ocupational interviews

Page 1 of 2

Occupational Interview Assignment GEB 3035 Effective Career Management

OI Assignment Overview and Objectives

An occupational interview is an interview conducted with a professional to collect information

about an industry, career field, specific type of job, or even a graduate or professional school

program. An occupational interview is NOT a job interview. The purpose of an OI is to help

define and expand career options by developing up-to-date knowledge about career industries

or occupations of interest, probable companies for future employment, or even investigating

graduate/professional school programs for future enrollment. In addition, OIs will help expand

your professional network, build confidence for future internships and job interviews, and

identify professional strengths and weaknesses.

To acquire the most up-to-date information, there are few resources more helpful than talking

directly to an “insider” in an area(s) of interest. Through this assignment, GEB 3035 students

will attempt to discover vocational knowledge including what an insider’s profession is really

like, what responsibilities the professional performs on a day-to-day basis, what an

organization’s corporate culture is about, or what law/medical/graduate school really consists

of.

This assignment involves conducting five informational interviews with persons who have a

specific type of knowledge that can assist with educational and career planning.

Interviewee Options

You may interview anyone for this assignment. Ideally, you will strategically select your

interviewees based on the area of career development most relevant in your current season of

life. If you are interested in health care, education, or marketing, consider selecting a handful

of individuals to interview in the health care, education, or marketing industries. If you want to

work for a specific company (Disney, Raymond James, etc…), interview professionals who work

inside those organizations to learn about corporate culture and/or learn how those

organizations are internally structured and staffed. Interested in graduate school or law

school? Consider interviewing admissions officers, current graduate or law students, and/or

even professors.

The key consideration is you may interview any individual you wish as long as it assists your

career development. Other potentials interviewees may include, but are not limited to:

Working professionals (in various industries/fields/geographic locations of interest) Graduate or professional school admission officers, current students enrolled in the

program of interest, and/or professors or deans employed by the program

Any current or previous supervisor(s); current or previous co-workers; current or previous co-workers from other departments in an organization

Neighbors, former neighbors Family members’ co-workers, family members’ friends, family members, relatives Any other individual not listed here who can provide career insights!

Page 2 of 2

Assignment Directions

Before you launch out to interview your subjects, please read the following documents to get

the most out of this unique assignment. This assignment is typically one of the highlights of

GEB 3035 for many students.

Documents to read (all located on our GEB 3035 Sakai site, under the OI assignment):

a. Informational Interviewing: Get the Inside Scoop on Careers Author: Olivia Crosby, Occupational Outlook Quarterly, US Department of Labor

b. OI Supplemental Resource #1 - Informational Interviewing Author: University of California Berkley Career Center

c. OI Supplemental Resource #2 - 10 Ways to Make the Most of an Informational Interview d. Sample Questions for Use During Occupational Interviews e. Examples of exemplary OI papers submitted by former students

After reading these documents and successfully interviewing your subjects, address the

following information in your write-up for each OI submission:

1. Occupational Interview # (i.e., #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, Extra Credit) 2. Interviewee’s name, Interviewee’s position title 3. Interviewee’s organization 4. Date and location of interview 5. Summary of interview content

a. The goal is to capture the main points from each question asked during the interview. Students can provide a complete transcription of the conversation OR

summarize key points without transcribing every word. You may select to do

either of these options, whichever helps you learn and reflect on your experience

the most.

b. For each question asked, make sure you submit a complete response in the write- up, completely answering the questions you asked during the interview.

Incomplete or insufficient information will lose points. See exemplary papers from

former students for typical response length and content.

c. Although there are no minimum number of questions to ask during the interviews, students should ask enough questions until new insights are acquired and/or

verified occupational/industry/graduate school information relevant for personal

career advancement.

6. Your personal reaction a. Your personal reflection includes summarizing key points, insights, general

impressions, excitement, disappointments, or clarity discovered as a result of this

interview. Make statements like “What I took away from this interview was …,” “I

learned X and Y from this interview which I did not know,” What impressed upon

me the most was ____,” and/or “I was surprised/disappointed to learn ____.

b. Your personal reaction section is more than simply parroting back facts and data from your interview. This section is designed for synthesis and evaluation of what

the information acquired actually meant and to provide an opportunity to infuse

self-knowledge with new career knowledge.

Enjoy making unique discoveries as a result of completing this assignment!