some of the most common interview questions, have your resume next to you, and prepare meaningful questions to ask the interviewer.

You want to have the call in a quiet location where you have strong reception and the space is organized to help you focus and be less stressed.

During the call , you want to listen actively, speak clearly, and sound engaged and excited while still being professional.

Follow up after a phone interview with a thank-you email to improve your chances of leaving a good impression.

4 Tips on How To Prepare for the Phone Interview

Preparing for the phone interview is, in many ways, similar to preparing for the in-person one .

With that in mind, here are some phone interview tips that can help you ace it:

Phone Interview Tips

Research the company that you’re applying to and the role that you’re going for. That way, you’ll know which skills they are looking for in candidates and what past accomplishments you should emphasize in your answers to their questions.

Practice answering the most common interview questions. There are many phone interview questions that recruiters ask all candidates, regardless of the field or position they are after. Having answers ready helps you convey confidence and demonstrate competence.

Keep a spare resume next to you. You should also have your research notes in front of you, as well as the job description and all other relevant details that will help you focus on what’s important.

Prepare the questions to ask the interviewer. This is one of the best ways to demonstrate genuine interest in the organization and the position that you’re going for. Leverage the information obtained during your research to come up with thoughtful questions about the company, its culture, team, workload, and more.

3 Tips on How to Make a Proper Setting for a Phone Interview

Making a proper setting for a phone interview is essential for success and involves creating a tranquil atmosphere where you can remain focused and professional.

Here are three tips to help you create an ideal setting:

Choose a quiet location where you won’t be disturbed by noise or other people. You should avoid rowdy places like cafes or restaurants. Instead, you should be in a private room where you can close the doors and windows. You should also inform everyone else in the household not to interrupt you until you’re finished.

Make sure you have reception. You should test your phone’s signal in the room where you’ll be having your interview in advance to ensure that it’s spotless and won’t lead to any call drops or issues with sound quality. Moreover, if you’re using a mobile phone, make sure that it’s fully charged.

Organize the space around you. While a clean and organized space and background are essential for video interviews, they can vastly contribute to your success during a phone interview with a recruiter. You want an organized desk with your resume, notepad, and pen at hand. A tidy desk also contributes to your focus and helps reduce stress.

4 Strategies for a Smooth Phone Interview

Now that we know how to prepare for a phone interview, let’s see what you should do during the conversation to ensure a smooth and professional call with the recruiter.

#1. Listen to the Recruiter Actively

Active listening is vital for a phone interview, as it demonstrates your interest in the position and the recruiter . It shows that you’re not merely hearing the words that the interviewer says and haphazardly responding but taking the time to truly grasp the context and meaning of their words.

This is all the more important due to the fact that there’s no visual aspect to a phone interview by definition . That means you won’t be able to use body language or mimicking to convey your feelings and intentions.

Instead, you can use occasional affirmative sounds , like “I see,” “yes,” and “mm-hmm.” Furthermore, you should avoid interrupting the interviewer until you see that they are done talking. When you’re responding, follow up on their ideas and inquiries, and don’t be afraid to ask for clarifications.

#2. Speak Clearly

Since verbal communication is the main—if not only—method of exchanging ideas and answering questions during a phone interview, it’s imperative that you speak clearly, distinctly, and at a moderate pace.

It’s essential for recruiters to hear and understand your every word , which is why you want to avoid speaking too quickly or mumbling. On the other hand, you shouldn’t talk too slowly, and you should avoid long and confusing sentences, as that runs the risk of losing the other party’s interest.

During the conversation, you should remain professional but keep a friendly and natural tone . It helps to have some of the answers prepared in advance, as that way, you can articulate your thoughts in a concise and structured manner while conveying confidence and expertise.

#3. Sound Engaged and Excited

By sounding engaged and excited, you’ll convey your enthusiasm and interest in the role . These can be deciding factors in the hiring process that help you progress to further stages.

Use a positive tone to convey authentic eagerness about the job and the profession. These are valuable traits that indicate a commitment. Recruiters use them to gauge how devoted a potential candidate is to their craft , whether they are involved in relevant professional networks, if they are eager to practice continuous learning, and more.

You should also make an effort to show interest in the specific aspects of the company that you’re applying to, whether it’s their work, team, culture, or values. This shows your involvement and can make you a memorable candidate.

#4. Be Professional

Professionalism is paramount during a job interview , whether it’s in person or over the phone. This includes having a calm and collected demeanor and using appropriate language.

Furthermore, you should respect the job interviewer’s time . Be punctual when answering the call and keep the conversation on topic. While a friendly tone is encouraged, you should avoid overly casual phrases or inappropriate slang.

You should also refrain from sharing information that’s too personal . This includes age and gender, political and religious affiliations, and so on. Finally, you should conclude the call with one final statement about your excitement for the opportunity before wrapping it up with a thank you note.

How To Follow Up After the Phone Interview

One of the best ways to follow up after the phone interview is with a message or an email that expresses your gratitude for the opportunity and restates your enthusiasm for the position.

You should send an interview follow-up email within 24 hours , as it shows diligence and professionalism. Keep the message brief and personal, and highlight a few key points from the interview.

Here’s an example:

Follow Up Email After Interview

Subject: Thank You for the Opportunity

Dear [Interviewer’s Name],

I want to thank you for speaking with me about the [Job Title] position at [Company’s Name]. I enjoyed our conversation regarding [particular topic], and I am excited about the opportunity to bring my skills and experiences in the sphere to contribute to your team.

Warm regards, [Your Name]

7 Common Phone Interview Questions and Answers

Let’s review some of the most common phone interview questions and answers to help you prepare in advance and approach the call with confidence. The examples can give you a general idea of what the answers should be before you tailor them to fit your situation and the company’s needs.

#1. Tell me about yourself.

This is your chance to give recruiters a concise and impactful elevator pitch about yourself packed with details relevant to the role that you’re applying for.

Here’s an example of an answer:

Good Answer

"I am a dedicated marketing professional with more than seven years of experience in the field. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in communications, I specialized in social media by joining a startup and helping it grow its online presence on multiple platforms. I thrive in creative teams and environments where I can continuously improve by testing innovative marketing strategies."

#2. Why did you apply for this position?

Recruiters ask this question to find out about your ambition and enthusiasm for the role . Your answer should show that your goals match the company’s vision.

Let’s see that in an example:

“I applied for this position because it perfectly matches my current skill set and professional experience. Also, I’ve always admired how your company leverages sustainable materials and practices to develop zero-emission projects, which is something I have been interested in since the beginning of my studies. I believe my background in net-zero architecture can help me contribute to your team while we work together toward building a more sustainable future.”

