Write an A+ Interview Paper Using Our Tips and Examples

06 September, 2021

13 minutes read

Author:  Josh Carlyle

You will quickly find yourself with your back to the wall once your teacher assigns you an interview paper. Studying is often a headache by itself, and now you have to conduct interviews. Worse yet, you probably have no idea how you can do this. Luckily, we will tell you how to write an interview paper step by step in this comprehensive guide. So prepare your favorite drink and learn how to write a top-notch interview paper.

how to write an interview paper

What is an Interview Paper?

An interview paper provides an expert opinion on a specific issue. In essence, it is an interview transcript inserted somewhere between the introduction and conclusion of an academic piece.

How long should it be? It depends on the topic and the length of your interview, but most papers are within the length of 2,000 – 5,000 words. What things should you consider before writing an interview paper in the first place? Let’s check them out below.

General Aspects of Writing an Interview Paper

Academic papers require you to provide arguments based on studies, research pieces, statistics, etc. But an interview paper is different – for this type of essay, you will develop assumptions around an expert’s opinion.

Let’s imagine your essay question reads the following: “Should we ban abortions?” If you write an interview paper, you should ask someone high-powered for their consideration. Let them be an executive director of the American Gynecological & Obstetrical Society.

You would reach them via email or phone or whatever communication channel you prefer and conduct an interview. Afterward, you would put all your findings on paper.

how to write an interview paper

But in practice, writing an interview paper involves many more complexities and challenges, like planning, topic research , drafting, etc.

Let’s speak straight facts: nobody will reschedule their week to meet you because you need to do some homework. You’re one of the millions of students, and the local governor or a famous scientist won’t give you an interview nine times out of ten.

So you would want to target someone less busy, like professors from other faculties of your college or some researchers within your academic environment. Hunting a bigger fish is pointless unless you’re a well-established journalist working for a popular media channel. If you struggle to find someone within your college/university, you can contact people from your circle.

Writing Outline and Structure of an Interview Paper

 As you know, a typical paper consists of three parts:

  • Introduction. This part includes background information, the hook, the thesis statement, and the transition.
  • Body. It is the longest part of the paper consisting of several paragraphs. It should contain the actual interview.
  • Conclusion. The final part summarizes the considerations and insights of your essay.

The question is: ‘where should you put an interview transcript and how do you do this?’

To answer this question, you need to come up with the interview papers format in the first place. There are several of them:

The narrative format implies that you can use either direct or indirect speech when referring to your interviewee. If you choose this path, you can stick to a 5-paragraph essay structure, retell the considerations of your interviewee, and cite their words here and there at your discretion.

You can also choose this format if you contact several people. Check what a narrative interview paper structure looks like when you reach out to several people:

  • Introduction.
  • Paragraph #1 – the first interviewee’s perspective.
  • Paragraph #2 – the second interviewee’s opinion.
  • Paragraph #3 – the third interviewee’s thoughts.
  • Conclusion.

Alternatively, you can dedicate each paragraph to a particular idea of one person.

“Question and answer” will suit your needs perfectly if you interview one person. It is the simplest format used in online magazines, news reports, and other media. Your interview paper outline will look like this:

  • Introduction
  • Question #1 – Answer #1
  • Question #2 – Answer #2
  • Question #3 – Answer #3
  • Question #4/5/6/etc. – Answer #4/5/6/etc.
  • Interview analysis. You may include your thoughts on the subject matter.

Conversational

Conversational style is informal, and you can use either first-person or second-person narrative and follow a typical 5-paragraph paper structure. But writing interview papers in this lousy style might be perplexing, especially if you deal with this task for the first time.

We advise you to try the Q&A format because it’s the simplest one and takes the least time. Just imagine how much time your paper writing will take if you decide to interview three or five people.

How to Start an Interview Paper?

If you have no idea how to start an interview paper, choose the topic first. Selecting a topic for your interview paper is not a big deal, but you should keep in mind that you may not find appropriate interviewees for it.

Let’s imagine you want to explore whether the government should force people to get vaccines. This topic implies that you need to contact authorities. It might be a local lawyer, governor, or executive director of a local hospital. Well, the chances are these people will politely refuse to give an interview for your homework.

But if you choose to investigate how lockdown impacts intellectual workers, you can contact your friends or family members who work at home. In other words, it’s better to choose topics that reflect the experiences of ordinary people rather than the opinions of untouchable experts.

Asking people for their opinion about well-known facts like the Earth’s shape is a bad idea. You would want to choose high-profile debatable topics you can actually discuss.

Establish the Goal of Your Interview Essay

You have to establish the goal of your essay before researching the topic. For this, ask yourself: “What message should your interview essay deliver?” Sometimes, a topic of your choice might already explain the purpose of your essay.

Conduct Research

Interviewing someone implies that you should ask questions. But you will fail to do so if you know little to nothing about your topic. So read some case studies, news, articles, etc. Once you get the picture of your subject matter, you will come up with dozens of interview questions.

Get to Know Your Interviewee

A good interviewer always refers to the life and experience of their interviewee. If you’re lucky to work with someone you can read about on the Internet, find out as much information about them as possible. If your interviewee publishes any books, articles, or studies, you will better know them as well.

The more you know about the person, the more interview questions you can come up with. You can ask them whether the Internet tells their true story: “Is it true that you, Mr. Interviewee, support flat earthers?”

Draft Your Interview Questions

If you want a person to share their in-depth vision of the topic, you need to ask both open-ended and close-ended (“yes/no”) questions. However, you may struggle to prepare interview questions. Many students get stuck during this stage. To overcome this block, you need to learn some types of interview questions:

  • Opinion – What do you think of this topic?
  • Behavioral – What would you do in this situation?
  • Experience and knowledge – What do you know about the subject?
  • Background – How are you connected to the subject? What is your age, occupation, etc?
  • Emotional – How do you feel about the subject?
  • Sensory – What does the subject taste and feel like?

You can also think of the questions following the interviewee’s “yes” and “no” answers.

Tips for Conducting a Successful Interview

These four tips will help you conduct a productive interview on the first try:

1. Plan Your Meeting

Note that you want to interview a person in a quiet place so that nobody will distract you. This might be some cozy book store or a café. Or, you can arrange an online meeting. Make sure you have at least one hour for the interview.

2. Rehearse a bit

If you will conduct your first-ever interview, you want to practice with your friends/significant other/ family in the first place. This approach will help you identify what stage of your upcoming interview may challenge you the most.

3. Record Your Interview

You will forget about 50% of the information within an hour once you finish the interview. So don’t rely on your memory − bring a recorder instead. Why not take notes? You wouldn’t want to go red while asking your interviewee to repeat what they have just said or wait until you write down their answers.

4. Talk to Your Interviewee for a While Before You Begin

Speaking to someone you don’t know might be uncomfortable. You don’t have to attack them with your interview questions straightaway. Instead, you can exchange some casual phrases or discuss the weather. This will help you relieve stress and get comfortable with each other.

5. Explain Your Interview Protocol

It’s better to explain to your interviewee how you will conduct your interview. Tell them that you will use a recorder and introduce the discussion topic.

Interview Papers Format

interview paper format

In academic writing, you have to explain the purpose of your interview and introduce your interviewee in a specific “scholarly” format. The APA format interview paper has the following requirements:

  • Use 12-point Times New Roman.
  • Write a title page.
  • Use double spacing.
  • Introduce your interviewee and provide the background information – explain why this person is suitable for the interview. Mention their name and qualifications.
  • Use direct quotes if you cite some facts provided by the interviewee.
  • Use block quotes for citations longer than 40 words.

How to Write a Title Page?

The title of your paper must include your name, your institution, department, the course name and number, the teacher’s name, and the assignment date. The rules of writing the title page are the following:

  • The title page must be numbered.
  • Capitalize all major words in your title and make it bold.
  • Place the title of the essay three or four lines down the top of the page.
  • There must be one empty line before the student’s name.

Interview Papers Examples

If you’re searching for an interview essay example – check several samples below:

  • A narrative interview essay .
  • A Q&A interview format paper.
  • An interview with a scientist.

Interview Papers Writing Tips

The following writing tips will help you deliver the first-class interview paper:

  • Write the introduction at the end. Once you finish your essay, you will likely reconsider some ideas you had before you began. They will help you frame your interview essay with a captivating introduction and conclusion.
  • Give yourself a break after finishing your final draft. This will help you look at your paper with a fresh pair of eyes once you start editing.
  • Edit one type of error at a time. For example, you can reduce logical errors first and switch to grammatical mistakes afterward.
  • Use an active voice. If active voice makes your sentence shorter, use it without hesitation.
  • Check for any sample interview paper to decide on the interview questions. Perhaps, some pieces will spark your interest.

Writing Help by Handmadewriting

An interview paper doesn’t seem that intimidating once you learn how to write it step by step. First, you have to choose the subject that allows you to interview ordinary people rather than hard-to-reach ones. Then, you need to research your topic, conduct an interview, and write a paper.

You can get an A+ for this assignment with enough effort and dedication. But a doable task doesn’t necessarily mean that you must do it by yourself. If you have plenty of other assignments to do, you can ask our essay writers to craft an exemplary interview paper for you. For this, you can place an order on our website, and we will do all the dirty work.

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How to Write an Interview Essay

Last Updated: March 11, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Diane Stubbs . Diane Stubbs is a Secondary English Teacher with over 22 years of experience teaching all high school grade levels and AP courses. She specializes in secondary education, classroom management, and educational technology. Diane earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Delaware and a Master of Education from Wesley College. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 460,377 times.

An interview essay is designed to give the reader a general impression of the interview subject and to present their thoughts on a select group of topics. It also offers the opportunity to develop deeper insights by analyzing the interviewee's responses within a larger context. Interview essays are a common school assignment, and provide useful skills for those interested in journalism, or just being good writers in general. There are several formats that fit into the category, but a good interview essay of whatever type can make the reader feel as though they were asking the questions.

Interviewing for an Essay

Step 1 Determine the purpose of your essay.

  • If your essay is to be a factual piece, you'll want to interview someone who has expertise in the subject matter you'll be addressing. If your paper is about a science topic, you'll want to interview a scientist in that field. If your paper is about a period of history, you'll want to interview either a historian or someone who's lived through that period of history.
  • If you plan to make your essay an opinion piece, you'll likely want to interview someone who has a strong opinion about the topic covered in your essay. Ideally, you want someone who can express opinions articulately, and who also has credentials in the area you plan to write about.
  • If your piece will have a narrow perspective, you'll need to interview only one or two people. If your piece will present a general consensus, you'll need to interview more people, probably with varying expertise and credentials.

Step 2 Research your interview subject(s) and draw up questions.

  • When available, read works about and works written by your subject, both in print and online. At the same time, research the topic associated with your subject. The more you know about both, the more intelligent questions you can ask.
  • Look for previous interviews your subject has given, as well. These will give you an idea of what questions the person has been asked before, so you can decide on appropriate subjects for your own questions, including questions that no one else has asked.
  • Questions that require "yes" or "no" answers are good for gathering specific factual information; open-ended "how," "why," and "tell me about" questions are great for gathering additional background material not found in your research.
  • Draw up a list of the questions you are prepared to ask. Have more questions ready than you will likely use, so that you can make adjustments as the interview takes place. (For instance, your subject may begin focusing on what you thought was a side topic, but turns out to be the key part of your interview.) Rank your questions in order of importance to make sure you ask your best ones, or list them all in the order you'd ask them and color-code the most important ones.

Step 3 Arrange the interview(s).

  • Choose a quiet place with few distractions for your interview site. A library, restaurant, or campus location if you're doing this for a college writing class would be suitable.
  • You may want to get the interviewee's consent to use their comments in your essay in writing, as well as permission to record those comments during the interview. By law, if you are recording an interview conducted over the phone, you must obtain written permission. [4] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source
  • It's helpful to have a backup interviewee in case the person you plan to interview can't make it.
  • Be on time at the place you've agreed to meet for the interview.

Step 4 Conduct the interview(s).

  • Using a recording device (with permission) is almost always advisable, as it permits you to save your note-taking for jotting down your insights on contexts, themes, how your subject approaches the questions, his/her comfort level, and so on.
  • Be patient and respectful as you ask your questions and wait for responses. Give the interviewee time to reflect, and you will likely be rewarded with more insightful answers. A few deeper responses are usually better than many superficial ones.
  • Immediately after the interview, write down your thoughts and impressions about the interview and interviewee. They may help you shape the essay.
  • Always end the interview by thanking the person.

