Secret Interview Tactics of Journalists

You've done the work, and now a reporter wants to talk to you. You probably think the interview is the easiest part of the process. But you'd be wrong.

Reporters need to get a story, and often they won't stop if they think they are on to something big. That's why you need to brush up on your interview skills, before your faced with the big day.

Here are some of the secrets journalists use to get you to talk more, and how you can make the most of your interview time.

1. From the get-go, take the lead. When a reporter calls you to be interviewed, don't be afraid to ask questions before you get started. Who do you represent? What's the focus or slant of the story? Are you interviewing anyone else? What's your deadline? These questions will give you information to prepare.

2. Allow yourself some time to think. No reporter actually thinks a person just stop what they are doing to be interviewed. But often, the interviewee thinks that's the case - and when he or she does, the reporter can get some off the cuff?answers that look and sound juicy but may put the interviewee in a bad light. Arrange a mutually convenient time to get back to the reporter, just to get all your ducks in a row.

3. Silence is golden. Silence is a tactic reporters use to get you to keep talking. And that often means saying things you may not really want to say. When you're done answering the question, stop. Allow for the silence and if the reporter wants more information, he or she will ask for it.

4. Holding a mirror. Some journalists will use a technique called mirroring, which can help an interviewee feel comfortable. But getting too comfortable may allow you to blurt out something you normally wouldn't say. If you are finding a reporter mimicking you in verbally and nonverbally, you may want to take your time answering or changing your position.

5. Throw away questions. Many reporters have what's called 'throw away questions?that they ask that really mean nothing to the story. These can be used to feel an interviewee out.

6. Pretending to know. Some journalists will ask question that make you think they know more than they really do. If the reporter has made a false assumption, speak up. If not, don't help the journalist confirm it unless you've made a conscious choice to do so.

Shannon Cherry, APR, MA helps businesses, entrepreneurs and nonprofit organizations to be heard. Subscribe today for Be Heard! a FREE biweekly ezine and get a FREE special report. Go to: www.cherrycommunications.com/FreeReport.htm

Hot Topics In Job Interview

Most Recent Job Interview Supplements

Newly Popular Careers Articles

    How to By-Pass Scary Interviews and Lock Up a Job!

    You know that the gateway to a job offer is the interview. No interview--no offer! Wouldn't it be great if you could bypass scary interviews and lock up a good job without them?

    Look. We've all been...

    Finding Your Way Through Career Change

    Do you want to be more excited about your work? Instead, are you dissatisfied with your job and feel stuck and/or frustrated? Often, people are unable to move forward because they don't know what they...

    Tips To Improve Your Image at Work

    The impressions we make in others mind are very important to us. It matters to us in society and it matters to us at the workplace. Each of us does have a unique talent in some or other form. But the ...

    Garland Texas Jobs Give You a Chance to Succeed in a New Area

    Have you been at the same job for a long time? When you spend every day going back to the same place, doing the same thing, it can get rather tiresome. After a certain amount of time, you may decide t...

    How Can I Guarantee My Job Campaign Success?

    I know you're thinking you CAN't guarantee your job campaign success.

    Maybe. But I can show you a way that comes as close as possible to guaranteeing your job campaign success. I'll show you how yo...

    Job Hunting Tips

    Hunting for jobs nowadays is a very competitive and sometimes cut-throat affair. Here are a few tips to help you get the edge in searching out and landing the job of your dreams.

    The Curriculum Vita...

    Career Success Factors: 5 Simple Ways for a Career Boost

    Its always tough to give advice on career success factors because there isnt really a set of formula you can follow that can guarantee career success. A combination of various factors in the right c...

    What Would You Do To Guarantee A Quick Job Search?

    Today there are two job marketplaces. One is the old-fashioned traditional marketplace of resumes, classified ads, website postings, agencies and recruiters, interviews and rejection letters.

    The ot...

    The Secrets to Loving What You Do

    How was your day? Did you wake up this morning with the feeling that you just wanted to stay in bed all day and not bother to work again? Did your day end with you hoping it is the last day of the wee...

    Oh No! . . . Not another Electronic Resume Victim!

    OK. You're anxious to get as much exposure as possible. Nothing wrong with that. But the electronic resume and one of those job websites is definitely NOT the way to go . . . at least if you don't pla...

Interesting Today:

Most Recent Careers Blogs:

Releated to Careers:

Job Interview Links: