Prolific profile writer and adviser on the studentBMJ, Clare Hughes gives some advice on how to do justice to the person you are profiling and get published

Profile writing can be incredibly rewarding: not only can you write an article to be proud of but you can also meet some interesting people along the way.

Finding someone to profile

For the studentBMJ, you can write about anyone who has an interesting or different career. And the person does not have to be one of the great and the good; if you find someone's career fascinating then others will too.

You might choose to write about a television personality, a Nobel prize winner, or someone who has overcome the odds to achieve their dream. You could also write about an unknown person who has inspired you. Conversely, you could decide on the career path that you want to write about and then find someone within that field who's has an interesting professional life.

Making contact

Once you have chosen who to write, check with the studentBMJ (or your target publication) to make sure that they like your idea. Your subject may have been featured before or someone with a similar carer might have already been covered.

Never feel intimidated about trying to contact someone. Find out where they work--you can either get in touch with them directly or through the public relations department (if there is one).

It might be necessary to contact a television programme on which your subject appeared or the organisers of an event where he or she spoke. You could get in touch with a journalist who has interviewed your subject in the past and ask them to pass on your contact details.

Research

The key to writing a successful profile is research. The internet is invaluable for finding out about your subject--however little known your subject is, you will usually find out something. Familiarise yourself with the work that your subject has done so that you do not get caught out when it comes to the interview.

Preparing for the interview

Turning up to an interview with a long list of questions is not good practice, but you should be prepared. The fundamental questions that need to be asked for a profile include your subject's career path, their highs and lows, and career advice (see box). A profile should not just be a list of achievements.

Take a pocket tape recorder (with spare tapes and batteries) because, unless you can write shorthand at 160 words a minute, you will not be able to keep up. Check that your subject is happy to have the interview recorded before you begin.

During the interview

Make sure that you are punctual and are dressed appropriately--smart casual is usually fine. Ensure that you ask for enough time when you first arranged the interview--an hour is enough.

Start with an open question, such as, "Tell me about your career path since leaving school." Do not interrupt; even if your subject talks non-stop for half an hour, they will give you plenty of interesting information. Try not to read questions from your preprepared list--it should feel more like a conversation than an inquisition--just turn to it at the end of the interview to check that you have asked everything that you wanted.

You might like to take hand written notes as you go, in case your recording is unclear. If you are highly motivated, you might want to learn shorthand too.

Transcription and follow up

Transcribe the interview while it is still fresh in your mind. This can take three or four times as long as the interview itself, but having a word for word record of what was said is invaluable. If you are confident about what parts you want to use, you can be selective in your transcribing.

If any new information came up during the interview, you may need to follow that up. If you have forgotten to ask or clarify something, do not be embarrassed to telephone or email your subject.

Writing it up

Writing up can take a long time and several rewrites; do not be discouraged if it takes longer than you expect. It can take many hours, or even days, to write the all important opening sentence. You might find it easier to write the rest of the article first and come back to this at the end. Use as many direct quotes as possible to liven up the interview.

Structure and style

Writing profiles has no strict rules, just write as clearly as possible. A useful trick is to start and finish with the same topic. A feature interview involves writing in the third person and using direct and indirect quotations throughout the article. A confessional is written in the first person, as if the subject has written the profile.

Writing style varies between authors and publications so there is no right or wrong. Read as many profiles as you can to get an idea of how other people do it and then experiment. Play it safe at first by following the format of other people's articles, then gradually you will be able to develop your own style.

Approving copy

It is not necessary to gain consent from the subject to publish the article -- this will have already been done when your subject agreed to the interview. However, it's good manners to show your final draft to the subject before submission so they can check for any factual errors or misrepresentations.

Make it clear to the subject that it is not their job to alter the profile in any other way--they are not the author of the piece and the style and structure of the article is your preference.

Editors are also grateful if you can help organise the photograph to go with the profile by asking for this at your interview (or even take one yourself at the interview).

Please note that all profiles submitted to the studentBMJ will be considered for publication in Career Focus in BMJ Careers.

Writing profiles for the studentBMJ

Profiles should not just be a summary of a career but a glimpse behind the achievements. Include, for example, why decisions were made, frustrations, regrets, drives, and motivations, how your subject managed to juggle career with a life, and, most importantly, advice for others based on their own experience. Keep profiles to a maximum of 1000 words.

Guidelines: We intend publishing within 24 hours all responses that contribute substantially to the topic under discussion. To avoid points that have already been made please read other people's responses before posting your own. All responses will be eligible for publication in the paper studentBMJ, providing that current appointment and place of work are given. Name and email address are required to send a response and will be published with the response.

Please note: When writing a respnse to a response, please enter the original title of the article and the author of the response you are responding to.