Thanks for visiting my FAQ.
If you are thinking about sending over some questions for your dissertations or school projects, please read the FAQ below, and edit your interview accordingly. You can also use all the useful links down the right hand side of this page to help you gather more information. There are press links, magazine and video interviews.
If you have a quick question, please feel free to use the RED Formspring question box on the right of the blog menu. I will be able to answer these faster, and replies will be posted back to this FAQ as well as to my Formspring account.
If you have a quick question, please feel free to use the RED Formspring question box on the right of the blog menu. I will be able to answer these faster, and replies will be posted back to this FAQ as well as to my Formspring account.
I get a lot of emails from people asking questions, and I strive to answer them personally, but you will make my response all the better if you can have a look through this website first.
I'm no journalist, but I am pretty experienced in answering questions. So I have put together the following guidelines to help you when preparing an interview. Not just for me, but for anyone you are reaching out to, the better your prepare, the better your results.
- Tailor your questions to the person you are asking them to, research will help make your questions more intimate and provoke a better answer.
- Limit yourself to around 10, some which may require a short fire answer, and others that might ask for a little more commentary.
- Put your personality in your questions, people can tell if you care about their answer. Ask things you are interested in, don't be generic or safe, it's boring!
- Ultimately it should be a conversation, but just in a more formal format. Ask questions that are in multiple parts, but be sure to separate them into individual sections so they don't get overlooked.
- Check Spelling & Grammar! It's not the most important thing in the world, but it shows you care and that you have reread and considered what you are asking.
- Most of all, don't be lazy. Whoever you are about to interview is about to spend their time helping you out with your research. So respect their time, and tailor your questions to suit them, don't make them repeat themselves.
The above points are a little rough around the edges, but they are important. I would really appreciate anyone that emails me with questions who has read through this. It shows you have what it takes to make it as a smart and professional person.
DOWN WITH LAZYNESS, here's to being a geek.
Kate
