What is an interview?

An interview is a question-and-answer round where a person asks questions and the other person
answers those questions. It can be a one-on-one, two-way conversation, or there can be more than one
interviewer and more than one participant.

How is an interview conducted?

An interview is conducted depending on the context, purpose, and participants involved. Here's a
general overview of how an interview is typically conducted:

1. Preparation:

Interviewer Preparation:
● Research background information and develop a list of questions.
● In celebrity interviews: give the questions to the celebrity in advance.
● Send background materials to participants in advance.

Candidate Preparation:
● The interviewee prepares by researching the company or topic and anticipating
common interview questions.

2. Introduction:

The interview usually begins with a greeting and introduction. The interviewer introduces
themselves and may provide an overview of the interview process.

3. Icebreaker or Small Talk:

Sometimes, there might be a brief period of small talk or an icebreaker to help create a more
comfortable and conversational atmosphere.

4. Main Questioning:

The interviewer asks questions about personal experiences, traits, and skills. Questions may be behavioral
(asking about past experiences), situational (presenting hypothetical scenarios), or technical (testing
specific knowledge or skills).

5. Candidate Responses:

The interviewee responds to the questions, providing relevant examples and details to support their
answers. It’s ideal for the interviewees to articulate their thoughts clearly and concisely.

6. Closing:
The interviewer concludes the interview by summarizing key points, explaining the next steps in the
process, and thanking the interviewee for their time.

Other important stuff about an interview:

1. Body Language:

During an interview, it's important to be mindful of your body language. This includes maintaining eye
contact, sitting straight, and offering a firm handshake. Non-verbal cues can greatly contribute to the
overall impression you make.

2. STAR Method:

The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) can be useful when answering behavioral
questions. It helps structure responses by providing a clear and concise narrative about past
experiences.

3. Professionalism and Respect

It is vital for interviewers to stay on topic and only ask professional questions. Respect is a basic
etiquette among two or more people. The person’s privacy should not be diminished nor demeaned
throughout the interview.

What is its importance?

Interviews are significant for evaluating abilities, work history, and character. They are invaluable
resources for journalists in shaping narratives, acquiring information, and providing a platform for voices
to be heard. It must also be taken into account that conducting interviews requires skill, preparation, and
ethical responsibility.

Types of Interviews
Interviews are diverse and tailored to assess various skills, competencies, and suitability for specific
roles. Here are some common types of interviews:

1. Structured Interviews:
- These follow a predetermined set of questions, ensuring consistency across all
candidates. It helps in fair comparisons but may lack flexibility.

2. Unstructured Interviews:
- Conversational and flexible, unstructured interviews allow for a more natural flow.
- Questions can vary based on the candidate's responses, providing a deeper
understanding of their personality and thought processes.

3. Behavioral Interviews:
 - Focus on past experiences to predict future behavior.
- Candidates are asked to share specific examples of how they've handled challenges,
demonstrating their skills and problem-solving abilities.

4. Panel Interviews:
- Involving multiple interviewers, panel interviews assess candidates from various
perspectives.
- This format is common in decision-making roles or when different stakeholders are
involved.

5. Phone and Video Interviews:

- Conducted remotely, these interviews are convenient for initial screenings.
- They test communication skills and allow employers to evaluate candidates without
the need for in-person meetings.

6. Group Interviews:
- Several candidates are assessed simultaneously.
- Useful for roles that require teamwork, as it provides insights into how candidates
interact with others.

7. Case Interviews:
- Common in consulting and analytical roles, case interviews present candidates with
real or hypothetical business problems. The goal is to evaluate their problem-solving
skills and ability to think critically.

8. Technical Interviews:
- Primarily for technical roles.
- Assess a candidate's expertise in specific skills, often involving coding exercises,
problem-solving, or practical demonstrations.

9. Stress Interviews:
- Designed to put candidates under pressure
- Stress interviews assess how well individuals handle stress and think on their feet.
- The goal is to observe their composure and adaptability.

10. Second and Third-Round Interviews:

- Subsequent rounds delve deeper into a candidate's qualifications, allowing for a more
thorough evaluation.
- These may involve higher-level executives and address more specific aspects of the
role.

Adapting interview types based on the job requirements helps organizations make informed hiring
decisions and ensures a comprehensive assessment of candidates' abilities and fit for the role.
Benefits of Interviews:
1. Detailed Evaluations:
● Enables a thorough examination of qualifications and experience.

2. Getting to Know the Candidate and Yourself:

● Facilitates a personal connection and understanding.
● Provides insights through verbal and non-verbal cues.

3. Improved Relationships:
● Enhances communication and relationship-building.
● Gauge compatibility with organizational leaders and culture.
● Streamlines the recruitment process, identifying top candidates.
● Clarifies duties, expectations, and work environment.

Benefits Of Interviewing Celebrities

1. Publicity
● Celebrities associated with hotels and other businesses tend to receive more attention.
The reputation created by such businesses will also help in attracting other celebrities.
These, of course, do not offer cheap expenses.

