informational interview (1)

8/18/2019 Informational Interview (1)

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BUSINESS COMMUNICATION INSTRUCTIONALMODULE

The Informational Interview:Writing With Cone!"en#e

Rationale$ Metho%$ Ti&$ S#he%"le$St"%ent 'an%o"t$ an% Sam&le Do#"ment

()

Dr* LeeAnne +r)%er Univerit) of California$ Santa Bar(ara

In #on,"n#tion with Dr* Mar) Ellen -"ffe) an% So"th.Wetern Cengage Learning

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The Informational Interview Aignment Cl"ter:Writing With Cone!"en#e

One of the most successful projects in my business communication courses ismy Informational Interview project. This project (1) gets students out “into thefield! (") re#uires them to wor$ with primary and secondary sources (%)encourages critical thin$ing and (&) provides practice with various businesscommunication genres. These genres include the business letter with enclosure#uestionnaire summary oral presentation and evaluative memo report withattachments. In addition the information they gather may also feed into their#uarter'long collaborative project a business plan or formal report. Ive come torely on this project to give students an eperience of what I call “*riting *ith+onse#uences.,

The traditional academic assignment involves the teacher as the sole audiencewith the familiar conse#uence of a grade. -ut with this series of assignments

students eperience new conse#uences they dont get an interview unless theywrite a clear and convincing letter of re#uest/ they dont get an informativeinterview unless they develop interesting precise interview #uestions and followthrough with contact management plans. Their findings must be shared inwritten and oral format with fellow students (and sometimes with theinterviewee).

The following pages contain a definition of informational interviewing andadditional reasons why and how I incorporate this project in my writing courses. Ihave included sample student responses to this project along with assignments

and handouts I give to the students (the symbol ♦ in%i#ate /for the t"%ent01 0inally I will provide additional instructor advice for implementation and modelsof completed student documents.

*hat Is an Informational Interview

2ets begin with what it is 3OT4its not an interview for a job. In fact I ma$e apoint of stressing this with the students from day one they may scare offpotential interviewees with a re#uest for “an interview., The students are tocontact a wor$ing professional to re#uest some time from him or her for “data

gathering., That is an informational interview is a form of primary (first'hand)research in which the interviewer (a student) as$s a series of #uestions aboutthe interviewees area of epertise and possibly his5her career path.

This form of research is etremely common in the wor$place but I believe ithasnt been given enough visibility in academic courses. 6y commitment to thisassignment comes from personal eperience. 7fter completing my 8h.9. in 1:;"but finding no teaching position I found employment as a technical writer at the

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international head#uarters of 6arathon Oil +ompany. *ithin a day at my newcareer I was shoc$ed to discover that the information I needed to do my wor$was not available in writing/ I had to find people to as$ for that information.

I had to learn how to find the right people persuade them to ta$e time to share

information with a stranger develop the right #uestions and create the bestenvironment to facilitate that information transfer. uffeys Business Communication: Process and Product +hapter 1). Todayas a teacher and a consultant I continue to rely on informational interviews as a$ey means for developing and updating curriculum and for better serving myclients.

Of course we need to eercise critical thin$ing when we are evaluating ourinterview findings. 7s with any source it is always good to compare informationgathered to that of other sources (sometimes those sources are informationinterview findings from additional sources). Often the interview leads to writtensources (these include internal memos reports and spreadsheets) and toadditional persons to interview. 0or this reason before my students conduct theirinterviews I have them read and summari?e several published sources. 7lso forthe final part of this project I have them assess their source and informationgathered as well as the method of data gathering they used.

Wh) Are Informational Interview Effe#tive2

An informational interview aignment i im&ortant in m) ("ine#omm"ni#ation #o"re (e#a"e it

3rovi%e a mean for &ra#ti#ing an% %evelo&ing 4ill in what i a

#ommon wor4&la#e ta4: learning from other* 6y eperience has taughtme that the first step in an assignment should be as$ing others''not justrunning to the library. =specially when a current situation needs researchthere may be little if any published sources.

En#o"rage a#tive learning in#l"%ing )nthei5ing rea%ing*


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Eta(lihe a realiti# #onte6t* This assignment includes a series of

associated subtas$s one of which is a letter of re#uest (for an informationalinterview). The students tend to write better for a “real, reader who is notsimply their instructor. Often if the reader agrees to the interview he5shere#uests a copy of the interview findings. 7gain this is a great motivator for

careful student wor$ and increased enthusiasm for the assignment. 7dditionally the series of tas$s4both written and oral''is a realisticintroduction to wor$place communication.

