Interview Questions

As many of you discerned when you tried to visit this site over the Easter weekend, Blogger had some problems with a robot spyder software system that was supposed to find spam sites (those filled with random words) and remove them -- it instead removed many legitimate sites such as this one. The chatroom at Blogger is filled with the sad tales of people scrambling to get their sites back up. We were lucky as it took less than a day to get this one reloaded after I wrote to them. So, back to some tips.
I had planned on a longer posting over the holidays, but I am now writing early in the morning (just after sunrise, which was a stunning medley of pinks and purples off my balcony) before going to work, so I will keep this one brief.
You all should be in some stage of research on your chosen article after reading the past posts. One of the tools of research is conducting interviews. I will discuss the interview process in greater depth later, but here is a suggested interview question template to get you thinking.

Keep in mind, the actual questions should be modified to address the person, his company, his industry, his accomplishments and the mission of your article.

1. What is so good about/the star attraction of/main benefit of _____?

2. Can you give us a little bit of background about how you got involved with/in______ and what led you to become such an expert/icon/leader?

3. What sort of success/income/profit/satisfaction could someone expect to earn? Can the average person make money (gain advantage/achieve goals/reach expertise) using ____?

4. What are the top three things that someone should know in order to be a success in your field? Where/from whom did you learn them?

5. What's the best way to get started and how much money/what resources would a person need?

6. How long does it take to see the upside/make money/get established?

7. Will _____ work in any area/for anyone? Describe specifics please.

8. How much experience/training does a person need?

9. Can you provide some real life examples?

10. If you had one piece of advice, what would it be?

11. What are some of the common problems experienced?

12. Some people might think this sounds too good to be true. Is there a catch?

13. What sort of things can someone do to stay on top/maintain their achievement or product performance?

14. Where can people find more information on _____?

15. How can people contact you/your company/your distributor/buy your product?

16. What is your background/experience in this field?

17. What makes your present company/product/service stand out?

18. What led you to this approach/direction/development?

19. How long has it taken you/been in development/in the works?

20. Who contributed to/influenced/inspired this?

21. What would you point to as your (or your company's) greatest achievement?

22. What has been your (or your company's) greatest mistake/challenge? The lesson from it?

Sometimes an interview is one hour; sometimes you get only five minutes with someone. Your questions need to be trimmed to fit your time slot and to get to your key question before time is up. Do save interview time by seeking a copy of the person's biodata/CV beforehand. It may also help you to rephrase some of these questions or pursue a certain line of questioning you might have left unexplored.

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