#3. What are you passionate about?

This question helps recruiters find out whether your passion and interests align with the company’s values and match its culture. Your answer should highlight that you’re a committed individual who’s driven by their work.

“As a chef, I am passionate about making meaningful contributions to my community. I find satisfaction in cooking for the underprivileged. Making nourishing meals is my way of fostering compassion and connection among people, which is why I often organize community kitchen events. Your restaurant's “Cooking to Care” initiative deeply resonates with my values, which is why I am further motivated to join your esteemed organization.”

#4. What are your biggest strengths?

Your answer to this question tells recruiters in which role in their organization you might excel and what skills and traits you particularly value in yourself.

“I consider my biggest strength to be the ability to communicate complex information in a clear and easy-to-understand manner. In my previous role, I frequently analyzed large sets of data before having to report to upper management to facilitate decision-making processes. By combining simplified language with vibrant presentations, I bridged the gap between technical and management teams.”

#5. What do you consider your biggest weakness?

The weakness interview question probes into your self-awareness and honesty . By answering it, you should show recruiters that you are proactive about personal development and that you’re capable of overcoming challenges.

Good Example

“One of my biggest weaknesses used to be public speaking. In my previous job, I received several unfavorable reviews from upper management after giving a presentation on one of our projects. This prompted me to look into online courses and public speaking workshops. While I still have ways to go in improving, I’ve come a long way, and I continue to seek opportunities to speak publicly and enhance my abilities.”

#6. How did you learn about this job opportunity?

One of the reasons recruiters ask this question over a phone interview is to revise their recruiting strategies . Another one is to see whether you’re proactive in your job-hunting efforts, which likely reflects on your overall professional demeanor.

Here’s how you can answer:

“I learned about this job opportunity through LinkedIn. I’ve been following your company for a while, and I was excited to see an opening that perfectly matches my skills, goals, and experience. Moreover, I’ve already interacted with several members of your esteemed organization. The experience was overwhelmingly positive, which only solidified my intention to apply.”

#7. Do you have any questions?

Recruiters ask this question to gauge your interest in the role and the company . The last thing you want to answer here is “no.” Instead, you want to come up with meaningful questions to ask the interviewer that would demonstrate your dedication, research skills, and curiosity.

“I was wondering if you could tell me more about the team I would be a part of. Furthermore, I am interested in your company’s policy for employee professional development and whether you have programs that support it. Lastly, I read about your recent initiative on [name of the specific project]. Could you share how the role that I’m applying for contributes to it?”

Final Thoughts

Phone interviews are all about convenience . Still, that doesn’t mean you should take them lightly. Approach them with the same seriousness and professionalism as you approach in-person meetings, and your success will be all but guaranteed.

To help with that, we’ve provided you with a phone interview cheat sheet that encompasses everything from how to prepare for it to the most common questions you might encounter. Remember to prepare , do the research, rehearse your answers in advance, and ensure that you’re in an optimal environment to take the call.

Best of luck getting your dream job!

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12 Phone Interview Tips to Take Your Conversation from Bland to Brilliant

Phone interviews — HRs’ convenience and job candidates’ major source of anxiety. What if the connection is bad and I won’t hear them? What if my speech sounds slurred and I’ll have to repeat myself over and over again? Or, gulp, what if we’ll have those long moments of awkward silence? Anyone can have a slight (or not so) phone interview phobia and that’s OK. But you must not let that anxiety sabotage your interview!

The best way to calm your nerves and ace your interview is to be as prepared as possible. If you are ready to roll, here are our best phone interview tips!

1. Start with a Background Research of the Company

That phone will ring in a couple of days. Before it does, channel all your early nervous energy into a productive chore: company research .

Just like when preparing for a face-to-face interview , do some background digging on the employer. In particular, try to collect the following deets:

• Company history, vision, and mission
• The business sector and the target market they operate in
• Their key objectives
• Main products/services they offer
• Cultural values
• Any recent corporate news/happenings
• Closest competitions

Doing this legwork will help you in several ways during the interview. First, it helps you visualize the party you’d be speaking to and guesstimate what would matter to them the most.

Secondly, being familiar with the company mission as well as cultural values will help you adapt your tone and communication style (from more casual to more corporate) to match the one of the interviewer’s. Positioning yourself ‘just like them’ is a secret way of getting to your next interview round. (more on this in the next tip!).

Lastly, having strong background knowledge about the company, industry, and competition will help you answer those popular phone interview questions with much more ease since you won’t have to google up the answers with another hand.

2. Prepare Some Questions Too

Most phone interview tips focus on coaching you on how to answer the common screening questions. But an interview always assumes two-way communication, meaning you are also expected to chip in with some Qs.

Posing meaningful questions during a phone interview has several advantages:

• You demonstrate your interest in the company
• Quick ice-breaker questions can put you at ease with the interviewer
• Also, asking questions helps get across your personality more effectively.
• Lastly, you actually learn more information about the proposed position

So as part of your phone interview ‘pre-gaming’, be sure to jot down several specific questions to the interviewer on a notepad. Then keep it within reach during the call.

3. Think Through Your Interview Setting in Advance

Give yourself a good 30 minutes before your phone interview to pick your surroundings and pep-talk yourself into the right mood.

Find a quiet spot in the house. If you have housemates, politely ask them to tone down on the noise during your interview call. Let the dog out. Close the windows if there’s street noise.

Also if you are doing your phone interview from home, don’t:

• Slouch on the couch. Sit behind a table or a desk.
• Wear your PJs. Get properly dressed .
• Pace. This will only add up to your anxiety.
• Leave your email, social media, or another pinging software on.

Don’t feel comfortable speaking from your house or the office? Go outside. Being in nature is a scientifically-proven way to reduce stress and anxiety levels. Looking at the greenery helps retain focus and distract your mind from negative thinking. So park yourself on a bench and get done with your conversation while enjoying some fresh air!

4. Check Your Phone

This is one of those no-brainer tips for phone interviews. But so many people actually forget to check their phone before the interview! Specifically:

• Is it charged? You don’t want to go running around scrambling for a charge during the interview.
• Did you turn off the Internet? You don’t want a barrage of social media messages to distract you.
• Is it off silent mode? It would be super embarrassing to miss the call or get the interviewer diverted to voicemail.

5. Have Your Resume At Hand During the Conversation

Always have a copy of your resume close by. You can pretty much guarantee that your telephone interviewer will be looking at a copy when they call you and asking questions around the details you’ve provided there.

As the nerves can make anyone forgetful, it’s best if both of you stay on the same page — the same page of your resume.