E6&an% o"r #laroom. -ecause students are see$ing information that is

of importance to them they try to find the best


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“I felt interviewing a professional really increased my interview s%ills so that I will beeven more prepared when I go for a $ob interview.#

'ow I Integrate% the Informational Interview Into M) B"ineComm"ni#ation Cla

0rom the first day of class I encourage students to start thin$ing about whatindividual would be best suited for their informational interview. I present this asa special opportunity to eplore their possible profession and to develop acontact who might later provide an internship or additional career advice.


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of fo"r (a#4gro"n% arti#le an%@or We(ite *Individual+ Wee4 79 7>

8articipation and in'class writings (Individual) CD

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St"%ent 'an%o"t Sheet

Aignment Overview: Informational Interview

7s you can see from our syllabus and assignments you will have twomajor projects. One will be a collaboratively developed business plan and

the other will be an individually developed report of interview findings. Toget to these end products youll need to pursue a variety of subtas$sincluding reading writing analy?ing and conducting an interview.

Eere is a tentative schedule of activities for your informational interviewassignment. 8lease consult your syllabus for the eact due dates.

*ee$s 1'% ♦9o bac$ground reading (includes article summaries).

♦Identify one person to interview with one or two bac$ups if

this first choice doesnt materiali?e.)end me an e-mail by

naming your first choice and eplaining, briefly, whyyou chose him/her. "ame your two other bac%upchoices.

♦9evelop a tentative list of interview #uestions.

♦*rite a letter of re#uest and enclose a tentative list of

#uestions. >et letter and #uestions criti#ued (havereviewer use attached form)/ revise as needed.

♦)ubmit for grade as 0ssignment 12

*ee$ & ♦Bevise letter and #uestions per instructor advice.

♦


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Aignment an% S"&&ort Material for Intr"#tor

Assinment !" Su##ort Materia$s or Instructors 3re&aration: 7s a class we have practicedsummari?ing and evaluating. *e have discussed the difference

between a summary and a criti#ue*

*e have reviewed business letter formats and haveread assignments (see Beading below) and discussed conductinginformational interviews and writing “open, and “closed, interview#uestions.

Often I will have our class meet for a field trip to our campuscareer center so that I can be certain they are familiar with itsservices. It has a library with many references on companies andprofessions/ it also has an alumni database4see below. If time is

short the library trip becomes an out'of'class assignment.

0inding an interviewee. *e have discussed methods to locatean appropriate interviewee and one or two bac$up choices fromsources such as these

• 7lumni (our career center maintains a list of alumni who are

willing to help undergraduates)

• +urrent or former employers coaches teachers

• +ampus recruiters

• +ampus staff professionals (internal auditors 9irector of

Fniversity 7ccounting boo$store managers 8ublications =ditor


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Aignment 7: Letter of Re!"et an% Interview "etion

Jour assignment4a -usiness 2etter with enclosure4is an opportunity to developand demonstrate a number of s$ills• ivepublication data (627 style) for two of the sources you used to developyour #uestions. Include the following #ore !"etion that everyone inour course will as$ Eow much time do you estimate that you spend during a typical wor$ wee$

on(a) written communication and (b) oral communication

*hat types of documents do you typically write *hat would you do differently if you were in school or college today *hat advice do you have for my classmates and me

Be sure to sta#$e t'e *uestionnaire to .our $etter /eore su/mittin it-

6a$e every effort to actually conduct the interview in person. Let me 4now if youcant. *ell determine a viable alternative or you will contact your bac$'up choice.

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DO NOT &ro#ratinate on this project although the interview notes and assessmentarent due until later. It ta$es time to plan for and eecute a worthwhile interview.


♦Improvement

Jes 3o +omments

". 7ppropriate detail forcontent

?oes the reader have enoughinformation to understand there'uest and ma%e a decision>

Jes 3o +omments

%. 0ormat correct &hich format did the writer

follow> bloc%, semibloc% personal business

+omments

&. 3et action ?oes the reader %now what, ifanything, is to be done net@and who will do it>

Jes 3o +omments

C. 6echanics )pelling, grammar, punctuation@are thesecorrect>

Jes 3o +omments

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A. =nclosed #uestions 0re the enclosed 'uestionsclearly and correctlyepressed> *These, too, mustbe proofread+

Jes 3o +omments


♦SAMP


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irm so &e$$ t'at s'e >oined it ater raduation- S'e &or2s t'ere no&1 as anaccountant See Sandra=s re#ort o indins $ater in t'is #ac2et-

Note: Student Sam#$e 0Tentati(e Inter(ie& ?uestion


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'ow im&ortant are oral an% written #omm"ni#ation 4ill to #areer "##ein thi fiel%2

PostAssinment !" Ad(ice or Instructors 7fter the teacher comments on and grades assignment N1 students revise theirletters and interview #uestions (as needed) and send these revised documentsout #uic$ly to the proposed interviewee.