Writing the Essay

Step 1 Decide what format your interview essay will have.

  • Narrative format. This form allows paraphrasing of some information the interviewee says, along with direct quotes for the material you most want to emphasize. This is the most likely format for a class assignment, and offers the most opportunity to add context and analysis.
  • Conversational format. This is a looser format than the formal writing style required for most essays. You can address the reader directly and use both first and second person. This format can be suitable for anything from class assignments to magazine articles.
  • Question-and-answer format. This form presents your questions to the interviewee, followed by the interviewee's responses. (That is, the text looks something like this: (Your Name): How long have you been in the circus? (Interviewee's Name): About 35 years.) These are always direct quotes, although you may insert explanatory material in parentheses and substitutions, such as a person's name in place of a personal pronoun, in brackets. This format is best suited for essays with only a single interviewee or a closely related group, such as spouses or the core cast of a TV show.
  • Informative format. This format usually interweaves the interview with research you've done on the subject, incorporating some of that research in the text to provide background and give it a little more color.

Step 2 Plan an outline of the essay.

  • Read over your interview notes and listen to any audio / video recordings you have. Utilizing both whenever available will allow you to thoroughly consider both the highlights of the interview and the most significant themes to emerge from it. These, in turn, will inform your outline of what information your essay will cover and how it will appear. [9] X Research source
  • One possible outline could be an introduction that starts with an anecdote about the interviewee and then presents your thesis statement, several key points that support the main focus, and a conclusion that summarizes the information presented. Traditional school essays often utilize a five paragraph format (introduction, three supporting paragraphs, conclusion), and this can often work with interview essays as well.

Step 3 Develop a thesis statement.

  • If, however, the purpose of your essay is to use your interviewee's comments to support a position or examine a larger theme, your thesis will probably be a statement of that position or theme, with the interview / interviewee placed within that context. For instance: "John Doe's mixed feelings of pride and betrayal reflect those shared by many Vietnam veterans still with us."
  • Regardless of essay format, make your thesis clear and concise, and be sure that the remainder of your essay refers back to it. See How to Write a Thesis Statement for more advice.

Step 4 Flesh out your essay.

  • Interviews can sometimes produce a good deal of repetitive answers (even with high-quality questions), so you may need to trim repetitions and unnecessary elements from the body of your essay. Make sure that whatever material you do keep remains true to both the spirit of the interview and the overarching focus of your essay. [10] X Research source
  • A handout from the Writing Center at the University of North Carolina (available at http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/oral-history/ ) provides a wealth of valuable materials on interview essays. It includes, for instance, examples of how to utilize the same interview materials in a transcription (question-and-answer format), a presentation of individual experiences (quotations and paraphrases), and the placing of the interview / interviewee in a larger context (paraphrasing and quotations with ample explanation).

Step 5 Proofread and revise your work.

  • Reading over the essay yourself is a good start, but it is always wise to have another set of eyes look it over as well. Another reader is likely to catch errors, repetitions, and unclear sections that you have glossed over. [12] X Research source
  • Go back to your original interview notes, recordings, and transcripts, and make sure that your essay continues to reflect the actual interview. Layers of editing and revising can sometimes cause the essay to drift away from the original source and intent. You may even want to let the interviewee read it over to ensure that it captures their voice. [13] X Research source

Step 6 Document your sources.

  • Any materials you used for research, information about the interviewee, or context for the essay itself should be referenced in the approved citation format for your essay.
  • Make sure one more time that any direct quotations from your source are placed in quotation marks, and any paraphrasing is done without quotation marks. Don't put words in your subject's mouth, and respect the words that do emerge from it.

What Are The Dos And Don’ts Of a Journalistic Interview?

Expert Q&A

Diane Stubbs

  • After the interview, send the interviewee a written thank-you note expressing your appreciation for their time. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
  • If the person you're interviewing is busy or elderly, you may want to plan for more than one interview session. Observe the interviewee for signs of impatience or fatigue. Conduct multiple, shorter sessions if necessary. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

sample of interview essay

  • If you plan to interview someone over the telephone, permission to record the conversation is required by law. Thanks Helpful 15 Not Helpful 3

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Find a Catchy Title for Your Paper/Essay

  • ↑ http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/oral-history/
  • ↑ https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/interviewing/interview-paper
  • ↑ http://www.whatkidscando.org/featurestories/2007/maine_students/tip_sheets/FIRST-PERSON%20ESSAYS%20TIP%20SHEET.pdf
  • ↑ http://www.brighthubeducation.com/help-with-writing/97515-how-to-write-an-interview-essay/
  • ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/general_writing/the_writing_process/proofreading/proofreading_suggestions.html

About This Article

Diane Stubbs

To write an essay from an interview, you’ll first have to decide on the format the essay will take, as this will determine the structure and what you write. The most common form is the narrative format, in which you use direct quotes and paraphrase your subject to add context and detail, or you can write in a more conversational tone, or even in a directly transcribed question-and-answer form. Once you decide on format, plan an outline by forming a central thesis, which will be the central statement your essay is making. Add onto the outline by drafting supporting evidence directly from the interview and from other sources, like books, newspaper articles, other essays, anything else to support your point. Write and finish the essay by combining information from the interview and other sources with your own explanations and words. To learn about how to conduct the interview to get enough information to write about and how to finish the writing process, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Student Interview Essay Example (Tips for a Successful Interview)

Dive into the art of insightful student interviews with our essay example. Explore a compelling narrative, expertly crafted questions, and impactful responses. Click now for a practical guide and inspiration to create your own exceptional student interview essay, unlocking the potential for academic excellence and personal growth.

A student interview essay is a type of academic assignment where students are required to conduct an interview with someone and then write an essay based on the insights gained from the interview. This type of essay allows students to delve into a particular topic or subject by gathering firsthand information from someone with expertise or experience in that area.

Student interview essays can be a valuable tool for learning, as they provide an opportunity for students to engage with real-life experiences and perspectives. By conducting an interview and writing an essay, students can develop critical thinking skills, improve their writing abilities, and gain a deeper understanding of the subject matter.

How to Conduct a Successful Interview

Conducting a successful interview is crucial for obtaining the information needed to write a compelling essay. Here are some tips to help you conduct a successful interview:

  • Do your research: Before conducting the interview, research the topic or subject matter extensively. This will help you ask informed and relevant questions.
  • Prepare a list of questions: Create a list of questions that will guide the interview and cover all the important aspects of the topic. Make sure to include open-ended questions that encourage the interviewee to provide detailed responses.
  • Choose an appropriate setting: Select a quiet and comfortable location for the interview to ensure that both you and the interviewee can focus and communicate effectively.
  • Be professional and respectful: Treat the interviewee with respect and professionalism. Maintain proper etiquette throughout the interview and actively listen to their responses.
  • Take accurate notes: Take detailed notes during the interview to capture the interviewee’s responses accurately. This will help you when writing the essay later.

The Structure of a Student Interview Essay

A student interview essay typically follows a similar structure to other types of essays. It should include an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Here is a breakdown of each section:

1. Introduction

The introduction should provide background information about the interviewee and the topic being discussed. It should also include a thesis statement that presents the main argument or purpose of the essay.

2. Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs should present the information gathered from the interview in a logical and organized manner. Each paragraph should focus on a specific point or topic related to the interview.

  • Example: Provide a specific example or anecdote from the interview that supports the main argument or point being discussed.
  • Analysis: Analyze the information provided by the interviewee and discuss its significance or relevance to the topic.
  • Supporting evidence: Use additional research or examples to support the points made in the interview.

3. Conclusion

The conclusion should summarize the main points discussed in the essay and restate the thesis statement in a concise manner. It should also provide a closing thought or reflection on the insights gained from the interview.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in a Student Interview Essay

When writing a student interview essay, there are some common mistakes that you should avoid to ensure the quality and effectiveness of your essay:

  • Lack of preparation: Failing to adequately prepare for the interview can result in a lack of focus and relevant questions.
  • Biased or leading questions: Avoid asking questions that steer the interviewee towards a specific answer or express your own biases.
  • Failure to actively listen: Actively listen to the interviewee’s responses and engage in the conversation. This will help you gather more meaningful information.
  • Inaccurate or incomplete notes: Take accurate and detailed notes during the interview to ensure the information is properly represented in your essay.

Top Interview Tips for Students

Preparing for an interview can be nerve-wracking, especially for students who are new to the process. Here are some top interview tips to help you succeed:

  • Research the company or organization: Familiarize yourself with the company’s mission, values, and recent news. This will demonstrate your interest and preparation during the interview.
  • Practice common interview questions: Prepare answers to common interview questions such as “Tell me about yourself” or “Why are you interested in this position?” Practicing your responses will help you feel more confident during the actual interview.
  • Dress appropriately: Dress professionally and appropriately for the interview. This will show that you take the opportunity seriously and respect the interviewer’s time.
  • Arrive early: Aim to arrive at least 10-15 minutes early for the interview. This will give you time to compose yourself and gather your thoughts before the interview starts.
  • Ask insightful questions: Prepare a list of thoughtful questions to ask the interviewer. This demonstrates your interest in the position and your desire to learn more about the company or organization.
  • Follow up with a thank-you note: After the interview, send a thank-you note or email to the interviewer to express your gratitude for the opportunity. This small gesture can leave a positive impression.

A student interview essay can be a valuable learning experience that allows you to gather firsthand information and develop critical thinking skills. By following the tips and guidelines provided in this article, you can conduct a successful interview and write an engaging essay that showcases your understanding of the subject matter. Remember to be well-prepared, professional, and respectful during the interview process, and avoid common mistakes that can diminish the quality of your essay. Good luck with your student interview essay!

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How to Write an Interview Essay: Complete Guide

College and high school teachers often assign interview papers to test their learners’ planning, paraphrasing, and critical thinking skills. So, besides drafting a well-substantiated and information-packed piece, students must also organize and conduct an interviewing process.

Hence, this assignment is far from straightforward. Quite the contrary, it requires substantial pre-work before the actual meeting. Moreover, the task further complicates if you include several subjects or elaborate on a compelling theme.

What if you can’t meet an ideal candidate to elaborate on your topic? How to pose questions that reveal valuable information and present your findings on paper? How to write an interview essay introduction with attention-grabbing ideas that bring up current dilemmas or resolve an issue? There are so many trilemmas spinning around your head.

Fortunately, there’s no need to feel intimated or discouraged. This article will help you grasp the basics of an interview paper and how to write an outstanding piece. It will also discuss the steps involved in the writing process and give a few helpful tips that ensure your final product passes with flying colors.

What Is an Interview Essay?

An interview paper is an academic written piece that presents the insight the interviewer gained while interviewing one or several people. It aims to expose different perspectives on a particular topic once the writer gathers relevant data through research. Typically, the essence of the paper will rest upon your findings from the interviews.

The presented viewpoints will depend on the respondent. So, for example, if your paper interview focuses on social media, you might consider talking to an influencer. Conversely, if you’re elaborating on a burning social issue, you may want to speak to a local authority. Or set up a meeting with a scientist if you’re exploring natural sciences.

The interview paper must help the reader understand a concept backed by relevant statements. Unlike definition essay writing , where you paraphrase and cite trusted sources like scholarly books, the interview paper will stem from authoritative individuals in the respective field.

Finally, you can reap a lot of benefits from drafting interview essays. More specifically, those interested in becoming broadcast journalists, newspaper reporters, or editors will learn to pose thought-provoking questions. Similarly, HR managers will polish their screening ability and hire excellent candidates. Even prospective detectives and inspectors can gain from writing an interview essay. They will formulate a variety of engaging questions to get honest and accurate answers.

Outline and Typical Structure of an Interview Paper

Most essays follow the template of a basic 5-paragraph paper. Yet, the length can vary according to your subject and data availability. A standard interview essay from a custom writing service can range from 2,000 to 5,000 words or up to ten pages. Individual works are usually shorter.

The interview essay format will have an introduction, body segments (perspectives grouped under different subheadings), and a summary. Here’s an overview of what to put in each part.

Introduction . The writer needs to create an atmosphere of uncertainty and urgency to stimulate the audience to keep reading. It should also provide background information about the theme and the interviewee. Furthermore, the initial part can list statistics or what society thinks about the respective topic. Finally, your intro must contain a thesis that transitions into the main section.

