informationalinterviewassignment x
Interview with business business professor and write interview paper
Informational Interview Assignment & Grading Information
SNHU 404
DUE–List of ten interview candidates and their affiliations, p. 1:
DUE—Written Assignment, p. 3:
Submit each electronically through the Assignment tab on Blackboard to receive a grade.
Assignment Information
The purpose of this informational interview is to encourage you to gather more information about lifelong learning practices and opportunities associated with your intended career or other aspect of life after graduation. This represents an opportunity to extend your network and approach a professional in order to ask specific questions about professional development, professional organizations, conferences, and publications—and more.
Assignment Components
STEP 1 – Identify a list of people interview
DUE:
The best person for this assignment is someone you do not know so that the interview expands your knowledge and your network. Start with people you already know who might serve as a contact for information and/or referral to someone you can interview. Consider friends, relatives, fellow students, faculty, alumni, the Career Development Center, job supervisors, neighbors, connections through social media (Facebook, LinkedIn and the SNHU Community Group), and people they know. Also, try to recall speakers you have heard, people you have read about, etc. Other resources include professional organizations, LinkedIn groups and organization directories. Utilize SNHU Recruit, CareerShift or other employer research resources. If you cannot obtain the name of a contact in your field of interest, you can always call a company/organization and ask who is in charge of a particular department that interests you.
STEP 2 – Arranging the interview
Most people are responsive to requests from students for information and advice, and they are usually quite helpful. It is up to you, however, to initiate the contact by telephoning, writing a letter or emailing, or connecting through social media. If your first contact is by letter or email, follow-up with a phone call. If you were referred to your contact by someone, mention the name of your referral source when introducing yourself. Some students find it helpful to say that their college faculty or career center advised them to speak to someone who works in their field of interest.
When arranging your interview, explain your mission of gathering information and advice. You might say something like, “I’m a student at Southern New Hampshire University and I’m writing a research paper on professional development strategies and opportunities in the ________________ field. I’d like to ask for 20-30 minutes of your time to learn more about the continuing education aspect of what you do.” If the contact is unable to meet with you in person, you may be able to gather your information over the phone or via Skype (but in person is much better).
STEP 3 – Developing questions
Your questions should elicit responses that assist you in gaining a better understanding of professional development and continuing education aspects of the career or field you seek to enter. Or, consider questions related to other forms of informal or non-formal learning outside of professional development, such as volunteer work, hobbies, etc. Remember to ask who else they might know and could recommend you speak with. See the final page for sample interview questions.
STEP 4 – Preparing for the interview
Prior to the interview, learn as much as you can about the person and their field; this will help you devise questions relevant to the continuing educationaspect of their industry. Abundant information is available online, in the library or by talking with someone who knows your interviewee or his/her organization.
STEP 5 – Conducting the interview
Try to establish a good rapport with your contact and indicate an interest in her/his area of expertise. Refer to your list of prepared questions, but allow the discussion some spontaneity as well. Prior to leaving, ask for: 1) a business card, and 2) your contact to suggest names of others who might be helpful to you.
STEP 6 – Follow up
Within one day of the interview, send a thank you note to the person interviewed. The note does not have to be long. Email is okay, but hand-written is preferred– people remember hand-written notes.
Interview tips:
· Be prepared; above all, be relaxed and be yourself
· Practice with a friend, family member or classmate
· Prepare a folder to include questions
· Dress thoughtfully. A good rule of thumb is to dress professionally. If a more casual atmosphere is anticipated, then dress business casual.
· Be natural; appear prepared but not rehearsed
· Present a business card or résumé
· Don’t talk too much; let the interviewee do most of the talking
Use Prompts, Probes, and Checks.
Prompts – designed to ‘prompt’ a longer response to a question
· repeat question or interviewee’s last words
· don’t be afraid of silence – the person may be thinking of what to say
· offer examples of what you are seeking
Probes – designed to ‘probe’ more deeply into an initial answer
· ask for examples of what the informant has said
· ask for clarification
· ask for more details
Checks – designed to ‘check’ for clarity of understanding
· summarize informant’s thoughts as you understand them
WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT
DUE:
Submit a word-processed transcript of your interview and include the following:
Student Name:
Interview Subject’s Name:
Date of Interview:
Organization:
Position Title:
Email Address:
Phone:
Introduction (1/2 page)
For the purpose of this assignment, choose a field or industry you wish to enter after graduation. Briefly describe the field or industry you have chosen and how it matches your skills, interests, and values. Identify someone in this field, or industry, through networking and/or research. You might select a faculty member who teaches in the field of study you are considering.
Contact your targeted individual, inform her/him of your assignment, and ask to schedule a 30-minute informational interview. Thoroughly research the organization, school or field before conducting the interview to ensure more specific interview questions. Your report should include a brief overview of this process. Be sure to identify the name, job title, employer, location, and business phone number of the person you interviewed.
Summary of Informational Interview (1-1 ½ pages)
A summary of the questions and the interviewee’s responses need to appear in your report. Provide a summary of follow-up activities the person you interviewed suggested.
Reactions and Conclusion (1/2 page)
Include your reactions to the interview. Do you possess or can you acquire the necessary skills to secure a job/position or pursue further study? Would you be comfortable working/going to school/volunteering in this position/area of study/organization/location? Having done the interview, how do you feel about your options after SNHU? Realistically, can you obtain this type of goal? How has the interview assisted your decision-making process?
FORMAT OF TRANSCRIPT
Margins: 1” borders on all sides
Font: 12 pt. standard (Times New Roman, Arial)
Spacing: Double spaced
Sample interview questions:
Professional Development
Does your job/field require ongoing professional development?
Is professional development critical to promotion in your field/industry?
What formal learning are you able to access through your organization?
What informal learning are you able to access through your organization?
How do you go about continuing to develop your professional skills and knowledge?
Do you see any trends emerging in your field/industry that would make continuing education important?
What individuals/books/events have most impacted what you do?
Are there organizations associated with this field/industry that provide professional development?
Are there newsletters/blogs/websites/Twitter feeds associated with this field/industry that you would recommend?
Do you have experience being mentored or mentoring someone else?
Other Lifelong Learning
Do you pursue hobbies outside of work?
What individuals/books/events have most impacted who you are?
Is there a subject that you wish you had explored while in school?
Do you feel that your work/life balance is effective?
What are you passionate about?
Does your employer sponsor volunteer time with local non-profits?
Do you engage in volunteer work on a regular basis? If so, what compelled you to do so?
Grading
Your Informational Interview will be graded based on the quality and completeness of the components of the assignment. The rubric below will be used to grade your paper:
SNHU 404 Informational Interview Grading Rubric
Points Possible
Points Earned
Professionalism
10 points for the quality and completeness of each of the required components :
30
____ Introduction
____ Summary of Interview
____ Reactions & Conclusions
Grammar, spelling, organization and identifying information
5 points possible for accuracy and quality of each (0 = needs much improvement; 5 = excellent):
· Grammar: 0 1 2 3 4 5
· Spelling: 0 1 2 3 4 5
· Organization: 0 1 2 3 4 5
· Identification of Interview Subject: 0 1 2 3 4 5
Note: Grave errors in this section may also impact the others – good grammar is important!
20
TOTAL
50
8