Interview

Interview Example #1

I had an interview with Anthony Pittman. He is the Athletic Director at the Murray County Recreation Department. He went to Murray County High School. Anthony told me he did not receive a degree, but he did get on site training and is certified through CPRP. CPRP stands for Certified Parks and Recreation Professional. He told me during the interview that he worked for the Murray County Recreation Department while he was in school; he would umpire/referee, score keep for games, run concessions, and take money at gates during tournaments. He told me how he loved sports and athletes so it made sense for him to work at the recreation department. The goals at the recreation department and his goals are very similar. He and the recreation department want to see the community come together to watch athletes grow and develop in themselves and the sports they love. Anthony oversees the program's daily operation, the playground and Splash Pad, schedules the use of facilities, organize and plan sports activities, and more. Anthony Pittman stated, " Some of the important traits to have when wanting to be an Athletic Director at any level are communication skills, leadership skills, problem-solving skills, and the love for sports and athletes." It is important to the Murray County Recreation Department, MCRD, to have employees that exemplify the traits Anthony previously talked about. He said, "When looking for an employee, I look for someone who is energetic, loves sports, responsible, a team player, and is a leader." Anthony wants someone who loves the job; it can be difficult working for the recreation department, so if you do not love the job you will not stay. I asked Anthony why he likes working for the Murray County Recreation Department. He told me, "I like working for the Rec. because the hours allow me to spend time with my children, I get to be involved in the community, and I love working with the kids." He did tell me during the interview how it can be challenging with the public sometimes; he also told me during the interview that some days will be really bad with people because you cannot please everyone. It makes sense why he says you have to love what you do. The general public can be very difficult to deal with and to please, so the love for the job and the pros have to be greater than the negatives of the job. His strengths are his ability to communicate and lead; Anthony's weaknesses would be that he spreads himself thin sometimes. He stated how sometimes he will try to please so many people that he cannot give enough of his attention to solely the athletics. He explained that he knows the community wants another football/soccer field for the students and more baseball/softball fields to host tournaments, but due to not having enough budgets he cannot make those plans happen as quickly as needed. My final question is what advice he would offer me and other potential/future athletic directors. He said, "This job is something bigger than the athletic directors can imagine. It will be difficult on some days, but you have to keep pushing because once those athletes who you watched as 7 and 8 year olds come back as high school seniors with full rides to their dream college playing their favorite sport it will all be worth it."

Example #2

I decided to interview Ms. Johnson who worked at Longhorn in Fayetteville, Georgia. "My short term professional goal is to get credible work experience in the working field and my long term professional goal is to be a radiologist".  " My employer looks for someone who is trustworthy and a people person since the applicant will be dealing with customers face to face their entire shift". "My employer also looks for someone who has flexible hours". "My major strengths are working with others well, being on time, and offering help to any and everyone who needs it". "My major weaknesses are letting my emotions get the best of me sometimes". " My strengths serve my company well since they are certain attributes that my employer and future employers look for but on the other hand my weakness will have to be adjusted in order for me to perform my job to the best of my ability". " I enjoy working for this company because it feels like a family working together for one common goal which is pleasing the guest". "Although we may (employees) not always get along, I am sure that my coworkers are willing to drop what their doing in order to help me succeed and vice versa". " The advice I would offer an individual looking forward to working with this company would be that kindness goes a long way in this industry and the more you are willing to help the customers and the workers around you, the more you are going to like the job and the considerate person you will become".