6. Call In Early

Some employers will ask you to phone in at a certain time, let’s say 10.30 am. If that’s the case, be sure to dial them at least 2-3 minutes before that. After all, you might have to go through the answering machine or their secretary first.

This can take longer than you may expect, so it pays to call a couple of minutes early should the line be busy because the receptionist is on another call, or you are kept waiting on hold while being transferred.

7. Smile While You Chat

Here’s one of the less conditional over the phone interview tips you may hear: smile as you talk. Yeah, it may look and feel odd doing so. But smiling your way through your interview can really help you to feel better and less nervous about your call.

Research proves that smiling diminishes your body’s response to stress and helps lower heart rate during intense situations. Another study also found that a smile generates the same level of excitement for the brain as up to 2,000 bars of chocolate. So keeping a small smile during your phone interview can help you be more relaxed, happier, and even more approachable as the speaker will likely feel your positive vibes!

8. Try the Perspective-Taking Approach

The biggest issue with phone interviews is that it’s harder to be likable over a cord. You can’t gauge the other person’s facial expressions and other non-verbal cues to adjust your behavior. What you can do, though, to appear more likable during the conversation is to try and position yourself as someone ‘who gets them’. The gist of perspective-taking is to emphasize with the other party and attempt to see the world through their eyes during the conversation.

In fact, saying a simple phrase such as “I can really put myself in your shoes” has been scientifically proven to make the other person more empathetic towards the speaker.

So during the next phone interview, try to emphasize more with the interviewer and understand where their questions and concerns are coming from. Then tailor your answers to show that you share their perspective too.

9. Listen Carefully

OK, this may seem obvious because you are on the telephone, but many people having telephone interviews make the mistake of not listening carefully enough. They do this because they allow their minds to race ahead of themselves and think up questions or things to say without actually paying full attention to what the interviewer is actually asking.

So rather than keeping that brain of yours constantly occupied with your next response, do the following:

• Briefly note the HRs questions and key points
• Incorporate those tidbits into your answers
• Use them to pose additional questions at the end of the interview

Doing so will make you look like you are detailed-oriented and a good listener — these are two prized interpersonal skills among employers.

10. Don’t Talk Too Much

You have to admit that with a real-life, face-to-face interview you are in a better position to read facial expressions and body language. You can take in visual clues about when to stop talking and allow the interview to move on. This is much harder to interpret over the phone, so the best thing you can do is to try to answer any questions concisely without talking too much. It is very easy to ramble on and on about a subject, especially if the interviewer is asking you about your hobbies and personal interests .

While bonding with an interviewer is important, it should not come at the expense of addressing your key qualifications . Phone interviews are for screening out candidates. If the HR fails to capture some important info from you because you’ve run out of time, they’ll just move on to the next person on the list.

So keep your initial answers short, sweet, and valuable. Elaborate when being asked.

11. Speak Up If You Cannot Hear Well

Should you have difficulty hearing your interviewer, don’t be afraid to speak up. You may have an interviewer with a very soft or quiet voice that makes it hard for you to hear the questions being asked clearly. It’s perfectly OK to ask them to speak a bit louder or repeat the question. It is better to politely ask them to speak up rather than go through the interview misunderstanding questions because you cannot hear them properly.

If you are unlucky enough to experience a bad connection, then explain the issue to the other person and ask them if you can disconnect and try again. This is a much better approach than trying to struggle through the interview unable to hear clearly.

12. And Speak Slower If You Need To

The courtesy of speaking distinctively goes both ways. So if you are excited or a natural rapid-fire speaker, try to tune down a bit on your excitement as the other party can be struggling to keep up with the convo.

If the interviewer is asking you several times to repeat things, try to adjust your delivery pace, tone, and speed. After all, your goal isn’t to deliver as many words as possible within the set timeframe but to clearly convey what makes you a strong candidate for the job at hand.

An increasing number of companies are now relying on phone interviews to pre-screen candidates and eliminate some targets, especially for competitive positions. Passing the phone interview, however, is almost always a certain guarantee of being called in for the next round.

So don’t mess it up! After all, you know a bunch of phone screening interview tips that can help you leave the best impression with the employer!

This post has been originally published on May 1, 2017 and has been extensively revised and updated on July 22, 2020.

Elena runs content operations at Freesumes since 2017. She works closely with copywriters, designers, and invited career experts to ensure that all content meets our highest editorial standards. Up to date, she wrote over 200 career-related pieces around resume writing, career advice... more

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31 Phone Interview Tips to Master Today

Phone interviews are the first step to getting that job. Learn the best tricks to ace your phone interview, including common phone interview questions.

Table of Contents

• Phone Interview Tips: Before the Interview
• Phone Interview Tips: During the Phone Interview
• Phone Interview Tips: Before You End the Phone Interview
• Phone Interview Tips: After the Phone Interview

Before the Phone Interview Tips

Phone Interview Tip #1: Understand Who's Calling

Some common telephone interview questions.

• Tell me a little bit about your work history.
• Why are you looking to leave your current company? 
• What is the biggest challenge you have seen in your current position and how did you overcome it?
• What's your greatest strength?
• What's your greatest weakness?
• What type of work environment do you prefer?
• What management style works well for you? What was the style of your last supervisor?
• Describe a substantial win from your previous positions.
• What was your favorite/least favorite element of your last position?
• How can you contribute to our company’s success?
• How well do you work by yourself? With a team?
• Why are you interested in coming to work for us? 
• Why are you attracted to this specific position?
• What makes you the ideal candidate or a great fit for this position?
• When can you come in for a face-to-face interview? 
• (If you're applying for a job in another city) Are you willing to relocate? If we don't provide relocation assistance, are you still willing? 
• What are your salary requirements? 
• How far along are you in your search? Are you speaking to other companies? 
• Tell me about [x] in your resume.
• Where do you see yourself in five years?
• What questions do you have for me?

Phone Interview Tip #2: Write Back About Scheduling ASAP—And Spellcheck!

Phone interview tip #3: print out the job description, phone interview tip #4: research the company on linkedin and via the company site.

• Start by visiting the company’s website and social channels.
• Educate yourself about the company's mission, goals, and core values.
• Know the key players on their leadership team
• Understand their product, service, or clientele.
• If possible, test out their product beforehand.

Phone Interview Tip #5: Prepare Your Salary Requirements

• First, they don’t want to waste either person’s time. If your expectations and their budgets don't align at all, it doesn't make sense for either party to continue the interview process. 
• Next, it’s a great way to see how you deal with tough, uncomfortable questions.