Body . This part will present the pillars on which you conceptualized your research. If you get stuck while drafting the body, you might hire an online service to write an essay for you and incorporate the gathered data. They will isolate the main points and help you frame the perfect timeline of events.

Moreover, the body should reflect important facts, life periods, and considerations of your interviewees. For instance, you might split your paper into infancy, adolescence, university, marriage, and golden years. Or you might divide your segments according to different discussion questions.

Conclusion . Use the ending part to summarize the interviewee’s thoughts and your insights into the matter. You might also compare the available data to the facts collected during the meeting and verify their validity. The bottom line must leave a lasting impression on your audience.

interview paper structure

Steps for Writing a Successful Interview

Below is a detailed description of the paper composition journey. Consider each step carefully and be consistent in your approach.

Define the Paper’s Objective

Writing an interview paper urges you to establish the overall purpose. You will have to specify the message you plan to deliver. For example, if you want to verify a public opinion, you’ll have to question several subjects. Alternatively, proving a natural phenomenon will require a conversation with an expert in the field.

Explore the Subject

Find and prepare printed and virtual materials related to your research. Previous interviews and works by the interviewee are also vital. Unlike rebuttal essays , your primary goal is to gather details supporting your claims. Therefore, brainstorm any note you found based on your predefined criteria.

Pick an Interview Format

Your sample form will depend on the specific theme. Most students decide to buy a literature essay online due to their lack of formatting skills. Here are the various formats you can choose when presenting your findings.

This format implies using direct or indirect speech to analyze the storyline. Consider retelling the considerations of the interviewee and citing the original wording. The narrative format is also advisable if you talk to a few interviewees. The structure should contain an intro, a body (each paragraph can describe a particular idea of a single person), and a summary.
Question-and-answer essays are ideal when interviewing one person. Most magazines and news reports prefer this type because it is the simplest. Your interview paper will have an intro, different parts for each question and answer, an analysis with your perspective, and a summary.

Informative

Also known as conversational or personal, these papers are informal and take first or second-person narration flow. However, writing in a dialogue form might be confusing and perplexing for an untrained eye.

Formulate the Questions

Make a thorough list of all the aspects you want to discuss and cover in the interview paper. Ask close-ended (yes/no) and open-ended questions that require in-depth responses. If you struggle with your questionnaire, consider the following suggestions:

  • Share your core values
  • What would you change in the world if you had a superpower for a day?
  • How did your childhood impact your personality?
  • What is the recipe for success?
  • What is the best aspect of your job?
  • How do you overcome your deepest fears?
  • Define happiness with examples
  • What object do you hold most dear and why?
  • What is the most significant challenge in our society?
  • How do you imagine the world’s future?

Get in Touch with the Respondent

Make an effort to contact your interviewee/s and be professional when arranging the meeting. You might need to use several communication channels to reach your target person. Focus on scheduling a time that works for everyone involved in the project.

Facilitate the Interview

Choose a peaceful and quiet place without any distractions. Always arrive on time for the meeting. Alternatively, consider setting it up in an online format, if finding a physical location isn’t viable. Most importantly, allow the speakers enough time to share their thoughts and maintain an impartial attitude to avoid miscommunication.

Interview Essay Writing Tips

Here’s some additional advice for writers taking the first steps toward interview writing.

Stick to Your Teacher’s Instructions

Your professor will probably mention the paper structure. For instance, if you receive a classification essay writing guidelines , don’t experiment with other formats. Moreover, rehearse the face-to-face meeting with a family member to avoid possible deadens. Here, you might come up with a follow-up question that clarifies some vague points.

Quote and Paraphrase Your Sources

Organize all the details on the background, education, and achievements before interviewing itself. When referring to the topics discussed, cite them properly and give credit. Also, explain the protocol to the respondent and the purpose of the research.

Consider Recording the Interview

The longer the meeting, the more details you’ll forget once you finish it. Avoid over-relying on your memory, and bring a recorder. Taking notes is also essential. However, don’t record unless the respondent gives prior approval.

Mind These Formatting Rules

Use a font size of 12 in Times New Roman with double spacing. Don’t forget to write a title page, too. When including citations longer than 40 words, use block quotes.

Edit and Proofread

Don’t expect the first draft to be the best. Reduce grammar mistakes and typos by polishing your initial wording. The final version must be logical, easy to read, and plagiarism-free.

Bottom Line

As intimidating as the interview paper might seem at the onset, these guidelines will help you stay focused and organized. Above all, pick an important topic with questions that affect ordinary people. This way, you can set up and develop the interviews more quickly. Undoubtedly, an A+ grade takes dedication and perseverance to research and write your paper.

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How to Write an Interview Essay : A Comprehensive Student Guide

Interview essay guide

Interviews can, at times, be underrated by students until they are assigned writing an interview essay. Without knowing how to write an interview essay, all hell breaks loose! We are not selfish enough to let that happen.

Whether it is just a casual interview or a formal interview, critical thinking, creativity, and reasoning skills are paramount. If you have read Larry Ellison's revelations, then you already have got hold of the best interview examples. From it, you will realize how he was raised on the streets of Chicago and about his Oracle.

Reading an example is great. However. If you are facing adversity in the interview research and writing process, you better stay tuned. Alternatively, you can hire us to make your interview essay for you.

Before you hurry and click the close button, did you know that interview essays are common school assignments? You need then to dig deeper into this article and get to understand how to write an interview paper. When given an essay on an interview

What is an Interview essay or Paper? Definition and Writing Process

An interview essay provides insights or views on a given issue, phenomenon, event, or object and is usually based on a conversation between two people. In the conversation, the interviewer usually asks questions, and the respondent provides answers and clarifications, where necessary.

If you are planning to get answers, conducting an interview is inevitable. However, to write an interview paper, you have to organize, clean, and process the answers to the interview and include them in your essay.

So, now that you know what an interview essay is, wouldn't it be better to understand its writing process? Well, here are six major interview writing steps. Follow them to the letter to get answers to what is the interview paper writing process?

  • Purpose of writing the interview paper/essay. You should first begin by choosing the best topic for your piece of writing. A topic defines the scope of the interview.
  • Prepare a list of questions to ask the interviewee or the respondent.
  • Choose your respondents based on the subject matter and their interest in it.
  • Conduct the interview and while at it record or take notes where necessary.
  • Clean the answers, group them, analyze, and process them with accuracy.
  • Begin writing an interview paper. Remember to begin with an outline followed by a good introduction.

Outline of an Interview Essay

Whenever you are tasked with writing an interview essay, begin by drafting a carefully thought interview essay outline. The outline is the framework upon which the entire paper will be built. It offers a logical structure for your essay and helps in maintaining the main message in the entire paper.

Here is what a basic outline for an interview looks like:

  • Introduction: Give your audience/ intended audience a reason to read the entire essay/paper.
  • Thesis statement: The thesis statement comes either within or the last part of your introductory paragraph. It can be a few sentences, but mostly one sentence is better. It should give details on the participants in the interview and the core question upon which the interview essay is founded.
  • Body paragraphs: usually, three body paragraphs is mandatory when aligning to the five-paragraph structure. Ensure that each paragraph reflects one idea. Focus on the viewpoints of the interviewee on a given issue. In these paragraphs, you can also cite references on the opinion of others over the same issues.
  • Conclusion: Without a compelling conclusion, your interview paper will be vague. Therefore, ensure that the conclusion draws a clear picture of the interviewee or based on the answers provided.

Remember, always rank the interview questions in order of importance and ensure the best questions are answered. Sometimes, color coding important questions are the best option.

Types of Interview Essays - Peculiarity of Interview Papers

There are many types of interviews. Nevertheless, the central focus of this article is on the first five, which are common.

  • Career Interview Essays. As the name suggests, this is an essay written based on an interview conducted on potential recruits. You can be given a transcript of a job interview in question and answer format and told to write a career interview essay.
  • Leadership Interview Essay/Paper . Sometimes you are required to write essays after interviewing or imagining you have interviewed a prominent leader. Your focus mostly should be on leadership philosophy, leadership style, leadership theories, success stories, and failures. Here is where you are likely to write an interview essay on a Chef, Nurse Informaticist, CEOs of the Big 5 or fortune 500 companies, or even celebrities, to mention a few.
  • College admission/ entrance paper. This piece is akin to a career interview. Your focus should be on your experiences in life, upbringing, values, goals, aspirations, skills, abilities, and philosophy. For instance, Why my personal values make my peers look up to me.
  • Narrative Interview. As the name suggests, this is always written in third-person speech. It could be based on the history, social and cultural issues, and entails taking many notes. Your professor can ask you to write a 500-word or 1000-word narrative interview paper. A narrative interview topic can be The life of Fidel Castro, Barrack Obama, Osama, and any other prominent leader.
  • Personal interview . When writing a personal interview essay, you will conduct a face-to-face assessment of the respondents and write essays. Be sure to support facts using citations from scholarly sources.

How to write an Interview Essay Introduction

A common question students ask is how to start an interview essay. It all trickles down to writing a good introduction for your interview essay. Mainly, the introduction of an interview paper should feature the primary question that is of focus.

Clearly, state the main issue at the beginning of your essay. Taking the funnel approach could be better.

How to Write an Interview Report. Based on your chosen topic, highlight why the issue of focus is important to the interviewee and the audience.  If you are still wondering how to write an interview essay introduction properly, take some sip of water and scroll down. I assure you it has just begun to be better and more knowledge is to come.

You understand that the major aim of an interview essay is to give the readers an insight or impression on a subject, object, event, and thoughts on a given topic.  Your introduction should introduce your interviewee to the readers. Also, if there is room, analyze the ideas or views of various professionals or experts in subject matter to give an overview of what the entire paper entails.

While at it, refine your thesis statement by including the primary question and make it possible for the reader to stay hooked. Whether to use a hook or not in your introduction depends on you. However, it is a great way to draw the attention of the readers. Make sure that the ideas in the thesis are well-maintained in the interview essay to avoid straying and writing bluff.

Sample Thesis Statements for Papers on Interviews

The body paragraphs of your paper.

After the introduction comes to the body, which is a combination of three well-constructed paragraphs. Depending on your chosen format, it is possible for your essay to look different or peculiar. The body of the interview essay bears the gist or the themes from the questions asked during the interview.

Use the answers as accurately as they were given to construct themes and ideas. The body part should have transition words for flow. Also, ensure that you limit the use of idioms. Keep it simple and clear.

When the respondents are more than one, always compare their responses and relate to your thesis statement. Having a good body means worrying about how to end an interview essay.

How to Conclude an Interview Essay

When you finish your interview paper, you just don't let it hang. Instead, a top-quality interview essay has a compelling conclusion. Not even a conclusion generator can guarantee the best conclusion, so pay attention here!

The conclusion should reflect:

  • A restated thesis that is well reconstructed but with meaning retained.
  • A concluding sentence or pointer. For example, In summary, in conclusion, to conclude, as can be seen above,
  • Any changes in ideology or beliefs reflected in the responses.
  • How the response has changed your perception as an interviewer.
  • Whether the responses align to certain conventional principles or theories.

Your conclusion should either support or disprove an idea reflected in the introduction of your essay. Ensure that the entire essay is well-grounded in literature. Mostly, stick to using sources not less than five years old from when you are writing.

Remember that within an interview essay that you can present the ideas and thoughts of others on given topics or issues.

In summary, we believe that with these pieces of information, you understand the rules of how to write a perfect interview essay. We assume that you know how to avoid plagiarism when writing essays. Should you need help from expert essay writers, talk to us! We are always ready to provide you with the best custom writing experience.

Sample Interview Essay - The best Interview Write-up Example

As a prerequisite to writing my university discourse paper, I interviewed Professor Bob Weisberg, who's a professor of political science at OSU.  My humanities discipline is law, and although Weisberg doesn't teach in law school, he has a law degree, used to work as a lawyer, and has taught law-related courses in the past, so it seemed like he'd have a good understanding of writing in the legal profession.  As it turned out, he'd written legal briefs in several different lawsuits on behalf of his clients, and I also found out that he published a law review article in the UCLA Law Review in 1998.

Weisberg started the interview by asking what type of law I was writing about; this took me aback because I was just planning to write about the law in general since I figured it would be similar across various legal fields.  I told him this, and he said that there were many commonalities across the different types of law?criminal, environmental, civil rights, etc., but that the differences were significant as well  I indicated that I was primarily interested in the overarching characteristics, and he said this was fine.

