Preparing to interview a corporate professional
If conducted properly, an executive interview can benefit your research project. Asking corporate professionals the right questions during an executive interview allows you to gain insight into their thoughts and experiences.
Are there best practices researchers can keep in mind while planning and conducting executive interviews? The short answer is yes. We recommend looking over the following executive interview tips:
- Know your topic and goal.
- Create a positive relationship with interviewees.
- Stay on track.
- Be flexible before and during the interview.
- Comprehend the responses.
- Ask clear and concise questions.
- Follow-up after the interview.
Below we’ll go into more detail on the seven tips and link to additional articles you may consider reading before planning and conducting executive interviews.
1. Know your topic and goal.
Before starting the executive interview process, know what you want to talk about, who you want to talk to and what you want to gain from the interviews. As with any interview, you should know how it will impact your research project. It is OK to slightly adjust the end goal however be sure to stick to your outline to be as efficient as possible throughout the project.
2. Create a positive relationship with interviewees.
Having a general grasp of who your interviewee is beforehand will benefit you in the long run. Know who they are, what they’ve done, what their profession is and if their experiences will fit into your marketing research project before asking them to participate in an executive interview.
In the article “Qualitatively Speaking: Meeting executives face-to-face” by Margaret Roller, she emphasizes the importance of a positive preliminary contact. In this phase, the interviewer and interviewee get to know each other before the formal interview takes place. Getting to know your interviewee, and allowing them to know you, will increase comfort and trust from both ends. Forming a positive relationship can lead to a successful executive interview.
3. Stay on track.
It may be challenging to stick to the schedule throughout the entire research project but scheduling enough time in the planning stage will allow you to finish the needed interviews. When planning, allot some extra time in case you need to accommodate any unexpected scheduling conflicts from your end, the interviewees end or for any postponements that may occur.
4. Be flexible before and during the interview.
Flexibility is a key factor when scheduling interviews but is also important while conducting them. When interviewing someone, the conversation may start to drift off topic. Roller says that having a critical interviewing skill can help the interviewer redirect the conversation to reach the final goal. Redirecting the conversation can be done by connecting participant comments to the original question, restating or rephrasing the question or by moving onto the next section of the interview.
If an interviewee unintentionally answers a question you meant to ask later, change the order of your questions. If needed, you can loop back to their answer to get any clarification you need. Allow your interviewees to express themselves and give their natural answers but also be able to keep them on topic to get the best interview possible.
5. Comprehend the responses.
Having strong listening skills can help you process what your interviewee is saying. When conducting the interview, be sure to understand the details they mention along with the overall message. Roller says that it is important for the interviewer to be able to reiterate the intended message. To do this, they must know the meanings behind the phrases or slang interviewees use. An interviewee may use sarcasm or overarching terms to get their message across. While this may be fine in the moment, be sure to understand what they meant. If you aren’t following what they say, ask them to repeat themselves or clarify. Having a strong understanding of their message can help you expand or condense their responses in the future.
6. Ask clear and concise questions.
Asking simple and clear questions can improve the executive interview process. In “Depth interviews with executives,” author Srijana Dhakhwa says that every concept should be distinct to avoid confusion. Separation within questions can allow for a clearer interview structure.
Dhakhwa also says that any redundancies should be eliminated. Asking repetitive questions does not progress the interview and often leads to similar answers. Incorporating compounded questions may also lead to confusion or longer answers that only scratch the surface. Instead, asking interviewees concise questions can result in more insights and in-depth answers.
7. Follow-up after the interview.
In the article “B2B surveying in the time of COVID-19,” Doug Berdie emphasizes the importance of following up with people you’ve worked with to thank them for their time. After the executive interview, you should reach out to your interviewees to show appreciation for their time and willingness to share their own experiences.
Berdie also says that you should consider letting participants know what the future of your project is. Most of the time, if interviewees spent time with you, they are invested in where their participation will go. Let them know what the end goal is and, if possible, offer to keep them updated with the project.
Implementing these seven tips throughout the executive interview process will help keep you organized and on track.