Speaker 1: Hey guys, welcome to GradCoachTV, where we demystify and simplify the oftentimes confusing world of academic research. My name's David, and today I'm chatting to one of our trusted coaches, Keren, about five mistakes we see students frequently make when conducting interviews. This discussion is based on one of the many articles over at the GradCoach blog. So if you'd like to find out more information about surveys, visit the blog at www.gradcoach.com Also, if you're looking for a helping hand with your dissertation, thesis, or research project, be sure to check out our one-on-one private coaching service, where one of our friendly coaches will help you step-by-step through the research journey. To find out more, and to book a free consultation with one of our friendly coaches, head over to www.gradcoach.com Hey Keren, it's great having you back at the Coach Cast.

Speaker 2: Thank you, David. It's great to be back. I'm looking forward to this.

Speaker 1: Today we're talking about interviewing and some of the common mistakes that come up. The first interview mistake is really just not having a clear interview strategy or plan. Keren, what do we need to watch out for, and how do we plan for these interviews?

Speaker 2: Absolutely. I think definitely going into an interview without some kind of ideas to what that might look like and a strategy in terms of what you might need at the end of the day for your own research is something that is quite common. And quite often, it's because we think of an interview as perhaps being a lot more sort of relaxed, and you often overestimate your interviewing capacity and underestimate what you might need to plan for beforehand. So it's very, very important to do as much planning at the beginning as is possible. And that obviously depends on the interview type, right? So is the interview that you're planning on doing relatively unstructured, and you're wanting your respondent to kind of, you know, give a lot more, even then you still want to be somewhat in control? Or is it the case that you're doing something semi-structured, where you have quite an open ended series of questions, semi-structured is quite common, as you have a series of open questions, but you do have a little bit of control as to the direction that the interview goes in? Or is it fully structured where, you know, you're expecting very specific kinds of respondents to say specific kinds of things, in which case, you want to make sure that those questions are very well prepared early on. Generally speaking, you also want to think about the things you might need to plan beforehand, such as, you know, thinking about who your respondents are, how many respondents you need to consider inviting into your interview, how you're planning on recording the interview, are they comfortable with you recording the interview, those kinds of things are really important to think about, because they can end up throwing you if you have to sort of throw it all together last minute. So try and try and get those things ready early on so that you as the interviewer can kind of relax a little bit and, you know, be a little bit more prepared. Fundamentally, you also want to think about your research questions, especially or your interview questions, especially if you have a semi-structured or structured interview plan. And you also want to consider the kinds of questions you would ask for various kinds of interviews that you might be running. So, for instance, are you going to just want your respondents to answer a series of questions or to give them room to, you know, expand on a series of questions? And when you analyze the data, are you just going to sort of look at what they said directly? Or are you going to be looking at how they said it? Are you going to be looking at the story through some kind of narrative approach? Because then the kinds of ways that you ask those questions might differ. And you want to kind of prepare that early on.

Speaker 1: So I think those are really great points, Karen. It's important to also keep in mind sort of ethical considerations as well. If you're working with minors, for instance, there is a lot more that you have to keep in mind. You need a guardian to be present or have their permission. There are systems to keep in mind with that. Similarly, if you're working with potentially invasive topics, you need to be very careful how you ask questions and how you approach the interview. These things are really important to think about early on before you even get to that interview place. But I think when it comes to all of these aspects about the strategy and design of the interview, it's important to keep in mind that you want to be answering your research question at the end. We always come back to this in every video, but that golden thread is super important. Your aims, objectives and questions is the golden line that you follow in your research. So when you're designing your strategy for an interview, you keep that in mind as well. Am I asking questions that give me the answers that I would like to see? Obviously, we're not looking for specific answers, but we are looking for the type of answers that we would be interested in. So the second mistake that often happens in interviews is just really not having good interview technique or skills. Now, there's so many options to talk about here, but Karen, maybe you can give us an overview of some of the key aspects to consider. Absolutely.