Phone Interview Tip #6: Plan on Being Somewhere Quiet

Phone interview tip #7: prepare some questions to ask, phone interview tip #8: don't be afraid to communicate if you need to reschedule, phone interview tip #9: practice a mock phone interview, during the phone interview.

Phone Interview Tip #10: When You Answer, Answer Professionally

Phone interview tip #11: use headphones, phone interview tip #12: pull up your resume and linkedin, plus the job description on your laptop, phone interview tip #13: have your checklist handy, phone interview tip #14: slow down , phone interview tip #15: let them interrupt you , phone interview tip #16: it’s ok if you need a little time to answer—but don’t take forever.

• “Thanks for that question. Give me just a minute to consider it before I share.”
• “I have a few ideas on how to answer. Let me take a minute to gather my thoughts.”
• “I’m not totally clear on what you mean by XYZ. Could you explain it another way?”
• “Before I answer, can you confirm you’re referring to XYZ?”

Phone Interview Tip #17: Have a Notebook Nearby

Before the end of the phone interview.

Phone Interview Tip #18: Ask About the Interview Timeline

• When can you expect to hear back from the recruiter?
• How many interviews will be included in the process?
• How quickly are they looking to fill the role?

Phone Interview Tip #19: Ask if They Have More Questions for You

After the phone interview.

Phone Interview Tip #20: Take Time to Reflect

Phone interview tip #21: write a follow-up thank you email, the dos and don’ts of phone interviewing (10 more quick tips)  .

• DON’T take the call in a car, outside, or anywhere noisy.
• DO answer the phone with a professional tone: “Hello, this is [your first name]”.
• DON’T smoke or chew gum during the call.
• DO take notes and have your own notes handy prior to the call.
• DON’T take a long time to answer the questions.
• DO allow the interviewer to interrupt you and ask follow-up questions.
• DON’T forget to prepare questions to ask the interviewer and write down new ones as you’re talking.
• DO prep for the dreaded salary question ahead of time in a mock interview.
• DON’T talk too quickly. Breathe and make sure to enunciate.
• DO make sure you’re distraction-free so you can focus and listen. You can scrub your counters later. 
• DON’T forget to send a post-interview thank-you note.

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Caileen is an experienced content creator with a demonstrated history of working to achieve healthy and organic growth. Enthusiastically skilled in SEO, content strategy, and creating evergreen, valuable, and actionable content Caileen has been working for over two decades in content strategy and writing for career-oriented startups. Caileen is passionate about writing content to help folks determine the best career for their ever-changing lives—especially mid-career professionals who find their career needs changing due to parenthood, values, and ambitions.  Caileen's advice has been featured by Thrive Global, FlexJobs, Microsoft, WeWork, The Ladders, FastCompany, and more. 

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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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Eight tips for a successful telephone interview

Use a landline

Be confident, have your notes to hand, practice your responses, ask what the next steps are.

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6 tips for a successful phone interview

You might be offered a phone interview as a precursor to an in-person interview.  It may seem more casual than an interview held at the company’s headquarters, but remember, this conversation may determine whether you move on in the selection process. Treat it as you would any interview. Here are some tips to help you.

• Prepare possible answers: Think about questions you may be asked and how you would respond to them to best show your skills, education and background. Keep an outline of your answers handy, but don’t attempt to write out an entire response. You’ll sound like you’re reading from a script.
• Have your résumé near you: When asked about your qualifications you can quickly refer to it instead of straining to come up with the year you started college or other facts you might not know off the top of your head.
• Speak slowly and clearly: You may be nervous, but the interviewer can’t grasp how qualified you are if she can’t understand you. Take your time. Don’t eat or chew gum on the phone, either. You may want to have a glass of water on hand to make sure your mouth doesn’t dry out.
• Don’t interrupt the interviewer: If you begin to talk before she’s finished, apologize and give her the floor.
• Ask for a second interview: Your goal is to make it to an in-person interviewer. If the interviewer has not set one up, ask her if you could meet to further discuss the position.
• Send a thank you note: It’s always polite and professional to send a thank you note. It signals you appreciate the interviewer’s time and are interested in the position.

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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.

Where your work meets your life. See more from Ascend here .

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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The Donald Trump I Saw on The Apprentice

For 20 years, i couldn’t say what i watched the former president do on the set of the show that changed everything. now i can..

On Jan. 8, 2004, just more than 20 years ago, the first episode of The Apprentice aired. It was called “Meet the Billionaire,” and 18 million people watched. The episodes that followed climbed to roughly 20 million each week. A staggering 28 million viewers tuned in to watch the first season finale. The series won an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Reality-Competition Program, and the Television Critics Association called it one of the best TV shows of the year, alongside The Sopranos and Arrested Development . The series—alongside its bawdy sibling, The Celebrity Apprentice —appeared on NBC in coveted prime-time slots for more than a decade.

The Apprentice was an instant success in another way too. It elevated Donald J. Trump from sleazy New York tabloid hustler to respectable household name. In the show, he appeared to demonstrate impeccable business instincts and unparalleled wealth, even though his businesses had barely survived multiple bankruptcies and faced yet another when he was cast. By carefully misleading viewers about Trump—his wealth, his stature, his character, and his intent—the competition reality show set about an American fraud that would balloon beyond its creators’ wildest imaginations.

I should know. I was one of four producers involved in the first two seasons. During that time, I signed an expansive nondisclosure agreement that promised a fine of $5 million and even jail time if I were to ever divulge what actually happened. It expired this year.

No one involved in The Apprentice —from the production company or the network, to the cast and crew—was involved in a con with malicious intent. It was a TV show , and it was made for entertainment . I still believe that. But we played fast and loose with the facts, particularly regarding Trump, and if you were one of the 28 million who tuned in, chances are you were conned.

As Trump answers for another of his alleged deception schemes in New York and gears up to try to persuade Americans to elect him again, in part thanks to the myth we created, I can finally tell you what making Trump into what he is today looked like from my side. Most days were revealing. Some still haunt me, two decades later.

Nearly everything I ever learned about deception I learned from my friend Apollo Robbins. He’s been called a professional pickpocket, but he’s actually a “perceptions expert.” Apollo has spent his life studying the psychology of how we distort other people’s perceptions of reality and has done so by picking pockets onstage for the entertainment of others. He is a master of deception, a skill that made him, back in the day, the so-called best-kept secret in Las Vegas. After “fanning” his marks with casual, unobtrusive touch designed to make them feel safe or at ease, Apollo determines where the items reside—the wallet inside a breast pocket, the Rolex fastened to a wrist—and he removes these items without detection. He’ll even tell you what he intends to steal before he does it. He does this not to hurt people or bewilder them with a puzzle but to challenge their maps of reality. The results are marvelous. A lot of magic is designed to appeal to people visually, but what he’s trying to affect is your mind, your moods, your perceptions.

