The Art of the Interview
Fall 2015 | By Eric Michael 麻豆精品 S�96
Growing up in Puerto Rico, Ybeth Bruzual听learned to love politics at a young age. 麻豆精品 S淚n Puerto Rico, politics is a national听sport, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淢y main influence was my grandmother, Aida. As a little girl, I would see her read this big El Mundo newspaper from cover to cover and ask, 麻豆精品 S楢re you reading certain parts? 麻豆精品 S� She would say, 麻豆精品 S楴o. I 麻豆精品 S檓 reading the whole thing, because we need to know what 麻豆精品 S檚 going on around the world. 麻豆精品 S� 麻豆精品 S�
That deep seed of influence would grow in Bruzual as she studied political science at UCF and built a career in television journalism, first as an intern at Telemundo Orlando and WKMG and later as an assignment editor and anchor at News 13, where she learned the art of the interview from her mentor, Scott Harris 麻豆精品 S�74.
麻豆精品 S淚 would watch him do ‘Political Connections,’ and I just fell in love with it, 麻豆精品 S� she says of the veteran anchor and analyst. Bruzual was named Harris 麻豆精品 S� successor after he died in 2011. 麻豆精品 S淚 told myself, 麻豆精品 S楽cott would want you to make the show go on, 麻豆精品 S� and I did not want to let him down, so I chose to swim in the deep end and try to stay afloat and make it work. 麻豆精品 S�
Today Bruzual splits her on-air time anchoring the weekday morning news and hosting 麻豆精品 S淧olitical Connections, 麻豆精品 S� along with contributing to the Spanish-language version, 麻豆精品 S淩evista 麻豆精品 S� on InfoM谩s. 麻豆精品 S淚t is a privilege every single day to be where I am and to sit with these people and ask them all kinds of questions, 麻豆精品 S� she says. And through her experience behind the desk and in the field, the journalist has learned how to ask the right questions 麻豆精品 S� a skill that everyone can use to benefit their professional and personal lives, from job interviews to networking and social interactions.
Here 麻豆精品 S檚 how Bruzual gets the answers:
Prepare for Anything
Research is key. Before an interview, Bruzual reads everything she can find about her subject so she 麻豆精品 S檚 ready to pivot when an interesting detour presents itself during the conversation. 麻豆精品 S淪ometimes when I 麻豆精品 S檓 already sitting next to them, I 麻豆精品 S檓 looking down at my phone, Googling their name, and checking their Facebook or Twitter just to see if they 麻豆精品 S檝e posted something recently that I could use in that interview. 麻豆精品 S�
Make It Personal
To break the ice, Bruzual begins interviews with personal questions to establish a rapport. 麻豆精品 S淚 want them to trust me just like I trust them to give me the truth, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淲hen you talk about personal things it makes [people] feel comfortable, then I go in for the meat of the interview. 麻豆精品 S�
Look People in the Eye
Engagement is impossible without eye contact. 麻豆精品 S淭he number one thing I do is I look people in the eyes, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淲hen I look at someone,听I feel I 麻豆精品 S檓 engaging them on a very personal level. I 麻豆精品 S檓 not just looking at you, I 麻豆精品 S檓 having听a conversation with you. 麻豆精品 S�
Listen More, Speak听Less
You can 麻豆精品 S檛 learn from someone when you 麻豆精品 S檙e talking. And to Bruzual, keeping your mouth shut is the most important skill for an interviewer to master. 麻豆精品 S淭he art of the conversation is to listen more and speak less, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淭hat really has helped me professionally and privately. 麻豆精品 S