Throughout the interview, Weisberg kept stopping to consult different legal books, and this was the part of the interview I found most surprising.  Weisberg said that the vocabulary used in law is so specialized that even lawyers have to look it up all the time.  I mentioned I thought this was what people learned in law school, and Weisberg said law school is more about learning legal concepts, and that the main trick with the vocabulary has the resources to find the vocabulary you need. 

According to Weisberg, the crux of solid legal writing is the ability to be straightforward while also being passionate.  He said this is a difficult balance to attain because people often get vague when they try to state a point meaningfully.  One example he gave me was that if a person was writing a legal brief to a judge, he or she might write, The only reasonable interpretation of the evidence is in favor of my client.  To be consistent with prior court rulings, you must rule in favor of my client.  This is good because it is being persuasive and logical.  A person would not want to write, In the interest of justice, my client must be freed!  If you do not do so, it will fly in the face of law and justice across America.  For law, this is considered over the top because it relies more on emotion than on logical reasoning.  However, Weisberg asserted that unlike science and engineering writing, legal writing does place value on persuasive rhetoric and emotional appeals; it's just that they need to be grounded more heavily in logical reasoning than emotion.

I asked Weisberg about the point of view precisely, because I know the Supreme Court writes its opinions in the first person.  He said that judges do this when they hand down an opinion, but that regular attorney rarely does.  For instance, when giving a brief to a judge, a person should not write, I think Miranda v. Arizona relates directly to this case; he or she should delete the I think. 

One other aspect of the interview I wanted to note was that throughout the entire thing, Weisberg kept reiterating that legal writing isn't half as difficult as people think it is.  He said that in a way, it's like learning a foreign language?but an easy one, and that if students are interested in doing legal research or going to law school, that they should not be intimidated by the language.  Lawyers aren't half as smart as people think, he told me at one point.

Overall, I expect that this interview will really help me write my paper, specifically in the areas of style, tone, and use of specialized vocabulary.  Moreover, Weisberg was able to point me towards other resources I will be able to use to research my paper, namely Black's Law Dictionary, Emanuel Legal Briefs, and Legal Writing in a Nutshell, two of which I have found at Valley Library already.

Take-away from the Sample

Here are some general ideas to include in your interview essay.

  • Reasons for interviewing the person, especially if the choice is unusual.
  • The experience, profession, and status of the interviewee.
  • Something peculiar that you learned from the interview.
  • Your observations during the interview.
  • Some facts that the interviewee corroborated. These are those things you knew from your preliminary research.
  • Write some quotes from the interview and why they stick out.
  • How the paper is of importance to the audience.

sample of interview essay

Gradecrest is a professional writing service that provides original model papers. We offer personalized services along with research materials for assistance purposes only. All the materials from our website should be used with proper references. See our Terms of Use Page for proper details.

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, 7 real sample interview questions and answers.

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If you’ve arrived at the interview stage, then you’ve already made a good impression with your resume and cover letter! How can you keep the positive vibes going and impress the hiring manager face to face?

The key to rocking your interview is preparation, and this guide’s here to help you along the way. Read on for the do’s and don’ts of answering seven of the most common interview questions, along with real sample responses to guide your thinking.

Common Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

The seven questions in this guide are some of the most common ones that interviewers ask. Even if you don’t get these questions exactly, you’ll likely get variations of several of them.

Typically, hiring managers will start with some open-ended questions aimed at getting to know you, your work experience, and your professional qualifications. Then they might move onto behavioral questions , which ask you to provide specific examples of accomplishments, challenges, conflicts, or even failures. Some hiring managers also like to throw in curveballs to get a sense of your personality, creativity, and ability to think on your feet.

Below you’ll find seven common interview questions, advice for answering them, and a sample response for each one. For a comprehensive list of the 100 most common interview questions, check out this guide ! For now, let’s consider one of the most common openers that interviewers use to get the conversation started.

Question 1: Tell Me About Yourself

This opener's a common icebreaker question. It’s so open-ended that everyone can think of something to say. Hiring managers often use this prompt or something like it to invite you into conversation and help ease the normal job interview anxiety.

The open-ended nature of this kind of prompt can also be challenging, though. While you can definitely think of something to say, you also want to be strategic and not say too much. Below are some pieces of advice for answering this question, as well as some tips for what not to do!

There are two important guidelines to follow when preparing to answer this question:

Tailor your answer to the job and organization.

Structure your answer in a clear way.

For the first guideline, you should highlight your skills and experiences as they relate to the job description and organization. Stick to what’s professionally relevant , and consider what qualities are essential for the new role.

To help you do this, you might rephrase the prompt as, “Tell me about yourself as I consider you for this role.” Your aim is to show the interviewer that you have the desired skill set and would bring value to the position.

As for the second point about structuring your response, you might start in the present, bring in the past, and then talk about the future. You could describe what you’re doing now and then go into what you did in your work history and education to get there. Then you could discuss where you’re aspiring to go and why (i.e., in this new job and organization).

You might bring in a specific example here if you feel it illustrates your skills. Pinpointing an important moment in time can be helpful if you tend to speak in vague or jargon-filled ways. This approach isn’t totally necessary yet, though, as you’ll have a chance to share anecdotes in response to behavioral questions.

Tailoring your response and structuring it in a clear way are important guidelines for preparing your response to the classic “Tell me about yourself” prompt. That being said, are there any mistakes to avoid here?

“Well, I swim everyday, I love musicals, and I have two cats and a French Bulldog. I’m an Aquarius, and I love long walks on the beach and candlelit dinners…”

Ok, that sample response started to veer into personal ad territory. But the point is that you shouldn’t be overly personal in your response. While you can share some insight into your personality, you mainly want to remain professionally relevant.

Not only should you avoid irrelevant and overly personal details, but you also shouldn’t go on and on about your whole life story. If you find yourself starting with, “First, I was born on a cold December night,” then you’ve rewound too far.

Keep your answer concise, clear, and structured, and consider what main qualities, or “core competencies,” the job description calls for. For instance, the sample response below is a strong one if the hiring manager’s looking for strong interpersonal skills and a positive attitude.

Sample Answer to Question 1

In this sample response, the applicant’s applying for a customer service job in a retail company. The job she seeks calls for strong interpersonal skills and an upbeat, optimistic attitude.

I’ve always loved interacting with people and feel I have strong interpersonal skills.   I studied Communications at University X, and that gave me a whole new set of skills to work with people and help them get the information and support they need. After graduating, I sought out a position on the customer experience team at Dubspot, where I’ve been working since. In this position, I communicate with dozens of customers everyday over the phone, by email, and through instant chat. I help resolve any issues with the software and lead trainings for new clients. I enjoy helping people resolve issues and aim to continue on in a customer-centric role. Since I’m passionate about the fashion industry, I’m looking to move into a customer experience in a retail, rather than software, company. I’m a huge fan of your products and am a long-time customer. I find helping people to be very gratifying, and I’m really excited to contribute my interpersonal skills and positive attitude in this role.

If the applicant wanted to add a specific example to illustrate her love of working with customers, she might say something like this:

Last week, to share one example, I got a complaint from a customer about a number of issues with the software. Sensing her frustration, I invited her to call me so we could troubleshoot over the phone and she could feel her concerns were heard. We spent 45 minutes addressing her concerns. At the end of the call, she was very happy and sent a long email thanking me for my help and attention. She even referred two new customers to the company.

Again, honing in on an anecdote can be a useful approach if you tend toward vague language, but it’s not necessarily expected at this early stage of the interview. Now let’s take a look at two more classic questions that ask about your strengths and weaknesses.

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Are you ready to talk about your personal superpowers?

Question 2: What Do You Think Are Your Greatest Strengths?

If you only prepare one talking point for your interview, it should be the strengths you’d bring to the role. While the hiring manager might not ask you this exact question, she’ll probably use some variation of it, like,

  • What are you good at?
  • What skills would you bring to this role?
  • What would you contribute here?
  • What would your manager or coworkers say are your greatest strengths?

In essence, she wants to know why you think you’re qualified for the job. Below are some tips for how to prepare your answer, along with some don’ts to avoid when talking about your key strengths.

As you go through this guide, you’ll notice a common theme start to appear, and it’s this: you should tailor your answers to the job and organization at hand. Talking about your strengths is no different.

Consider what strengths the new hire should have to succeed in this role, based on the job description and your research into the company. Then consider how your own skills align, and choose to discuss the ones that match up. This way, you’re still being accurate and authentic while also targeting the job description.

You may also benefit from bringing in a specific example , even one that uses data if relevant. If you’re talking about your skill in sales, you may talk about a particular client acquisition, your numbers from last quarter, or selling in the top 10% of your peers.

Finally, choose your words carefully and  avoid cliches. Rather than talking about your people skills, for instance, you could home in on a strength like clear communication or productive collaboration. Some phrases have gotten so common that they don’t mean much, so aim for specific language and ideas that will help you stand out.

While you should tailor your answers to the job description, you shouldn't  claim competencies if you can’t back your statement up with specifics. The hiring manager may well ask you to elaborate on a strength or give an example. If you don’t have one, then your claims of being organized or creative or collaborative might ring false.

Another mistake to avoid here is highlighting too many strengths and thereby diluting your message . Picking out two to three of the most important and relevant ones is a good approach. Similarly, you probably won’t see much pay off from delving into strengths completely unrelated to the position at hand.

While lots of people might shy away from talking about their strengths, others run the risk of appearing too overconfident. Make sure you talk about your qualities in a meaningful, assured way without sounding braggy or arrogant !

Below is one sample answer to this question of, "What are your greatest strengths?"

Sample Answer to Question 2

Here’s a sample answer from someone applying for a managerial position in a restaurant. The new job wants someone who’s willing to take on a number of responsibilities.

I’d say my greatest strength is a willingness to take on a wide range of responsibilities. While I was technically a server at Solera Restaurant, I also helped plan large events, do event set-up, process payments, and bus tables. I work hard and try to contribute where I can, especially when things get busy or people seem overwhelmed. Not only does this help ease the burden on others, but I get to learn about different aspects of the industry firsthand. I support my fellow workers and get the chance to expand my skills at the same time. 

This response targets the job description by highlighting the applicant’s willingness to wear a lot of professional hats. He proves that he has his strength by talking about his duties in his last restaurant position and desire to help his coworkers.

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I know you're steady, but I've also heard you're quite slow. Can you speak about this weakness a bit?

Question 3: What Would You Say Are Your Greatest Weaknesses?

If you’re not prepared to talk about your weaknesses or "growth edges," then this question could seriously trip you up in an interview. You’re focusing so much on showing that you’re the best person for the job, so how can you shift to talking about weaknesses in a strategic way?

Some variations of this traditional question might be:

  • What are some areas that you need to develop?
  • What are some skills areas that you could grow?
  • What would your manager or coworkers say are your greatest weaknesses?

Read on for the do’s and don’ts of tackling this question.

Be honest! But also strategic. If one of the core competencies of the new job is attention to detail, for instance, I would avoid choosing that as your greatest weakness. You might subtly choose the opposite - "Sometimes I get caught up in the details and need to remind myself to step back and see the bigger picture" - or choose a weakness that wouldn’t impact your performance very much in the new job.

As with the greatest strengths question, you should prepare a specific example. You should focus not just on your weakness, but on the steps you’ve taken to overcome it. You can acknowledge the weakness, talk about what you learned from it, and expound on the steps you took the overcome it.

Just like with any of your responses, make sure to prepare for follow-up questions. Here, the hiring manager might ask how this weakness could limit your effectiveness in the new position. Be ready to speak at length about what you’re doing to learn and grow.

First off, don’t evade the question . The interviewer wants to see how you self-reflect and are honest about your weaknesses, so don’t respond with, “I don’t have any.” Similarly, don’t go with an obvious cop-out answer like, “I work too hard” or “I care too much.”

A second mistake would be to choose a weakness that would seriously inhibit your ability to succeed in the position. If the position wants someone who keeps clear records and notes, then talking about your lack of organization and poor record-keeping skills probably won’t help you get the job.

Finally, avoid playing the blame game by attributing your weakness to external factors. Don’t say that you showed this weakness due to previous job circumstances, like the work environment, your boss, or your coworkers. The interviewer wants to see that you can own your weakness and show a proactive approach to improving your skills.

