Conducting an interview is not an easy task. The purpose of an interview is to be able to gather data in a planned and systematic method and it should be done if possible in a most objective manner.
There are several things to consider in conducting an interview. The first is the planning of the interview. This is the time to prepare the questions that you want to be answered by the interviewee. The interviewer must not only prepare the questions to be asked but also the location and time where and when to conduct the interview.
The place for the interview should be kept private and it should be a comfortable location wherein both the interviewer and interviewee will not be disturb.
The second thing is to conduct a pre-testing activity. In here, the questions must be tested. In this activity, it is important to consider to ask the question to the people who have similar background such as education, status, age and others to the subject to be interviewed. The reason for this is to observe the approximation of the question.
The third to consider is to establish a professional relation with the subject. It makes the subject fell secure with the interview and at ease in conversation. In order to establish friendly relation the subject or the interviewee must know the purpose of the interview, it is because the purpose of the interview will make him/her motivated to answer the question that is going to ask to him/her. The interviewer should be seen friendly, polite, thankful and spontaneous. He/she should avoid talking issues that is not directly related to the topic. The interviewer should put in mind that the purpose of an interview is to gather information and not to debate or to present a position to an argument.
The fourth thing to consider is the data recording. In here, the information that were gathered must be systematic and reliable. It is advice to use reliable electronic devices to capture some information such as the tone of the voice, mannerism, facial expressions and others. It was also said that the use of some electronic devices such as tape recorders and video cameras are more advantageous than papers and pens in obtaining exact responses on the interview.
The last to consider is to conclude the interview. In her, the interviewer must express his-her gratitude to the respondents and assured the confidentiality of the identity of the respondent if necessary.