As a producer working in unscripted, or “reality,” television, I have the same goal. Like Apollo, I want to entertain, make people joyful, maybe even challenge their ways of thinking. But because I often lack the cinematic power of a movie, with its visual pyrotechnics or rehearsed dialogue, I rely on shaping the perceptions of viewers, manipulating their maps of reality toward something I want them to think or feel.

The presumption is that reality TV is scripted. What actually happens is the illusion of reality by staging situations against an authentic backdrop. The more authentic it is to, say, have a 40-foot wave bearing down on a crab boat in the Bering Sea for Deadliest Catch , the more we can trick you into thinking a malevolent Russian trawler is out there messing with the crabber’s bait. There is a trick to it, and when it works, you feel as if you’re watching a scripted show. Although very few programs are out-and-out fake, there is deception at play in every single reality program. The producers and editors are ostensibly con artists, distracting you with grand notions while we steal from you your precious time.

But the real con that drove The Apprentice is far older than television. The “pig in the poke” comes from an idiom dating to 1555: “I’ll never buy a pig in a poke / There’s many a foul pig in a fair cloak.” It refers to the time-honored scam of selling a suckling pig at market but handing over a bag (the poke) to the purchaser, who never looks inside it. Eventually, he discovers he’s purchased something quite different.

Our show became a 21 st -century version. It’s a long con played out over a decade of watching Trump dominate prime time by shouting orders, appearing to lead, and confidently firing some of the most capable people on television, all before awarding one eligible person a job. Audiences responded to Trump’s arrogance, his perceived abilities and prescience, but mostly his confidence . The centerpiece to any confidence game is precisely that— confidence .

As I walk into my interview for The Apprentice , I inadvertently learn how important it is for every one of us involved to demonstrate confidence above all else.

I sit down with Jay Bienstock, the showrunner, who has one last producer position to fill and needs somebody capable and hardworking. His office is sparse, and the desk is strategically placed directly across from the couch, with a noticeable angle downward from his desk to whomever is seated across from him. (I’m recalling all of the quoted conversations here to the best of my ability; they are not verbatim.)

He is smiling and even laughing throughout the interview, but from the steep angle at which he gazes down on me, there is no mistaking who is in charge. He seems to like what he hears and offers to follow up with my agent. “But I have to check your references before I can hire you,” he says. “You’d be crazy not to,” I reply. He laughs, claps his hands together, and grins. “ THAT’S what I’m talking about,” he says. “That’s the confidence this show needs!”

I sit there, several inches below eyeline, and ponder what just happened. What, I wonder, is so “confident” about suggesting he’d be crazy to not check my references? Then it dawns on me. He thinks I meant “You’d be crazy not to hire me.” The signal to noise begins.

Listen to Bill Pruitt discuss this story on What Next , Slate’s daily news podcast:

Before I leave, I have to ask: Why Trump? Bienstock discovers that we both lived in New York for a time. Knowing what we know about Trump, selling the idea that intelligent people would compete to land a job working for him will be a challenge.

“The idea is to have a new and different billionaire every season—just like there’s a new and different island on Survivor . We reached out to Spielberg, Katzenberg, Geffen, among others,” he says. “Trump is the only one who agreed to sign on.” (Bienstock didn’t respond to a request for comment.)

“We’ll make it work,” Bienstock says confidently. I rise, shake his hand, and leave, and head over to Dutton’s bookstore to pick up a used copy of Trump’s The Art of the Deal . It is filled with takeaways about branding and strategizing but conveniently omits Trump bluffing his way through meetings with contractors, stiffing them when it is convenient to do so, and betraying his most trusted colleagues to get what he wants. (The book’s ghostwriter, Tony Schwartz, has since tried to get the bestseller recategorized in the Library of Congress as a work of fiction.)

Another show of confidence is the budget the series commands. It’s not as expensive as a scripted series, but for a reality show, the price is high. Never have I worked on a series with this level of funding, but the cost is justified. This needs to feel real.

New York City is the perfect—though expensive—backdrop. Trump’s actual offices are, however, less than telegenic. They are cramped, and a lot of the wood furniture is chipped or peeling. None of it is suitable to appear on camera. We need what grifters call the Big Store: a fake but authentic-looking establishment in which the con goes down. Trump Tower, at the time, is mostly condos and some offices situated in the high-rise. The mezzanine comprises vacant and overpriced retail space, all of it unfinished. Trump offers the space to the production—at a premium, naturally—and it is inside this location that we create our own “reception area” with doors leading to a fake, dimly lit, and appropriately ominous-feeling “boardroom.”

Next door, there’s the “suite” where the contestants will live, which is made to look like a trendy loft-style apartment they all share. The lodgings are made up of partitions surrounding tiny, hard bunks upon which the candidates sleep; the illusion comes from elegantly appointed common areas, where most of the interplay will go down.

During a tour of the set, I have my first encounter with Trump. I leave the suite and enter the gear room, the only vacant retail space that will remain unfinished. It is filled with equipment and crew members milling about. In walks a trio of men. In the middle is Trump, in a navy blue suit and scarlet tie. He’s surprisingly tall, and not just because of the hair. He is flanked by two even taller men. Bienstock makes introductions, and I watch as Trump shakes hands with everyone. I’d been told he would never do this, something about fearing unwanted germs. When it is my turn, I decide on the convivial two-hander and place my right hand into his and my left onto his wrist as we shake. His eye contact is limited but thorough. He is sizing me up. He looks like a wolf about to rip my throat out before turning away, offering me my first glimpse at the superstructure—his hairstyle—buttressed atop his head with what must be gallons of Aqua Net.

I watch as Trump saunters around the room, snatches up a fistful of M&Ms from the craft service table set aside for the crew, and shoves them into his mouth. Then he is gone, ushered away toward some important meeting he must attend, as if to say, to one and all present, This is unimportant .

Eventually, it’s time to roll cameras. When Trump is called to perform, we are filming the first scene of the first episode on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, and he is about to deliver the first task. Filming inside this beacon of capitalism and wealth gives the series the legitimacy it needs. A con artist would call staging the scam inside a legitimate institution “playing a man against the wall.”

From the balcony overlooking the famed trading room floor, Trump will set up the entire premise of the show on camera and engage in a little banter with the other participants. This includes introducing his advisers, George Ross, an older, grouchy attorney devoted to Trump’s legal affairs, and Carolyn Kepcher, a perpetual skeptic who runs his hospitality units and one of his golf clubs. (They might be called “the shills,” others in on the con who will act as Trump’s eyes and ears.)

