Every aspiring journalist will eventually conduct their first interview, and proper preparation is essential! Start by getting yourself mentally ready—build confidence and courage.

The most important step is to prepare your questions. To do this, thoroughly research the interviewee’s biography, read about their creative and professional achievements, and look up their previous interviews. Think about what questions will be relevant and interesting for your audience. Also, learn about their personal life to avoid awkward situations by asking inappropriate questions.

Next, write down your questions—perhaps in a work notebook. While you’ll need to memorize them, it’s crucial to have them on hand to refer to if needed. Make sure they’re clearly written to avoid panicked deciphering during the interview. Save a digital copy as well—it might come in handy. For instance, before my first interview, I was asked to send my questions in advance via messenger. This is a common practice, as the interviewee has the right to prepare too. Be ready to send your questions promptly if requested.

Remember, the main part of the interview should consist of the interviewee’s answers. Avoid overly lengthy questions while striving to get detailed responses. Be prepared to ask follow-up questions. Rehearse in front of a mirror to boost your confidence.

Once the questions are ready, focus on preparing your equipment. Ensure your recorder has enough memory and a fully charged battery. If necessary, replace the memory card and charge the device. Ideally, every journalist should have a professional recorder. If you’ve recently purchased one, take time to study the manual to avoid pressing the wrong button in a moment of stress. Test the device by recording at different distances. Ask friends or family to help you with this to find the best way to hold the recorder during the actual interview. And, of course, always ask for permission before recording.

Consider your appearance. Your clothing should be comfortable yet suitable for the occasion.

Finally, reach out to the person you want to interview. Obtain their phone number or that of their assistant, or try contacting them via social media. Introduce yourself, explain the purpose of your call or message, and be polite. Be prepared for the possibility that your planned meeting might be postponed multiple times due to the interviewee’s busy schedule. You may even need to “chase” them a bit.

I share all of this based on my modest but successful experience with interviews.

Go for it! You’ll do great. Believe in yourself, and whenever possible, prepare for your interviews in advance.

And let’s touch on a couple more topics that aren’t directly related to the interview.Yes, today’s journalist must be versatile. At the very least because there is multimedia journalism (a way of presenting material through various formats). The topic is the same, but it is presented and disclosed through text, photos, videos, infographics, and much more, which can be placed on a website.

The second most important thing, after understanding the need for a news hook, that you should grasp now is the variety of journalistic genres. Let’s name the main genres, which will be discussed in the following lessons: news article, reportage, interview.

We recommend starting journalism as a hobby or a source of extra income. Look for remote collaboration opportunities with media outlets and websites (via the internet). Write articles, earn fees, take more photos and videos, learn to edit and upload them online.