Explain what you learned from the interview about the career and the importance of communication in the workplace.

Assignment

Interview a professional in a career field that you are interested in pursuing. It does not have to be an entry-level position, but one that you hope to acquire as you gain more experience in this career field. You may conduct this interview in person, over the phone, or via e-mail.

Required Information

In order to complete a successful interview, you should obtain the following information:

• place of employment
• how long employed there
• length of experience in career
• relevant background, credentials, and education that qualify professional to work in field

Job-Specific Questions

• Why did you want to work in this career?
• What are your main responsibilities?
• What kinds of communication — oral and written — do you use on the job?
• • How often do you write each day or week?
  • Who are your main readers?
  • How important is what you write to the successful performance of your job?
  • Is writing important to your promotion?
  • What would be a major fault in a piece of writing in your profession?
• What do you like best and least about this job?
• Would you do it all again if you could go back in time?

Questions to Help You Enter the Field

• What advice can you give to me that will enable me to be successful in this career field?
• What skills/traits/behaviors are employers seeking in hiring someone in this career field?

Use the questions above to aid in conducting the interview. In addition, ask at least three questions of your own that address particular areas in which you may be interested. Some possible subject areas for questions are below:

• career opportunities
• technology in the field
• research

Writing Assignment Based Upon the Interview

Write a one-to-two page memorandum to me in which you present your findings. The memorandum should contain an introduction that explains the purpose of the memorandum, provides information about the person interviewed (name, position, company, credentials, relevant background information), and explain the reason you chose this particular person to interview. You should also explain how and when the interview was conducted.

In the body of the memorandum, you should present the information you obtained from the interview. You may choose any format for organizing the information except a Question and Answer method. You must paraphrase (put into your own words) the information you were told during the interview. Use headings to categorize the information and make the document visually appealing.

The memorandum should contain a conclusion that analyzes and interprets your findings from the interview. The conclusion should explain what you learned from the interview about the career and the importance of communication in the workplace. Explain whether or not this interview benefited you as you prepare to enter the workplace.

The last page of the memorandum will be a Work Cited page listing the interview in MLA format.