The contestants are there, lined up and zeroed in on by camera operators getting reaction shots to whatever it is Trump says. Although they mostly just stand and wait, they patiently go along with the proceedings. They are not in on the con. They act as “the little blind mice,” who, in fraudster terms, convey a sense of authenticity by reacting to the goings-on, like lab rats caught in a maze.

Nothing is scripted—except for what Trump needs to say. Cue cards are present, but mostly it is Bienstock running up, coaching Trump, tossing out suggestions from the script he has written for the man. The feeling is that while doing a fair job of repeating the necessary words verbatim, Trump also appears to be inadvertently shouting at the contestants. His hands shuttle back and forth as if holding an invisible accordion, a gesture now famous in memes .

Each episode is filmed over three days. For the first episode, the two teams of contestants, divided by gender, take to the streets to carry out the initial task of trying to sell lemonade for the most money. The women pulverize the men.

Having won, the women are invited upstairs for a direct look at Trump’s very own apartment in Trump Tower, a reward designed specifically to introduce viewers to the gaudy but elevated world of Donald Trump at home. The men, who lost, go back to the loft to await their fate at the hands of Trump. He will be sending one of them home.

Inside the now-empty boardroom set, a meeting with the producers is called for the first briefing of Trump before the anticipated firing. With Trump are his cronies, Ross and Kepcher. Trump is “too busy,” so they have each observed both teams in the field and make an assessment of who prevailed and who fell behind.

Now, this is important. The Apprentice is a game show regulated by the Federal Communications Commission. In the 1950s, scandals arose when producers of quiz shows fed answers to likable, ratings-generating contestants while withholding those answers from unlikable but truly knowledgeable players. Any of us involved in The Apprentice swinging the outcome of prize money by telling Trump whom to fire is forbidden.

Considering this, Bienstock wisely chooses to record these off-camera briefings in case the FCC ever rolls up on us. Rather than blurt out who they think should get canned, the two producers of that week’s episode—each following one team—are coached to equitably share with Trump the virtues and deficiencies of each member of the losing team. This renders a balanced depiction of how and why they lost. There are obvious choices of whom to fire, but we want it to be something of a horse race, to sustain the drama and keep people watching.

Satisfied he has what he needs, Trump dismisses the prefiring discussion with the wave of a hand, claiming he has places to be, let’s get on with it, etc. We proceed to set up for what will be our first boardroom.

The producers retreat to the adjacent control room to watch the event unfold. Per the show’s format, the losing team is summoned in anticipation of one of its members being sent home. Leaving their luggage in the reception area, the men walk into the boardroom, where Trump is flanked by Ross and Kepcher, waiting for them solemnly. Trump just frowns from a gigantic red leather chair, his eyeline noticeably well above those sitting across from him.

The men proceed to verbally go after one another like gladiators jousting before the emperor. Trump takes the conversation into potentially dangerous terrain, asking one contestant, who is Jewish, whether he believes in “the genetic pool.” The contestant’s retort is swift and resolute: He tells Trump that he does, in fact, have the genes, “just like you got from your father, Fred Trump, and your mother, Mary Trump.” It pours out of him. It is dramatic. It is good reality TV.

The project manager must then choose two of the men to come back to the boardroom with him while everyone else is dismissed. An off-camera prefiring consultation with Trump takes place (and is recorded), right before the three men are brought back for the eventual firing. We film Trump, Ross, and Kepcher deliberating and giving the pluses and minuses of each, remarking on how risky it was for one of the contestants to stand up for himself the way that he did. Trump turns back and forth to each, listening. His cronies stick to their stories and give added deferential treatment toward Trump, with Ross strategically reminding him, “You’ve been taking risks your entire life.”

Trump summons the three men back into the boardroom for final judging. Trump grills one and says, “I will let you stay.” ( Wow! we think. A benevolent leader. ) When he turns his attention to the other man—the one he asked about genetics—it looks clear. He is doomed. So much so that the man stands when Trump tells him, “It seems unanimous.” Trump then offhandedly tells him to sit down, calling him “a wild card,” echoing Ross’ earlier observation of the boss, Trump.

After this comes an unwieldy moment when, at the behest of Bienstock, Trump fumbles through a given line. “We have an elevator,” he says to the remaining contestant, named David, “that goes up to the suite and an elevator that goes down”—he pauses to recall the exact wording—“to the street. And, David, I’m going to ask you to take the down elevator.”

The men react and awkwardly rise. It is an unsatisfactory conclusion, given all the preceding drama.

From the control room, we all watch as the three men depart the boardroom. A quick huddle takes place between the producers and the executive from NBC. We bolt from the control room out into the boardroom and confer with Trump, telling him we will need him to say something more direct to conclude the moment when David is let go.

“Well, I’d probably just fire him,” Trump says. “Why not just say that?” Bienstock asks. “Fine,” Trump says.

We return to the control room. The three men from the losing team are brought back into the boardroom, and Trump repeats his line about the elevator, then turns to David, who already knows his fate, and adds, “David, you’re fired.”

The line insertion happened in a perilously scripted way, but it is deemed satisfactory. “You’re fired” becomes the expression we will stick with. It works. Trump comes off as decisive and to the point.

Later, Trump will try to trademark “You’re fired.” He is not successful.

Trump’s appearances make up so little of our shooting schedule that whenever he shows up to film, it isn’t just the wild-card on-camera moments we both hope for and are terrified of that put everyone on edge. It is the way he, the star (and half owner) of the show, targets people on the crew with the gaze of a hungry lion.

While leering at a female camera assistant or assessing the physical attributes of a female contestant for whoever is listening, he orders a female camera operator off an elevator on which she is about to film him. “She’s too heavy,” I hear him say.

Another female camera operator, who happens to have blond hair and blue eyes, draws from Trump comparisons to his own Ivanka Trump. “There’s a beautiful woman behind that camera,” he says toward a line of 10 different operators set up in the foyer of Trump Tower one day. “That’s all I want to look at.”

Trump corners a female producer and asks her whom he should fire. She demurs, saying something about how one of the contestants blamed another for their team losing. Trump then raises his hands, cupping them to his chest: “You mean the one with the …?” He doesn’t know the contestant’s name. Trump eventually fires her.

(In response to detailed questions about this and other incidents reported in this article, Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump 2024 campaign, wrote, “This is a completely fabricated and bullshit story that was already peddled in 2016.” He said that it is surfacing now because Democrats are “desperate.”)