Speaker 2: Now, fundamentally, I don't think anyone expects you to be an expert interviewer for your first interview, but there are some things maybe that you want to bear in mind for your interview. And I think generally speaking, there are sort of things to think about when it comes to your interactions with the person, for instance, maybe attempt to make them feel a bit more comfortable. You kind of want them to open up to you. So you want to sort of be a little bit more calm, a little bit, you know, ask some open questions in the beginning that makes them feel a bit more comfortable, makes them feel like they can start engaging in the topic that you're interested in asking. You probably also want to make sure that you give them some room to say what they need to say, maybe smile a bit, maybe encourage them, but if it's natural to you, don't be a little bit creepy when you do that. But yeah, think about things that you would want out of somebody that you're speaking to that would make you open up. And remember that your respondent is probably needing something similar. You also want to be very prepared. So make sure that you think deeply about the kinds of questions that you need to ask and the kinds of answers that you're expecting so that you have some control over the interview while that person is speaking to you. Also think about your role, your influence as an interviewer. So you want to consider, for instance, maybe avoiding leading questions, questions that might, you know, make them feel uncomfortable, but also make them feel like they're you know, make them feel uncomfortable, but also questions that might lead them to answers that they wouldn't normally give under other kinds of circumstances. So try to think about those kinds of things when you're asking those questions. And and just acknowledge when they do say something that you are wanting more information for or from, smile, you know, engage with them a little bit, you know, take what they're asking and see if you can sort of encourage them in the directions that they can expand on a point that might be useful for you as the researcher later on when you do have to sift through this data. Fundamentally, they could answer in a variety of ways. And your question might be so open ended that they don't really know how to respond. And in order to maybe avoid having questions that are a little bit all over the place or to avoid having answers that you didn't quite anticipate or know how to deal with, consider doing a bit of a pilot beforehand with a friend or two that can be very helpful and illuminating as to whether you as the interviewer, you know, are asking the right kinds of questions or appropriate kinds of questions or, you know, just as a little bit of a rehearsal even so that you know how to maybe do a bit of a question and answer session with somebody.

Speaker 1: I think that is perfect advice. Pilot everything is my go to statement, golden threads and piloting. I think it's really important to do that. It's also probably worth being aware that you're going to have two types of respondents. You will have the respondent who will just answer your question in as few words as possible. Yes, no, it was tough. Those can be difficult. And so you have to find out how you can work with those interviewees, but also know that it does happen. It is not unexpected. The other side is you might get the meanderer as well. I know I'm one of those myself. So I will tell you every bit of the story required and some parts that aren't necessary to get to the point. So be aware with that. And the reason why I bring this up is it's important to think how you will handle that going in, you know, for the terse answerer, you want to be asking slightly more leading questions in the sense of, you know, pulling out more information. Could you expand on that? Tell me more about the previous statement. For the meanderer, you're going to have to sometimes pull them back into the focus. So do keep that in mind. Then it's also worth keeping in mind that not everyone has the same character and personal strengths. Some of us are extroverted. Some of us are introverted. Some of us have a calm demeanor. Others can be excitable. So don't necessarily think of those all as problems or shortcomings, but play towards your strengths. If you're someone who is introverted that can give a sense of comfort and ease, rely on that. Use that to your advantage. Similarly, if you're someone who has high energy, try and use that to get your participant engaged with you as well. But just be careful you don't come on too strong. So the third common interview mistake that we see is that you don't secure a suitable location or the necessary equipment. So, Kieran, what can we do to kind of manage this and prevent it from becoming an issue? Absolutely.

Speaker 2: I think firstly, when it comes to location, as we said before, you want your interviewee to feel comfortable and you want the place to be perhaps if you are doing a physical Perhaps if you are doing a physical location interview, you want the place to be relatively quiet, maybe uninterrupted, make sure that a whole bunch of people who might be listening in cannot, especially if it's meant to be a private interview. Also, you want to perhaps consider what you're providing for the person. If you are doing it in person, are the facilities appropriate so that they can go to the bathroom if necessary, that there's water. If it's a deeper topic, maybe that you have, you know, something a little bit more, you know, calming in the environment if necessary. But those are the kinds of things that you generally want to consider when it comes to the location. Is it relatively private, relatively secure and a place that the person will feel comfortable in and is well catered towards, if you will?

Speaker 1: I think those are really great points. To carry on with that, it's important to think that the digital sphere is also a location. So we're definitely seeing that many interviews are being conducted online. It allows you access to a much wider sample population, but there are some considerations to keep in mind. First and foremost, are you comfortable with the meeting technology that you're using, the specific software? Have you trialed it before? Do people have access to it? Try and aim for software that everyone can access freely because that's going to help you in the long run. It's also worth checking if your participants have good access to internet and particularly if you have good access to internet, because it's very good to make sure your interviewees are on a fiber line. And if you aren't, that's still a problem. Also do, and this is just from personal experience, keep in mind your space as well. If you're interviewing from home, make sure that you can't be interrupted by children, dogs, family members, deliveries. These are just things to keep in mind as well. Lastly, definitely try and keep some backups in mind. If, for instance, you're using Google Meets as your primary interviewing software, maybe familiarize yourself with Zoom, with Microsoft Teams, or even WhatsApp Call, just so that if an issue does come up, you have an alternative in place.