Sample Answer to Question 3

Here’s one sample answer to the "Tell me about your greatest weaknesses" prompt:

I’ve struggled for a long time with public speaking. This weakness was a big challenge in college, where presentations were a major part of several of my classes. I realized early on that I needed to improve in this area, so I started by meeting with my advisor about resources for improving public speaking. We talked about techniques like challenging myself to participate at least once in every class and calming nerves with breathing. I also took a public speaking class recently that helped me improve a great deal. A couple months ago, I gave a presentation in front of about 60 students and parents, and it went really well. My nerves are still there, but I feel like I’ve come miles from where I was freshman year of college. Working on my public speaking is a skill that I actively continue to work on and try to improve.

Assuming that public speaking isn’t a major part of the new job description, this answer is a strong one to the "Tell me about your weaknesses" prompt. Notice how the applicant focuses on the proactive steps she’s taken to improve her public speaking skills. Your answer will probably look quite different, but you can similarly choose a strategic weakness and talk about what you’re doing to improve.

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Why do you want this job, anyway? What makes you think you're qualified?

Question 4: Why Do You Want This Job?

This question wants you to explain why you’re pursuing the position and why you think the organization should hire you. Presumably, you’ve done some thinking about this before applying. Now it’s time to form an answer that won’t just share what you want, but will also show the manager that you’d make a great hire.

How can you answer this interview question, and what mistakes should you avoid?

This question's the perfect opportunity to showcase your enthusiasm for the new job and show why you'd excel in the role. Make sure to give specific reasons for wanting the job . Show that you don't just want any job; you want that specific job. If you have any particular connections to the company - maybe you use its products or know someone who works there - then you could bring that up here.

Of course, the interviewer wants to hire someone who's not just enthusiastic, but who's also qualified. In your answer, then, don't just talk about your  aspirations. Talk about what you could do for the organization. Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the organization's mission, and show that it aligns with your own professional goals. 

You don't want to be too practical in your answer here. "Because I need money for rent, food, and Netflix," while true, isn't an ideal response.

You also don't want to be too generic or vague by saying something like, "I heard this company's an awesome place to work." Aim to be much more specific than that. 

Check out a sample response to this question below that's specific, shows enthusiasm, and incorporates both the speaker's goals and the organization's mission.

Sample Answer to Question 4

This applicant’s applying to a programming position in a start-up in the environmental sphere. The job description wants someone who’s willing to take on a range of responsibilities, cares about its environmental mission, and knows CSS, Java, and Ruby.

I’m drawn to start-ups because I’d love to be part of building a company from the ground up. I really appreciate its culture of a small, close-knit team of passionate people who are ready and willing to wear many hats. With my versatile skill set in computer programming and experience building websites, I feel my interests and skills are perfectly aligned with this position of web developer. I would use my knowledge of CSS, Java, and Ruby to build out the company website and grow our online presence. I also share this company's commitment to sustainability. I’m extremely motivated by your environmental mission and could immediately start taking steps to meet your short-term and long-term goals.

This sample response sounds honest and authentic, while also bringing in some core skills of the jobs.

body_dandelion-1.jpg

Don't evade this next question about a time that you failed, but make sure to shift focus onto the personal and professional growth that followed.

Question 5: Describe a Time That You Failed

This question is a  behavioral one, because it asks you to talk about a specific example that illustrates something meaningful about you as a professional.

Some variations of this question might ask you to talk about a conflict at work, a challenge, or a behavior that negatively impacted your team. So how can you describe a failure while still leaving a positive impression of your skills and abilities?

Just like with the weaknesses prompt you read about above, you should focus on the failure as an opportunity for growth. Be honest about your past mistake, but then shift focus to talk about what you learned from it, how you changed, and what you would do differently next time. This not only shows that you’re willing to acknowledge when you mess up, but it also shows that you’re continuously seeking to improve.

Again, you should probably avoid choosing a failure or conflict that arose because you lacked a core competency of the job. Just as with all your other answers, you can be strategic about what you choose to talk about here.

While talking about failures can be uncomfortable, you shouldn’t evade the question. Nor should you speak in vague language about lacking a certain skill or knowledge. This behavioral question wants you to share a specific example, so make sure you have one to fall back on.

You also shouldn’t focus too much on the negative aspects of your example . As mentioned above, you should talk about what happened and its context, but otherwise focus on the growth and learning that came from it.

Below is a sample answer that does this well.

Sample Answer to Question 5

In this sample answer, a teacher talks about a mistake she made with a summer course she taught. Notice how she talks just as much about what she learned as about the failure itself.

The first class I taught was a four-week essay writing course for high schoolers over the summer. Due to the short-term nature of the course, I jumped right into the material without setting aside time to talk about behavioral expectations. Issues later arose, like students showing up late, talking over each other, and using cell phones in class, that could have been prevented, or at least reduced, if I’d taken the time to lay the groundwork. That course was a huge learning experience for me, and since then I always take time on the first day to discuss classroom norms. To make students feel more invested and accountable, I also elicit ideas from them on what they need from me and from each other in their ideal learning environment. That mistake in my summer class taught me a lot about the importance of proactive behavioral management. I can always loosen the reins as I go, but it’s much harder to rein them back in once they’re out.

body_lemur.jpg

Don't be shocked if you interviewer throws a curveball question at you, like, "If you were an animal, what animal would you be?"

Question 6: If You Were an Animal, Which One Would You Be and Why?

Ok, so chances are you won’t get this exact question. But lots of interviewers like to throw in random curveballs that shake you out of your comfort zone and call for some imagination and quick thinking.

Beyond offering a chance for some lighthearted humor and creativity, these seemingly random questions may represent one more way that interviewers try to gauge your cultural fit.

Instead of asking about your spirit animal, a hiring manager might ask what you would change about the last five years of your life, what the name of your debut album would be, or what your personal motto is. You can find more examples of curveball questions here, including some that were asked by big companies like Dropbox, Hubspot, and Whole Foods.

So is there any way you can prepare for the unpredictable? Check out the advice below, as well as a sample answer to this question.

Show your personality! Have fun with these questions. They’re opportunities to spark a connection with your interviewer and say something memorable.

You may still have the chance to tailor your answer to the job description. Someone applying to a customer service type role, for instance, might choose a dog in answer to the animal question. Dogs are loyal, friendly, and supportive, so they could link well to the job description.

If you’re totally thrown, you might buy yourself some time by saying, "That’s a great question. I’ll have to think about that for a second..."

Depending on your rapport with the interviewer, you could even ask her what her answer would be to that same question!

Don’t overthink these questions too much. They’re typically meant to be more lighthearted and fun. At the same time, don’t dismiss them as entirely silly ; some might be aiming to learn more about how you deal with unpredictability in the workplace, or instance.

In answer to the animal question specifically, you should also avoid choosing something with largely negative connotations for the sake of trying to be unique. I’d probably avoid the snakes and vultures, unless you can think of a really ironclad reasoning for going this way!

Sample Answer to Question 6

This might be a good answer for a job that calls for a lot of teamwork and collaboration. 

I’d be an elephant. They’re smart, loyal, and work well in groups. Plus, the elephant was my beloved college mascot.

body_ws.jpg

Make sure to save a few great questions for the end of your interview. They could start with any of the five W's, but don't be afraid to think outside of the speech bubble.

Question 7: Do You Have Any Questions for Me?

Finally, almost all hiring manager ask this final question at the end of the interview. Even if you’ve asked questions throughout, you should have two or more good ones saved for the end.

Ask questions! You might ask about what the day-to-day is like or if the interviewer could give more insight into the culture. You could ask the interviewer to elaborate on something you discovered through your research, as this is one more way you can show the effort you put in to learn about the company.

Ask questions that show you want to know more about what you can do for the organization and are genuinely interested in learning more about the workplace and its values.

Don’t say, "No, I’m all set. All my questions have been answered.” You should absolutely ask questions at the end of your interview.

Besides declining to ask questions, another mistake would be to ask easy questions that you could easily answer through research on the website . You want to show that you’re knowledgeable about the company, so don’t ask anything too obvious, like, "So what exactly do you do here?"

A first interview might also be too early to ask about schedule, benefits, and salary . At this point, you’re trying to show the hiring manager all the value that you could bring to the role and company, so continue focusing on what you could do for them. Similarly, I’d also avoid asking when you can expect to get promoted!

Below are some possible questions to ask your interviewer. If you can think of questions in the back of your mind based on what you’ve discussed during your interview, all the better!

Sample Questions to Ask:

  • Could you tell me about a typical day here at the company?
  • What sort of training could I expect for the position?
  • How do you evaluate performance here? Do the expectations change at all over time?
  • What directions do you see the company going in in five years? Ten years?
  • Could you tell me a little more about the team members I would be working with?
  • How would you describe the work environment here?
  • Would you say that people work more collaboratively or more independently?
  • What do you love most about working here?
  • What would you say are the most important qualities that the person in this position should have?
  • What qualities do your best performing employees share?
  • How does the organization help its employees succeed?
  • What could I do to go beyond expectations in the first 30 or 60 days?
  • If I were to start in the role tomorrow, what would be my first priority?
  • Are there opportunities for more training or education?
  • What are the next steps in the interview process?

The hiring manager might ask you all sorts of questions, but several are likely to be a variation of the common ones you see above, if not those questions themselves. You’ll talk about your strengths, weaknesses, goals, and background, all the while tailoring your answer to the job description and company mission.

You might have noticed some similar themes pop up in terms of how to prepare your responses. Below, you’ll find four steps that will help you answer just about any job interview question.

body_universe.jpg

Beyond the specific questions above, let's consider some universal steps you can take to answer any interview question.

How to Answer Job Interview Questions: 4 Key Steps

Doing well in a job interview isn’t just about presenting all your strengths and skills. It’s also about strategically convincing the hiring manager that you’re the candidate she’s looking for.

So how can you be strategic about each of your interview responses? Read on for four steps that will help you answer any interview question.

Step 1: Deconstruct the Job Description

Before you interview, if not before you apply, you should take some time to understand exactly what the company is looking for. What responsibilities does the job description entail? What skills would you need to be successful in the role? What kind of person does the company hope will join its team? What does your interviewer do in the company, and what connection could you make with her?

Your mission is to show that you have the skills and experiences to contribute in the role. You want to show that you’d bring value and make a strong cultural fit. As you research the organization, you might also look for any “pain points,” or problems that it needs solved.

Once you’ve deconstructed the job description and have a thorough understanding of the role and organization, you can reflect this awareness in your answers to interview questions.

Step 2: Come Up with Specific Examples

Hiring managers often look to your past behaviors to get a sense of your future behaviors. They also want to see how your skills and experiences express themselves in concrete actions.

To prevent your answers from seeming overly vague, you should be ready with examples. To help you brainstorm, you might consider the STAR framework, which stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result.

You start by describing the situation you were in and the task that you had to do. Then you talk about  what you did and how you did it , and finally elaborate on what happened as a result of your actions. You could talk about an impact that your action had on your team or what you might improve for next time. 

To prepare for the various types of behavioral questions, you could  collect stories that have to do with a time that you succeeded, failed, faced a challenge, handled conflict, demonstrated leadership, and impacted your team in some way.

Make sure that all of your examples, even the ones that point out a conflict or mistake, are success stories. Even if you failed in some sense, you learned from it and improved for next time.

If you don’t have directly relevant professional experience, you should still root out examples from other jobs, your education, or even personal life that illustrate your qualifications.

body_mouse.jpg

Don't look now; you're being followed! Your interviewer's likely to follow your lead and ask follow-up questions based on your responses. 

Step 3: Prepare for Follow-Up Questions

Beyond the initial interview question, your interview may ask you to elaborate on something you said or dig deep into a certain aspect of your answer. Most interviews are more like a conversation than a question-and-answer session. Your interviewer will likely be actively listening to what you say, reflect your words back, and follow-up with a related question.

As such, your answers and examples should be substantial enough to speak at length about. As you prepare, you might imagine yourself in the shoes of the interviewer. What aspects of your answer would stick out? Which ones would be intriguing and warrant additional discussion?

Don’t expect to answer every question in one go and go on to the next. Be prepared to dig into your responses and branch into new directions .

Step 4: Customize your Answers

Finally, the theme that’s pervaded this whole guide is that you should customize your answers to the job and organization. As you prepare, consider what qualities the organization and hiring manager are looking for.

Your answers aren’t just about you and what you want. They’re also very much about the organization and what it wants.