Trump goes about knocking off every one of the contestants in the boardroom until only two remain. The finalists are Kwame Jackson, a Black broker from Goldman Sachs, and Bill Rancic, a white entrepreneur from Chicago who runs his own cigar business. Trump assigns them each a task devoted to one of his crown-jewel properties. Jackson will oversee a Jessica Simpson benefit concert at Trump Taj Mahal Casino in Atlantic City, while Rancic will oversee a celebrity golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Briarcliff Manor, New York.

Viewers need to believe that whatever Trump touches turns to gold. These properties that bear his name are supposed to glitter and gleam. All thanks to him.

Reality is another matter altogether. The lights in the casino’s sign are out. Hong Kong investors actually own the place—Trump merely lends his name. The carpet stinks, and the surroundings for Simpson’s concert are ramshackle at best. We shoot around all that.

Both Rancic and Jackson do a round-robin recruitment of former contestants, and Jackson makes the fateful decision to team up with the notorious Omarosa, among others, to help him carry out his final challenge.

With her tenure on the series nearly over, Omarosa launches several simultaneous attacks on her fellow teammates in support of her “brother” Kwame. For the fame-seeking beauty queen, it is a do-or-die play for some much-coveted screen time. As on previous tasks, Ross and Kepcher will observe both events.

Over at Trump National Golf Club, where I am stationed, it is sunny and bright, set against luscious fall colors. I am driven up to the golf club from Manhattan to scout. With me are the other producers, all of whom are men. We meet Trump at one of the homes he keeps for himself on the grounds of the club.

“Melania doesn’t even know about this place,” he says out loud to us, snickering, implying that the home’s function is as his personal lair for his sexual exploits, all of which are unknown to his then-fiancée Melania Knauss.

We are taken around the rest of the club’s property and told what to feature on camera and what to stay away from. The clubhouse is a particularly necessary inclusion, and it is inside these luxurious confines where I have the privilege of meeting the architect. Finding myself alone with him, I make a point of commending him for what I feel is a remarkable building. The place is genuinely spectacular. He thanks me.

“It’s bittersweet,” he tells me. “I’m very proud of this place, but …” He hesitates. “I wasn’t paid what was promised,” he says. I just listen. “Trump pays half upfront,” he says, “but he’ll stiff you for the rest once the project is completed.”

“He stiffed you?”

“If I tried to sue, the legal bills would be more than what I was owed. He knew that. He basically said Take what I’m offering ,” and I see how heavy this is for the man, all these years later. “So, we sent the invoice. He didn’t even pay that,” he says. None of this will be in the show. Not Trump’s suggested infidelities, nor his aversion toward paying those who work for him.

When the tasks are over, we are back in the boardroom, having our conference with Trump about how the two finalists compare—a conversation that I know to be recorded. We huddle around him and set up the last moments of the candidates, Jackson and Rancic.

Trump will make his decision live on camera months later, so what we are about to film is the setup to that reveal. The race between Jackson and Rancic should seem close, and that’s how we’ll edit the footage. Since we don’t know who’ll be chosen, it must appear close, even if it’s not.

We lay out the virtues and deficiencies of each finalist to Trump in a fair and balanced way, but sensing the moment at hand, Kepcher sort of comes out of herself. She expresses how she observed Jackson at the casino overcoming more obstacles than Rancic, particularly with the way he managed the troublesome Omarosa. Jackson, Kepcher maintains, handled the calamity with grace.

“I think Kwame would be a great addition to the organization,” Kepcher says to Trump, who winces while his head bobs around in reaction to what he is hearing and clearly resisting.

“Why didn’t he just fire her?” Trump asks, referring to Omarosa. It’s a reasonable question. Given that this the first time we’ve ever been in this situation, none of this is something we expected.

“That’s not his job,” Bienstock says to Trump. “That’s yours.” Trump’s head continues to bob.

“I don’t think he knew he had the ability to do that,” Kepcher says. Trump winces again.

“Yeah,” he says to no one in particular, “but, I mean, would America buy a n— winning?”

Kepcher’s pale skin goes bright red. I turn my gaze toward Trump. He continues to wince. He is serious, and he is adamant about not hiring Jackson.

Bienstock does a half cough, half laugh, and swiftly changes the topic or throws to Ross for his assessment. What happens next I don’t entirely recall. I am still processing what I have just heard. We all are. Only Bienstock knows well enough to keep the train moving. None of us thinks to walk out the door and never return. I still wish I had. (Bienstock and Kepcher didn’t respond to requests for comment.)

Afterward, we film the final meeting in the boardroom, where Jackson and Rancic are scrutinized by Trump, who, we already know, favors Rancic. Then we wrap production, pack up, and head home. There is no discussion about what Trump said in the boardroom, about how the damning evidence was caught on tape. Nothing happens.

We go home and face the next phase of our assignment, the editing. In stitching the footage together, the swindle we are now involved in ascends to new levels.

Editing in a reality TV show is what script writing is to a narrative series. A lot of effort goes into the storytelling because, basically, in every single unscripted series—whether it’s a daytime talk show, an adventure documentary, or a shiny floor dance-off—there are three versions: There’s what happens, there’s what gets filmed, and there’s what gets cut down into 43 minutes squeezed between commercial breaks. Especially for a competition series, it’s important that the third version represent the first as much as possible. A defeated contestant could show up in the press and cry foul if they’re misrepresented. Best to let people fail of their own accord. That said, we look after our prized possessions in how we edit the series, and some people fare better than others.

We attend to our thesis that only the best and brightest deserve a job working for Donald Trump. Luckily, the winner, Bill Rancic, and his rival, Kwame Jackson, come off as capable and confident throughout the season. If for some reason they had not, we would have conveniently left their shortcomings on the cutting room floor. In actuality, both men did deserve to win.

Without a doubt, the hardest decisions we faced in postproduction were how to edit together sequences involving Trump. We needed him to sound sharp, dignified, and clear on what he was looking for and not as if he was yelling at people. You see him today: When he reads from a teleprompter, he comes off as loud and stoic. Go to one of his rallies and he’s the off-the-cuff rambler rousing his followers into a frenzy. While filming, he struggled to convey even the most basic items. But as he became more comfortable with filming, Trump made raucous comments he found funny or amusing—some of them misogynistic as well as racist. We cut those comments. Go to one of his rallies today and you can hear many of them.

