CAPSTONE

CAPSTONE INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Interviewing a professional in a career area you are interested in can be very rewarding as you can determine if this
career is the right one for you. Below is a framework to help you get organized and get the most out of the
experience.

Name of Person: _______________________________________________________________________________________________

Contact Info: (email/phone) ___________________________________________________________________________________

What They Do: _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Where They Work: ______________________________________________________________________________________________

When You Will Meet Them: (date and time) _____________________________________________________________________

Where You Will Meet Them: _____________________________________________________________________________________

Expect that your interview will take approximately 15-20 minutes. Please communicate this with person you are
meeting. Be prepared in advance with a list of questions. This is your opportunity to learn as much as possible about
the career area you are interested in.

Below is an extensive list of possible questions to ask. Select the ones that are the most important to you.

1. Tell me about a typical day?

2. What do you do? What are the duties/functions/responsibilities of your job?
3. What kinds of problems do you deal with?
4. What kinds of decisions do you make?
5. Why did this type of work interest you, and how did you get started?
6. How did you get your job? What jobs and experiences have led you to your present position?
7. Can you suggest some ways a student could obtain this necessary experience?
8. What part of this job do you personally find most satisfying? Most challenging?
9. What do you like most about working in this industry? What do you dislike most?
10. What is your professional background?
11. Which past jobs have been most helpful in getting you to this point in your career?
12. What other jobs can you get with the same background?
13. What are the positions in your field or organization? How do they differ?
14. What sorts of changes are occurring in your occupation?
15. How does a person progress in your field? What is a typical career path in this field or organization?
16. What is the best way to enter this occupation?
17. What are the advancement opportunities?
18. What are the major qualifications for success in this occupation?
19. What were the keys to your career advancement? How did you get where you are and what are your long-
range goals?
 20. What are the skills that are most important for a position in this field?
21. How did you learn these skills? Did you enter this position through a formal training program?
22. How would you describe the working atmosphere and the people with whom you work?
23. Is there flexibility as far as work hours, or working offsite?
24. If your job progresses as you like, what would be the next step in your career?
25. If your position was suddenly eliminated, what kinds of jobs would your skills transfer to?
26. What can you tell me about the employment outlook in your occupational field? How much demand is there
for people in this occupation? How rapidly is the field growing? Can you estimate future job openings?
27. What are the salary ranges for various levels in this field?
28. What are the major rewards of this position, aside from things like money, fringe benefits, or travel?
29. From your perspective, what are the problems you see working in this field?
30. What interests you least about the job or creates the most stress?
31. If you could do things all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? Why? What would you
change?
32. What are the educational, requirements for this job? What other types of credentials or licenses are required?
What types of training do companies offer persons entering this field? Is graduate school recommended? An
MBA? Does the company encourage and pay for employees to pursue graduate degrees?
33. What courses have proved to be the most valuable to you in your work? What would you recommend for me?
34. How important are grades/GPA for obtaining a job in this field?
35. How did you prepare for this work? If you were entering this career today, would you change your preparation
in any way to facilitate entry?
36. What abilities or personal qualities do you believe contribute most to success in this field/job?
37. What are the typical entry-level job titles and functions? What entry-level jobs are the best for learning
applicable skills?
38. Who else do you know who is doing similar kinds of work or uses similar skills? What other kinds of organizations
hire people to perform the functions you do here? Do you know of other people whom I might talk to who
have similar jobs?
39. What’s the best advice you’d give to someone interested in this field?
40. What kinds of experience, paid or unpaid, would you encourage for anybody pursuing a career in this field?
41. What special advice do you have for a student seeking to qualify for this position?
42. Do you have any special words of warning or encouragement as a result of your experience?

Collecting Evidence:

Conducting the interview is considered part of the “Research” component, but the “Evidence” is how you choose to
display what you have learned from your research. Brainstorm how you are going to showcase your evidence from
this interview.

Photographs, video, slideshow, …