Informational Interview Assignment
Alice27
informational_interview.docxINFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW
PAPER SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
You will submit a 3-4 page paper regarding your learning experience in your informational interview. The format should consist of the following:
A. After your introductory paragraph that sets up your paper, introduce who you interviewed. Please provide a paragraph or two (depending on the extent of the information you found) describing the person you interviewed. This should be information obtained both from your interview and your background research leading into the interview. Also include a paragraph briefly describing the company and its work.
Sales Manager Information:
Past:
XXX University, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Bachelor of Science (2000)
4 years sales experience in office furniture selling
5 years on Floor Conference Service Manager experience
Now:
Second year in Summer Camps and Conference Sales Manager (Before this position, has legal contract training, on-the-job training about sales staff, etc. almost 15 kinds of training)
Planning on getting CMP (Certified Meeting Planer [last 5 years college credit])
(Company will pay for getting the credentials to encourage continue education)
B. Describe your process in locating this person. How did you go about identifying this individual? What interested you in contacting this person (other than completing this assignment)?
We will have a role play exercise end of the class, about selling a conference plan to the professor. That makes me more interested in getting information about sales manager position in a hotel or conference center.
C. Describe what you learned from this person in detail. Do NOT give a verbatim transcript of the interview. For example, do NOT write “First, I asked him [insert question here]. He answered [insert response here.]” Rather report a summary of the content of what you learned in the interview about this person and his/her position. Describe also the key takeaways of what you learned.
Educational requirement for this job: Bachelor in Business major.
What do you do in a typical day?
Answer: calling past customers, go region (Arizona, Los Angeles…), customers (Church, Schools), 100 calls-one week, focus on low budget customers(because on campus will cost less), plan proposals.
What particular skills or talents are most essential to be effective in sales manager’s job?
Answer: be firm, has public speaking skills, be confident, be knowledge about product, stay onsite, be realistic and excited, practice for sales presentation
How can I evaluate whether or not I have the necessary skills for a position such as this, or whether or not I can fit for this job?
Answer: Be knowledge about operation, be reliable be sure to self-work. Try to apply an internship to figure out whether or not I fit and can come over the high stress.
How can you deal with high stress?
Answer: Be self-motived, try best to reach goals, has one on one meeting with director to set goals, learn stress manage skills through high stress selling process, more confidence less stress.
Have you ever disappointment about yourself?
Answer: Yes, two times: One is I cannot reach my goals. One is when I promised to customers but there is something changed the expectation not meet.
D. Introspection & reflection:
a. Evaluate the values, skills, and abilities needed to perform your interviewee’s job. How do they fit with your values, skills, and abilities?
b. What did you find most interesting, surprising, compelling, etc.?
c. How interested are you in exploring this career option further? Has it changed your opinion of the field of sales?
E. Evaluate the experience of conducting the informational interview.
a. How did the interview itself go, in terms of time spent, conversation flow, connection felt with the other person, etc.?
Great flow, 45 minutes, very pleasant conversation with the sales manager.
b. How did you perform as the interviewer? Describe specific things you felt you did well during the interview? Describe specific things you felt like you could do differently or better next time?
Make good connection with the manager, show respect, polity to the manager. Make the question flow more smoothly.
c. What information do you feel you still need to evaluate this career choice?
Things to remember: The paper should be in Times New Roman 12-point font, double spaced with 1-inch margins. Quality counts. Your writing should be free of grammatical and typographical errors. Spelling and grammatical errors will detract from the credibility of your work, both now as a student and in the future as an employee. I will deduct for errors. So please proofread your work.
Please include a title page with your name, the assignment, and date and course number. ALSO on the title page, please provide the name of who you interviewed and an email or contact number for this person where I can potentially contact the interviewee should I feel the need to verify that you conducted the interview. This should be a business email, not a Gmail or yahoo account.
The structure of the paper should follow a standard essay format with a proper introduction that provides an overview of the paper and a proper conclusion that summarizes and wraps up your findings.
Try to use this assignment in a way that serves you more than learning about working in sales. Your professional life will begin soon, if it hasn’t already. This person could potentially be a good networking contact regardless of your desire to go into the field of sales. Regardless, the firm at which this person works could be a potential employer in the future.
Other information:
The Summer Camps and Conference begin on May 12, End on August 9.
Conference hot season: April to September
Looking for build long-term relationships, multi-year contracts (no rate increase- two ways benefits)
