During these practice interviews, I learned, for the most part, what questions are easier to answer than others, and what questions people are more comfortable being asked. While I was making the questions, I would answer them in my head to have a general idea of what follow-up questions would be good. Some questions I found were easier to answer were, future (short-term or long-term) goals, career related things, and accomplishments. I realized that making questions up on the spot relating to earlier questions was not as hard as I thought, and those questions allowed me to learn more about their answer to the original question. From my feedback, I learned I should rephrase unclear or clarify questions, as well as try and keep a steady flow of questions and answers as I often had long pauses between questions. This is valuable feedback for me to use for my interview on Saturday with my expert. I learned that I need to be more formal, as I often would laugh and say “um.” Although it is not a terrible thing to have a bit of a carefree attitude, I can understand why it is not ideal to be super laid back, especially when it comes to something this important. During my interview, I did not have many leading questions, so a goal I have for my actual interview is to start off with more leading questions, instead of jumping straight into the other questions. Observing another pair’s interview also showed me what are good characteristics to have. For example, patience, good body language (nodding, eye contact), having a positive attitude, clear voice, and staying focused are some traits I found were ideal. During my interview with my person’s expert, I will have to be more formal than I was when interviewing my peer. I can take the feedback I received and strengthen what I need to strengthen so my interview will go more smoothly. For example, if my interviewee sounds or seems confused, I can clarify my question more and give an example of an answer. When we were doing our practice interviews, I did not ask a peer to read over my questions to see if they are good or not. For the actual interview, I will ask for a classmate’s opinion on my interview questions beforehand.
Overall, I found the practice interview helpful, as I learned what I needed to work on, and what questions are better than others. I look forward to my interview with my expert.