English 2100

Interview Assignment

Ok, think for a minute – In ten years, where will you be and what will you be doing? Some of you are very clear on your career path but many of you are not. So I am asking you to make an educated guess about what specific job you might have ten years from now. For example, if you are majoring in accounting, do you think you might want to work for a large firm or a smaller one or perhaps even have your own practice?

Now think again – do you know anyone outside your immediate family who has this kind of job already? If so, ask him/her if you can do an interview about his/her job and career. If you don’t know anyone who has that job, don’t worry. We will discuss everyone’s choice in class and together come up with a person for you to interview. Your questions are due on or before [[DATE]] and the assignment is due on [[TWO WEEKS LATER]].

Your assignment is to:

• Decide what job you might like to have in ten years
• Find someone who has that job or one that is very similar
• Contact that person and ask for an interview
• Create a series of questions to ask this person
• Do the interview
• Write about it. You can use a narrative or a question and answer format but please include a final wrap up of the interview analyzing what you learned and how it has affected your ideas about your future.

Sample questions:

• How did you get your job? What education and/or training did you need?
• Is this job what you expected to be doing when you were my age or did you change direction?
• What is a typical day of work for you?
• What are some common misconceptions about your profession and/or your job?
• What is the dress code for your job?
• Where would you like to be in ten years?
• How much did college prepare you for your job?
• Are there any courses you wish you had taken?
• What do you look forward to when you go to work each day?
• What do you find most challenging about your job?
• Is this your dream job?
• Why or why not?
• If not, what else would you rather be doing and why?
• Don’t forget to ask about salary range and perks!