Paper; Informational Interview

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Informational Interview is an essential tool in your quest to find a niche in the professional world. It is not meant to be a job interview but rather its intended purpose is to share information and experience with a person who, like a mentor, is giving you guidance and advice in your field of interest. It is a networking device to help you find your way on a career path and a means to developing job search skills. A successful informational interview will give you insight into the field you have chosen and perhaps even a specific job that is right for you.

The key to a successful interview is preparation: researching the person and/or company; formulating interesting questions that will reap the information you seek; and perhaps, ultimately, providing you with an invaluable networking contact.

PARAMETERS AND EXPECTATIONS

Assignment components:

Proposal including 3 options for subject interviews – this proposal should explain who the subjects are and why you are interested in each of them. Using the proposal form, submit the following information for each of your 3 interview choices:

    Name of interviewee
    Contact information
    Occupation/position
    Background information:

    Reason you would like to interview subject?
Research your interview candidates.
E-mail sent to your interviewee(s) – SUBJECT TO INSTRUCTOR APPROVAL
Prepare for the interview:

o8 Questions you will ask – this is a minimum number.
oObjectives/Outcomes you are looking for –why are you asking these questions and what do you hope to discover. (“outcomes” does not mean what you think the answer will be).
oPost questions and outcomes on assignment drop

Status  Report – e-mail to instructor giving the status/progress of this project
Presentation and Post-mortem – analyzing the experience (see the attached checklist).
Thank you/follow-up – imperative to send this to your interviewee.

YOUR NAME

INTERVIEWEE #1

NAME
CONTACT INFORMATION
OCCUPATION/POSITION
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
REASON YOU WOULD LIKE TO INTERVIEW SUBJECT?

INTERVIEWEE #2
NAME
CONTACT INFORMATION
OCCUPATION/POSITION
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
REASON YOU WOULD LIKE TO INTERVIEW SUBJECT?

INTERVIEWEE #3
NAME:
CONTACT INFORMATION
OCCUPATION/POSITION:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
REASON YOU WOULD LIKE TO INTERVIEW SUBJECT?

INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW POSTMORTEM

The Facts
Name of interview subject
Job and title, name of company
Brief bio (your prior research should yield this information)
Why you wanted to interview this personThe Interview
Questions asked / answers received
Write a narrative of the actual interview (where you met for the interview, how long you spent talking, topics discussed, advice received.....).
Follow-up – did you contact the person with additional questions?
Thank –you (please bcc me)Analysis
Challenges
Outcomes
What did you expect? What was delivered?
What did you learn?
What would you do differently next time?

Tymon Bolton

INTERVIEWEE #1
NAME: Bill Gates
CONTACT INFORMATION: gatesnotes.com
OCCUPATION/POSITION: Co-Founder and Technology Advisor of Microsoft
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Co-Chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
REASON YOU WOULD LIKE TO INTERVIEW SUBJECT? Is an interesting subject and matter.

INTERVIEWEE #2
NAME: Turtel Onli
CONTACT INFORMATION: onlistudios.com
OCCUPATION/POSITION: Cartoonist, Writer, Artist
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Founded the Black Arts Guild (BAG)
REASON YOU WOULD LIKE TO INTERVIEW SUBJECT? A teacher from high school and a professor from college I have known for a very long time that has helped influence me and also is a professional artist.

INTERVIEWEE #3
NAME: Calvin King III
CONTACT INFORMATION:1-773-526-2312
OCCUPATION/POSITION: Founder of Free Lunch Academy
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: Free Lunch Academy was founded in 2012 by Creative Director, Calvin King, who sought to provide students in Chicago and beyond with the necessary tools to safely mediate the occurrence of violence and bullying that is too often experienced in today’s classrooms.
REASON YOU WOULD LIKE TO INTERVIEW SUBJECT? I know him and have worked with him before, and he would be good for another project I am doing at Tribeca Flashpoint College at this time.

Objectives
-Understand Steps For Growth Of Personal Investments In Life.
-Understand Motives And Ventures In Business Progression.
-Comparison Of Business Goals And Prospective Outlook.

Questions
I. What Was The Situation Of Your Progress Like When You Began?
II. How Much Time Did It Take For Things To Get Started?
III. How Long Did It Take Until Things Picked Up?
IV. What Sort Of Investments Were Made In Order For Growth?
V. What Type Of Developments Occurred During Progress?
VI. What Did The Developments And Their Respective Stages Look Like?
VII. Where During Your Progress Did Growth Begin To Happen And Developments Made?
VIII. What Were Places That You Got Stuck And Why?