If you listen carefully, especially to that first episode, you will notice clearly altered dialogue from Trump in both the task delivery and the boardroom. Trump was overwhelmed with remembering the contestants’ names, the way they would ride the elevator back upstairs or down to the street, the mechanics of what he needed to convey. Bienstock instigated additional dialogue recording that came late in the edit phase. We set Trump up in the soundproof boardroom set and fed him lines he would read into a microphone with Bienstock on the phone, directing from L.A. And suddenly Trump knows the names of every one of the contestants and says them while the camera cuts to each of their faces. Wow , you think, how does he remember everyone’s name? While on location, he could barely put a sentence together regarding how a task would work. Listen now, and he speaks directly to what needs to happen while the camera conveniently cuts away to the contestants, who are listening and nodding. He sounds articulate and concise through some editing sleight of hand.

Then comes the note from NBC about the fact that after Trump delivers the task assignment to the contestants, he disappears from the episode after the first act and doesn’t show up again until the next-to-last. That’s too long for the (high-priced) star of the show to be absent.

There is a convenient solution. At the top of the second act, right after the task has been assigned but right before the teams embark on their assignment, we insert a sequence with Trump, seated inside his gilded apartment, dispensing a carefully crafted bit of wisdom. He speaks to whatever the theme of each episode is—why someone gets fired or what would lead to a win. The net effect is not only that Trump appears once more in each episode but that he also now seems prophetic in how he just knows the way things will go right or wrong with each individual task. He comes off as all-seeing and all-knowing. We are led to believe that Donald Trump is a natural-born leader.

Through the editorial nudge we provide him, Trump prevails. So much so that NBC asks for more time in the boardroom to appear at the end of all the remaining episodes. (NBC declined to comment for this article.)

When it comes to the long con, the cherry on top is the prologue to the premiere. It’s a five-minute-long soliloquy delivered by Trump at the beginning of the first episode, the one titled “Meet the Billionaire.” Over a rousing score, it features Trump pulling out all the stops, calling New York “ my city” and confessing to crawling out from under “billions of dollars in debt.” There’s Trump in the back of limousines. Trump arriving before throngs of cheering crowds outside Trump Tower. Trump in his very own helicopter as it banks over midtown—the same helicopter with the Trump logo that, just like the airplane, is actually for sale to the highest bidder. The truth is, almost nothing was how we made it seem.

So, we scammed. We swindled. Nobody heard the racist and misogynistic comments or saw the alleged cheating, the bluffing, or his hair taking off in the wind. Those tapes, I’ve come to believe, will never be found.

No one lost their retirement fund or fell on hard times from watching The Apprentice . But Trump rose in stature to the point where he could finally eye a run for the White House, something he had intended to do all the way back in 1998. Along the way, he could now feed his appetite for defrauding the public with various shady practices.

In 2005 thousands of students enrolled in what was called Trump University, hoping to gain insight from the Donald and his “handpicked” professors. Each paid as much as $35,000 to listen to some huckster trade on Trump’s name. In a sworn affidavit, salesman Ronald Schnackenberg testified that Trump University was “fraudulent.” The scam swiftly went from online videoconferencing courses to live events held by high-pressure sales professionals whose only job was to persuade attendees to sign up for the course. The sales were for the course “tuition” and had nothing whatsoever to do with real estate investments. A class action suit was filed against Trump.

That same year, Trump was caught bragging to Access Hollywood co-host Billy Bush that he likes to grab married women “by the pussy,” adding, “When you’re a star, they let you do it.” He later tried to recruit porn actor Stormy Daniels for The Apprentice despite her profession and, according to Daniels, had sex with her right after his last son was born. (His alleged attempt to pay off Daniels is, of course, the subject of his recent trial.)

In October 2016—a month before the election—the Access Hollywood tapes were released and written off as “locker room banter.” Trump paid Daniels to keep silent about their alleged affair. He paid $25 million to settle the Trump University lawsuit and make it go away.

He went on to become the first elected president to possess neither public service nor military experience. And although he lost the popular vote, Trump beat out Hillary Clinton in the Electoral College, winning in the Rust Belt by just 80,000 votes.

Trump has been called the “reality TV president,” and not just because of The Apprentice . The Situation Room, where top advisers gathered, became a place for photo-ops, a bigger, better boardroom. Trump swaggered and cajoled, just as he had on the show. Whom would he listen to? Whom would he fire? Stay tuned. Trump even has his own spinoff, called the House of Representatives, where women hurl racist taunts and body-shame one another with impunity. The State of the Union is basically a cage fight. The demands of public office now include blowhard buffoonery.

I reached out to Apollo, the Vegas perceptions expert, to discuss all of this. He reminded me how if a person wants to manipulate the signal, they simply turn up the noise. “In a world that is so uncertain,” he said, “a confidence man comes along and fills in the blanks. The more confident they are, the more we’re inclined to go along with what they suggest.”

A reality TV show gave rise to an avaricious hustler, and a deal was made: Subvert the facts, look past the deficiencies, deceive where necessary, and prevail in the name of television ratings and good, clean fun.

Trump is making another run at the White House and is leading in certain polls. People I know enthusiastically support him and expect he’ll return to office. It’s not just hats, sneakers, a fragrance, or Bibles. Donald Trump is selling his vision of the world, and people are buying it.

Knowing all they know, how could these people still think he’s capable of being president of the United States?

Perhaps they watched our show and were conned by the pig in the poke.

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Wordle Is a Love Story

The word game has gone from dozens of players to hundreds of thousands in a few months. It was created by a software engineer in Brooklyn for his partner.

By Daniel Victor

Josh Wardle, a software engineer in Brooklyn, knew his partner loved word games, so he created a guessing game for just the two of them. As a play on his last name, he named it Wordle .

But after the couple played for months, and after it rapidly became an obsession in his family’s WhatsApp group once he introduced it to relatives, Mr. Wardle thought he might be on to something and released it to the rest of the world in October.

On Nov. 1, 90 people played.

On Sunday, just over two months later, more than 300,000 people played.

It’s been a meteoric rise for the once-a-day game, which invites players to guess a five-letter word in a similar manner as the guess-the-color game Mastermind. After guessing a five-letter word, the game tells you whether any of your letters are in the secret word and whether they are in the correct place. You have six tries to get it right.

Few such popular corners of the internet are as low-frills as the website, which Mr. Wardle built himself as a side project. There are no ads or flashing banners; no windows pop up or ask for money. There is merely the game on a black background.

“I think people kind of appreciate that there’s this thing online that’s just fun,” Mr. Wardle said in an interview on Monday. “It’s not trying to do anything shady with your data or your eyeballs. It’s just a game that’s fun.”

This is not Mr. Wardle’s first brush with suddenly capturing widespread attention. Formerly a software engineer for Reddit, he created two collaborative social experiments on the site, called The Button and Place , that each were phenomena in their moment.

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