On March 30, 1981 I had my first interview for a job in journalism. My goal was to secure a job as an unpaid stringer for my local paper, working Friday nights writing high school football recaps for games I didn’t attend.

 

My interview was scheduled to start at 10:30 am. By 11:30 I was still sitting in the lobby. The receptionist asked a number of times if I’d like to come back on a less hectic day. I was a young 17-year old high school senior and wasn’t well versed in the art of taking subtly. I chose to stay and wait for my interview.

 

Around noon a guy from the sports department met me in the lobby and said he was going to give me a typing test.  I found this to be a bit odd but I was a 17-year old high school senior so what did I know?

 

When I got into the newsroom i was greeted with sheer chaos. TV’s were blaring, people were frantic and it seemed like every phone was ringing.  I remember people yelling questions back and forth.  “Does anyone know where he is?”  “Where’s Nancy?”  “What do we know about the shooter?”

 

It turns out that about the time my interview was scheduled to start President Reagan was shot. Back in the day there were no fax machines and certainly no email. People reverted to an old fashioned way of communicating.

 

They screamed at each other.

 

The newspaper was delivered in the afternoon so the writers and editors were working with sketchy details trying desperately to tell the world what happened to the president.  Deadline was at 3:30 but as I learned that day, real life and deadlines aren’t always friends.

 

I watched how the art department used exacto knives to lay out each page. I learned how diligent the reporters tried to be to get the story as accurate as possible given the early afternoon deadline.

That day in the newsroom changed my life.  I caught the journalism bug.  From that day forward all I’ve ever wanted to do was write.

 

Over the years I’ve been fortunate to cover everything from the renaissance of Pittsburgh to an Arabian Horse show in Tulsa. In between I’ve written about cities throughout the US, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. I’ve covered parenting, car hacks, business and law, and health.

 

I’ve met courageous young women who were fighting breast cancer and families who were destroyed financially during the housing crash.

 

Throughout this journey I’ve learned to do my homework before I interview someone, leave the “gotcha” questions at home, and be fair.

 

People will tell you amazing things if you make them comfortable, ask good questions, and shut up. Let your interviewee do the talking. After all, the story is about them, not you.