Within three to five wor4ing %a) after the letter ha (een "(mitte%$ the

students should follow up their interview re#uest with a phone call (or e'mail ifphone number isnt $nown). This contact is both an effort to epedite the pre'interview activities and a useful chec$ to see whether the interviewee is still atthat location or possibly on vacation or hasnt yet received the letter. uffey chec$list on subse#uent pages). 7lthough we have never had any studentwho felt his5her personal safety was threatened I always give students somecautionary suggestions for an in'person interview. Eere are some additionalproblems that can arise along with some “ tips, for instructors

• En#o"rage h) t"%ent who are "n#omforta(le with one.to.one

#onta#t in person or on the telephone.


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• Be &re&are% for an o##aional (a% interview. Typically the intervieweehas said yes but really didnt have time or the willingness to participate ina good interview.

Tip< ;ften, I will have all students as% several “core# 'uestions, which

then can be shared as a class *especially if in a computer lab+. That way,we can get some more meaningful numbers *at least BC interviewsources+ to then compile in charts and tables for an eercise in visualcommunication. This is an opportunity to really see how we can usefigures to support our purpose. These charts are available for inclusion intheir final reports *memo and oral presentations+. Thus, even if anindividual student’s interview is not very positive or informative, he or shecan still learn from the information gathered by other students.

T)&i#al Interview "etion


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INTERFIEW TI3S


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Che#4lit for Con%"#ting Informational an% Other Interview() Dr* Mar) Ellen -"ffe)

Beore t'e Inter(ie&

3re&are for ta&e re#or%ing* 7s$ for permission to tape record. If granted practiceusing your e#uipment.

Do )o"r homewor4* 2earn as much as possible about the interviewee the

organi?ation and the topic. Develo& #he%"le of !"etion* >roup similar #uestions together and prepare

transitions between groupings. Coni%er en%ing !"etion in a%van#e* Jou can often collect better information if

the interviewee $nows in advance what will be as$ed. Dre &rofeionall) an% arrive on time* 7ppropriate attire adds to your credibility.

Durin t'e Inter(ie& Begin () howing a&&re#iation* Than$ the interviewee for giving you this time.

E6&lain )o"r &"r&oe* Tell what you hope to accomplish and eplain how you will

use the information. See4 &ermiion to !"ote* Be#uest the interviewees consent to use his or her

words. A4 !"etion #learl)* 0ollow your schedule but be prepared to probe for more

information when appropriate. Sta) on tra#4* If the interview begins to stray from your target topic gently bring it

bac$ in line. Liten %onJt tal4 or %e(ate* Bemember that your goal is to learn from the

interviewee. -e prepared to listen more than you tal$. 7nd dont debate issues. Be interete%*


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Aignment ;: Oral Re&ort of


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Aignment ?: Written Re&ort of


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E6#er&t from St"%ent Interview


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Training?oes ?eloitte 8 Touche have any formal training programs for communication>

*e have etensive training in Technical *ritten +omputer and +ommunication s$ills. I am doingan evaluation of a first'year staff members Qerbal

I would say :C percent of my wor$ is with a team. Once in a while there is an engagement that is just a review of a company. One person may be sent out for something li$e this.

Changing Te#hnolog)Dow is technology affecting communication within the profession>

*e have just made a large switch in our technology base. =veryone in the audit department hasan I-6 Thin$pad. *e have changed over to a new software that uses =cel and *ord on*indows :C. It is called 7udit


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E6#er&t from Annotate% Bi(liogra&h)() Anthon) oll)

/AIC3A Software for the 3a&erle A"%it*0 O'io CPA ourna$ * >> G"ne 7?1: 87.8*

This article asserts that paperless audits have become the norm ratherthan the eception. It details how much of an audit is done over an=lectronic 9ata =change 8eat 6arwic$ describing the companys move to include consulting as thethird major branch of their firm (the other two major branches being auditand ta). This article corroborates information from our interview notesand we can use it in our consulting section.

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Con#l"ion

Over the years as Ive varied this assignment with different business andtechnical communication classes Ive remained convinced that this informational

interview project is challenging and worthwhile. -esides its academic worth thisproject also seems to be transformative most students feel closer to theprofession they aspire to practice in after completing this assignment. *hetherfreshman or senior each student seems to blossom with the achievement ofgoing outside into the real world and ma$ing a connection. 6ost professionalstreat the students with respect and serve4even if only for an hour4as a mentorto the students. *ith so much to gain this assignment cluster is worth a tryP

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informational interview (1)

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