Speaker 2: Absolutely. And regardless of whether it's online or in person, you need and you rely on a whole bunch of different kinds of equipment, especially if you're allowed to record, then the recording equipment that you use is quite crucial. If you're doing interviews, it's not the same as it was perhaps back in the day where you would sort of maniacally write as they spoke to you. You do have the luxury of recording either audio or if you're allowed to, video. And that might mean that you have to trial that equipment. You might need backup for that equipment. It's not a good idea to rely only on a single recording, if at all possible. And if you are relying on Zoom recording, make sure that your phone is also being used to record. Maybe make sure that there's backup batteries if you're using a video. So anything that kind of just prevents you from relying or over-relying on a single piece of equipment is not a bad idea, not a bad strategy and is definitely worth considering. Fundamentally, whatever you're using, especially if you're using it to record the interview, you are going to need to use that same recording for transcribing the interview, whether it's manually or whether it's using some piece of software. And the better quality that recording, the far easier it is to transcribe the interview, regardless of whether you're doing it manually, but especially if you're using a piece of software to record, because that software can be all over the place when it comes to transcription. Definitely trial, definitely use a pilot study, if at all possible, to see how it goes, to see how it sounds, maybe to see how far away your equipment needs to be from you and the person that you're interviewing, if it is in person, then those are definitely a bunch of things that you might want to consider beforehand, if at all possible.

Speaker 1: I think those are really great points. Another equipment piece to really keep in mind is a pen and notepad. We really take it for granted, but there is insight that you can gain at that point in time with the interview. So, even if you are taking a recording that has audio and visual aspects, maybe take notes for yourself as well. It can have the benefit of helping you when you are working through that interview transcript to get more info. So, do keep that in mind as well. So, our fourth common interview mistake, and it's really not a mistake so much as an admission, but it's when you don't plan for potential issues. Issues will happen. So, Karen, what can we do to make sure we're ready for them when they come?

Speaker 2: Yes, I think this is just one of those things of bear in mind as much as possible earlier on so that you're not thrown as the interviewer and also so that you can calm the interviewee down if they need to be shown what else to do. So, things like delays, if you set up an interview and there's a traffic delay or they were held up by their kids or you are held up by your responsibilities, do you have some way of addressing that in any way either by rescheduling, if at all possible, or having a bit of a backup if at all possible? So, do you have at least, can you imagine the kinds of potential mistakes that could happen or the kinds of potential issues that can arise? Another very common one that you mentioned earlier is internet issues. Very common, especially with online interviews, and it could be from either side and it doesn't even need to be anyone's fault. It could be the weather. It just is such a common issue. Do you have maybe a backup if that's required or do you at least need to make sure the interview we knows that you have an issue or that they can easily tell you if they have an issue? So, keep some of these kinds of things in mind. Also, bear in mind that fundamentally a big part of the ethical requirements is to keep your data sacred and stored in a safe place where not everybody has access to it. So, just kind of keep in mind that perhaps some forms of recording data are a little bit more secure than others and rather bear that in mind early on and then come and run into an issue later on if at all possible. So, fundamentally at the end of the day, regardless of these issues, the big strategy behind them is not to just be aware that they might occur, but have some kind of mitigation or ways of addressing these issues if they were to occur. The easiest thing that you can do to mitigate an issue is to give some leeway for yourself and the respondent on either side of your interview. Arrive 30 minutes early if at all possible. Bake in some extra time towards the end because the interview might go on a little bit extra time or it might start a bit later. So, don't give yourself back-to-back interviews for hour-long interviews on the hour because that's just asking for trouble. Anything can happen for both you and the interviewee and you do want to make sure that you are a little bit more flexible for them because they are giving you their time. You probably also want to consider issues like language issues or accent issues, especially if you're using transcription and recordings, especially if there's internet connections that might make people sound a bit fuzzier. Try to think about how you might address that, either by having a bit of a conversation with them beforehand so that you can get a little bit more comfortable with understanding each other early on. Just bear those kinds of things in mind and prevent them from happening if at all possible.