2. Fundraisers
● Celebrities benefit from charity fundraising events due to their media attention. Angelina
Jolie, for example, is a UN ambassador for preventing sexual violence. Public figures
can more easily organize and promote events to the public through interviews.

3. Local business
● Celebrity interviews in local publications boost exposure and attract attention from both
locals and fans outside the city, leading to increased promotion of the publication.

4. Better understanding
● Meeting celebrities face-to-face helps understand them better, as people often
perceive them as very different from themselves. However, some celebrities
may behave unexpectedly, revealing a different side of their character.

5. Role models
● Celebrities are often seen as role models due to inspiring stories about their upbringing
and success. Fans are, therefore, motivated to emulate their idols.

Interviewing a celebrity has a broad impact, not only on the interviewee but also on young people who
look up to them.
Well-known interviewees

Scarlett Johansson
Biography

Scarlett Ingrid Johansson was born on November 22, 1984, in Manhattan, New York City,
New York. Her mother is from a Jewish family in the Bronx and her father is a Danish-born
architect from Copenhagen.

She started her career as a child actor, working in commercials and off-Broadway
productions. Her film debut was in Rob Reiner's North (1994). She then won a Tony Award
for Best Actress after making her Broadway debut in 2010. Moreover, she is well-known for
playing the role of Natasha Romanoff, a.k.a. Black Widow, in several Marvel Cinematic
Universe films.

In the movie Marriage Story (2019), Scarlett Johansson portrayed a woman who was going
through a divorce. She received a nomination for the Best Performance by an Actress in a
Leading Role category at the Oscars. The movie itself was also nominated for the Best
Motion Picture of the Year category.

Interviews

At the Avengers UK Press Conference, Scarlett Johansson was asked about her diet to get
into the shape of her character. To cut it short, she sarcastically responded, "I get the rabbit
food question?" On the contrary, she seemed comfortable in an interview with Jimmy Fallon
as she talked about her movie Black Widow and Marriage Story among other things.

Moreover, she opened up about her firm boundaries on social media and interaction with fans
in a podcast called The Skinny Confidential released on April 4, 2023. Her interviews reveal
her honest character, making her an ideal interviewee, particularly when interviewers ask
inappropriate and uncomfortable questions.
Anne Hathaway

Biography

Anne Hathaway was born on November 12, 1982, in Brooklyn, New York, U.S. When she
was young, Hathaway toured with her mother during a production of the musical Les
Misérables, which spurred her to pursue a career in theatre.

The Princess Diaries 1 and 2, The Devil Wears Prada, Bride Wars, and Rachel Getting
Married (2008)—for which she earned her first Academy Award nomination, are some of her
famous works among many other movies. She won an Oscar for Best Performance by an
Actress in a Supporting Role in Les Misérables (2012) in 2013 and a Saturn Award for Best
Supporting Actress in The Dark Knight also in 2013.

Interviews

In an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon released on December 9, 2023,
Jimmy Fallon congratulated Anne Hathaway on her Film Independent Spirit Awards
nomination. In addition, she recounted a nostalgic tale from her childhood talent show and
demonstrated her intense primal scream from Eileen.

In some of her earlier interviews, she had to address uncomfortable questions, such as a
wardrobe malfunction incident at a premiere where someone took an inappropriate photo of
her. Despite this, she responded to the question modestly and intellectually saying, “It was
obviously an unfortunate incident. I think it kinda of made me sad on two accounts: one, that
it was unfortunate that we live in an age where someone takes a picture of another person in a
vulnerable moment and rather than delete it and do the decent thing, sells it; and I’m sorry
that we live in a culture that commodifies sexuality of unwilling participants, which brings us
back to Les Mis(érables) ‘cause that’s what my character is.” Not only did she address the
person's inappropriate behavior, but she was also able to redirect the interview back to the
main topic, her movie Les Misérables.
Well-known Interviewers:

LARRY KING

Larry King was born November 19, 1933, in Brooklyn, New York, U.S.—and died January 23, 2021,
in Los Angeles, California. He is an American talk-show host whose easygoing interviewing style
helped make Larry King Live (1985–2010) one of CNN’s longest-running and most popular
programs.

Before his interviews, Larry goes over some quick notes, but he said he doesn’t actually “prepare” for
the interviews in detail. He said he always wants to ask questions that he doesn’t know the answer to.

So, rather than interviewing as an expert, Larry King comes to the interview to learn. This is what
makes him such an incredible interviewer.

“I never learned anything while I was talking.”

“If I’m going to learn, I must do it by listening.”
“The key to interviewing is listening. If you don’t listen, you’re not a good interviewer. I hate
interviewers who come with a long list of prepared questions because they’re going to depend on
going from the fourth question to the fifth question without listening to the answer. … I concentrate
solely on the answer, and I trust my instincts to come up with more questions.”

BARBARA WALTERS
Barabar Walters was born on September 25, 1929, and passed away just recently on December 30,
2022. She was an American broadcast journalist and television personality particularly known for her
highly effective technique in interviews with world-renowned figures. She was a renowned interviewer
who conducted political and personality interviews for over 50 years. She anchored "The View" until her
retirement in 2014 at the age of 84.