Most hiring managers have a clear idea of the skillset and other qualities they’re looking for in a new hire. Show that you possess those core competencies in each of your answers. If you can also offer something beyond expectations, all the better!

While you should be authentic and allow your personality and goals to shine through, you should also be strategic about what you say. Everything you share could ideally go on the hiring manager’s list of reasons to hire you for the job!

What’s Next?

You’ve just considered seven of the most common job interview questions. Now check out our full list of the top 100 questions that hiring managers ask in an interview !

Beyond preparing your responses, what else can you do to get ready for interview day? Check out our top tips to help you feel prepared and confident to rock your job interview .

One of the first steps to applying for a job is putting together a great cover letter. Our cover letter template helps guide you through the writing process, step by step . Plus, you can read six samples of excellent cover letter samples for jobs ! 

Rebecca graduated with her Master's in Adolescent Counseling from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has years of teaching and college counseling experience and is passionate about helping students achieve their goals and improve their well-being. She graduated magna cum laude from Tufts University and scored in the 99th percentile on the SAT.

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All You Need to Know About Interview Essay Writing

All You Need to Know About Interview Essay Writing

sample of interview essay

Purpose of Writing an Interview Essay

The writing process is not always smooth sailing. When it comes to the construction of interview papers, you are free to ask about myriads of issues of your interests and get a broad insight from the interview subject. Once you figure out the main thesis statement for your interview essay, you must collect relatable data in question-and-answer format. The gathered information is almost always subjective since the authoritative individuals and qualified experts are your main data providers. Interview essays are constructed based on people's biased opinions rather than books, historical records, and other sources.

Are you looking for answers on how to write an outline for interview essay? We are here to provide you with useful tips on how to write interview APA format essay. 

You might as well find this article helpful since we have prepared essay writing in interview sample at the end of it.

Format for Writing an Interview Essay

Are you on the verge of choosing an appropriate format to write an interview essay? One of the essential steps includes identifying the type of interview paper you are willing to write. The interview essay format is determined based on the style of your paper. There are three basic types of interview papers:

interview papers

  • Narrative Essay Interview - Through this type of paper, you are assigned to research a specific topic based on the conducted interview. The main thing is to accumulate all the information that the interviewed person has provided in a neat and organized manner in the form of a narrative. The story might be written from your perspective or that of the interviewee. In that case, you are free to write in the first and second person.
  • Personal Interview - Such type of paper demands you to prepare a list of witty interview questions to ask a specific person who holds a certain type of authority based on their professional occupation. The final product turns out to be an interview in essay format.
  • Question-answer Interview - Such interview questions are often asked to job seekers. This is your chance to glance through the common interview questions that the hiring managers will ask you to get a glimpse of your personality and career goals. The questions and answers can be combined in an interview paper. For more information, check out internship interview questions and answers here.

sample of interview essay

How to Write an Outline for Interview Essay

After you have chosen key points for your interview paper and adjusted its format accordingly, you might wonder, 'should I write an outline for an interview essay ?'. The answer is clear and direct - 'Yes, definitely!'

Good writers always prepare an outline in advance, which is a great tip to lift the burden of the time-consuming paper writing process. The basic structure of interview essay outline includes three major parts:

outline for interview

  • Introduction - As you state your paper's thesis statement, you can start writing by introducing the person or the people you interviewed.
  • Body Paragraphs - The following paragraphs should contain the subjective points of view that your interviewees provided concerning your major thesis statement.
  • Conclusion - In the concluding paragraph of the essay, restate the paper's main goal and summarize the most important points you have made so far.

Writing an Interview Essay Introduction

Once you wrap up the interview essay, outline you are ready to start the writing process. Writing a catchy lead and grabbing a reader's attention right away is not a simple task. However, there are some key elements that make up the best of the introduction part of your interview essay. The primary sentence should briefly contain the main objective behind the chosen topic of the paper. The following sentences should report the importance of your essay topic to your target audience. Finally, you can proceed with the thesis statement, which indicates the basic value of your paper. In other words, try to answer the question of what benefits the reader gets from familiarizing themself with your interview paper.

Do not hesitate to ask us to write an essay for me whether you are assigned to construct an interview essay on writing or any other given subject.

Writing an Interview Essay Body Paragraphs

The body paragraphs hold the majority of the essay. Provided paragraphs support the central statement with relatable facts, details, and key points as the answers that an interviewer asks.

Some of the interviewers prefer to use a recording device, while others opt for notes to contain the important data in its entirety. They choose to include parts of the narrative later in the body paragraphs of the essay as they gather the most important and thematic points made throughout the interview process. You might as well include direct quotes or in-text citations as the sources of provided answers. However, always keep in mind to ask for written permission if you plan to paraphrase or directly copy their ideas word by word according to the issue of your interest.

Writing an interview essay can be hard, so if you are looking for further tips on how to write an essay , we can provide you with an interview essay outline example as well as the complete paper itself.

Writing an Interview Essay Conclusion

The classic format for writing an interview essay includes jotting down the main objectives made throughout the paper in a final paragraph, otherwise known as the conclusion. The last paragraph is not any less important compared to the opening one. That is why you should try and restate the crucial points that interviewees have made while answering questions provided by you. That way, you will sound even more persuasive as you provide evident arguments supported by powerful public figures regarded as influential in society.

You are welcome to conclude the essay with a respectful thank you note as well. Express sincere gratification to the reader for taking the time to read your essay and focus on your contribution to them with the source of information contained in the written interview paper.

If you don’t have distinguished skills for writing an outline for college interview essay, our experts have your back! Contact us to write papers for money and enjoy a perfectly-crafted assignment.

Essay Writing Topics in Interview

Looking for inspiration? Researching an interesting topic for the essay can be exhausting sometimes. But we are here to give you a helping hand through tough times. Our experts have gathered some of the most compelling essay writing topics in interview. You are free to take a look at them and choose one that satisfies your curiosity and challenges you to be analyzed in depth.

  • Does body language describe our mental state?
  • How important is eye contact for establishing genuine connections?
  • Are educated and qualified people obliged to give more to others?
  • Which job position is the most attractive in the 21st century?
  • Do career services help people get to their target job market?
  • Does conflict resolution hold an important place in the contemporary world?
  • What is love, and where do you feel it or experience it most often?
  • How do our family heritage and traditions influence our personalities?
  • How many hours of sleep are needed at different stages of life?
  • What kind of skills is essential to possess in order to become a good leader?
  • Should the tax system be allocated to the rich and poor accordingly?
  • Is the two-party system the guarantee of American democracy in the US?
  • Should combatting racism be an individual responsibility?
  • Should the American people restrict the amount of money spent on the electoral college?
  • How do relationships and friendships shape our lives?
  • Do your dreams and nightmares reflect real-life events?
  • How do you keep yourself from getting sick?
  • Does technology make your daily life easier?
  • Do you agree or disagree with the idea that opposites attract?
  • What does it mean to be a religious and faithful person to you?

We hope those mentioned above, as well as other essay writing topics for interview in google, will fuel your curiosity.

Meanwhile, you can always pay for papers . Our experts are capable of writing an essay for a job interview based on your individual demands that will get you closer to your dream position.

Interview Essay Writing Examples

Here is one of the interview essay writing examples to check out. We hope that the provided example will give you some kind of perspective:

'A LEADER IS ONE WHO KNOWS THE WAY, GOES THE WAY, AND SHOWS THE WAY'

According to the popular idea, leaders are born rather than made. Contrary to this belief, many real-life examples prove that people can grow into a leader type as they grow older if they want to. Any man can be a leader, but it is not an easy thing to do. You need to know yourself to set an example for others, inspire them, and give them a sense of trust to follow your steps. People are inclined toward those who know where they are going, have their own vision, and are educated enough to support their decisions with rational arguments. These traits give leaders the power to be persuasive. They have their goals set and are not afraid to firmly face any challenges that life might throw their way.

To support this statement, we have interviewed a Pakistani female education activist, Malala Yousafzai, who also carries the honor of being the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. She is a pure example of how one can rise from any kind of social and domestic circumstances if one has a vision and works hard enough to achieve their goals. She realized the value of education from a very young age. The latter was often inaccessible for girls of her nation due to authoritative powers in the head of the government, under which education was banned for almost all the females in the Northern Pakistani region. Malala persistently fought for her truth and raised awareness about the value that educating girls and boys could hold. She began writing articles and her personal insights anonymously to describe the intolerable circumstances that females had to face under the group of dictators, highlighting the purpose of education and its unavailability for girls of Pakistan.

Malala's example is one of a kind. She wants to be remembered as a girl who tries to help others in whatever capacity she can hold. She did everything possible to let the outer world know about the injustice that the government of her nation committed. She never backed down even after the confrontation between her and the representatives of the ruling power at the head of the Pakistani government.

Further Academic Help

We hope you gained some beneficial information throughout this article which will help you craft a top-notch interview essay for your journalism class. In case of further assistance, our expert writers are here to provide you with interview essay examples APA format at our paper service platform.

Before you go, you are welcome to take an essay writing test for interview to check how well you understood the concept of the article and implement gained knowledge into your upcoming assignment.

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How to Write an Interview Essay Introduction

How to Write an Interview Essay Introduction

If you’re looking for freelance essay writers for hire , you’ll want to know what a good interview essay introduction looks like so you can judge the quality of their work. An essay introduction can be tricky to get right, but if it’s written well, it can really pull the reader in and help set the tone for the rest of the essay. 

But before we dive into how to do it right, let’s briefly touch upon what an interview essay really is.

What Is an Interview Essay?

At its core, an interview essay is an essay that explores different perspectives of people on a given topic. Unlike other types of essays, such as argumentative or persuasive essays, an interview essay doesn’t try to win over the reader to one particular point of view. Instead, it allows the reader to better understand the views of those who are interviewed by providing first-hand accounts of their experiences.

When contemplating what makes an essay good , writing an effective essay introduction is of the utmost importance–so let’s take a look at what to include in your introduction.

What Should I Include in an Interview Essay Introduction?

There are a few key elements that should ideally be included in any good interview essay introduction. First, you’ll want to introduce the person or people you interviewed. This can be done by providing a brief overview of who they are and why you decided to interview them. Next, you’ll want to include a thesis statement. This is a sentence or two that sums up the main point of your essay. It should be clear and concise, and it should give the reader an idea of what they can expect to learn from reading your essay.

Finally, you’ll want to conclude your introduction with a brief sentence or two that will leave the reader wanting more. This can be done by providing some of the information you’ll be discussing in the body of the essay, or by asking a question that will pique the reader’s curiosity. There are a few things you can do to spice up your interview essay introduction, which is what we’ll discuss next.

How to Make Your Interview Essay Introduction More Interesting

Start with a bang.

This means starting with something that will immediately grab the reader’s attention and make them want to keep reading. One way to do this is to start with a shocking statistic or fact related to your topic. For example, if you’re writing an interview essay about poverty in America, you could start with the fact that a certain number of Americans live in poverty–this would certainly get the reader’s attention and make them want to learn more about what you have to say.

Use a Quote

Another great way to start an essay is with a quote from someone who is knowledgeable about your topic. This could be an expert on the subject or even someone who has first-hand experience with it. Either way, their words will carry a lot of weight and help set the tone for your essay.

Ask a Question

Asking a question in your introduction can be a great way to get the reader thinking about your topic. This will help engage them and get them invested in what you have to say.

Use Humor 

If used correctly, humor can be a great way to engage the reader and get them interested in your essay. Just be careful not to overdo it, as too much humor can be a turn-off for some readers.

A Solid Interview Essay Introduction

Now that we’ve discussed what to include in your introduction, let’s take a look at an example of a good interview essay introduction:

“In today’s society, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle. We’re all so busy working and taking care of our families that we often don’t have time for ourselves. This can lead to feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and even angry. But what if there was a way to reduce the amount of stress in our lives?

That’s where yoga comes in. Yoga is an ancient practice that has been shown to provide numerous health benefits, including reducing stress levels. In fact, a recent study found that yoga can be just as effective as medication in treating anxiety and depression.

To determine whether yoga can really help reduce stress in our lives, I decided to interview yoga instructor Jenny Miller. Jenny has been teaching yoga for more than ten years and has helped countless people find relief from stress and anxiety. She was kind enough to agree to answer a few questions about her experience with yoga and how it can help reduce stress.”

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Essay Samples on Interview

Analysis: interviewing someone from another culture.