Speaker 1: I think those are really great points. It's also worth noting, keep in mind some backup questions as well. It really does happen sometimes where you will ask a question and your interviewee will go down a rabbit hole and rather than trying to scramble to figure out how to get them back on track, having a few pre-planned ideas can be really helpful in terms of ensuring that. It's also worth potentially organizing alternative dates when you're organizing interviews, particularly if you're trying to interview very busy participants. It frequently comes up that there's a last-minute meeting, so scheduling two or three alternatives is a great way to protect yourself in terms of being able to get that date. Then from a quantitative side of things, always over-sample, so that can be said for interviewing. Definitely, you're wanting to get up to a saturation point in most cases with interviews so that any further interviews aren't adding new information, but it's still worth baking in a little bit of leeway. If you think you're going to need 10 interviews, aim for 15. If you don't need that 15th one, you can always cancel it, but not having organized it and then having had your third or fourth interview crash out would be really problematic. So again, we're just planning for eventualities, not because we expect them to happen, but just in case. So our fifth and final mistake, and it's one you probably expected, is not keeping your research aims, objectives, and questions in mind during the interview process. We touched on this a little bit earlier, but it's such a key point that I'd love to go into more detail. So Kieran, why is this so important?

Speaker 2: Yes, not keeping in mind your objectives is an easy way to suddenly have pages and pages and pages of transcripts at the end of all your interviews and not answering the question that you started out actually trying to answer. It's just so easy to drift once you read the literature, once you get into an interview. So keeping yourself in check is key to making sure that when you are analyzing that data at the end of the day, that you have something to work with that is meaningful for your originally intended research and also you're ethically signed up for research, to be honest. So definitely, definitely keep that in mind throughout or all of those things in mind. One way to address making sure that your interview is fundamentally aligned to your objectives and your research question is using that interview guide. An interview guide at its simplest is just your set of questions. And for a semi-structured interview, that can be fine, but you want to be a little bit more detailed in your preparation and specific in your preparation for yourself, for your ethics committee, for your supervisor, but also so that during your interview, you know why it is that you ask the question that you have placed in your interview guide. And by an interview guide, you really want to make sure that you have your questions for a semi-structured interview that could be 8 to 12 questions. And then next to them, maybe in a column, in a table, add in which research objective this interview question is designed to complement, if you will. Also, maybe even add a few pieces of literature. So what from the literature are you expecting based on what you've been reading for this interview question? This obviously works very well if you, you know, if for research or interviews that are not based on grounded theory where you are allowed to technically go a little bit deeper into the literature, but try to keep in mind any sort of theory, any sort of ideas that are guiding the creation of that interview question so that you can keep it in mind during your interview and be extra prepared to make sure that fundamentally at the end of the day, the kinds of data you get from your interview is answering your research question and is aligned with the things that you can talk about in your findings and in your discussion chapter.

Speaker 1: I think that's really great advice, Karen. And if you have a secret guide for us, definitely let us know. If so, we'll put it down in the description down below. It's also worth considering your planned analysis method as well. So while you're developing your guide, while you're thinking about the process of your research questions, your interview questions, keep in mind how you're going to analyze your data. If you're looking at thematic analysis, then you need a certain type of data. If you want to look at someone's experience and want to provide a narrative, then your questions will need to be phrased differently. So it's always important to keep that in mind so that you generate the right kind of data. It's also worth, when you have that guide in place, you can know when there's interesting ideas. I really like the idea you brought up about knowing what you expect from the literature, because then you can know when to dive a little deeper because there's an interesting finding coming up. Also allows you to know when you need to pull back the meanderer, which is way too off topic. So Karen, it was lovely having you join us today. Thank you so much for your insights. And we look forward to having you back on The Coach Cast sometime soon.

Speaker 2: Thank you so much, David. It was great being here.

Speaker 1: All right, so that pretty much wraps up this episode of Grad Coach TV. Remember, if you're looking for more information about interviews, consider checking out our blog at gradcoach.com forward slash blog. There you can also get access to our dissertation and thesis writing mini course, which gives you all the basics you need to get started on your research journey. Also, if you're looking for a helping hand with your dissertation, thesis or research project, be sure to check out our one-on-one private coaching service where you can work with one of our friendly coaches, just like Karen. For more information and to book a free consultation, head over to gradcoach.com. So that's it for today. Until next time, good luck. Transcribed by https://otter.ai