Mentor's Interview

Interview:

You will meet with someone currently working in the field you have chosen to investigate. Don’t be worried, people in the workforce are always excited to tell other people what they do. The goal is for you to spend a minutes with them to really get a sense of what it is they actually do. If they don’t mind I would recommend using your phone to record them when you are interviewing them so you don’t have to worry about taking notes during the process.  

Before you conduct your interview you will want to develop at least 20 questions. Make sure you write your questions down leaving room between each question to take notes as needed. 

Submit the questions to the appropriate Google classroom assignment for review prior to the interview. 

What to Ask in Your Career Interview:

First, remind yourself of why you chose the Engineering field to study: Is it because you’re interested in it as a career, or just interested?  Then, what do you want to know about and from your interviewee? Also remember that when you write this up for your project, you need to have about two pages, single-spaced, of information to convey.

Know what this person’s role in your subject area is.  For example, if you’re interviewing someone on the counter staff at a bakery, that person won’t have very much expertise in decorating cookies, so don’t ask them those kinds of questions.  But if this person is a pediatrician and that’s what you want to be, you might ask him or her the same questions you’re trying to answer for yourself.

You’ll want to choose at least 10 questions to ask. You want to ask questions that will not be answerable in one or two words: You want them to do some explaining for you. Below are some possible questions, but you will probably want to tailor your own. 

1. How did you become interested in this work/activity?

2. How long have you been actively involved in it?

3. How long did you prepare for this work/activity (how long in school or training, or just generally learning enough about it to be good at it)

4. What is a typical day at this work/activity like for you?

5. What has been your greatest failure or accomplishment in this work/activity?

6. Can you describe a recent problem, and how you solved it?

7. What is most rewarding about this work/activity?

8. What do you look for in new employees/activity partners?

9. If I said I wanted to do your job/be good at this activity someday, what is something that I can do right now to get started?

10. Did you have any mentors, and how did they help you?

11. Are you passionate about this work/activity, and why?

Other tips:  

• Ask for an interview politely via telephone or e-mail (See above in the proper sections for detail).  

• Dress appropriately (business-casual works).  

• Remember your “please” and “thank you.”  

• Don’t wait to write it up - do it either as soon as you get home or shortly thereafter.  

• If you’re going to record your interview, make sure you ask your subject’s permission.  

After Your Interview 

• 3 paragraphs Thank you note. No more than 48 hrs after the interview, write a short email to your mentor thanking him for his time (cc me)

Example of thank you note:

Dear Mr./Ms. ....

(​First Paragraph: Your first sentence should state that you are reaching out to thank the recipient for what they have provided you. In this first paragraph, you might include another sentence reiterating your thanks: for example, you can acknowledge that you know they are a busy person, and you are especially grateful that they took the time to help you. )

i.e.

Thank you for the interview. I really appreciate your willingness to take time out of your busy schedule to be interviewed.

(Second Paragraph: In your second paragraph, you can explain why you are so grateful and how, specifically, their support has impacted you, or how you anticipate it impacting you in the future. It is important to be specific so that the reader knows this is a personal letter, rather than a generic one you've sent to multiple contacts.)

i.e. 

The interview gave me useful insights about the field of engineering and you profession (be specific). I will use the information you provided to guide my future educational and professional choices. Also, it will help me fulfill the requirements of my capstone project.

Third Paragraph: Use your third paragraph as a way to maintain your relationship with this person going forward. Ultimately, you should tailor what you say based on your relationship with the person, but the goal of this paragraph is to keep the door open to future communication and collaboration.

i.e.

I look forward to collaborating with you in order to complete my Capstone Project. 

Thank you once again.

Best Regards,

(your name)

• Once you have completed your interview you will type up a 1-2 page typed summary/transcript of your interview. When your summary is complete attach it to the proper assignment on Google Classroom. 

• The format for your summary can be found on the following page.