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Have you ever watched a movie for the 2nd or 3rd time when you discovered an important symbolism, a fore-shadowing or a tiny detail that you had missed earlier, but which gave you a completely new understanding of that movie?
We have all been there, when we can’t help it but shout out loud, “How did I ever miss it the first time around?”
The same applies when you interview someone. When someone speaks to you from a lifetime of experiences, sometimes it is difficult to see things from their perspective in their entirety. Of course you remember what they said, but to really understand it intuitively, you need a 2nd hearing.
That is why when interviewing someone, it’s always a good idea to record the interview (with permission, of course). Here are a few other benefits of recording an interview:
- You can listen to the conversation as many times as you want
- You can get exact quotes from the recorded interviews
- When you are recording an interview you can focus on what your interviewee is saying and not worry about taking notes
- You don’t need to learn short-hand or other note talking methods
In this article, we address the topic of taking interviews over a phone call.
It is very important to know the laws about recording a phone interview or other phone conversation. European law allows the caller and the receiver to record phone conversation without the need to take permission from the other party. On the other hand, 12 states in the United States restrict callers and receivers from recording the phone call without taking explicit consent from the other party. In those states, consent of all parties involved in a call is essential to record phone interviews.
Following are some methods for successfully recording phone interviews.
1. Record phone interview on your smartphone
If you want to record a phone interview then you can download an app for your iOS or Android smartphone. There are plenty of services and apps available on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store to record phone calls. One such service is our service Recordator.com. Using our service you can record phone calls irrespective of which smart phone you own, or which telecom service provider you have a subscription with. You can also transcribe your recorded phone calls.
2. Record interview on Skype
Skype allows you to make free audio and video calls with another Skype user. Skype also allows you to make Skype to landline and Skype to a mobile phone calls. If you are using Skype on your desktop computer or your laptop, then you can easily record those calls. If you have a Windows based operating system then you can use the built-in recording tool or you can download recording tools from the internet to achieve that.
3. Recording interview on Google Voice
Google Voice is pretty handy when it comes to recording your phone interviews. Google Voice allows you to record your incoming calls without the need for another 3rd party app. All you have to do is press 4 on your keypad to start recording your phone interview. You’ll receive the recording in an MP3 format in your Gmail inbox.
We hope you find these tips useful when you plan to record your phone interviews.