Writing Assignment – “Interview & Analysis”
Use the following steps to create interview questions and prepare an interview for the Senior
Project. After the interview, you will write about the information you have gathered in a paper, which will
become part of your larger Senior Project portfolio, providing details about the interview itself as well as
the material you have learned about your chosen topic.
 Step 1:

By December 15th, e-mail (or bring in a written letter) me who you are planning to interview,
her/his job, hobby, etc., and when your interview will talk place. (include a forwarded
confirmation from your interviewee for the interview)

In class, on December 6th, you will be working with a partner to create a list of interview
questions that each of you plans to ask your interviewee. You may want to write a group of
related questions in order to get more detailed information about several general topics.
Consider the following general topics when constructing your interview questions:

Preparation and requirements

Wages, benefits

Schooling

Duties and expectations

Personal history or background

Lifestyle questions

Personal fulfillment

What makes the “topic” unique or interesting

NOTE: be sure to research some before the interview so you know what specific questions
to ask
 Step 2:
Conduct your interview in a friendly, polite manner. Be sure to make an appointment, introduce
yourself, explain the purpose of your interview, and express your appreciation for the interviewee’s time.
Plan to spend no less than 20 minutes on the interview.
You may want to plan "follow-up" questions in case you do not get enough information with the
first question. For instance, if you ask your interviewee "Do you like your profession?" and your
interviewee says "Yes," you have not gained very much information. What else would be important to
know about this profession or hobby?
When you gather the information from the interview, look over your notes carefully. Organize
your data into themes (exp., types of writing, examples of these, time frame of writing a paper, etc.)
 Step 3:
Write about the information you have gathered. This section of your paper should be 2-4 typed
pages, containing:

Introduction – In this section you will include:

Hook - Get your readers interested! Ask a surprising question, use a quotation from your
interview, or describe an appropriate story.

State your main idea - Clearly identify your topic and the major points in your
interview.


Methods section – Here you will discuss the interview itself:

How did you gather your information?

When did the interview take place?

How long did it last?

Describe your subject.
Discussion section - The discussion of the findings should be the longest part of the paper.

Explain the findings from the interview. Give the facts you have gathered.

Organize the material into a logical order, with all the material about one idea together

Make clear connections between ideas and do not jump from one question/fact to another
without connecting them.


Remember, the focus of your paper is writing. Do not stray from the topic.

Organize this section into topics/themes. Support each topic with examples.
Conclusion – In this section, include your personal thoughts about how helpful, useful and
interesting this interview was. What did you learn from it? What additional questions would you ask
the interviewee, if you had a chance to interview her/him again?

Please include on a separate page, the final list of your interview questions when you hand in this
section.

Your paper is due the Tuesday we return from Winter Break.