Walters says that personality interviews need carefully choreographed questions to elicit the unexpected.
Make it "special" as a way to stand out from the myriad of interviews available at that time. Walters
agreed with Blumberg that curiosity is an important attribute for interviewers, but more importantly,
she asserted that interviewers must be more interested in others than themselves.

One of the things that made Barbara Walters such a great interviewer was her persistence. If she didn’t
feel that she had gotten an answer that her audience would find valuable, she wasn’t afraid to ask the
same question multiple times until she was satisfied.
OPRAH GAIL WINFREY

Biography

Oprah Winfrey was born on January 29, 195,in Kosciusko, Mississippi. She is an Emmy
Award–winning talk show host, media executive, Academy Award–nominated actress, and
philanthropist best known for being the host of her wildly popular program, The Oprah Winfrey Show,
which aired from 1986 to 2011. Its success helped her become the world’s first Black woman
billionaire in 2003.

Interviewing Career

In 1976, Winfrey moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where she hosted the TV talk show People
Are Talking. The show became a hit, and Winfrey stayed with it for eight years, after which
she was recruited by a Chicago TV station to host her own morning show, A.M. Chicago.

In 1986, Oprah Winfrey debuted The Oprah Winfrey Show, which marked her as the first Black
female host of a nationally syndicated daily talk show. The program aired on 120 channels, captured
an audience of 10 million viewers, and amassed $125 million in its first year, earning Winfrey a $30
million paycheck. As the show gained traction, Winfrey gained ownership of the series.

In 1994, talk shows became increasingly trashy and exploitative, but Winfrey pledged to keep her
show free of tabloid topics. She strove to maintain the show's credibility and provide a platform for
substantive discussion. In 2004, Winfrey inked a new contract to keep The Oprah Winfrey Show
going until the 2010-11 season. However, she announced in 2009 that she would be concluding the
program when her ABC contract expired in 2011. Throughout its duration, The Oprah Winfrey Show
garnered numerous Daytime Emmy Awards, receiving nine for Outstanding Talk Show and seven for
Outstanding Talk Show Host, which Winfrey personally accepted.

Pros and Cons of taking and giving interviews

Taking Interviews (Interviewer):

Pros:

● Selection of the Right Candidate

● Insight into Communication Skills
● Allow the interviewer to assess the candidate's ability to think critically and solve problems
on the spot
● Networking and Relationship Building

Cons:
 ● Limited Information
● Nervous Candidates
● Time-Consuming

Giving Interviews (Interviewee):

Pros:

● Showcasing Skills and Experience

● Feedback for Personal Development: Constructive feedback from interviews, whether
successful or not.

Cons:

● Nervousness and Performance Anxiety: potentially impacting their performance and ability to
effectively communicate their skills and experiences.
● Limited Time for Responses
● Unpredictable Questions: can create stress and potentially affect the quality of responses
● Rejection and Emotional Impact

Comparison:

● Communication Skills: Both interviewers and interviewees have the opportunity to assess and
demonstrate communication skills, crucial for effective collaboration in the workplace.
● Feedback: Both parties can benefit from feedback, with interviewers providing constructive
feedback to help candidates improve and candidates using feedback for personal development

Taking Interviews of Celebrities (Interviewer):

Pros:

● Exclusive Content:
- It can attract a larger audience and boost the interviewer's visibility

● Building Professional Relationships:

- This can potentially lead to future collaborations.

Cons:

● Schedule Challenges:
- Coordinating interviews with busy celebrities can take time and effort, leading to
schedule conflicts and potential delays.

● High Expectations:
- There may be high expectations from the audience for exclusive content, putting
pressure on the interviewer to deliver captivating interviews consistently.
Giving Interviews as a Celebrity (Interviewee):

Pros:
● Promotion and Publicity:
- provides celebrities with opportunities to promote their work

● Controlled Image:
- Celebrities can use interviews to control their public image, addressing rumors or
misconceptions and shaping the narrative surrounding them

● Fan Engagement:
- Interviews allow celebrities to engage with their fan base, sharing personal insights
and creating a more intimate connection with their audience.

Cons:
● Loss of Privacy:
- personal details or opinions shared during interviews may become public knowledge

● Media Manipulation:
- Celebrities’ words may be taken out of context, leading to misunderstandings.

● Criticism:
- Celebrities' responses or behavior during interviews affect their public image

Comparison:

Objective and Control:

Interviewer: Strives to maintain objectivity and control the interview narrative.
Interviewee: Seeks to control their public image and convey specific messages during interviews.

Expectations:
Interviewer: Faces expectations for engaging and exclusive content.
Interviewee: Deals with expectations to deliver entertaining and insightful responses.

Time and Energy:

Interviewer: Invests time in preparing and conducting interviews.
Interviewee: Invests time and emotional energy in participating in interviews.

In conclusion, the interview process involves a dynamic interaction between interviewers and
interviewees. Understanding these factors is crucial for creating a fair, effective, and mutually beneficial
interview experience. In the context of celebrities, interviews present unique challenges and opportunities.
Both parties must navigate the delicate balance of public image and privacy to create successful and
beneficial interview experiences.