An interview was conducted over a local American born and raised in Indiana. The interview session took place at the Purdue Fort Wayne campus and was conducted two times in order to get a sufficient amount of information about her personal culture. No challenges were...

  • Cultural Identity

An Interview with the Person from Another Culture: Analysis

For this Culture Interview project, I interviewed a 43-year-old co-worker (not named to respect her wishes) who lived in China for fifteen years; however, she now currently living here in America. Examples of Norms Norms are rules developed for appropriate behavior based on specific values...

Exploring Changes Of Aging In The Interview With Older Person

For my interview assignment, I chose to interview my eighty-seven-year-old neighbor, Diane. She suffers from Type 2 diabetes, she was diagnosed at the age of seven. Diane has been my neighbor for all my life. She resides in Laurel, Mississippi and has been here all...

The Interview With An Older Person: Discussing Aging

What preconceived idea/myth of aging was changed by this experience? When we think about the aging of seniors or old age, we tend to envision seniors’ mentality and physicality declining. The myth of judging an aging seniors state of mind and behaviors is based on...

Issues Brought Up In Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Ask any book lover whether they are in love with Jonathan Safran Foer, and they’ll most likely say, yes. Foer has turned into one of the most successful authors of all time. It is not without good reason that Foer has won multiple awards for...

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Service Learning Interview: Why I Aspire to Join the Service Learning Class

How Do You Envision the Population in the Community That We Will Be Serving? Please elaborate on your fears, concerns, prior experiences, expectations, and perceived challenges. I will be working with kids in grades 2nd-6th who are dealing with various hardships, whether that be living...

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Steps To Get Ready For A Job Interview

Preparing for a job interview we must have a goal, and it should be an attainable goal. After completing college, every student has next phase of life and that is preparing for an interview. Primarily, in today’s world, there is no shortcut for success just...

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Research Analysis On Sexual Decision-Making Of Rural Female Adolescents

The research conducted by Ezer, Leipert, Evans and Regan (2015) on rural heterosexual female adolescent’s decision-making within their sexual lives used a qualitative study design with the focus on individual interviews. Participants were recruited by initial sampling and theoretical sampling. Advertisements for the research were...

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The Specifics of Conducting an Efficient In-Depth Interview

In-Depth Interviews are typically led eye to eye and include one questioner and one member. At the point when security is an issue for the questioner, the nearness of two questioners is suitable (FAMILY HEALTH INTERNATIONAL). There is alongside no model in the gathering, all...

Report On The Teammate Interview Assignment

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Investigating Learning Domains Application Through Interviews

The best professional to interview is a teacher because they meet people with different characters and they have to know how to relate with those individuals. A high school teacher was interviewed and the interview took place at the school where he was teaching. In...

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Important Things For Interview To Get A Professional Job

Preparing for interview In this modern scenario, deciding the correct employee for job is not a simple assignment, and it frequently requires lots of work to choose best candidate, for example, information gathering, screenings, investigation and talking before really utilizing the representatives for interviewer. Talking...

Best topics on Interview

1. Analysis: Interviewing Someone From Another Culture

2. An Interview with the Person from Another Culture: Analysis

3. Exploring Changes Of Aging In The Interview With Older Person

4. The Interview With An Older Person: Discussing Aging

5. Issues Brought Up In Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

6. Service Learning Interview: Why I Aspire to Join the Service Learning Class

7. Steps To Get Ready For A Job Interview

8. Research Analysis On Sexual Decision-Making Of Rural Female Adolescents

9. The Specifics of Conducting an Efficient In-Depth Interview

10. Report On The Teammate Interview Assignment

11. Investigating Learning Domains Application Through Interviews

12. Important Things For Interview To Get A Professional Job

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  • 20+ Interview Essay Templates

An interview essay is a simple form of writing that relays the information being gathered through an interview template . It is done to make the readers knowledgeable of the items discussed during the interview process. This type of essay allows the writer to relay his or her impressions on the interview that occurred and the precise data from the interview.

sample of interview essay

Student Interview Essay Template

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Family Interview Essay Template

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Personal Interview Essay Template

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Interview Essay Sample Template

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Job Interview Essay Template

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Informational Interview Essay Template

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Leadership Interview Essay Template

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Free Interview Essay Example Template

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Teacher Interview Essay Template

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Nursing Interview Essay Template

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Interview and Writing Essay Assignment

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Interview Reflective Paragraph Essay

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Free High School Interview Essay Sample

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Personal Career Interview Case Study Essay

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Sample College Narrative Interview Essay

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Extended Definition Essay with Interview Paper

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Professional Student Interview Essay Template

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The Process of Creating an Interview Essay

  • Think first of the topic that you want to write about. This will serve as your guide on selecting the person that you want to interview.
  • Know the purpose of your essay. If you think that interviewing just one person is enough, then it will already do good to Word interview one. It also varies on the mood that you want your writing to have.
  • Prepare interview questions. Base your questions on your chosen topic so you can already have a guideline on what to ask. With this, you can already create a structure for your essay as you already have an idea of what is going to be in it. An information Sheet will just vary depending on the answers of your interviewee.
  • Quoting your interviewer. If you want to quote the interviewee in some parts of your essay, make sure to write the precise sample statement that he or she has said during the interview. If you cannot write at a fast pace, using an audio-recording device to record the entire interview with the permission of the PDF interviewee is of great help.
  • Prepare for the essay. After the interview, construct your thoughts and create a flow of ideas where you can insert the items being answered during the interview.
  • Start writing your interview essay and make sure that you are following the pattern that you have created for a cohesive thought pre-construction .

Interview Essays with Journalists and Politicians

interview essays with on journalists and politicians

Job Interview Essay Report with Introduction

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Interview Essay with APA Documentation Style

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Leadership Interview Reflective Essay

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sample of interview essay

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Interview Simulation Review

Review of Joe Johnson’s resume Joe attended training at the Community and Valley College where he went through Welding and Machining classes. However, grade or…

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What is the best site to search for quality interview paper samples?

The Essaywriter database is the best online hub for excellent samples on this subject and many others.

How to use interview essay samples to create my own paper?

You may use a sample interview paper to expand your knowledge base about business, psychological, and research interviews.

Is it allowed to submit your samples as mine?

Freely use our interview essay paper examples to boost your writing skills but avoid presenting them as your work.

How many samples can I find here?

You can find thousands of essay samples on interviews and other different subjects.

Writing academic papers about interviews is common among business and medical students. Sometimes, you might face challenges due to poor writing skills or pressing deadlines. When that happens, you can always use inspiring samples for guidance. Our database contains expertly crafted papers to unlock your inspiration. Read to learn how to benefit from Grademiners samples and use them in your own projects.

Interview Essays Examples

Every media personality, political party, and state agency in the United States of America wants to know what the public thinks. They employ interviews as a view-gathering tool. Students writing interview articles explore how businesses harness it to communicate with their target audience.

It also exposes them to practical data-gathering skills they will need while plying their trade. This subject teaches how to be a good interviewee because some workers in formal employment answer questions from the media. Scholars also learn to capture non-verbal body language during corporate communication and journalism.

Some students face various difficulties when writing about interviews. For instance, they might lack the confidence to express their thoughts freely.

Interview Essay Sample

Our database is all you need to sharpen your essay skills. We created this free online library to help students find everything they require for their writing assignments. This databank contains various interview essay examples to fire you up for future papers on this subject. Below are three exciting ways you can use this platform to compose killer essays on this topic and many others.

Get professional paper examples for your inspiration

A wise person once said, “tell me, and I will forget; show me, and I will remember for life.” This saying demonstrates the power of showing a person a good example. Our expert essay samples inspire you to write better articles, as you may use any example of an interview paper to compose a winning assignment and fetch high grades. Thus, we give you these models to save the time you would have wasted reinventing the wheel.

Learn excellent topic choice and structure

Any student who values their readers will seek the best way to present valuable information on a given title. You need to give your readers an easy time reading your papers, so they should possess a coherent and logical flow. You can learn from how our writing experts structure their thoughts. Our papers also contain various topics you can use to develop your own assignments.

Taste our team’s writing quality

We understand that some students need practical examples of what our writers can produce. Thus, we give you rest by showcasing our writers’ best essay writing examples for interview. These samples demonstrate our team’s expertise and skills in different educational fields. Moreover, every writer seeking a writing job on our platform must prove their qualification and ability to compose authentic papers with well-written, logical writing. That’s what you see when looking at the samples on our platform, ensuring that every author assigned to your order is a professional.

Interview Paper Examples to Jumpstart Your Writing

A free interview paper sample from our database can unlock your writing potential. But if your search doesn’t land you the inspiration you need for your assignment, don’t despair. We have a professional team of writers ready to assist you. Feel free to talk to us today about all your essay needs.

  • Advertising
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Hate Speech
  • Media Analysis
  • Media Manipulation
  • Social Networking

sample of interview essay

  • Crimson Careers
  • For Employers
  • Harvard College
  • Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
  • Harvard Extension School
  • Premed / Pre-Health
  • Families & Supporters
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Prospective Students
  • First Generation / Low Income
  • International Students
  • Students of Color
  • Students with Disabilities
  • Undocumented Students
  • Explore Interests & Make Career Decisions
  • Create a Resume/CV or Cover Letter
  • Expand Your Network
  • Engage with Employers
  • Search for a Job
  • Find an Internship
  • January Experiences (College)
  • Find & Apply for Summer Opportunities Funding
  • Prepare for an Interview
  • Negotiate an Offer
  • Apply to Graduate or Professional School
  • Access Resources
  • AI for Professional Development and Exploration
  • Arts & Entertainment
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  • Climate, Sustainability, Environment, Energy
  • Government, Int’l Relations, Education, Law, Nonprofits
  • Life Sciences & Health
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  • Talk to an Advisor

How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself” in an Interview (Plus Examples!)

  • Share This: Share How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself” in an Interview (Plus Examples!) on Facebook Share How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself” in an Interview (Plus Examples!) on LinkedIn Share How to Answer “Tell Me About Yourself” in an Interview (Plus Examples!) on X

By Stav Ziv

“Tell me about yourself” might seem like an easy win of an  interview question —after all, you know all about yourself! And good thing, too, because it’s often the very first thing an interviewer will ask you to do—whether you’re having a preliminary phone screen, speaking to your prospective boss, or sitting down with the CEO during the final round.”

Read the full article on The Muse: https://www.themuse.com/advice/tell-me-about-yourself-interview-question-answer-examples

Examples

Peer Interview Essay

sample of interview essay

A variety of people, when they hear the word peers, would associate it with the people they have either studied with or worked with in the past. You may have heard of peer interview essay a lot of times as it is part of a requirement when you plan to be accepted. Think of it like a needs assessment . It could also be associated with the people they currently work with or who know them well enough. When we think of peer interviews we know that the interviewer would be asking us and some other people that we know or have worked or studied with more about us. In a way, a peer interview essay is mostly done by someone who has already worked there and would be conducting the interview to analyze and assess if you are perfect for the job. To get to know about this, check out 5+ peer interview essay examples.

5+ Peer Interview Essay Examples

1. peer groups interview essay.

Peer Groups Interview Essay

2. Sample Peer Interview Essay

Sample Peer Interview Essay

3. Peer Interview Essay Format

Peer Interview Essay Format

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4. Peer Student Interview Essay

Peer Student Interview Essay

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5. Editable Peer Interview Essay

Editable Peer Interview Essay

Size: 127 KB

6. Peer Interview Essay Example

Peer Interview Essay Example

Size: 57 KB

What Is a Peer Interview Essay?

A peer interview essay is a kind of documented writing that states the assessment, the analysis, the evaluation, and everything that has been recorded by the interviewer to the interviewee. The peer interview essay consists of the interview summary details about the interviewee that the manager or the hiring company needs to know about the candidate. In addition to that, apart from the hiring manager and the human resources who usually interview potential candidates, they would ask an employee of their own to interview the candidate and see for themselves if the candidate can get along well with their own peers. This kind of interview works well for professional levels but may also work for students who are applying for a university or school of their choosing. The same procedure applies.

How to Write a Peer Interview Essay

A variety of people tend to ask about what a peer interview essay may look like. It is simply a type of summarized interview detailed essay that a student or an employee may write about in order to record a glimpse of who you are as a person. With that, you would need to understand the following steps in order to get into writing it .

