Interviews are some of the most powerful tools we have in career planning so I want you to have as much as experience with them as possible in this class. After identifying a setting that interests yo

Interviews are some of the most powerful tools we have in career planning so I want you to have as much as experience with them as possible in this class. After identifying a setting that interests you, arrange and complete a phone or an on-site informational interview with someone who works in that setting. You have a lot of latitude about the setting you choose and who you interview. It can be a job or a setting that you’re currently targeting. It can be a job or a setting that you’re simply interested in--perhaps something you’ve always secretly been fascinated with. Whatever you choose, make this assignment real and meaningful in your life.

Please be sure to type the answer with each question.

Informational Interview Write-up

After completing your interview, prepare a report (1-2 pages, max) that covers the information you got and the process you went through.

The first part of your report provides background information. After citing whom you interviewed, their job title, and where they work, note why you chose this particular setting and/or person. Describe the process you went through to arrange and complete the interview, including any anxiety you had about making contact, what happened, preconceived notions that turned out to be either true or false.

The body of your report covers the information you gathered in each segment of an informational interview format (job duties, skills and/or training needed, compensation, etc.). Be sure to focus on specifics, including positive and negative information about each section. This should be factual reporting; avoid offering opinions or judgments about the information you gathered.

Finally, close the report with your reaction to the informational interview process. Were there any surprises? Did you uncover unusual or noteworthy information or suggestions? What is your impression of the field you chose to research? Of the person you interviewed? Conclude your report with your overall response to the informational interview process, including any impact on your own career.

A note about your grade on this assignment. Unless there are REALLY extenuating circumstances (which I’d like you to discuss with me in advance), the interview can be by phone or face-to-face and at the workplace for full credit. Also, your grade will take into account the degree of risk you took to arrange and complete the interview. In other words, interviewing your mother-in-law in your living room (or hers) isn’t as substantive as cold-calling or networking to find someone doing a job you’re interested in and conducting the interview at their place of employment. Please discuss this with me if you’re unclear or have questions

INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW FORMAT Example Career planning Interview real final.docx

What is your field of interest? What job/career are you researching?

1. Job Duties & Responsibilities

What’s a typical day like for you?

Who do you report to?

How are you evaluated?

What gives you the most trouble? What part of your job do you dislike the most?

What do you like most about your job?

1. Skills, Experience, and/or Training Necessary for Entry

How did you get into this line of work? If you had it to do over, and knowing what you know now,

what would you do to enter this field?

If you were in my position, what would you do to get into this field?

What are the best training sites (if applicable)? Best networking sites?

III. Needs and Values (company climate, setting, physical/mental demands, etc.)

What do people in this field value and reward?

Is there a specific “culture” that people in this field tend to adhere to? Is there a specific “type” of person that’s drawn to or who succeeds in this field? (Fast-pace; being of service/philanthropy; cutthroat and competitive; world peace and/or environmental concerns, etc.)

Close supervision? Autonomy? Work alone? Work in teams? Specifics?

Rate the level of stress in this work on a scale of 1 to 10. Please give some specific examples of the kinds of stress. How often do they occur? How would you describe the pace?

What are the requirements for using your memory in this work? Specific examples?

Do you lift more than _____ pounds on this job? If so, how often? Is help available?

Do you use your hands and/or wrists a lot in this work? Specific examples?

1. Employment

Describe the employment climate in this field? Growing? Shrinking? Trends?

What is the turnover rate in this field? Is hiring seasonal? If so, when? What’s the best way to get hired in this field? (Recruiters, Want Ads, Internet Job Boards,

Networking/Social Media [and specific sites], Cold Calling, Trade Associations, Other)

How did you get your job? If you were me, how would you go about getting hired?

Any current openings with your company? (But be VERY sensitive/cautious about how you ask this-- DO NOT “low ball” your interviewee by requesting an informational interview and then flipping it into an employment interview) Last hire? Next hire?

1. Compensation

Salary ranges? (Asking about “ranges” gives you and your interviewee some comfort room) Entry-level? Potential (and time to reach it)? Overtime?

Benefits? (Medical, dental, child care, comp time, maternity/family leave, stock options, tuition, car, other)

Job sharing? Telecommuting? Other hybrids?

And the last two questions you should ask EVERYONE you interview, without fail:

1. Is there anything I should have asked you that I didn’t? Anything we missed?
2. Is there anyone else you’d recommend that I talk to? If so, may I mention your name?

（my name is Cara, female, 24, in SF, California)Personal information is not important. I just want a sample paper