1. Start with Generic to Specific Questions

Just as any interview often begins, it always begins with a simple greeting and off to the generic to specific questions . Your questions have to be in tune with what your hiring managers are giving the task for. This would mean that you are either going to be making your own questions or they would be handing you out a series of questions you are going to be asking the candidate,  peer-to-peer questions, in order for you to be able to analyze and evaluate if the candidate who may be a potential peer or colleague to you would fit well with the company.

2. Add the Details of the Candidate

Be descriptive with your essay . Add the details you can about the candidate. Anything that is relevant to the interview and about the candidate should be written along in your essay. This means that any educational relevance is similar whether you are interviewing a student who is applying for a university or a job candidate at a professional level.

3. Specify the Strong and Weak Points

The main point of the peer interview essay is to write about the candidate. This would also mean that you must specify the strong and weak points that you would need. In order for you to do that, use keywords that would be easy for you to explain in your essay as it is difficult to get it word by word during the interview. Specify the good points and the bad points in the essay, but avoid making too much of the good or too much of the bad. Balance both points.

4. Be Consistent with Your Writing

Consistency should also be a part of your essay writing. Your essay is going to be read by your hiring manager. It is a way for them to compare notes with you. In order for your point to be taken seriously and across the table, you must at least be consistent with what you are planning on saying. Being too vague would make it more difficult for your manager to understand what you wanted them to understand.

5. Proofread Your Essay

Of course, once you are done writing your peer interview essay, you must also remember to proofread everything just to make sure and to double-check if you have no visible mistakes in your essay.

What is a peer interview essay?

A peer interview essay is a recorded document of the interview with a potential applicant for either school or a professional level. The essay helps analyze if the applicant is a fit for the school or the job position they are applying for.

What is expected in a peer interview essay?

The details of what happened during the interview, the positive and negative feedback from the peer who did the interview, the analysis of the entire interview, and the evaluation.

Why is it important to have a peer interview?

The peer interview is necessary for some companies because in order for them to see how the applicant would react to having an interview with their own peers. A variety of people often see that an applicant is polite and confident when being interviewed by the hiring manager which is expected. In order for them to see the true personality of an applicant, they would ask one of their peers to do an interview, to see if the applicant would react the same way or in a different way.

It goes without saying, having a peer interview essay is essential when you want to get some feedback from a different source. Peer interviews are necessary when you want to know the applicant in a different light. Since applicants react to different types or levels of people, it is always good to see a different view if you plan to accept a potential applicant, either at a student level or a professional level.

Peer Interview Essay Generator

Text prompt

  • Instructive
  • Professional

Write about the insights gained from a peer interview on study habits for your Peer Interview Essay.

Discuss the impact of extracurricular activities on a peer's life as revealed in your Peer Interview Essay.

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  • Sample Essays

FREE 12+ Interview Essay Samples in MS Word | PDF

Interview essay example, sample essay - 15+ documents in pdf, scholarship essay example - 9+ samples in word, pdf, descriptive essay example - 6+ samples in pdf.

It is a word that inspire dread in the hearts of many students, especially when the purpose of their essay is not just to get a good mark but to impress a bunch of academic authorities. The difficulty of essay writing expands tenfold when what relies on how well you write your essay is no longer just an A in a report card but the opportunity of a lifetime. Whether this opportunity is getting into the college of your dreams or getting a coveted scholarship, don’t let it slip through your fingers.

Download our Essay Samples and see the essay-writing guidelines we have included.

Personal Interview Essay Template

personal interview essay template

  • Google Docs

Nursing Interview Essay Template

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Leadership Interview Essay Template

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Teacher Interview Essay Template

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Student Interview Essay Template

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Sample Interview Narrative Essay Template

interview narrative essay1

Job Interview Essay Template

sample job interview essay1

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Interview Report Essay DOC

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Informational Interview Essay Template

information interview essay5

Admission and Scholarship Essays

When you are writing an essay in hopes of gaining a scholarship or admission to a school, you are not writing to impress the deciding body with your academic know-how. They require these essays to gauge the skills you might possess, to get to know your personality and characteristics you possess, whether you’d fit in with the culture of the organization, and whether or not your values are in line with theirs.

For a more in-depth guide in writing essays relating to school admission and scholarships, see our Sample College Essays and Sample Scholarship Essays .

Narrative Essays

Essays written to accompany an application or in the hope of gaining admission to an organization are most appropriately written as a narrative. Many times, writing a narrative essay has been likened to telling a story. Both are required to have the same elements: a plot, characters, a climax, and a conclusion. Because narrative essays are classified to be nonfictional pieces, they are often based on experience—often the author’s but sometimes someone else’s. In other words, when writing a narrative essay, you cannot just make things up as you go. Most importantly, a narrative essay should have something to share: an idea, a realization, a thought, or a lesson. It should portray growth, change, and learning.

Professional Interview Essay Format

professional interview essay format

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Sample College Admission Interview Essay Template

college interview essay

Interview Research Essay Template

interview research essay

Size: 145KB

Interview Analysis Essay Template

interview analysis essay1

Characteristics of a Narrative Essay

To compose a well-written narrative essay, make sure that your essay does the following:

  • Involves the readers. A good narrative essay would engage its readers. When writing a narrative essay, make sure not to just tell a story but show the readers how the events unfolded. Don’t rely on adjectives, make use of sensory details and strong verbs. Let the readers feel as if they are part of the story and not simply just hearing about it.
  • Presents important conflicts and changes. Narrative essays should be able to present change. Like a story, it should have a turning point that shows a growth in the character’s personality or way of thinking.
  • Has a main idea it wishes to communicate. Narrative essay writers don’t write these essays just for the fun of it. These essays have a point to make. They have a message they wish to communicate to their readers or a sentiment they wish to share. While you’re not exactly required to flat out tell your readers the moral of the story explicitly, your writing should be able to get something out of your writing.

For in-depth guidelines on other types of essays, also see Analysis Essay Samples and other essays we have available on site.

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COMMENTS

  1. How To Write an Interview Essay (With Example Questions)

    1. Think about your essay's purpose. The first step is to think about your essay's purpose. This consideration can help you determine what questions to ask during the interview, how to conduct it and how to write the resulting essay. For example, you may want to write an interview essay as an informative, factual piece for others to educate ...

  2. Interview Essay

    Guidelines for an Interview Essay. When writing an interview essay, it would be best to create an outline first. Organize the information you have gathered from your interviewee and structure it in a logical order. This could be from one's personal information to the most compelling details gathered. Be reminded of the standard parts of an ...

  3. How to Write an Interview Narrative Essay [Template and Example]

    Like a triangle, begin at the top of the paragraph with a narrow-focused summary of the interviewee's main message. Then, continuing the triangle analogy, expand outwards and downwards from that point. Deliver the broader context for why the interview matters. To end the essay, quote how the interviewee said goodbye.

  4. Writing an Interview Paper: Formatting Guide, Samples and Writing Tips

    Place the title of the essay three or four lines down the top of the page. There must be one empty line before the student's name. Interview Papers Examples. If you're searching for an interview essay example - check several samples below: A narrative interview essay. A Q&A interview format paper. An interview with a scientist.

  5. How to Write an Interview Essay or Paper

    Write your questions. Set up a time to meet with people (you will probably start with at least one in-class interview of another student). Ask questions and record the answers. Analyze the results. Write your essay. Start with the question, followed by a summary and analysis of the questions and answers.

  6. How to Write an Interview Essay: 10 Steps (with Pictures)

    2. Plan an outline of the essay. The outline will depend largely on the essay format you are following, but a strong introduction, which clearly identifies your subject and the goals and focus of your interview, is always important. [8] Read over your interview notes and listen to any audio / video recordings you have.

  7. Student Interview Essay Example (Tips for a Successful Interview)

    Here is a breakdown of each section: 1. Introduction. The introduction should provide background information about the interviewee and the topic being discussed. It should also include a thesis statement that presents the main argument or purpose of the essay. 2. Body Paragraphs.

  8. Interview Essay Guide

    An interview essay is a written composition that presents the insights, experiences, and viewpoints of an individual obtained through a structured conversation or interview. ... Narrative Value: Select anecdotes that add depth or provide illustrative examples relevant to the topic. Balance: Ensure a good mix of quotes and anecdotes throughout ...

  9. How to Write an Interview Essay: Complete Guide

    A standard interview essay from a custom writing service can range from 2,000 to 5,000 words or up to ten pages. Individual works are usually shorter. The interview essay format will have an introduction, body segments (perspectives grouped under different subheadings), and a summary. Here's an overview of what to put in each part.

  10. How to Write an Interview Essay: Get it right from the Beginning!

    Thesis Statement Examples for Interview Essays. Example and type 1: Give facts on the interviewee. Example: John, a renowned cardiologist, is a top advocate of lifestyle change, and we are very lucky to share his insights on factors causing increased risk to heart diseases in the contemporary world. Example and type 2: Use the comments made by the interviewee on a given position or theme.

  11. 7 Real Sample Interview Questions and Answers

    Sample Answer to Question 1. In this sample response, the applicant's applying for a customer service job in a retail company. The job she seeks calls for strong interpersonal skills and an upbeat, optimistic attitude. I've always loved interacting with people and feel I have strong interpersonal skills.

  12. Interview Essay Writing: Tips, Guide

    Writing an Interview Essay Body Paragraphs. The body paragraphs hold the majority of the essay. Provided paragraphs support the central statement with relatable facts, details, and key points as the answers that an interviewer asks. Some of the interviewers prefer to use a recording device, while others opt for notes to contain the important ...

  13. How to Write an Interview Essay Introduction

    There are a few key elements that should ideally be included in any good interview essay introduction. First, you'll want to introduce the person or people you interviewed. This can be done by providing a brief overview of who they are and why you decided to interview them. Next, you'll want to include a thesis statement.

  14. Interview Essays: Samples & Topics

    Essay Samples on Interview. Essay Examples. Essay Topics. Analysis: Interviewing Someone From Another Culture. Essay grade Satisfactory An interview was conducted over a local American born and raised in Indiana. The interview session took place at the Purdue Fort Wayne campus and was conducted two times in order to get a sufficient amount of ...

  15. Job Interview Essay

    This would be in the form of an essay. This is usually about your experiences, your skills and all the basic information they need to know more about you. They do this to see and to understand you as a person. Here are some 7+ job interview essay examples you can check out for some tips on what to write and what to avoid.

  16. 20+ Interview Essay Templates

    An interview essay needs to have a backbone so that it will be well written and the thoughts that are included within the writing organized. For this function, you may browse through our Essay Sample Outline Template and see how it can help you in creating proper formats and structured sample order of thoughts for your interview essay and other kinds of write-ups.

  17. ️ Interview Essay Examples

    Interview Essay Sample. Our database is all you need to sharpen your essay skills. We created this free online library to help students find everything they require for their writing assignments. This databank contains various interview essay examples to fire you up for future papers on this subject. Below are three exciting ways you can use ...

  18. Interview Essay Examples

    Our free platform provides a wide array of essay samples covering interview topics covering jobs, psychology, and media. So, you can study tons of samples for free and get the right content to guide your interview essays. Interview Essay Sample to Generate Ideas. An interview is a well-planned and structured discussion between individuals.

  19. Format and Sample Essay on Interview

    Interview Essay Example: An interview essay is a type of composing that transfers the data being assembled through an example Interview. It is done to make the perpetrators educated of the things examined during the screening. This kind of exposition permits the author to hand off their impacts on the example Interview that happened and the exact information from the Interview.

  20. How to Answer "Tell Me About Yourself" in an Interview (Plus Examples

    By Stav Ziv "Tell me about yourself" might seem like an easy win of an interview question—after all, you know all about yourself! And good thing, too, because it's often the very first thing an interviewer will ask you to do—whether you're having a preliminary phone screen, speaking to your prospective boss, or sitting down with the CEO during the final round."

  21. Peer Interview Essay

    Specify the good points and the bad points in the essay, but avoid making too much of the good or too much of the bad. Balance both points. 4. Be Consistent with Your Writing. Consistency should also be a part of your essay writing. Your essay is going to be read by your hiring manager.

  22. FREE 12+ Interview Essay Samples in MS Word

    Interview Essay Example. Sample Essay - 15+ Documents in PDF. Scholarship Essay Example - 9+ Samples in Word, PDF. Descriptive Essay Example - 6+ Samples in PDF. Essays. It is a word that inspire dread in the hearts of many students, especially when the purpose of their essay is not just to get a good mark but to impress a bunch of academic ...